A solution for leftover Thanksgiving turkey...Turkey Soup!

After about the third day of eating Thanksgiving leftovers, my palatte gets a little bored. So I whipped this up today with my leftover turkey meat, and it was really good! My kids even ate it all up! I got the recipe from Williams-Sonoma but I added about 1/3 cup alcohol-removed white wine, and it gave it a great flavor. (P.S. If you don't have alcohol-removed white wine, just use the regular stuff, it will cook off; but if you don't have it at all, just omit it, but it's really good to use it. By the way, as you can tell, I don't think it's against any religious views I hold to cook with wine, but you be your own judge.)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
6 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low sodium chicken broth (I just used 6 cups hot water with 6 small chicken buillion cubes)
About 1/3 cup alcohol-removed chardonnay white wine
1 cup broken egg noodles or other large, flat pasta
2 cups chopped cooked turkey meat
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the stock and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the stock is just barely simmering. Add the egg noodles and simmer until they are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the turkey and simmer until the meat is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Serves 4 to 6.

My Thanksgiving Must---Yams!

So we all have our own Thanksgiving favorite recipes, you know, the one that if it weren't there it wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving. Mine is yams. My mom has been making these yams ever since I can remember, and they are the BEST!

Now I know what 80-90% of you are thinking...you don't like sweet potatoes, or yams. And this is why I'm posting this recipe, so I can convert the world into yam lovers! But first, a few clarifications: one of the reasons why people don't like them, is because they are buying sweet potatoes, not yams (yams are usually bigger, longer, and deeper in orange color, meaning, more flavor); the second reason they don't like them is because they are made the wrong way. Most people boil them. To think of that makes my stomach turn. The secret is to buy yams and to bake them, just as you would a baked potato. The baking seals in the flavor and doesn't boil it away. Also, too many people make them with too many ingredients: cream, cinnamon, milk, etc etc. For this recipe, you will need the following:

Yams (about 1-2 large per person, if you want leftovers)
Some orange juice
a 2-lb. bag of brown sugar
1 bag mini marshmellows
That's it!

So let's begin!

After piercing your yams with a fork, bake them in a 350-375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Test them with a fork. You want them to be cooked and tender, but not too overdone. You want them to be firm, not mushy. Also, if you haven't already done so, I would line my oven with foil at the bottom, because once the yams start cooking, they drip their yummy juice and it can be a little messy. When they've finished cooking, I usually put them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so they can firm up before I peel and cut them.

Peel off the skin and slice your yams. I like to slice mine lengthwise, but you can slice them any way you want!

Next, take a casserole dish...

and pour enough orange juice on the bottom just to coat the bottom of the dish.

Next, start layering your yams, and sprinkle brown sugar on them. Now I don't know how much sugar to use, but the more the better. You'll need a lot more than you think you will.

Yummy....

Then sprinkle some marshmellows on top. Repeat this process until all the yams are in the dish.

Now take your dish and bake it in about a 375 degree oven for about an hour or so. The sugar will carmelize, the marshmellows will melt, and it will turn into a sugary-yummy yammy treat.

The finished product. Now you can make this the day ahead, and then just reheat them the day of Thanksgiving dinner. I've also been known to taste them and add more brown sugar, which is what I did here. I like them sweet and when I say sweet, I mean icky sweet.

Gobble gobble! You must try them. Must! I will make a yam-lover out of you yet!

Where are you?

Girls, where are you? I've posted the past 5 recipes! It's holiday cookin time! POST POST POST!

Daddy's Beef Stew

This is a classic in our family. It's relatively easy, delicious, and will feed you for days!

1 chopped onion
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 Lb stewing beef
3 cans stewed tomatoes
3 cans water
8-10 beef bullion cubes
10 carrots bias sliced
5 potatoes, chopped
1 bag frozen beans
1 bag frozen corn
1 bag frozen peas
about 2 tbs celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the chopped onion, garlic and stewing beef until cooked through. Add the stewed tomatoes, bullion and water. Let simmer for about an hour. Add carrots, potatoes, bens, corn, peas, celery seed and salt and pepper. Let simmer for about another hour. Serve with buttered french bread

Nicki's Baked Ziti

My friend Nicki brought me this Ziti after I had Claire and it was DELICIOUS! I swear it was the best meal anyone has ever brought me!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Thanksgiving Bundles

I'm going to make this tonight for dinner to tide us over till Thursday! Looks easy and delicious! You might be able to use your leftovers for this too. I got the recipe off of good things Utah.

INGREDIENTS:
2 rolls of Crescent Dough Sheets
6 oz. Turkey Flavored Stove Top Dressing (plus ingredients to make)
2 Celery Stalks
3 cloves garlic
1 pound ground turkey
.87 oz Gravy (pick your style)
Salt and Pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Follow the directions to cook the Stove Top in the microwave. While the Stove Top is cooking, ground the turkey until browned. Cut up the garlic and celery into small pieces. Cook the gravy according to package directions. Combine the ground turkey, celery, garlic, salt and pepper and half of the gravy in a large bowl.
Roll out the dough and cut into 2X2 inch squares. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of each dough square and fold edges to meet at the top. Place in muffin cups and cook about 13 minutes or until dough is golden brown on top. Serve with remaining gravy, mashed potatoes and a veggie of your choice.

