Meals in a Jar (28 page)

Label each bag:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and cook for 8 minutes. Add the noodles and salt and cook about 8 minutes more. Drain and reserve. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the flour and shortening or ghee from the thickener packet, and stir and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Open the chicken and drain the liquid into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the gravy mix and enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the gravy mix liquid to the roux. Over medium-high heat, stir and cook until thickened. Stir in the chicken stew mix, cook until heated through, and remove from the heat. Mix the noodles and chicken stew mix together. You may serve as is or pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole Ready-Made Meal Assembly (serves 8)

In each of 16 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:

• 1 jar or pouch chicken stew mix

• 1 vacuum bag containing 2 cups dehydrated broccoli

• 1 bag thickener

• 1 bag gravy mix

• 1 vacuum bag containing 2 cups rice and 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, vacuum-sealed, home-canned, or waxed

Label each bag:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Start cooking the rice in a small saucepan with 3-1/2 cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 18 minutes. Heat a medium saucepan of water to a simmer, add the broccoli, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 12 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the flour and shortening or ghee from the thickener packet, and stir and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Open the chicken and drain the liquid into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the gravy mix and enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the gravy mix liquid to the roux. Over medium-high heat, stir and cook until thickened. Stir in the chicken and vegetables and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer the rice, broccoli, and chicken mixture. Top with grated cheese and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
.

Saucy Chicken and Vegetables with Polenta, Mashed Potatoes, Rice, Biscuits, or Naan Ready-Made Meal Assembly (serves 8)

In each of 16 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:

• 1 jar or pouch chicken stew mix

• 1 bag thickener

• 1 bag gravy mix

• 1 sidekit Polenta (
page 121
), Mashed Potatoes (
page 122
), Rice (
page 120
), Naan Bread (
page 131
), or Biscuits (
page 126
)

Label each bag:

Prepare the polenta, mashed potatoes, rice, naan, or biscuits according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the flour and shortening or ghee from the thickener packet, and stir and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux. Open the chicken and drain the liquid into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the gravy mix and enough water to equal 4 cups. Add the gravy mix liquid to the roux. Over medium-high heat, stir and cook until thickened. Stir in the chicken and vegetables, and cook until heated through. Serve on top of or alongside the sidekit. Serves 8
.

Variation: Turkey and Gravy

All the Classic Chicken and Vegetable recipes above can be made with turkey instead, and they taste like the day after Thanksgiving to me. The nice thing about turkey is that it can be bought very inexpensively around the holidays. Make several of these kits, and enjoy your turkey and your savings throughout the year. In place of the quart-size jars or bags of chicken, store a bag of turkey:

For turkey stew mix: Season the turkey breast with salt and pepper, and cook in a roaster oven at 350°F for about 4 hours or until nearly cooked through. Alternatively, the turkey can be cooked off the bone in a slow cooker set on high or in the oven at 350°F preferably in a covered pot, with about an inch or more of water in the bottom of the roaster/crock/pan. Add more water as needed during the cook time. Meanwhile, mix the soup base or bouillon and water. Adjust the seasoning to taste. When the turkey cook time is up (it needn’t be completely done), chop it into bite-size pieces. Add any cooking juices to the soup base or bouillon. Using a canning funnel, fill 16 sterilized quart-size jars or pouches each with 2 cups turkey, 1 cup onions, and 3/4 cup each of celery and carrots. Fill with soup base liquid, leaving abundant headspace (1 to 2 inches). Wipe the rims or edges to be sealed, add the lids and rims, or heat-seal the pouches. Pressure-can for 90 minutes.

Chipotle Chicken

This slightly spicy chicken dish is out-of-this-world good, especially served over something to soak up that sauce.

Makes 12 (6 to 8-serving) meals

Ingredients

20 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-size chunks

olive oil

8 large onions, chopped

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 (7-ounce) cans chipotle chiles in adobo

salt and pepper

Instructions

Working in batches, pat the chicken chunks dry, season with salt and pepper, and then brown the chicken in 2 tablespoons oil (it needn’t be cooked through, just browned). Set aside. Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with oil and warm over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, stir to combine, and then add the tomato sauce and sugar. Puree the chipotles in their sauce in the blender or food processor, and add to the saucepan. Using a canning funnel, fill 12 sterilized quart-size jars or pouches each with 3 cups chicken and then with sauce, leaving abundant headspace (1 to 2 inches). Wipe the rims or edges to be sealed, add the lids and rims, or heat-seal the pouches. Pressure-can for 90 minutes.

Ready-Made Meal Assembly

In each of 12 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:

• 1 jar or pouch chipotle chicken

• 1 sidekit Polenta (
page 121
), Mashed Potatoes (
page 122
), Buttered Noodles (
page 120
), Rice (
page 120
), Naan Bread (
page 131
), or Biscuits (
page 126
)

Label each bag:

Prepare the polenta, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, rice, naan, or biscuits according to the package directions. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the chipotle chicken until heated through. Serve over or alongside the sidekit. Serves 6 to 8
.

Coq Au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine Sauce)

This is a classic dish that is made even better by pressure canning to allow the flavors to deepen.

Makes 16 (6-serving) meals

Ingredients

24 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

salt and pepper

olive oil

4 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

4 pounds pearl onions or yellow or white onions, chopped

2 pounds mushrooms, sliced or quartered

5 tablespoons minced garlic

2/3 cup butter

1-1/4 cups clear jel

3 quarts chicken stock or equivalent soup base and water

3 quarts dry red wine

12 ounces tomato paste

5 tablespoons red currant jelly

5 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1-1/2 tablespoons dried thyme

5 bay leaves

Instructions

Working in batches, chop the chicken into chunks, season with salt and pepper, and brown the chicken in oil on all sides (it needn’t be cooked through, just browned). Coat a large pan with oil and warm over medium-high heat. Cook the carrots, onions, mushrooms, and garlic until they begin to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Using a canning funnel, fill 16 sterilized quart-size jars or pouches each with 2-1/2 cups chicken and then with sauce and vegetables, leaving abundant headspace (1 to 2 inches). Wipe the rims or edges to be sealed, add the lids and rims, or heat-seal the pouches. Pressure-can for 90 minutes.