Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [33]
3. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. Pour off the marinade and reserve. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove beef from pan and keep warm. Add marinade to skillet, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes. Return beef to pan. Add mandarin oranges and stir to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
This is a Tkacsik family favorite! If you love blue cheese and want to skip the steak, the sauce is also tasty over pasta. —LT
STEAK SKEWERS
WITH BLUE CHEESE DIPPING SAUCE
MAKES 3 ENTRÉES, 4 SERVINGS EACH
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) BONELESS TOP SIRLOIN STEAKS
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons black pepper
SAUCE
1 (4- to 5-ounce) container crumbled blue cheese (about ¾ cup)
3 cups heavy cream
¾ teaspoon black pepper
6 one-gallon freezer bags, label 3
3 one-quart freezer bags
ON HAND FOR COOKING EACH ENTRÉE
8 (9-inch) wooden or metal skewers
1. Rinse steaks and trim excess fat. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Divide beef evenly among the unlabeled 1-gallon freezer bags.
2. Whisk together oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Divide the marinade evenly over the beef. Into each bag, measure ½ teaspoon pepper. Seal bags.
3. Divide the blue cheese among the three 1-quart freezer bags. Into each bag of cheese, measure 1 cup heavy cream and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Seal bags.
4. Into each labeled 1-gallon bag, place one bag of beef and one bag of sauce.
5. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
Prepare on an outdoor grill or indoors under a broiler.
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
FOR OUTDOOR COOKING
1. Prepare a medium fire in a gas or charcoal grill.
2. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while beef is thawing. Thread steak pieces onto skewers. Grill, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes or until beef is done to your liking. Discard remaining marinade.
3. Meanwhile, heat the blue cheese mixture in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the cream reduces and thickens into a velvety sauce. Serve as a dipping sauce with the steak skewers.
FOR INDOOR COOKING
1. Arrange skewers, prepared as above, on an ungreased broiler pan. Broil steak under high heat, 5 inches from the heat source, turning frequently for about 10 minutes or until beef is done to your liking. Discard remaining marinade.
2. Heat and serve the cheese sauce as described above.
I think the secret to this delicious soup is our Basic Red Sauce. The large pot of soup this recipe yields is perfect when company comes. I like to put the frozen soup in the slow cooker on a Sunday morning and turn it on high. By the time we get home from church, it’s ready to eat. I can invite last-minute lunch guests with no worry about what to serve. Now, if only I could be sure the house would be clean! —LT
BEEF BARLEY SOUP
MAKES 4 ENTRÉES, 6–8 SERVINGS EACH
1 PACKAGE (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) SIRLOIN TIP BEEF OR OTHER BEEF SUITABLE FOR SLOW COOKING
6 cups sliced carrots (about 12 medium)
6 cups sliced celery (about 12 stalks)
4 cups chopped onion (about 4 medium)
2 large green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 (14½-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice (about 8 cups)
4 cups Basic Red Sauce (page 178)
4 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cups (1 one-pound bag) pearl barley
8 one-gallon freezer bags, label 4
4 one-quart freezer bags
1. Rinse and trim beef as desired. Cut into bite-size pieces. Divide beef evenly among the unlabeled 1-gallon bags.
2. Into each of the four bags of beef measure 1½ cups carrots, 1½ cups celery, 1 cup onion, one-fourth of the bell peppers, 1 can tomatoes with juice, 1 cup red sauce, 1 tablespoon bouillon, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper. Seal.
3. Into each of the 1-quart bags measure ½ cup barley. Seal. Place one bag of