Gumbo

In an effort to downsize the number of freezers we have food in (three to two, yes we are food hoarders) we decided to cook one of the two turkeys currently in our freezers for last Sunday dinner. We were pretty nervous to do this since in all past turkey cooking experiences at our house we have had someone there who knew what they were doing, and they basically cooked the turkey. So we were on our own for the first time...we even attempted stuffing. It actually turned out quite well. (Thank goodness since we invited guests to join us-all family of course just in case it was a disaster). We learned a few things for next time around but all in all it was tasty! Now this happened to be a 21 lbs. turkey, so needless to say we had tons of leftovers. I froze one whole turkey breast and still had almost a full gallon size zip lock bag full. Being determined not to waste any of it I got online for some new ideas to use up turkey leftovers, and this is what I came up with. I found it on Foodnetwork.com. It is one of Emeril's recipes. I had never attempted gumbo before, but have always been intrigued by it. It was a bit time consuming but well worth the effort. Next time you have turkey leftovers give it a try!

Turkey Bone Gumbo

1 c plus 2 TBS vegetable oil

1 1/4 c flour

1 1/2 c onions, chopped

1 c celery, chopped

1 c bell peppers

salt

pepper

cayenne (I used 1/2 tsp-toasty)

1 lbs smoked sausage, such as andouille or kiebasa, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices

3 bay leaves

6 c turkey stock* (if you want the easy way out I would guess you could use canned chicken stock-not that the other is hard)

3-4 c leftover turkey meat

2 TBS parsley, chopped

1/2 c green onions, chopped (I used 1/4 c)

1 TBS File' powder

2 c cooked long grain white rice

In a Dutch oven (heavy pan), combine the oil and flour, over medium heat stir slowly and constantly for 20-25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of (milk) chocolate. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers (I used green and red) and continue to stir for 4-5 minutes, or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3-4 minutes. Add Stock. Stir until the roux mixture and stock are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Add the turkey. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in parsley and green onions. Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls with rice.

*Cover the turkey bones with water in a big pot. Throw in some onion (1/4 to 1/2), a carrot, celery, 1 tsp poultry seasoning. Cook for at least an hour then strain the liquid.

My brother-in-law lived in Louisiana for a couple years so he knows his gumbo. He just sprinkles a tiny pinch of the file' powder on each individual serving. (Not a must have.) I called him to clarify some of the instructions. So hopefully my adaptations to this recipe will make it a little more clear. I will have to take him some tomorrow to see how authentic it tastes.

This recipe says it makes 4 servings but it makes a ton! I would guess at least 8 if not more. You would need more rice, to feed that many but there is plenty of gumbo.

Enjoy!

Huli Huli Chicken and Macarroni salad

Picture to come I took it with my old camera because my new camera's battery was dead and now I can't find the cord to transfer the pictures to my computer. Sorry!
This recipe is a few recipes I've found tweaked a little and combined. This is as close as I can get to what I've had at Clair's house and since he can't ever find his recipe when I call and ask it will have to do. It's quite good really and a new favorite at our house.

about 10 chicken thighs (bone in skin on)

Broil chicken thighs 6-8 inches from unit for 10 minutes on each side. Then remove skin and bones and shred.

Sauce:
1/3 C ketchup
1/3 C soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
3 Tbsp cooking sherry or chicken stock
1/2 tsp crushed ginger root (or to taste)
1 garlic clove crushed

Simmer chicken and sauce together in electric skillet for approx. 10 min until chicken is fully cooked and flavors meld together. Serve over rice. Best with a little Sirachi sauce on top (warning use sparingly,very hot) and a bite of maccaroni salad. I also like to add a bite of raw cabbage to the mix (I know it sounds gross but trust me delish!)

Macaroni Salad
cooked macaroni noodles
shredded carrot
mayo (Best Foods is best)

Add mayo and carrot when noodles are still warmish to best absorb flavor (I know this sounds pretty plain and gross and I wouldn't suggest eating it plain but it really adds to the huli huli chicken and rice when eaten together!)

Spinach cream tortellini

I just whipped this up tonight for dinner because I had nothing planned and it actually turned out really good. Plus, my kids ate it up like crazy without even knowing they got their veggies in.

Very fast and easy!

