I am trying the Once-a-Month-Cooking and have ????

[Iott Family]

Hello!

I am hoping you wonderful ladies can help me! I am trying out the OAMC way of handling family dinners as we are a hectic home of five and im tired of so-so dinners!

I am wondering if anyone has any simple, yummy marinade recipes out there for beef, chicken, and shrimp?

TIA ! I appreciate any helps you can give!

 

[piratesmate]

Do I have recipes?

Cranberry DUMP Chicken Lite
2 tsp butter, melted
1 Tbl Soy Sauce
½ c cranberry juice
¼ c orange juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1½ lb Boneless Skinless chicken breast, 4 to 6
For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer. *

Creole DUMP Chicken Lite
1 tsp Olive Oil
¼ c Chopped Onion
¼ c Bell Pepper
1 clove Garlic, minced
14 oz Whole Tomatoes, chopped & drained
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
½ tsp Dried Basil
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
¼ tsp Tabasco Sauce
1½ lb Boneless Skinless chicken breast
For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.*

Garlic Dijon DUMP Chicken
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 Tbl Dijon Mustard
2 Tbl Lime Juice
1½ lb Chicken Pieces
For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.*

Teriyaki DUMP Chicken
1 Clove Garlic -- Crushed
1/3 c Soy Sauce
2 Tbl Rice Wine (Or Sherry)
1½ Tbl Cider Vinegar
1½ Tbl Brown Sugar
1½ Tbl Minced Ginger
1½ lb Chicken Pieces

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.*

Triple Citrus Chicken (DD's all-time favorite!)
6 skinless, boneless breasts
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tbl chives, chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 Tbl fresh lime juice
2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
1 Tbl honey
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl vegetable oil

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.*

Lemon and Garlic DUMP Chicken
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
4 Tbl Olive Oil
2 Tbl Chopped Parsley
3 Tbl Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp Pepper
1½ lb Chicken Pieces

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.*

*To thaw and cook: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before, make sure the baggie is completely closed. Place the Bag on a shelf furthest from the freezer. (I put mine in a bowl/dish in case it leaks.). Preheat the oven to 350 F. Empty the contents of the bag into a large baking dish and bake until the juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

These aren't official "dump" recipes, but I've used them the same way.
Garlic Lime Chicken
4 chicken breast
½ c low sodium soy sauce
¼ c fresh lime juice
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp coarsely ground pepper

Mix together soy sauce, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and mustard. Place chicken in bowl and pour sauce over all. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and sprinkle with pepper. Spray non-stick frypan with butter-flavored cooking spray and heat over medium temperature. Add chicken and cook about 6 minutes on each side or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease. Serves 4

Grilled Sesame Chicken
6 chicken breasts
2 Tbl sesame seeds
1 Tbl sugar
½ c soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ c water
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ c vegetable or olive oil
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
¼ c chopped white onion

In large non-metallic container, mix together soy sauce, water, oil, onion, sesame seeds, sugar, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Add chicken, cover tightly and refrigerate at least 12 hours, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from marinade and reserve liquid. Grill chicken until done, basting with marinade every 15 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Oh Wow. Some of those Sounds so Good. I am going to have to give them a try.

Thanks for sharing.

I Love the DIS. It helps keep my family from eating the same old boring meals.

 

[piratesmate]

We have grilled chicken almost every night during the summer since finding these recipes! The idea that I don't need to think the night before or in the AM about marinating meat really helps.

I should mention, though, that I've switched to using low sodium soy sauce! We don't use salt very often here & it was just too much with the regular stuff. (And I really LOVE the flavor of soy sauce. ) We've found Kikoman is lower sodium than generic or La Choy for the regular stuff & I think their "low sodium" is too. (....than other brands I mean - at least it tastes that way to us.)

 

[JudithM]

Do you want marinade recipes or ideas for your OAMC?

I have had success freezing already cooked baked lasagna, spaghetti sauce, cooked rice, cooked pasta, homemade soups (broth based, not cream ones), etc. I also freeze cooked kidney beans to use in meals. I chop up & freeze various vegetables like onions, celery, pepperes, etc. I've also boiled chicken breasts & freeze them for later use.

My marinades are whatever is around the kitchen - mustard, oil, vinegar, herbs & spices, bbq sauce, whatever .