Garlic-Toasted Open-Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

This rocked my socks!

I got it from Picky Palate. The picture is the one that I made!

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oi
l
1 lb ground Italian Sausage

1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Classico)

8 leaves fresh basil, chopped (taste great if you have them, but not necessary)
15 oz container ricotta cheese

½ Cup grated parmesan cheese

1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
8 garlic roasted ciabatta rolls (I get them from Super Walmart)

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve ¼ Cup of sausage for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Place reserved ¼ Cup sausage, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about ¼ Cup (*you probably won't use all of ricotta.). Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.
*If you don't use all of your ricotta, save it and use it in a pasta dish for later in the week. I made a baked pasta dish where I stuffed the ricotta in the middle of some penne with red sauce, it was great.

Teriyaki Meatballs and Rice

Super fast. Super Easy. Super Tastey! I got it from the Rookie Cookie blog.

Teriyaki Meatballs and Rice

1 12 oz. bag frozen meatballs (16-20 meatballs)
1 12 oz. bottle teriyaki marinade
1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice
1 small green bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
2 cups hot cooked rice

Heat the meatballs in the microwave until warm through. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine teriyaki marinade, pineapple chunks and juice, bell pepper, and carrots. Add meatballs. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add to rice and garnish with green onions.

Rookie's Notes: The early prep on this was chopping the carrots and bell peppers and freezing them. In the pantry was the rice, sauce and pineapple. And I just happened to have the green onions in my fridge. Super easy meal and totally a favorite of Jack's.

Veggie Pizza Pie

I got this recipe off the Picky Palate website. I was so excited to try it, but I was also nervous because I didn't want to get my hopes up, and have it not turn out. Well, we had it tonight and I really liked it. I actually got a decent pic of it on my camera to post, but my camera is dead and needs to be charged so I used a pic from her website. Enjoy!

16 oz whole wheat or white pizza dough (I pick it up at Trader Joes or Fresh and Easy)

1 Cup ricotta cheese
¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese, like Kraft

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped

2 Cups fresh broccoli florets,

pinch of salt
½ Cup Roasted red bell peppers, from can or fresh
1 ½ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Spread and press one piece of dough into the bottom and sides of a 9-9 ½ inch round cake or tart pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese until well combined. Spread into pressed pizza dough.

2. Place olive oil into a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute spinach until wilted down, about 3 minutes. Place evenly over ricotta cheese layer. Place steamed broccoli florets over spinach and season with a pinch or two of kosher salt. Layer roasted red peppers, then mozzarella cheese over top. Press out remaining piece of dough and place over filling, tucking edges inside of pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cooked through.

3. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan or cutting into wedges

Morning Glory Muffins

This recipe I got from my friend Lauren. They are very good and very healthy, and a great way to sneak in veggies and fruit to your kids. This recipe makes a lot, but if you half it, it makes about 20 muffins.

4 C. Flour (2 C. white, 2 C. Wheat)
2 C. Sugar
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. raisins (or Craisins)
1 C. pecans (I like walnuts)
4 C. grated carrots (or use some zucchini)
2 apples shredded (Granny smith's are good)
2 C. oil (I use applesauce)
1 C. coconut
6 lg. eggs
2 Tbsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in everything but liquid. Mix everything just to combine. Bake 20-25 min @ 350. Cool in tin for 5 min. Enjoy!

Dinah's Healthy Oatmeal

This recipe is from my friend Dinah.  We knew her and her family when they were in Baltimore for med school at Johns Hopkins the same time we were in law school.  Thanks Dinah for the recipe!

(Dinah's words):  "We love this oatmeal recipe. It has been a staple in our house since 2005. We eat it at least two times a week year round, but it's especially cozy on a cold morning. I love that it includes flaxseed which gives it a more nutty flavor not to mention the health benefits.
2 cups water
1 cup milk
1 1/2 oatmeal
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until thickened and oatmeal is cooked, about 5 minutes.
Serve with milk. Add nuts, raisins, craisins, chopped dates, mini chocolate chips, or brown sugar. My favorite combo is nuts, raisins and a few mini chocolate chips. Another variation is to add 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples to the saucepan with the other ingredients and follow the same directions.
FYI: The original recipe calls for 3 cups of milk and no water, but we were going through too much milk for our budget, so we water it down and I can't tell the difference. Also, its better to use regular oats, but we use quick oats because that's all we can buy in bulk at Sam's Club. If you are using quick oats be careful not to over cook it or else the oatmeal will get pasty. For our family I have to double the recipe, but my girls eat a ton of it.
So good and so good for you!"


P.S. I think it's really good if you add a splash of milk to it at the end, or better yet, half-n-half or heavy cream. Yummy!