Turkey Vegetable Soup

My Mom is always telling me to use the turkey carcass to make soup. So, when I was done with my Thanksgiving turkey I decided to give it a try!! I found a recipe for Turkey Vegetable Soup and tweaked it a little bit. The result was a great soup. I might add more barley (and water for it) and not use beans next time around. The thing I did differently was to strain all the solids out of the broth and then add more veggies when I added the turkey. So, the result was the broth had good flavor, but not the chunks of onion, etc. I would definitely do this technique again. I didn't have enough celery, so next time I would use more. I experimented with which potato would be the best, but I added them too early and they all got mushy. I think one good-sized Russet would work (peeled).

Turkey Vegetable Soup

1 turkey carcass (approximately 2 1/2 lb.), cut in half [I forgot to cut it in half]
2 1/2 quarts water
2 ribs celery (with leaves) cut into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces [I didn't use parsnips]
1 ripe tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped [I used some sun-dried tomatoes & paste]
2 medium-sized onions, quartered
3 whole cloves of garlic, bruised [I used chopped]
6 whole black peppercorns
1 t. coarse salt
4 whole sprigs of fresh dill [I used some dried dill weed]
2 T chopped dill
1/4 c. uncooked pearl barley

1. Place the turkey carcass, water, celery, carrots, parsnips, tomato, onions, garlic, peppercorns, salt, and dill sprigs in a large, heavy soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the carcass, celery leaves, garlic cloves, and dill sprigs from the soup. Add the barley and simmer for 40 minutes more, stirring occasionally, adding the 2 Tablespoons of chopped dill during the last 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Fajitas

Fajitas

4 chicken breast halves
3 bell peppers
2 medium onions
2 tomatoes
cilantro
juice of 4-5 limes
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T light molasses
1 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. pepper
1 T oil
orange juice
white wine
flour tortillas
toppings (grated cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, sliced green onions, etc.)

1. Slice the bell peppers, onions, chicken, and beef into long strips. Chop tomatoes into cubes and chop the cilantro.
2. Mix together the next eight ingredients for the marinade. Marinate the meat for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Add bell peppers and onions. Stir fry for several minutes. Add the meat and marinade to the pan and continue stir frying. As soon as the chicken is done, add the tomatoes, orange juice, and wine. Cook another minute until warmed and serve.
4. Turn off the heat and cover the fajitas. Set up your toppings and heat up the tortillas with a damp paper towel in the microwave, using a tortilla warmer container works well.

Note: I tried this recipe with beef (London broil) and red wine, but it wasn't as good as the chicken version. The amount of orange juice and wine will vary, but be careful not to use too much.

Chicken With Basil & Pine Nut Pesto

I had trouble getting the water to boil for the fettuccine, I would definitely start the water before the other steps in this recipe!! The pesto was OK, but the cheese was to "large". I should have used grated instead of the shredded I had on hand. Also the dish was too cold, even if I had warmed the bowl first it would have been too cold. Perhaps a short trip through the microwave before serving would work? Overall, this is just a simple pasta-pesto-chicken dish that really doesn't need a recipe!! I won't be keeping this recipe, but plan to reheat tomorrow for breakfast with some cream in the sauce. I always prefere creamy pesto, and I will toast some pine nuts for the top. Oh, I always toast my pine nuts before putting them into a pesto because it brings out the flavor.

Chicken With Basil & Pine Nut Pesto

1 2/3 c. shredded fresh basil
4 oz. olive oil
3 T pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T freshly grated Romano cheese
2 T vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 oz. dried fettuccine
freshly ground pepper
sprig of fresh basil, for garnish

1. To make the pesto, put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt in a food processor or blender. Puree the ingredients until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the cheeses.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, for 8-10 minutes, or until the juices are no longer pink. Cut into small cubes.
3. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a warm serving dish. Add the chicken and pesto, then season with pepper. Toss well to mix. Garnish with a sprig of basil and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

I have been trying to create a sweet and sour dipping sauce that is like those little red packets you get at Chinese restaurants. This is the closest I have come. Substituting rice wine vinegar seemed to make it a bit sweeter than other recipes I have tried. I also took someone's advice to make it thicker by adding more cornstarch and water to the pan, I think I added 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and two teaspoons of water, which I mixed with a little whisk before I stirred it into the sauce. I will keep this recipe until I get a better one.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

1 t. cornstarch
1/3 c. distilled white vinegar
2 t. vegetable oil (I probably used peanut oil)
2/3 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 T ketchup
3 T brown sugar
salt to taste

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat whisk together vinegar and cornstarch.
2. Add remaining ingredients, whisking constantly until the mixture is heated through.
3. Chill before use.