 

[piratesmate]

I found a couple more that we like for chicken. I should add that I pretty much stick to Boma's flank steak marinade for beef & that's about all we use...when we can afford steak that is. I haven't tried freezing it because we like to use our steak fresh. I'd guess you could do it though. I also don't keep shrimp in the freezer, although I buy it frozen. I have a really good marinade that we tried last summer, skewered the shrimp & then grilled it. It was outrageous! Mmmm! If anyone wants either of those I could post.

Honey Ginger DUMP Chicken
4 Tbl Chopped Onion
1½ Tbl Honey
1 Tbl Soy Sauce
1 Tbl Minced Ginger
2 Tbl Sherry
¼ c Chives
1½ lb Chicken Pieces

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.*

Pepper lime DUMP Chicken
½ tsp Lime Peel
2 cloves Garlic, minced
¼ c Lime Juice
1 tsp Pepper
1 Tbl Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Basil
¼ tsp Salt
1½ lb Chicken Pieces

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.*

**To thaw and cook: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before, make sure the baggie is completely closed. Place the Bag on a shelf furthest from the freezer. (I put mine in a bowl/dish in case it leaks.). Preheat the oven to 350 F. Empty the contents of the bag into a large baking dish and bake until the juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

These aren't official "dump" recipes, but I've used them the same way.
South of the Border Chicken
4 boneless, skinless breasts
½ cup vegetable or olive oil
2 Tbl lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp chili powder
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp cayenne

Castillian Grilled Chicken
2 Tbl soy sauce
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne
4 boneless, skinless breasts

Cajun Marinade
½ c olive oil
¼ c vinegar
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp leaf oregeno
1 tsp leaf thyme
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground hot red pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp black pepper
This one is good for chicken or veggies!

 

[Iott Family]

Ohhhh my! Thank you! I dont think I will ever go hungry again! Where can I find the marinades used at O'hana's? We went there over xmas and it was the best grill I have ever eaten....and the fruity sauce was just awesome!

Again thank you!

Does anyone else have success recipes for OAMC to share? I guess what im really asking now is does this method work well in your busy homes? What are the base ingredients I should stock up on?

 

[piratesmate]

The only recipe I have from 'Ohana isn't fruity. Also, I don't care for it when frozen....too much oil I think. When I make it, I usually just keep the excess in a jar in the back of the 'frig to use the following week.

White Meat Marinade
from 'Ohana, Polynesian

2 Tbl garlic, minced
¼ c malt vinegar
¼ c lemon juice
3 dashes tabasco
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ c light brown sugar
1 c olive oil

Place all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Slowly add the oil to the food processor to form an emulsion. Reserve half of the marinade for later use. Marinate the meat for two to three days in the refrigerator. Strain the reserved marinade and use to baste the meat during the cooking process.

Other than marinating my chicken before freezing, I don't actually make much ahead like JudithM...at least not since I've been home. However, I do a couple things that greatly reduce food prep time.

I buy my chicken (boneless breasts) in family packs and what doesn't get marinated goes into the crockpot. I cook it all day & then shred it, freezing in meal-sized bags.

I do something similar with hamburger, but cook it on the stovetop. Once cooked, I pour it into a large colander to drain & then bag and freeze.

We have a specialty store near us that sells fresh spices. You wouldn't believe the difference between the stuff you buy in the grocery store & what I get! It has much more flavor! Other than a cupboard full of spices, the only other thing I can thing of that makes my cooking fast/easy is to buy a large jar of minced garlic. I buy the 16 oz size. It keeps well & most of my recipes seem to call for it. This is much easier than having to pull out a garlic press. We like the flavor better than just substituting garlic powder like I used to do.

 

[Spinning]

WOW! So let me get this straight. I buy chicken, don't cook it put all this stuff in a bag. Then pull it out the night before let it thaw and then cook it!?!?? and it will seem like i slaved for hours!?!?
I love it!
I always buy my chicken in bulk and then bag it up. This would be a great change! Now I need to print all of these out!

 

[piratesmate]

WOW! So let me get this straight. I buy chicken, don't cook it put all this stuff in a bag. Then pull it out the night before let it thaw and then cook it!?!?? and it will seem like i slaved for hours!?!?
I love it!
I always buy my chicken in bulk and then bag it up. This would be a great change! Now I need to print all of these out!

