I started with the basic, cook it and freeze it. I filled this huge pot up three times! I ended up with 6 small bags of frozen swiss chard. We don’t typically eat frozen spinach, but it works great for adding to dishes as I need them.

Next I moved on to a tried and true recipe: spinach balls. These were a big hit last year, so I made two batches of them this year.

Spinach Balls

2 cups chopped cooked spinach
3 cups bread crumbs (I make my own)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 t celery seed
6 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t black pepper
2 drops Tabasco
1 t dried sage
1/4 t crushed rosemary
1/4 t nutmeg
2 t Braggs amino acids

In a large bowl mix together ingredients. Chill for one hour. Shape into 1″ balls. Freeze on a cookie sheet. When frozen place in freezer bags.
Bake in 350 oven for 25 minutes. (I’ve also put them in a crock pot on high for 2 hours.) They taste yummy with spaghetti sauce.

Although this made a lot of spinach balls, it only used up 4 cups of cooked spinach. So off to make a spinach loaf. I haven’t tried this one yet, but here is the recipe I used.

Spinach Loaf

1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 cups chopped spinach
2 eggs
2 t lemon juice
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 T grated Parmesan

In large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in oil. Add spinach. Cook about 8 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly and add eggs, lemon juice and nuts. Mix well and spread in loaf pan. Freeze.
When ready to bake, cover and bake 45 minutes at 350. Uncover and sprinkle with cheeses and bake 5-10 minutes.

I only made one of these because I haven’t tested it yet, so we’ll see what the family thinks when I pull it out of the freezer.

This years favorite spinach recipe goes to the Hot Pockets!

Spinach Hot Pockets

First make a batch of pizza dough or buy the refrigerator dough from the store.

Then mix together 2 cups cooked spinach, cream of mushroom soup, and 1 pound browned ground beef in a skillet.

Roll out pizza dough. I used a sandwich looking thing to make my pockets, but you can simply cut squares of dough, fill with one scoop of filling, and fold over. Wet the edges of the dough to help it stick together better.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until dough is golden brown. Then let cool, place in freezer bags, and freeze. These can simply be reheated in a microwave or toaster oven. My husband loves to take these to work with him.

And that was the end of the spinach (swiss chard).

Since we are currently harvesting our cold weather crops, I had a lot of spinach to work with! The day I brought it home, while it was still crisp, I made a Spinach Strawberry Salad with it.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Chop spinach leaves into bite-size pieces. Place in big bowl.
Slice Strawberries and place on greens.
Drain one can of mandarin oranges and place on greens.
Sprinkle with pecans.

Sprinkle salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Then pour a little olive oil and vinegar over the salad.
And eat up! It’s so simple, yet so yummy! You can even add some grilled chicken if you have some.

The rest of the spinach I cooked. I ended up with 10 cups cooked spinach! That’s a lot of spinach. So I made Spinach Balls and Spinach Lasagna. I froze the remainder in 2 cup portions.

Spinach Balls

In a large mixing bowl, mis together:
2 cups cooked spinach
3 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
6 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 t black pepper
2 drops pepper sauce
1/4 t nutmeg
2 t soy sauce (I use Braggs Amino Acids)

Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Then shape into 1-inch balls. I chose to freeze my balls by placing them on cooking sheets not touching. Once frozen I placed them all into a zip-loc freezer bag. Or you can proceed to bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Spinach Lasagna

In bowl mix:
1 pound Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 1/2 cups cooked spinach
3 eggs

Cook Lasagna noodles according to package.

Spread spaghetti sauce on bottom of casserole dish. Then layer noodles, spinach mixture, Mozzarella cheese, and sauce until all ingredients are gone. Be sure to cover the top of noodles with sauce.

I chose to freeze mine at this point, but you can follow thru and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

I also had some rhubarb to experiment with. I’ve never had rhubarb before, so this was fun.

First I made a Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch and the kids LOVED it! It was yummy. But I do suggest eating it all up while its warm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix these ingredients together in a casserole dish:
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 pint sliced strawberries
1 T honey

In a bowl mix together:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 t cinnamon

Pour oat mixture over fruit. Bake for 40 minutes. Your whole house will smell like strawberries!

This week I’m gonna try Strawberry Rhubarb muffins. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Homemade Fish Sticks

2 c cooked rice

1 t chives (optional)

1 can drained tuna in water

2 eggs

2 T arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

1 T beef boullion

1/2 c parmesan cheese

flour

Mix all ingredients together except for the cheese and flour. Sprinkle cheese over bottom of jelly roll pan or casserole dish. Press tuna mixture into pan. Chill. ( I have skipped the chill part when I was in a hurry, but the chilling helps hold the mixture together.)

Cut into strips and roll in flour. Pan fry in hot oil until crispy brown. Drain on paper towels.

You can freeze the cooked fish sticks and heat them in an oven for a quick meal. I made a triple batch one time and froze two meals worth so my hubby could feed the kids easily while I was out of town.

Turkey Pot Pie is one of my favorites because it has endless possibilities.

Chop how ever much turkey you want to use – 2 cups is a good amount for a deep dish pie plate.

Put the turkey and your selection of veggies into the pie plate. I use a combination of frozen peas, frozen corn, diced potatoes, chopped carrots, and frozen broccoli (or whatever I happen to have in the freezer).

Cover the meat and veggies with cream of chicken soup. If you are using canned, use two cans and some milk. If you make your own you don’t need to add the milk.

If you want to make it cheesy add shredded cheddar to the mix.

Cover your pie with drop biscuits and bake according to your biscuit recipe.

Cream of Chicken Soup

In saucepan melt 3T butter.
Add 2 T arrowroot powder and whisk.
Add 2 cups milk and stir constantly on med-high heat.
Add 1 T Chicken base or powdered bouillon. (If you have leftover turkey or chicken you can add it in too.)
Add a little salt and pepper. Stir until thick.

For cream of mushroom I add 1 can of mushrooms.

Turkey Tettrazinni

1 pkg spaghetti noodles (~12 oz)
1 1/2 – 2 c cooked turkey meat
1/4 c chopped bell pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or make your own like I do)
1/2 c turkey broth (I use chicken base and water)
1/8 t celery seed
1/8 t salt
1/2 chopped onion
1 1/2 c shredded cheese

Cook spaghetti until almost done. Drain. Add remaining ingredients except 1/2 c cheese and toss. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 min.

Yum!

Roast Turkey with Wolfberry Stuffing

10-12lb. Turkey, Thawed
Salt
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. parsley, minced
1 tbsp. sage, minced
2 tsp. thyme, minced

Rinse turkey and remove all packets, giblets, neck, etc. Salt inside and out. Run fingers between the skin of the turkey to separate it from the breast meat. Combine the extra virgin olive oil with the herbs, and stuff between the skin and the meat of the turkey. Place in a roasting pan and set aside. Stuffing8 slices of Whole Wheat Bread3 tbsp. butter1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil½ c onion minced¾ c. celery, mincedSalt Place bread on a baking sheet and toast at 300°F for 8-10 minutes. Flip the bread and turn off oven. Leave in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour until cooled. Slice into small cubes and place in a mixing bowl. In a pan sauté on medium heat butter, oil, onions, celery, and a pinch of salt until just tender. Remove from heat.

Add to bread cubes along with the following:
2 eggs
¾ c chicken broth
1/3 c. young living dried wolfberries
½ c. black olives, halved
3 tbsp. walnuts
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp sage, minced
¼ tsp onion powder

Mix well and stuff tightly into the front and inner cavities of the turkey. Roast according to directions on turkey packaging.

I received this recipe from Debra Raybern.