Turkey and dumplings recipe

Turkey and dumplings is another of The Boy's favorite meals. I made it with leftover turkey while he was home for Thanksgiving. I'm a little late in writing about this recipe. But, I figure, some families have turkey for Christmas too, so it's still timely.

This is not a quickie dinner recipe. You can cut back on the cooking time by using pre-made chicken stock instead of the homemade. In my version, I make my own stock base from the leftovers and build the soup from there. I also tend to make my soup thin. If you like a thicker turkey and dumplings, you can thicken the soup before adding the dumplings by stirring 2 to 4 tablespoons of corn starch or flour into some of the broth. Then slowly pour it back into the simmering soup while stirring. Let it thicken. Add more if needed.

TURKEY AND DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENT

leftover turkey, can be bones and all, about 1/4 of a whole 

      turkey, can be cooked or raw

1 large carrot, quartered

1/2 medium onion, quartered

1 tomatoes, halved

1 apple, quartered and cored

8 cups water

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter, very cold

1 cup milk

1) Place first seven ingredients in a large stock pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for two hours. After the first hour, add salt and pepper to taste. It's better to under-salt the stock because it will become concentrated as it evaporates.

2) After two hours, remove from heat and cool thoroughly. Strain the liquid stock to be used as the base for the soup. Separate the edible turkey meat from the rest of the ingredients. 

3) In another large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until slightly softened.

4) Pour in the reserved stock and turkey meat into a large pot. Cook until the carrots, celery, and onions are soft. (You can add other vegetables if you wish. Green beans, cabbage, or tomatoes would be good.)

5) Add in the peas and corn. Season the soup to taste.

6) While the peas and corn are heating, make the dumpling dough. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Cut the butter up into small cubes. 

7) Using a pastry cutter, or two forks or knives, cut butter into flour until it is the size of small peas. (I use a fork and a knife, the crumble the bits using my fingers. If you use this method, just be careful to try to keep the butter as cold as possible.)

8) Stir with a fork while pouring the milk into the flour and butter mixture. You might not need to use all the milk, or you might need a little more. Stop adding milk when the dough is still thick but sticky. Do not over stir.

9) Reduce the heat on the soup until it is just simmering. Gently, gently place scoops of dumpling dough onto the soup. I have the most success with placing the dough on the vegetables. If the dough falls too hard into the liquid, or it is boiling, the dough can disintegrate into the soup.

10) Place a lid on the pot immediately, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Do not take the lid off the whole time. The dumplings will steam.

11) All done! Time to serve. I like to serve it with leftover cranberry jelly. It's really good together.

Cozy Food (Shepherd's Pie recipe)

California winter this year has been far from cold. I know that's our reputation, but even so, this year seems unusually warm. Still, my brain has been in winter hibernation mode. I've been craving hearty stews and casseroles. Salads, my spring and summer staples, are even appealing. So I've been cooking turkey and dumplings (recipe to in a following post), vegetable stew, and last night, Shepherd's Pie. I love Shepherd's Pie. It's one of those things I have to make at least once every winter. The Boy loves it too. He requested it has his final home-cooked meal before heading off to college. 

So this weekend,The Boy and I are decorating for the holidays: tree, lights, angels, and poinsettias; the whole kit and caboodle. We baked batches of Christmas cookies to give as gifts to my staff. Shepherd's Pie seemed to the ideal dinner.

SHEPHERD'S PIE
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 medium onion
1 pound ground turkey
4 oz mushrooms, finely diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire        
      sauce
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube 
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1/4 cup fat free yogurt
1/4 cup low calorie butter flavored spread
salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2) Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a large pot of cold water with the two chicken bouillon cubes. Boil the potatoes until cooked.

3) In the meantime, dice the onion, celery and carrots. Saute vegetables in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.






4) When they are soft add ground turkey and cook until done.
5) Add mushrooms, corn, and peas. (You can add other vegetables if so desired. This time I added two small diced tomatoes leftover from my garden. Green beans, lima beans, spinach are all good possibilities.) Heat through.

6) Sprinkle flour all over top and stir in. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, water, beef bouillon cube, and thyme. Cook until the bouillon cube is completely dissolved and mixed in. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7) When the potatoes are soft when stabled with a fork, drain and mash them with chicken broth, yogurt, and low calorie butter spread. (I really don't know how much chicken broth I use. I just keep adding until the potatoes are the consistency I want. 1/2 cup is just a guess.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

8) Spread the ground turkey and vegetable mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over the top and spread out evenly. 
9) Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

It sounds like a lot of steps but it's worth it all. So good.


The Christmas decorating went well too.

 

Comfort Food (Candy Apple Bread Pudding recipe)

I have been on a big comfort food binge the past week or so. Macaroni and cheese, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chili... If it's comfort food for me, I've eaten it. I need to get back on my food plan before I put back on some of these 20 pounds I've lost. So tonight, my last comfort food recipe before I start to be "good" again: Candy Apple Bread Pudding. Yum! As if the case with me a lot of the time, I made it to use up leftover bread and an apple that was getting a little soft. I only like crispy apples and unstale bread. But how can you complain when those things past their prime can become something as wonderful and comforting as warm bread pudding with caramel sauce.

CANDY APPLE BREAD PUDDING
INGREDIENTS

 half a loaf of stale, crusty bread, diced
1 apple, cored and diced
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs
1 cup milk
Generous 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
The caramel sauce is the trickiest part of this recipe. If you want to make it a lot easier, use caramel sauce in a jar.

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a small, deep baking dish with cooking spray. Place a 9x13 baking dish of hot water in the oven for a water bath for the bread pudding.
2) Dice bread and apples to about the same size and mix together in the baking dish.
3) Pour melted butter over the bread and apples.