Yup! That about covers it. I was soooo tired of deciding to make something & finding out that I should have started it marinating two days earlier. I never think far enough ahead for that. This way I just take it out the night before (or even in the AM) & it marinates as it defrosts. A certain amount of marinating goes on while it's frozen - you can tell if you pull out a bag that's been in for several months as opposed to one that's more recent. I've never found it to be overpowering though.

It's so easy I don't think much about it anymore. We really enjoy the taste, but it doesn't seem all that special to us. Every time we have company & serve one of these, though, people rave about the food & do think I've spent hours in the kitchen!

 

[Twinkies]

I usually buy those bulk bags of frozen chicken breasts or chicken tenders.

Do I add the marinade to the frozen breasts, rebag, and store in the freezer?

Thanks so much!

PIRATESMATE: You are always so helpful!

 

[piratesmate]

I usually buy those bulk bags of frozen chicken breasts or chicken tenders.

Do I add the marinade to the frozen breasts, rebag, and store in the freezer?

Thanks so much!

PIRATESMATE: You are always so helpful!

You're so sweet!

I've never gotten the meat already frozen. Does it come individually frozen - so that you can separate them easily? I've never seen it like that.

I have already separated the raw meat & frozen when I wasn't feeling well enough to mess with the marinades. I went back later & added the marinade...the only problem I had was that my bags didn't want to seal again, so I just popped the whole thing in another bag. I tried to make sure that those bags were defrosted overnight rather than just in the AM - to give it enough time to really distribute the flavor.

However, if the meat is a big "lump" when you bring it home I don't see how you'll get it apart. You could just increase the amount of the marinade per bag & do the whole thing at once. I often do several bags at once on the grill - like if we're expecting rain for the next couple days. The meat is so good leftover! It works re-heated, cold on tossed salad or DH takes it on a sandwich for his lunch.

 

[Twinkies]

The frozen chicken breasts stick together when frozen, but you can break them apart. I think I'm going to give it a while just adding the marinade to frozen breasts and being sure to defrost overnight.

Funny, I found this thread, when I was thinking about trying to freeze up several entrees this coming Sunday...

Dinner hour is looking up at our house! Thanks!

 

[JudithM]

I've never gotten the meat already frozen. Does it come individually frozen - so that you can separate them easily?

I sometimes buy these bags of chicken at BJ's, Sam's, etc. The ones I buy do come individually frozen. I have to go back & look closer at these marinades! Thank you for sharing ... always nice to get new ideas!

 

[sweet maxine]

Good morning!

I can't wait to try all these recipes for marinade, and I've just discovered using a George Foreman grill. I still have trouble cleaning it after cooking chicken or steak with any kind of marinade (been using the bottled stuff), but that's a whole different topic!

Anyway, I have been interested in getting a food sealer, and still haven't made my mind up about which one to get. I wondered if you use just the regular freezer bags with these recipes, or are you using a sealer. Also, if you are using a sealer, does it keep the flavor of the marinade better than using freezer bags?

The one recipe I have tried before (just tried making my own once!), was the lime and pepper one. My kids really loved that one, and needless to say, there were no leftovers! I've got a huge string of garlic I bought at Sam's, and I really need to use it up, so the marinades are just the trick for me! I guess I could shop the rest up and put it in some olive oil to preserve it---I hate to waste any garlic.

Anywho, thanks for all the great recipes! I really enjoyed the crock pot recipe thread, and I've got piratesmate's recipe for 3-Cheese Chicken and Noodles posted on my refrigerator. My kids keep asking me everyday to hurry up and cook that one! It just sounds so good!

 

[piratesmate]

......
Anyway, I have been interested in getting a food sealer, and still haven't made my mind up about which one to get. I wondered if you use just the regular freezer bags with these recipes, or are you using a sealer. Also, if you are using a sealer, does it keep the flavor of the marinade better than using freezer bags?

......I've got a huge string of garlic I bought at Sam's, and I really need to use it up, so the marinades are just the trick for me! I guess I could shop the rest up and put it in some olive oil to preserve it---I hate to waste any garlic.....

I just use gallon ziplock bags. (Sometimes I don't have freezer ones & I just use regular ones. They work too.) I have a really old sealer, but I haven't tried using it for this....too sloppy for me.

