Thanksgiving Recap

My friends I had not meant to be away from this space for so long.  I've been so busy with work and not really doing anything else that I haven't had anything to share with all of you.  Here are some of pictures from our feast yesterday.

Finishing up the last of the meal!

Sausage Soup

 

We had all these leftover vegetables and some vegetable broth and stock from other recipes.  

We didn't want them to go bad so we put them all together with some homemade turkey sausage.

First Maryland Chili

There are so many grocery stores near my new home.  We have been trying out several over the past few days to see which we like the best.  The forerunner is Harris Teeter. Mostly because they sell Sour dough bread.

Did you know that in the state of Maryland you have to ask for a bag at the grocery store and then they charge you $0.05 for each bag?  So, we picked up a few new bags since my beloved Chico bag got left behind in Chico.

Minestrone Turkey Soup

Another hot day and another round of soup.  I must be crazy.

Thank you for all the good thoughts regarding my eye troubles.  I really hope they clear up soon.  It's been an interesting week at work dealing with the reduced viability.

On to today's project.

Minestrone.

With Turkey of course.

Turkey Tomato Soup

Okay.

For the past month (?) I've been noticing that my vision is not what it use to be, even a couple of months ago.  I figured I just needed to update my prescription and all would be right with the world.

Yesterday, I went to the eye doctor and she could get my right eye to 20/20.  Now I'm freaking out.  What the heck am I going to do if I cannot see 20/20 out of one of my eyes.  She takes a closer look at my eye and I'm having some sort of inflammatory response to...?

And there is something like a rash on my eye, hence the reason I cannot see.  Now I'm on some steroid eye drops and hopefully the "rash" and inflammation is gone by next Tuesday so that I can get my eyes rechecked to update my prescription.

Please hope that it's all better soon.  I'd like to see again.

Now for dinner tonight Alex and I made turkey and tomato soup with left over turkey and bits and bobs from around the kitchen.

Left overs soup

Day 7.

Oh my dear readers it is already the seventh day of December. Where has the time gone?

I still haven't purchased a Christmas Tree, but all my other decorations are up.

Alex keeps asking me when I want to get the tree. I'm feeling reservations about having a tree this year. I'm not entirely sure why.

I love Christmas and especially the trees.

Maybe I'll get one this weekend. At least a small one. Maybe it'll cheer up the house hold.

The cats will like it. Maybe a little too much.

Well on to what we had for dinner tonight.

Left overs soup.

Ingredients:

• Left over Turkey carcass
• Green beans not used for green bean dish
• Bacon not used for green bean dish
• 3 carrots, roughly diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3-4 red potatoes roughly diced.
• some garlic
• some salt
• some pepper
• some marjoram
• a dash of oregano
• Large can of chicken broth
• large container of chicken stock
• home made noodles.

Directions:

• Heat some olive oil in a large pot.
• Saute onions in olive oil until soft.
• Add garlic.
• Add bacon broken into pieces.
• Cook for several minutes to melt fat on bacon.
• Add carrots
• Add broth and stock
• Add turkey, green beans, red bell pepper, celery, potatoes, and anything else!
• Add spices to taste
• Bring to a boil.
• Lower heat to simmer.
• Cook for 1 to 2 hours, until vegetables are soft.
• Add noodles about 10 minutes before serving.

Hot Peppers and Chili

Last Friday my dear co-worker brought me a bag of random peppers from her garden. In this assorted bag were a two habaneros, two long green peppers, two light green short peppers and two short red peppers. I have no idea what any (except the habaneros) are.

What to do with all these unknown peppers?

Why make chili of course.

If it had been up to me I would have put one of each of the peppers in the chili, but Alex was in charge. He decided to put both habaneros and one of the long green peppers.

Here is today's Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of lean ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 habaneros, diced
• 1 long green peppers, diced
• 1 - 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Brown turkey meat in a skillet over medium heat.
• Put it slow cooker
• Heat vegetable oil in skillet
• Sautee onions and garlic until translucent
• Add to slow cooker
• Sautee bell peppers and hot peppers for 5 minutes
• Add to slow cooker
• Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes to slow cooker
• Drain and rinse beans
• Add beans to slow cooker
• Add spices to slow cooker
• Mix all together.
• Cover and cook on high for 4 hours

These are the peppers I have left.

And a couple more that my co-worker brought for me today. They are called chocolate peppers.

Needless to say there will be more chili in my very near future.

Any other ideas for my peppers would be appreciated.

Happy Tuesday.

Turkey Soup

For love and pasta. After several months of not using the pasta machine that Alex got for Christmas, we took it out of the box. We did all this for one special reason to make homemade noodles for turkey soup. A yummy and easy end of the turkey we made last weekend. Now to eat soup for several days.

Noodles

Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• Left over turkey


• 5 quarts of water


• 1 cup chopped celery


• 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 6 chicken bouillon cubes


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon black pepper


• 1 bay leaf


• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley


• 1 cup frozen peas


• 2 carrots, chopped


• 4 small red potatoes diced.