4) Whisk the remaining bread pudding ingredients together. Pour over the bread and apples. Press the bread into the liquid so it is all covered and absorbs the egg mixture.

5) Place the small baking dish carefully into the hot water bath in the oven. Be careful not to touch the water; it will be HOT. Bake at 375 degrees for 60-75 minutes depending on how deep the ingredients are in the dish. The bread pudding in done when the liquid is set in the center.

6) When the pudding comes out of the oven, set aside to cool and prepare the caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce:
7) Get all of the stuff ready for the caramel sauce before you start. The process will go quickly.
8) Put 1 cup of sugar in a medium sized, heavy bottom sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Do not leave the caramel sauce unattended. Stir the sugar around continuously until it just starts to melt. 
9) When the sugar begins to melt, turn the heat down to medium and do not stir anymore; the caramel will crystallize. Swish the pan around occasionally to keep the heat and melting evenly distributed.
10) As soon as the sugar is melted (or moments before), turn off the heat and whisk in the cubes of butter.
11) When the butter has completely melted remove from the stove. Whisk in the cream. Blend well until smooth.

Serve over the bread pudding. Sooo rich! If it's too much, maybe a little vanilla ice cream will help with the sweetness.

Devils on Horseback and Eddie Izzard (with recipe)

The Boy and I are big fans of Comedian Eddie Izzard. We can quote whole sections of his comedy routines. Little key phrases pepper conversations: "Cake or death... But do you have a flag?... I've got bread."

Last weekend, we saw him in live performance for the second time. We made a whole night of it. We met at a fancy tapas restaurant and had a fabulous meal. I love to go out to eat nice food. The tapas were superb. We had Japanese ceviche, crab fritters, stuffed dates, braised porkbelly, and roasted beets. And I had a citrus and spice cocktail. Lovely. Just the kind of fancy dinner I enjoy.

So the stuffed dates got me wanting to try them at home. They are really simple. Three little ingredients. It's one of those beginning cook recipes anyone could make. But of course, it took a high-end tapas bar to inspire me into action.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates (a.k.a. Devils on Horseback)

INGREDIENTS

8 Medjool dates

1-2 oz goat cheese

4 slices of bacon (I used thick sliced)

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2) Slice open the dates. Remove the pits. Stuff each date with goat cheese enough so it can be folded back closed.

3) Wrap each date with a half slice of bacon. 

4) Poke a toothpick through each one to hold it closed. Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet.

5) Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Let cool for 10-15 minutes so as not to burn your mouth. Sever.

Oh and can't forget... Eddie Izzard was hilarious. 

End of the garden

Last night we had our first frost of the season. Frost kills tomato and zucchini plants. Here's my last harvest of the year.

So of course, tonight is stuffed zucchini for dinner. I've posted the recipe before. Tonight's variation has a filling of ground turkey, onion, celery, green bell pepper cooked in tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beer, balsamic vinegar, and hot sauce. Oh so good.

Kabocha (Pumpkin and Shrimp Curry recipe)

I have a new favorite word, "Kabocha" (a Japanese pumpkin). One day I need an orange cat so I can name it Kabocha. Right now, I have my fill of pets as it is. I'm all about rescuing animals and giving them a good home. But I think one should never be outnumbered. That's why I have three. The math works... Stack the three of them end on end and they might equal me.

Abigail

Maxwell

MooCow

So Kabocha the cat will have to wait. But kabocha with shrimp in Thai red curry is here today.

Kabocha and Shrimp Curry

INGREDIENTS

14 oz light coconut milk 

1 T Thai red curry paste

1 T fish sauce

1 T sugar

2 T crushed lemongrass

1 bouillon cube

1/2 cup water

2 cups diced pumpkin, peeled and seeded

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 cup canned petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup basil, sliced into shreds

1) Mix white liquid on the top of the can of coconut milk with the Thai red curry. Stir together over medium heat for three minutes.

2) Stir in fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, bouillon cube, and water. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3) Add pumpkin to the liquid and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

4) Add frozen peas, tomatoes, and shrimp. Heat through for 1 or 2 minutes. 

5) Turn off heat. Add basil. 

6) Serve alone or over rice.

The joy of a long weekend... (Banana Nut Bread recipe)

I would be a much better food blogger if I didn't have to work. After a ten to twelve hour day of paperwork;  behavior management; overseeing work, programs, and the daily workings of a school district; I'm exhausted. Mentally and physically. I've even taken to instant meals on weeknights such a frozen entrees or pre-packaged meals. Aaa! The horror! I didn't think I would resort to that when I pictured my first empty nest year, but sadly it is true. It's just not as fun to cook for myself without anyone else to share it with.

Okay, enough whining. No one wants to read that.

So my alternate plan has been to cook a couple of delicious meals on the weekends and eat leftovers throughout the week. Lucky me, I have a wonderful three-day weekend all to myself with absolutely no plans. Sounds like heaven to me. And since no one is home to share it with, I will share it with the world wide web.

First on the list of foods I am longing to cook, warm, comforting banana nut bread with whipped cream cheese. Oh so good. I can eat a whole loaf by myself.

 Healthy Banana Nut Bread
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose white flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T nonfat Greek yogurt
2 T egg whites
3 very ripe bananas
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (I happened to use pear sauce)
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a non-stick baking dish with cooking spray.
2) Mix the first four ingredients together and set aside.

3) Mix the brown sugar, yogurt, and egg whites with a hand mixer.
4) Add the bananas (peeled, of course), vanilla, and apple (or pear) sauce.
5) Use the hand mixer to blend the ingredients together. Leave the bananas kind of chunky.

6) Add the dry ingredients into the wet along with the pecans. Fold together gently until just mixed.

 7) Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until baked through. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Turn out onto a cutting board, slice, and serve with light whipped cream cheese.