Manicotti

(6) 8 oz. boxes manicotti, uncooked
90 oz. ricotta cheese
48 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
48 oz. cottage cheese
3 cups grated parmesan cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 T salt
1 T pepper
6 T parsley flakes
(6) 27-30 oz. cans spaghetti sauce
5 pounds lean ground beef (optional) -- I do not use this


Brown hamburger and drain fat (if using it.) Add spaghetti sauce and simmer ten minutes. In a large bowl (and I do mean LARGE), mix cheeses, eggs and spices. With a small spoon, spoon mixture into uncooked manicotti shells (I use a ziploc bag loaded with the filling, cutting just the corner off of the bag and squeezing it into the shells. The kids love that job!)

Line a 9x13 pan with foil -- with enough foil that sauce won't leak through. Pour spaghetti sauce to lightly cover the bottom, place filled shells in a single layer on top of the sauce, pour remaining sauce evenly over the shells. Drop any remaining cheese mixture by the teaspoon on top of shells and sauce. Wrap completely in foil and freeze. Repeat until you have six pans ready to freeze.

To serve: thaw completely and bake loosely covered at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serve with tossed salad and french bread.

Taco Soup

6 cups grated cheddar cheese (reserved for serving)
(6) 2 oz. cans black sliced olives (reserved for serving)
4 pounds lean ground beef (I use only 1 1/2 pounds -- enough for flavoring.)
2 onions, chopped
(1) #10 can kidney beans
(1) #10 can whole peeled tomatoes
(1/2) #10 can tomato sauce
3 envelopes taco seasoning
4 pound bag frozen corn

Put 1 cup cheese into each of six small ziploc bags and set aside. Brown meat and drain fat. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (do not drain beans.) Divide evenly between six 1-gallon ziploc bags. Attach one cheese bag to each soup bag and freeze.

To serve: thaw and heat over medium heat for approximately fifteen minutes. Top with sour cream, olives, tortilla chips and reserved cheese. Serve with additional tortilla chips.