Chicken & Onion Cream Sauce

This recipe used ingredients I had on-hand and I substituted the pasta tubes for fettuccine. This recipe was OK, worked well as a leftover, too. I should have chopped the green onions finer, since I don't prefer to eat onions in big pieces. It is a basic cream sauce with some chicken and pasta. I will keep it, until I find a better one.

Chicken & Onion Cream Sauce

1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 garlic clove, chopped very finely
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
1/2 c. water
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. milk
6 scallions, green part included, sliced diagonally
scant 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. dried fettuccine
chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish

1. Heat the oil and butter with the garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until just beginning to color.
2. Add the chicken breasts and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the juices are no longer pink.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. Remove the chicken, leaving the oil in the skillet.
5. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally into thin strips and set aside.
6. Reheat the oil in the skillet. Add the onion and gently cook for 5 minutes, or until soft.
7. Add the crumbled bouillon cube and the water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the cream, milk, scallions, and Parmesan. Simmer until heated through and slightly thickened.
9. Cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a warm serving dish. Layer the chicken slices over the pasta. Pour on the sauce, then garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 4.

Basil Grilled Chicken

Do not adjust your computer monitor, the chicken really did look PINK!! This was a strange recipe, all I did was add some basil to some melted butter and brush it on the chicken. I baked it rather than grilled it, and it tasted only OK. The confusing part of this recipe was actually the addition of the flavored butter. Wasn't sure what to do with it!! I ended up dipping the chicken in the butter as I ate it!! I had leftover butter and chicken that I ended up using in a new dish the next day, creating more sauce for a pasta dish. This is not a keeper, though.

Basil Grilled Chicken

3/4 t. coarsely ground pepper
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 T minced fresh basil
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
fresh basil sprigs (optional)

1. Press 3/4 teaspoon pepper into meaty sides of chicken breast halves.
2. Combine 1/3 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup chopped basil, stir well.
3. Brush chicken lightly with melted butter mixture.
4. Combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 Tablespoons basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until mixture is well blended and smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
5. Grill chicken over medium coals for 8-10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with remaining melted butter mixture.
6. Serve grilled chicken with basil-butter mixture. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired. Serves 4.

Pasta with Gorgonzola & White Corn Sauce

I had some fresh basil and wanted to make a dish that I could eat with my Basil Grilled Chicken. I had most of the ingredients for this recipe, but had to go out and get some white corn and Gorgonzola cheese. I didn't realize how strong Gorgonzola cheese is, but the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the bacon helped to balance it out. I won't be keeping this recipe, though. There was not enough of the sauce for the pasta and I wasn't wild about the taste. I prepared a mix of the chicken and the pasta dish for leftovers, creating more sauce from the leftover evaporated milk, corn, and the flavored butter from the chicken recipe.

Pasta with Gorgonzola & White Corn Sauce

6 T minced red onion
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. evaporated skim milk
6 oz. sweet Gorgonzola, crumbled
dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 lb. fettuccine
1 1/4 t. grated lemon rind
12 large basil leaves, but into thin strips
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c. white corn
8 thick slices bacon, fried crisp & crumbled

1. In a skillet on medium heat wilt onions in oil, stirring about 5 minutes.
2. Add salt and milk.
3. Add cheese and Tabasco.
4. Cook, stirring, until cheese melts and mixture thickens (do not boil).
5. Remove from heat.
6. Cook pasta.
7. Reheat sauce and add the other ingredients except bacon. Divide pasta to 8 warm bowls. Top with sauce and sprinkle with bacon. Serves 8.