1/2 lb bacon (I used side pork since we had leftover)

1/4 C onion chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 C white cooking wine

2 chicken bullion cubes

2 Tbsp flour

1-1/2 C water

1 Cup cream

1 pkg frozen spinach cooked

1 pkg of frozen three cheese tortellini cooked

saute bacon, onion, and garlic together, drain most of fat off, add flour and chicken bullion cubes to make then add wine and water and cook for 5 min or so till reduces and thickens a little. add cream and spinach and salt and pepper to taste. simmer 5minutes or so till thickens and flavors meld. Add cooked tortellini to sauce and serve immediately with parmesean cheese.

Ritz Chicken

This recipe comes from my neighbor Louise W. It is quite tasty.

Ritz Chicken

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 lbs chicken tenders or 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*

1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed

3 TBS flour

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 TBS parsley flakes, crumbled

*If using chicken breast, tenderize and then cut in half at an angle.

Mix all coating ingredients together in a plastic bag. Melt butter; pour gradually as needed into 9x13-inch baking dish. Dip each chicken piece in butter and drop into bag with coating mixture. Shake and place into dish rolled up slightly. After all chicken pieces are in place, drizzle any leftover butter across top and sprinkle leftover crumb mixture across top. Bake at 400 for 30-40 min. or until chicken is done.

Spaghetti Squash with Brown Butter and Parmesan

Another recipe from an old cookbook that I thought looked good. There are several ways to cook the squash but I thought boiling it whole looked interesting. It took about 45 minutes and the seeds came out much easier than when the squash is raw. One edge of my first half was not quite cooked so finished it up in the microwave. Could cook the entire squash that way. If serving it in the shell it would look much prettier than the picture I took if you used the strands from both sides of the squash. I only used one half as I want to make something else with the other half and besides, it is enough for two people.

1 spaghetti squash
1/4 C butter
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the whole squash in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered until it can be easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

When squash is done, drain and cool enough to handle. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a fork to scrape out the seeds and discard. Place the squash halves, cut sides up on a serving platter and using the fork, scrape the flesh free of the skin, separating into strands. Mound in the shells.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cook it until it turns brown and just begins to smoke, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add nutmeg. Drizzle the butter evenly over the squash and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I scraped the squash out into a bowl, added the butter and cheese and salt and pepper to taste and then put it back into the shell. Thought it would distribute the butter and seasonings better. Then topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Tomato and Onion Tart

While going through one of my old cook books, Clark and I thought this looked good so decided to try it. It is supposed to be French and it turned out quite good. Would really be good with fresh tomatoes out of the garden but we had to make due with store bought. If you don't want to make the dough it can be replaced with store-bought puff pastry. This is the first time I have made puff pastry and it turned out quite good but then anything with that much butter has to be good.

3 ripe but firm tomatoes cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
1 cup flour, frozen for 1 hour
1/3 cup cake flour frozen for 1 hour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter cut into pieces and frozen for 1 hour
2 tsp lemon juice, chilled
1/4 cup ice water ( had to use a bit more water to get dough to form)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 TBS chopped fresh oregano (didn't have any so sprinkled on dry oregano)
1/4 C thinly sliced yellow onion, separated into rings (we thought more would be better)

Place both flours , salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse till mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Transfer to a bowl. In a small cup, combine the lemon juice and ice water and add to the bowl. Mix with a fork until the dough almost holds together. (this is where I had to add more water). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together to form a rough rectangle shape. Large chunks of butter will be visible. Roll out into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches and about 1/2 inch thick. Fold in the 8 inch sides to meet at the center. Then fold in half to make a square, forming 4 layers. This is your first turn. Turn the dough a quarter of a turn and roll out again into a rectangle 8 x 12 x 1/2. Repeat the folding. This is your second turn. Repeat the rolling again but this time fold into thirds the way you would fold a business letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

While dough is chilling, slice tomatoes and put on a paper towel to drain for 1 hour.

Position a rack in the top part of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees

Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 12 inch round. Crimp up sides to form a half inch edge. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and oregano. Arrange tomato slices in circles, overlapping edges slightly on top of the cheese. Scatter the onion rings and then the remaining 1/4 C Parmesan over the tomatoes.




Bake until the crust is golden and top is crispy, about 25-35 minutes and serve immediately.

Ice Cream Cake

My son isn't a big fan of cake, but loves ice cream. So this year for his birthday I thought I would try my hand at an ice cream cake. He thought it was a great idea. He was born on Groundhogs Day so when I saw groundhog cupcakes at Family Fun.com I had to try it!

