FREEZER FOODS FRIDAY

It's that time again!  Freezer Foods Friday is here again.  I'm posting gold ol' Mr. McLinky at the bottom in case you would like to share a "Freezer Food" recipe, or a make-ahead idea. 

I'd love to have everyone jump in and make this day their own too.   Just please be sure to link back here so everyone can come and see all the great ideas/recipes!  (and post the Freezer Foods Friday button on your blog if you would be so kind)

The recipe I'm sharing this week is one I like to keep in the frige for "compassion meals".   Besides feeding hubby, these are great to whip out of the freezer, thaw and take to a friend in need.  Which, by the way, is one reason I love Freezer Meals!

(One ingredient might surprise you!)

Easy Manicotti

2 packages Manicotti (14 each)

1 pound lean ground beef

2 eggs

1 box stuffing mix (any flavor)

2 cups cottage cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

8 cups spaghetti sauce, prepared.

In a large bowl, mix the stuffing mix and seasoning packet, ground beef, eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese to make a thick paste.

Set mixture aside for 5 minutes so bread crumbs can absorb moisture.

Begin stuffing UNCOOKED manicotti shells and place them side by side into prepared baking pans.

Continue until all shells have been filled and are placed as desired into baking pans.

Next, spoon shaghetti sauce evenly over shells until all sauce has been distributed.

To Freeze:  Providing you put your shells into 8 x 8 inch foil pans, you can put the whole pan into a gallon size ziplock type freezer bag.  This may sound gross, but I suck the air out through a straw, because I don't have one of those cool food savers - LOL.

Or, you can just cover tightly with foil, but I never trust that for secure, air-tight storage.

To Bake:  Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 1-2 hours (depending on how many your doing...just check it!)

NOTE:  To stuff my shells, I just transfer the mixture into a zippered bag and snip off a corner and squeeze the mixture into the shells.  Remember, you do NOT cook the shells first.  If you had cooked them and assembled them and then froze them, you'd probably have a dissolved, or icky, pasty noodle by the time you were ready to eat them.

Ok, now, your turn!  any recipes?  ideas?  Link up!

I am also linking up to Foodie Friday here  

Random Acts of Kindness, or Pay It Forward

“I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, Or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, Let me do it now, as I shall not pass this way again.”

One thing I want to do in 2010 is to practice doing Random Acts of Kindness more. I’ve done a few paying for the customer in line behind me at Starbucks drive through and that was fun. I’ve done a few other things in the past too, but this post isn’t about me bragging. It’s a new commitment to consciously being aware of the opportunity for new and inventive ways of practicing random acts of kindness. I’d like to encourage all my blogging friends to add this to the list of new year’s resolutions, if you made any.

Call it “Pay if Forward” or “Random Acts of Kindness” it all boils down to being kind to our fellow man/woman and blessing someone who probably - by society’s standards - doesn’t deserve it. That’s what makes it an act of kindness! I really loved the movie “Pay it Forward” (ok, I’m not crazy about what happened to the kid, but…) and if you haven’t, rent it and watch it, then come up with something to DO. I’d love to hear about it, so please come back and let me know…or e-mail me so I can do a whole post at the end of the year of our actions! Neat, eh?


Oh, and along the lines of “Pay It Forward”, I was surfing today and came across someone talking about making tags. Briefly, here is how the process works: People make tag cards. Commit an act of kindness. Give the person a tag card which asks the stranger to do another act of kindness. Kind of a tactile “Pay It Forward”. (I thought that was neat but I’m not sure if I’ll employ that idea, just sharing in case you wanted to)

I would love it if at the end of the year we have a great RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) party, wouldn’t you?

Let me know your thoughts!