Egg Rolls

I had bought some egg roll wrappers and decided to try out the recipe on the back of the packet. These were pretty good, and I will keep this recipe until I find a better one. I made the whole packet and froze half of them. I used peanut oil and baby bok choy, and a bit more than a pound of the pork. It is hard to do deep frying unless you have a deep fryer, I feel like I waste the oil or it spoils. Also, my egg rolls looked more like little burritos than the little egg rolls you get in restaurants!!

Egg Rolls

1 package of egg roll wraps
1 lb. lean ground pork
1 t. minced ginger
2 c. cabbage, finely chopped
1/4 lb. bean sprouts
1/2 c. carrot, shredded
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 T oyster sauce
oil for frying
sauce for dipping

1. Stir-fry meat and ginger in skillet over high heat until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and green onions, cook 2 minutes.
3. Stir in oyster sauce and let mixture cool.
4. Use 2 Tablespoons filling for each egg roll. Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in side corners. Brush top corner with water and roll up wrap tightly to enclose filling, sealing roll with top flap.
5. Fry in a 350º skillet, flap down a few at a time, turning when golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
6. Or, bake in 400º oven, place rolls on greased cookie sheet, lightly brush tops with olive oil and bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

I created this pot pie recipe and have tweaked it until I was happy with the results. It is similar to the beef and the turkey recipe already on this site. I get three smaller pot pies by piecing together the pastry dough. I use vintage glass individual pie dishes and they are just the right size. I think if you wanted to use one large pie dish you should use a deep dish one so it doesn't overflow too much. I like using the pearl onions because, while I enjoy the onion flavor, I don't like eating the onions.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pkg refrigerated ready-made pie dough (2 rounds)
1 T oil
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/2 c. frozen pearl onions
1/2 c. sliced carrots (about 4 medium)
1/4 c. sliced celery (about 2 ribs with leaves)
3/4 c. frozen peas
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. milk or half-and-half
3 T flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. poultry seasoning
1/8 t. pepper

1. Following the thawing directions of the pastry, unroll each disc and place one in the pie dish. Press down to remove any air pockets and prick the base with a fork in several places. Set aside the remaining pastry dough for later.
2.Preheat oven to 425º.
3. In large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and chicken. Saute until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Transfer onions and chicken to separate bowl and set aside.
4. Add carrots and celery to pan and saute until slightly softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in peas and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Bake the bottom pie dish pastry for about 5-7 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove and set aside to fill later. Lower oven temperature to 450º.
6. While the bottom pie dish pastry is baking, in a 2-cup measuring cup stir together milk, flour, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Whisk this mixture into the vegetable mixture in the pan, stirring until thickened. Stir in reserved chicken and onion mixture.
7. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Top with remaining top pastry with fork vents. Bake for 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350º and bake for another 10 minutes until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Let cool slightly before eating. Makes 1 large pie or 3 small pies.

Fajita Marinade

I love fajitas and, although there are over 10 Mexican restaurants in my small home town, I only like the fajitas at one!! Needless to say I am particular about my fajitas. I thought that this marinade had way too much vinegar taste for "authentic" fajitas, so I won't be keeping it. I didn't grill the chicken, rather I sliced it when raw and marinated the slices. I cooked them in a frying pan with the marinade. My mom makes fajitas at home and she slices up onions and bell peppers in them, I always pick the chicken out of the mix for my fajitas. I also feel the lime and cilantro overpowered this marinade. I think my favorite restaurant uses lemons or oranges, and perhaps wine. I will have to experiment with other recipes next time!!

Fajita Marinade

1/2 c. Italian dressing
1/2 c. salsa
1 t. finely shredded lime peel
2 T lime juice
1 T snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 t. bottled hot pepper sauce

1. For marinade, in a small mixing bowl stir together ingredients.
2. Pour the marinade over beef or chicken in a plastic bag in a large mixing bowl and seal bag.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator about 4 hours for chicken or overnight for beef, turning bag occasionally.
4. Remove meat from the bag, reserving marinade.
5. Grill meat, brushing occasionally with reserved marinade.
6. Slice to serve meat as a fajita filling. Enough for 1-2 pounds of meat.