Directions:

• In a large pot, saute onion in a little butter.


• Add turkey, water, celery, celery leaves, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.


• Heat to boiling.


• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.


• Add parsley, peas, potatoes, and carrots to soup.


• Heat to boiling.


• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetable are just tender.


• Heat to boiling.


• Add noodles.


• Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Mid-Summers Turkey

I know to do a turkey in the middle of the summer is a little insane, but what is one to do when they have to defrost the freezer. Make Thanksgiving in July. I made a turkey, herb mashed red potatoes, and maple-thyme biscuits. The couple that we invited over to partake of the meal brought Zucchini Gratin. And what would a turkey dinner be without some canned cranberry sauce?

Roast Turkey Seasoned with Sage

You will need:

1. 1 Turkey (I used a 14 pounder I got last Thanksgiving)


2. 4 large yellow onions


3. Butter


4. Fresh Sage


5. 1 roasting pan (I buy the foil ones, because my oven in miniature and wont fit a real roasting pan. Trust me I’ve tried)


6. 1 roasting bag


7. Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Defrost turkey (I took mine out of the freezer Monday night and put it in the refrigerator after I’d defrosted the freezer)


2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees


3. Take out the innards, the gizzard and all the other “goodies” that come with the bird.


4. Wash the bird. (only with water, cold water)


5. Cut 1 onion into 6 wedges


6. Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper


7. Place wedged onion and sage into cavity


8. Rub entire bird with butter


9. Cut other 3 onions in half place inside bag in the roasting pan, they will act as a roasting rack.


10. Put bird breast side up on top of onions inside bag.


11. Cook at 325 degrees for about 4 hours or until bird reaches an internal temperature of 170 – 175 degrees. It will continue cooking and the temp will rise the last little bit after it is removed from the oven.


12. Remove dripping, make gravy if you want.


13. Carve turkey. Though my is always so tender that it just falls off the bone. I know not a traditional looking bird, but no dry meat either.

Today's Chili (May 28, 2011)

It's raining it's pouring the old man is snoring. Yep it's the end of May and I'm soaking wet from going to store and back. What to do? Making something warm for dinner. I call this today's chili because every time I make chili it's a little bit different. Served with cornbread this was a terrific meal for a rainy day.

Ingredients:

• 1.2 lbs of (93/7) lean Ground Turkey


• 1 Medium yellow onions diced


• 1 red bell pepper


• 1 yellow bell pepper


• 2 jalapenos


• 3 cloves of garlic minced


• 1 can (29-oz) tomato sauce


• 1 can (6-oz) tomato paste


• 2 cans (4 oz) diced green fire roasted chiles


• can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes


• 1 can (15 oz) great northern beans (white)


• 1 can (15 oz) Blacks beans


• 1 can (15 oz) Kidney Beans (light red)


• 2 heaping tablespoons chili powder


• 1 teaspoons ground cumin


• 1 teaspoon crumbled Mexican oregano


• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

• Saute Onions and Garlic with Olivie oil until onions started to be translucent.


• Add bell peppers and jalapenos


• cook for about 5 minutes more

• Add to crock pot


• Brown turkey


• Add to Crock Pot


• Drain and Rinse beans


• Add to crock pot


• Add chiles, tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes to pot


• Add spices


• Stir to combine


• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours

Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms, and red and orange Bell Peppers

Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms, and red and orange Bell Peppers

Sausage:

1. Mix together a package of lean ground turkey
2. with 3 & 1/2 tsp fennel
3. 3 & 1/2 tsp parsley
4. 2 tsp crushed red pepper
5. 1 & 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
6. 1 tsp garlic powder

Brown the sausage

Saute Red and Orange Bell Peppers

Saute Mushrooms

Mix sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms with red sauce and serve over pasta

Bon Appétit

D

Today's Project "Chili"

Chili in my house is a new experience every time. Sometimes I look up a recipe and sometimes I just throw what ever is around my house in the pot.

Ingredients:

• 2 Yellow onions diced


• 1 red bell pepper diced


• 1 yellow bell pepper diced


• 3 cloves of garlic minced


• 2 jalapenos diced


• 3 lbs ground turkey


• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder


• 2 teaspoons ground cumin


• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste


• 3/4 teaspoon crumbled Mexican oregano


• 1/2 teaspoon sugar


• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper


• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoeswith their juices


• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce


• 6 cups chicken broth


• 1 can Black Beans


• 1 can Kidney Beans


• 1 can Pinto Beans

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 4 quart large, heavy saucepan and, when hot, add the onions and both the red and yellow bell peppers and cook until vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes.

Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano, sugar, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, until the turkey is cooked through and the spicesare very fragrant, about 6 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken brothand bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the Black Beans, Kidney Beans, and Pinto Beans

cook until the flavors come together and the chili has thickened, about 30 minutes longer.

Some Honey found at the local market for the corn bread

The final product: Dinner: Spicy Chili and cornbread muffins with honey.