As for your garlic - have you tried roasting it? Basically you cut off the top & bottom of the bulb, put it in a baking tray, spray with olive oil & bake. Once they're done you just squeeze each segment/clove & the good stuff pops out of the skin. I froze what I couldn't use right away & have been using it to spread on Italian bread, or chopped sauteed with olive oil over pasta, or ... I froze mine in an old deli container & that kept the smell/flavor from permeating everything else in my freezer.

 

[Dory's Twin]

How long and at what temp do you roast the garlic? It is so delicious I just have never made it myself because I never thought to do it "in bulk" and freeze some.

I have often prepared dishes, etc before my children's soccer season starts, we are so busy in the spring and fall, that in January, I begin to plan for March dinners, etc. I have found that frozen pizza dough works great. let it thaw and rise a little during the day and when we arrive home at 7:30 after practice, the kids get a great pizza, they are usually too tire to really sit and eat a big meal. Enchiladas work well (bake before freezing).

side dishes are really helpful, rice (plain, spanish, chinese fried...) potatoes (mashed...plain, with roasted garlic, cheesy, scalloped...) adds a nice touch to a hurried dinner of griled steak og chicken...

I get together with 2 girlfriends...I make 3 pans of enchiladas ane sheare with them, the each do the same of a different main course...this is great, I have less work, more variety and NEW RECIPES

 

[piratesmate]

Sorry - I posted that right before I ran out for the day. (Genealogy research, not scrapping business. ) I wasn't sure how to do it either & everyone I know who is Italian seemed to think it was a no brainer & kept saying things like "You just roast it." This is what I found out & it worked for me:

Roasted Garlic
- 1 medium head/bumb yields about 1 Tbl of garlic paste.
- Peel off the dry outer layers of skin from the garlic bulbs. Leave skins of cloves intact.
- Cut off the pointed top of the bulb (about 1/4") leaving the bulb intact but exposing the individual cloves. (I was wrong about cutting off the bottom!)
- Place heads/bulbs in a small baking dish - cut/top side up.
- Drizzle with olive oil; about 2 tsp per head. (I used my Misto, so it was probably less than that.)
- Cover & bake at 400 for 25 to 35 min or until cloves feel soft when pressed.
- Allow heads to cools slightly before handling.
- Separate cloves, nip open the top of each. Squeeze from the bottom & the "meat" usually pops right out.

Then you can either freeze the meat while it retains its shape (easier to separate for recipes) or mash with a for until smoth & use. You can refrigerate in an airtight container up to one week.

Ways to use roasted garlic:
- Warm & spread on Italian (or French) bread.
- Mix with olive oil & toss with pasta & Parmesan.
- Add 1 or 2 Tbl to potatoes when mashing.
- Stir into softened cream cheese with Italian seasoning or lemon pepper & spread on crackers.
- Mix with softened butter/margarine & baste chicken.
- Stir into melted butter & drizzle over baked fish.
- Roll a tsp in refrigerated crescent dough before baking.
- Combine with sour cream & serve on baked potatoes.

 

[MerryPoppins]

These marinades sound wonderful. What a great idea! I'm getting ready to clean out my freezer. Then I'll have to give this a try. I'm thinking I'll pick up chicken when it's on sale and do a bunch of bags in advance. That way I'll be thrifty and save time too.

As far as cleaning the G.F. Grill, I got a tip here a few months ago. When you are finished cooking, wet a couple of paper towels. Keep them pretty wet. Unplug the grill and spread them on the cooking surface. Close the grill. The moisture and the leftover heat work to keep it from getting all dry and crusty while you eat. Then it's easier to clean after supper.

 

[sweet maxine]

I just rechecked the boards tonight and saw the update about roasting garlic cloves. Thanks, piratesmate! I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. We love garlic bread, and have just discovered garlic mashed potatoes (ala Tusker House at WDW!~Yum!). I don't think any of it will go to waste now.

Well, let me tell you about my grill.....my mother told me once to just do as MerryPoppins said, but she told me to add ammonia to it and let it sit overnight. Well, to make a long story short, I forgot about it the next morning, and by the time I remembered it--- well let me just say it was not pretty! I think it took off a good bit of the coating on the grids! I think I'd better stick to just water the next time or I'll be spending money on another grill. (Not sure how to tell Mom about the grill----she's the one who gave it to me! Oops!)