Ice cream Cake
1 batch Kat's Brownies
2- 1 qt. ice creams (I used Tin Roof Sunday & Death By Chocolate)
Crushed Oreos
Hot Fudge Sauce

Cool whip Frosting
1 (8 oz.) Cream Cheese
1 c Powder Sugar
1 tsp vanilla
24 oz cool whip
(I had alot of frosting left over if you want to 1/2 the recipe)

First I mixed up a batch of Kat's Brownies. I baked them in two 9 in. spring form pans.
Let them cool then I placed them in the freezer for a couple hours. Remove brownies from the freezer and the ice cream (15 min or until very soft). On one of the pans of Brownies spread enough of the cooled fudge sauce to cover the top. Sprinkle a a good layer of crushed Oreos on top of the fudge sauce. (If you are not pressed for time freeze again) Spread a different flavor of ice cream over each pan of brownies. (To the top of the pan, it won't use all of the ice cream). Place back in the freezer till frozen again.

Make the Cool whip frosting by mixing in all the ingredients with a hand mixer.
Remove pans from freezer. Let ice cream soften just a bit and run a knife around the edge of the pan and then remove the side of the pan. Invert one of the cakes to set on top of the other, so ice cream is on ice cream. Give them a little press so they will stick together. I placed my cake on a lazy susan to make the frosting process a little bit easier. Once frosted place back in the freezer. Remove from freezer about 10 min prior to serving. Warm up the additional hot fudge sauce if desired.

Not to pretty of a picture since I forgot to take the picture till it was quite soft.


I made these cupcakes for my son to share with his class at school. They were a hit! For instructions to make the groundhogs click here Family Fun.

Beef With Broccoli

I discovered this delicious recipe on recipeczaar.com. My family thinks it is better than what we get at the local Chinese restaurant. It really is good and surprisingly easy.

50 min/20 min prep

SERVES 6

2/3 lb. flank steak

MARINADE:
1 t rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 t baking soda
1 T soy sauce
1 t cornstarch
1 T sesame oil
1/4 t sugar

Broccoli and Sauce:

1/2 lb. broccoli
1 t cornstarch
1/3 C water
7 T vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 t salt
1/2 t soy sauce
3 T chicken broth
1/4 t pepper

1. Slice beef across grain and at an angle into thin strips. Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef strips; mix well. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Cut each broccoli top lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. Dissolve cornstarch in water to make a paste; set aside. Heat 6 T oil in a wok over high heat 1 minute. Stir-fry marinated beef until very lightly browned. Remove beef, draining well over wok; set aside.
3. Add 1 T oil to oil left in wok. Heat 30 seconds. Stir-fry garlic 30 seconds. Add broccoli tops. Stir-fry 5 minutes. Add cornstarch paste, salt, soy sauce, chicken broth, and pepper. Remove from wok and arrange on a platter. Serve with rice or lo mein noodles.

Caramel & Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I wanted to do something fun for Valentines this year. The boys and Eric loved them, my boys went to bed with tummy aches from eating to much sugar throughout the day. Don't worry they were healed & wanted more the next day!

Caramel & Chocolate Covered Pretzels
1 bag 160z. Snyder's Pretzels (Rods or Olde Tyme shape work the best)
1 batch of Caramel (click here to get caramel recipe)
White Almond Bark
Chocolate Almond Bark

Dip pretzels in the caramel then place on a buttered cookie sheet to cool. Once cooled dip in melted almond bark. After the almond bark has hardened, cut the corner of a zip lock bag and put some of the melted almond bark inside to drizzle (or swizzle as my son calls it) across the top of the pretzel.
You could add all kinds of toppings while the almond bark is still wet: sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, crushed candy cane, etc.

One batch of caramel will come close to covering the whole bag of pretzels.

Microwave Caramels

I love caramels but not the stress it causes me to make them. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Jennifer years ago. It is so easy and tastes fabulous! I know many of you are skeptical- microwave.?.?.?.?....trust me!

Microwave Caramels
1/2 butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c lite Karo syrup
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe glass bowl. Cook in microwave for 7 minutes. Butter a 8x8 pan and pour the caramels in, once they cool cut into small bit size pieces. Wrap them individually in wax paper.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Here is the salsa recipe I made to go with my fajitas the other day. I got this from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.
You definately can't beat a fresh salsa in the summer made straight from the garden but this recipe is good for the off season.

Restaurant Style Salsa
1 Can (28 oz) Whole tomatoes with juice (I used my home canned)
2 cans (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes w/green chilies
1/4 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin (seeds and all)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 c cilantro (more to taste)
1/2 of a whole lime, juiced



Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour.

Fajitas

When we took in our last beef to the butcher I asked about having fajita meat cut. Which they didn't charge any more to do. This makes it a lot faster for me to cook to not have to worry about cutting the meat.
I got this recipe from mom years ago. We have used it on beef and chicken.

Fajitas
1 lbs. fajita meat-steak or chicken (brown in 2 tbs of cooking oil
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp crushed re pepper flakes (or Tabasco)

Onion
Green and Red Bell peppers

Mix all ingredients together other than the meat. Once your meat is browned add the mixture to it in the fry pan. Cover and let steam till meat tenderizes. (I usually add a little bit of water for moisture). Add sliced onions and peppers (what ever color bell peppers you like) Cook uncovered till onions a peppers are tender.
Place in flour tortillas and top with favorite toppings: cheese, avocados, sour cream, salsa

I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day on nachos, not bad!



I made salsa to go with them as well, which I will be posting soon.

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

The other day after I left for jury duty my husband put a roast in the crock pot before he went to work (didn't tell me). On my way home I picked up a pizza for dinner, which the boys and I ate. When I got home I thought the house smelled like popcorn? (I'm not sure how I came up with that but later that night I realized the crock pot sitting next to the stack of pans on the counter had something in it. Oops. So the next day I was trying to think of some way to use the well cooked roast for dinner. It was just falling apart but the top was a little on the dry side. So I thought of this recipe that I adapted from the Taste of Home mag. in 2008. I actually prefer the shredded beef in it. I only used about 1/2 of the 3 lbs roast. Very Tasty.

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

2 lbs beef stew meat -or shredded beef

1 tbs veg. oil

5 c. water

1 C celery, chopped

5 medium carrots, chopped

1 c onion, chopped

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) dices tomatoes (I used 1 pint home canned tomatoes)

4 beef bouillon cubes

3/4 tsp each, dried oregano, thyme, basil, and parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 c quick-cooking barley

2 potatoes peeled and cut into bite size

If using the stew meat dredge it in flour (seasoned with salt and pepper). Brown meat in oil on all sides; drain. (If using shredded beef just add to the following ingredients). Add water, celery, carrots, onion, tomatoes, bouillon and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer for 50 min.

Stir in barley; cover and simmer 10-15 min. longer or until barley is tender. (I couldn't find quick cooking barley so in a separate pan I cooked the barley and then added it to the soup for the last 15 min)

Blueberry-Cheese Rolls

This recipe came out of the Kraft Food Magazine and is simple and delicious. It calls for refrigerated crescent rolls but I make a batch of machine rolls (Craig's recipe), and they are delicious. There will be more dough than needed so I just shape regular rolls out of what is left. I have never tried it with fresh blueberries but use the leftover blueberry topping from the KOA snack shack. I usually put a light glaze on them when they are through baking.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. less fat cream cheese
2 TBS sugar
1/2 C blueberries, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Combine cream cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 11 to 13 minutes till golden brown. Makes four servings. Can sprinkle with powdered sugar or glaze with a thin icing.

Chili Relleno Squares

If you like Mexican food this is a good appetizer. The original recipe didn't call for bacon but I added that and liked it.

3 Cups shredded (12 oz.) Monterey Jack cheese.
1 1/2 Cups (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chillies, drained
2 eggs
2 TBS milk
1 TBS flour
4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Place half of the cheeses in a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with chillies and remaining cheeses. In a bowl beat the eggs. Add the milk and flour; pour over cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until set. Cut into small squares. Serve warm. Yield: 16 servings.

English Toffee Popcorn

This recipe is from Aunt Cherrill and we all know she is one of the best cooks around. She shared some with us while we were in Arizona in January and Dad had to make it. He used his new popcorn machine and then covered it with the yummy candy. Dad used nearly 3/4 C of unpopped corn and thought there was plenty of sweetness. It really is rich and so good but then what can you expect with all that butter. Yum!

2 1/2 quarts popped corn (about 1/2 C unpopped)
1 Cup peanuts
1 1/2 Cup butter
1 1/2 Cup sugar
3 TBS water
4 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup.

Combine popcorn and peanuts in a large metal pan. Melt butter over low heat and add sugar and blend well. continue to cook stirring constantly till it reaches a full boil. Add water and corn syrup. Mix well and continue to cook until it is the color of peanut butter or test in water for hard crack stage at 315 degrees. (It took about 8 minutes.) Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly.