everyone gets sick of the thanksgiving turkey pretty quickly. after my first plate, i'm usually over it. so i came up with a couple of ideas to make the turkey more pallatable after the first day of eating it (since clearly, a 15-lb turkey is not being eaten in 1 day, unless you invite 30 people over).
idea #1: turkey legs & wings w/rice in the crock pot.
it really was that simple. i put the 2 legs and the 2 wings in the crock pot with about 6 cups of water, 4 beef bouillon cubes, some onions, some celery, some garlic powder, and let that cook for about an hour, then i added about 2 cups of rice so there would still be broth left over, but the rice would cook in with the turkey flavor.
it turned out well, but people still got sick of it after a couple of servings.
idea #2: pulled turkey salad.
i de-meated the turkey (cut off all the meat), put it in a big bowl, and added relish, mayonnaise, onion, celery, dijon mustard, and some other seasonings to taste, along with boiled egg, and mixed until everything was separated.
this lasted about 4 days before it was almost all gone and everyone was sick of it. but it did turn out really well.
what did you do to finish off your thanksgiving leftovers?
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
12.01.2011
26. make thanksgiving dinner alone
i'm really flying through this 52 in 52 list. i really hope i can actually finish it by the deadline, but i will still end up making a donation to susan g. komen because cancer sucks bad.
i'll admit humbly that it's mostly because i'm full of the awesome, but probably more so because i'd feel bad if i didn't donate and my only motivation to finish the list was so that i didn't have to donate. then i would be a horrible person.
on the scale of horrible people where 1 is peter (because he wasn't completely horrible, he just denied jesus 3 times) and 10 is osama bin laden (who was so horrible that he had to be buried at sea), i would be nestled comfortably between president bush (the one who golfs while simultaneously sending troops to war) and president clinton (the one who had sexual relations with that woman). i think that's accurate.
i cooked the entire thanksgiving meal (with the exception of the sweet potatoes my younger sister just had to make) alone. it was so refreshing. i just had time to myself and since i love cooking, i really enjoyed making such a huge meal.
because i've been having issues with allergic reactions, indigestion, and acid refluxy feelings, i decided to forego making homemade macaroni and cheese and stuck mostly to the earthy/grainy foods that aren't so horrible for everyone's cholesterol. here's the menu:
turkey
string beans
mashed potatoes
stuffing (or dressing, however you say it)
sauerkraut
cranberry sauce
corn muffins
deviled eggs
sweet potatoes*
typically we would add baked macaroni & cheese, collards, maybe cabbage, and yeast rolls to that list, but there were only 4 people in attendance this year: my mom, my sister, jesse, and myself. and later that evening, jesse and i went to his parents' house to eat their food. so everyone won, especially jesse and i.
this holiday also rocked for 2 additional reasons: 1, i got a 4 day weekend away from work that i spent mostly with friends and family (thanksgiving thursday, birthday dinner friday, birthday dinner saturday, and relaxation sunday), and...
i got jewelry!
jesse got me this really pretty, 10k white gold ring with 3 diamonds! and it's not even an engagement ring! he's awesome for a lot of reasons, but that's definitely at the top of the list now.
definitely. extra rings? who wouldn't be happy?
i'll admit humbly that it's mostly because i'm full of the awesome, but probably more so because i'd feel bad if i didn't donate and my only motivation to finish the list was so that i didn't have to donate. then i would be a horrible person.
on the scale of horrible people where 1 is peter (because he wasn't completely horrible, he just denied jesus 3 times) and 10 is osama bin laden (who was so horrible that he had to be buried at sea), i would be nestled comfortably between president bush (the one who golfs while simultaneously sending troops to war) and president clinton (the one who had sexual relations with that woman). i think that's accurate.
i cooked the entire thanksgiving meal (with the exception of the sweet potatoes my younger sister just had to make) alone. it was so refreshing. i just had time to myself and since i love cooking, i really enjoyed making such a huge meal.
because i've been having issues with allergic reactions, indigestion, and acid refluxy feelings, i decided to forego making homemade macaroni and cheese and stuck mostly to the earthy/grainy foods that aren't so horrible for everyone's cholesterol. here's the menu:
turkey
string beans
mashed potatoes
stuffing (or dressing, however you say it)
sauerkraut
cranberry sauce
corn muffins
deviled eggs
sweet potatoes*
typically we would add baked macaroni & cheese, collards, maybe cabbage, and yeast rolls to that list, but there were only 4 people in attendance this year: my mom, my sister, jesse, and myself. and later that evening, jesse and i went to his parents' house to eat their food. so everyone won, especially jesse and i.
this holiday also rocked for 2 additional reasons: 1, i got a 4 day weekend away from work that i spent mostly with friends and family (thanksgiving thursday, birthday dinner friday, birthday dinner saturday, and relaxation sunday), and...
i got jewelry!
jesse got me this really pretty, 10k white gold ring with 3 diamonds! and it's not even an engagement ring! he's awesome for a lot of reasons, but that's definitely at the top of the list now.
definitely. extra rings? who wouldn't be happy?
10.17.2011
46. try a new exotic food
okay, so this is probably not exotic, but it's definitely different for me.
this past week, i tried vegetarian food.
i tried this dish called shepherd's pie from a place in DC (of course) called eternal life. i would link it here, but i can't find it online, which scares me. mainly because you all know that everything is so much more official if it's on the internet. the internet is all that is right and good with the world today.
anyway, it was really good. the standard recipe typically has diced potatoes, but the one i had consisted of the mashed version. i think there was some tofu in this one but no mushrooms. i was a little apprehensive at first, probably because i've never had the carnivorous version of shepherd's pie, but this one was really good.
...and if you're backed up, this will totally take care of that issue for you; i promise.
i think that's where the catch 22 comes in, honestly, because i did not enjoy the aftermath of this dish. maybe it was because i spent tne entire weekend chilling on cool porcelain. i'm not opposed to regularity. not at all. but not at the expense of my entire weekend! i didn't even get to go to the gym on sunday, which totally blew me. literally and figuratively.
maybe it's called shepherd's pie because the shepherd killed every animal it herds to make it. but since this dish was vegetarian, i'm probably only slightly inaccurate. just slightly.
i'm hoping i will try something a little more exciting and exotic soon, but after this fiasco, i'm thinking maybe my body is not a fan of exciting and exotic things.
however, this will not stop me from getting a brazilian. nope. it surely won't.
this past week, i tried vegetarian food.
i tried this dish called shepherd's pie from a place in DC (of course) called eternal life. i would link it here, but i can't find it online, which scares me. mainly because you all know that everything is so much more official if it's on the internet. the internet is all that is right and good with the world today.
anyway, it was really good. the standard recipe typically has diced potatoes, but the one i had consisted of the mashed version. i think there was some tofu in this one but no mushrooms. i was a little apprehensive at first, probably because i've never had the carnivorous version of shepherd's pie, but this one was really good.
...and if you're backed up, this will totally take care of that issue for you; i promise.
i think that's where the catch 22 comes in, honestly, because i did not enjoy the aftermath of this dish. maybe it was because i spent tne entire weekend chilling on cool porcelain. i'm not opposed to regularity. not at all. but not at the expense of my entire weekend! i didn't even get to go to the gym on sunday, which totally blew me. literally and figuratively.
maybe it's called shepherd's pie because the shepherd killed every animal it herds to make it. but since this dish was vegetarian, i'm probably only slightly inaccurate. just slightly.
i'm hoping i will try something a little more exciting and exotic soon, but after this fiasco, i'm thinking maybe my body is not a fan of exciting and exotic things.
however, this will not stop me from getting a brazilian. nope. it surely won't.
10.13.2011
open faced pot pie...snot pie?
okay, maybe that doesn't sound so appetizing, but you are going to love this! i know i do.
open faced seemed like snot to me, but it's actually really good, so...this is like a chicken pot pie but it's got stuff your mom wouldn't put in it. and it doesn't have stuff your mom would put in it (i.e. peas and carrots--disgusto).
serves 8
what you'll need:
4 medium chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenderloins, chopped
1.5 cups of broccoli
1.5 cups of cauliflower
2 cups of cheddar/colby/cheddar jack cheese, shredded
1 medium box of bowtie, elbow, or rotini pasta noodles
cook everything first, basically. except the cheese. that would not be good.
chop up all the chicken, fry it in a tablespoon of olive oil until fully cooked, but light brown. add preferred seasonings (salt, pepper, old bay, thyme, etc) to taste.
steam broccoli and cauliflower together on medium-high for about 5 mins (doesn't have to be fully cooked, just doesn't need to be frozen)
boil pasta noodles until completely done. drain. run cold water over them so they're not mushy.
add the chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and noodles together. mix until they're separated well.
add 1 cup of cheese and mix thoroughly.
pour contents into an oven safe baking dish (spray first with pam or something that won't let your food stick to the pan), and add 1 more cup of cheese to the top of the casserole.
bake for about 20-30 mins on temp 350.
let stand for about 10 mins to cool.
chow down. :)
oh, and enjoy (you better)!
open faced seemed like snot to me, but it's actually really good, so...this is like a chicken pot pie but it's got stuff your mom wouldn't put in it. and it doesn't have stuff your mom would put in it (i.e. peas and carrots--disgusto).
serves 8
what you'll need:
4 medium chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenderloins, chopped
1.5 cups of broccoli
1.5 cups of cauliflower
2 cups of cheddar/colby/cheddar jack cheese, shredded
1 medium box of bowtie, elbow, or rotini pasta noodles
cook everything first, basically. except the cheese. that would not be good.
chop up all the chicken, fry it in a tablespoon of olive oil until fully cooked, but light brown. add preferred seasonings (salt, pepper, old bay, thyme, etc) to taste.
steam broccoli and cauliflower together on medium-high for about 5 mins (doesn't have to be fully cooked, just doesn't need to be frozen)
boil pasta noodles until completely done. drain. run cold water over them so they're not mushy.
add the chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and noodles together. mix until they're separated well.
add 1 cup of cheese and mix thoroughly.
pour contents into an oven safe baking dish (spray first with pam or something that won't let your food stick to the pan), and add 1 more cup of cheese to the top of the casserole.
bake for about 20-30 mins on temp 350.
let stand for about 10 mins to cool.
chow down. :)
oh, and enjoy (you better)!
8.26.2011
enchiladas, the hard way
i took the title from "three the hard way"...it doesn't mean this is a hard recipe. i have no idea why that phrase was in my head at the time. i could have tourrette's.
*ahem*
so this is one of my favorite things to make, and i usually make 1/2 chicken 1/2 beef, since there are so many picky eaters out there, but you can use what ever meat you like. i'd even say tofu would taste good in this recipe (for the vegetarians out there).
what you'll need:
cooked rice
2 lbs of cheddar, colby, or monterey jack cheese (or all three), shredded
3-5 chicken breasts or 4-6 breast tenderloins (tyson)
1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
some jalapenos (yes, some), diced
small flour tortillas (enough to line a cookie sheet, so 9-12 should be fine)
cut up the chicken. pan fry it in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil with the peppers, season to taste.
cook the ground beef/turkey. season to taste.
keep meats separate to make 1/2 chicken, 1/2 beef enchiladas or combine for combination enchiladas.
line the cookie sheet with foil, spray w/pam or another vegetable oil spray
place small flour tortillas flat on the foil lining until you can't see the foil anymore
preheat the over to 350 degrees
add rice to cover tortillas evenly.
add chicken & peppers/beef/turkey on top of rice. place evenly.
add cheese to cover pan as needed
add tomatoes and jalapenos to taste, on top of cheese
bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins, or until cheese is melted completely and browned on top.
let stand for 10 mins.
cut in slices and eat!
this is one of my favorite things to make. it takes maybe 30 mins to prepare, then the 15 to bake.
*ahem*
so this is one of my favorite things to make, and i usually make 1/2 chicken 1/2 beef, since there are so many picky eaters out there, but you can use what ever meat you like. i'd even say tofu would taste good in this recipe (for the vegetarians out there).
what you'll need:
cooked rice
2 lbs of cheddar, colby, or monterey jack cheese (or all three), shredded
3-5 chicken breasts or 4-6 breast tenderloins (tyson)
1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
some jalapenos (yes, some), diced
small flour tortillas (enough to line a cookie sheet, so 9-12 should be fine)
cut up the chicken. pan fry it in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil with the peppers, season to taste.
cook the ground beef/turkey. season to taste.
keep meats separate to make 1/2 chicken, 1/2 beef enchiladas or combine for combination enchiladas.
line the cookie sheet with foil, spray w/pam or another vegetable oil spray
place small flour tortillas flat on the foil lining until you can't see the foil anymore
preheat the over to 350 degrees
add rice to cover tortillas evenly.
add chicken & peppers/beef/turkey on top of rice. place evenly.
add cheese to cover pan as needed
add tomatoes and jalapenos to taste, on top of cheese
bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins, or until cheese is melted completely and browned on top.
let stand for 10 mins.
cut in slices and eat!
this is one of my favorite things to make. it takes maybe 30 mins to prepare, then the 15 to bake.
8.19.2011
jambalaya, the bulk way
those of you who know me, know i like to make food in bulk. not just because i love to share what i make, but also because jesse is my boyfriend, lol. here's one of my most favorite dishes: jambalaya. this serves 16-20.
ingredients:
4 cups of rice
1/2 lb of ground turkey
1 full link of hillshire farm polska kielbasa or smoked sausage (by all means, feel free to substitute this with smoked turkey--it's just as good), sliced
3 breasts of chicken (perdue pre-packages these, it's easier this way), chopped
1/2 lb of pre-cooked shrimp
3 cups of tomato paste OR any flavor prego spaghetti/marinara sauce
2 tomatoes (stewed, or raw), diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced
2 bay leaves (optional)
4 tbsp old bay seasoning
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp pepper
1 tsp butter
simmer ground turkey on stove top in 1 tsp of olive oil until done (about 10 mins, stir/flip occasionally)
add diced green peppers and onions, stir occasionally, cook for 5 mins.
drain.
in a separate pan, add chopped chicken breasts and sliced kielbasa. cook until well done on stove top in 2 tsps of olive oil (about 10 mins, stir occasionally).
drain.
in a separate pan, simmer pre-cooked shrimp in 1tsp butter for about 5 mins. watch closely, stir often.
add ground turkey, diced peppers and onions to the chopped chicken breasts and sliced kielbasa. add shrimp, stir well.
cook 3 cups of rice separately until done. (without rice cooker, add 6 cups of water to 3 cups of rice, cook on medium setting until all water has disappeared. DO NOT stir.)
warm tomato paste adding 4 tbsp pepper, 1 tbsp salt, 4 tbsp old bay seasoning, 2 bay leaves, and diced tomatoes on stove top for 7-8 mins.
add the meat pot to the tomato sauce & seasonings pot. stir well.
you can decide the next part: either add the rice to the jambalaya (my favorite way) or serve the jambalaya on top of the rice, separately. and feel free to add more or less seasoning, to satisfy your taste.
it's always nice to add cornbread or biscuits to this meal, too :) it's a comfort food.
enjoy,
ronetta cheryll
ingredients:
4 cups of rice
1/2 lb of ground turkey
1 full link of hillshire farm polska kielbasa or smoked sausage (by all means, feel free to substitute this with smoked turkey--it's just as good), sliced
3 breasts of chicken (perdue pre-packages these, it's easier this way), chopped
1/2 lb of pre-cooked shrimp
3 cups of tomato paste OR any flavor prego spaghetti/marinara sauce
2 tomatoes (stewed, or raw), diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced
2 bay leaves (optional)
4 tbsp old bay seasoning
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp pepper
1 tsp butter
simmer ground turkey on stove top in 1 tsp of olive oil until done (about 10 mins, stir/flip occasionally)
add diced green peppers and onions, stir occasionally, cook for 5 mins.
drain.
in a separate pan, add chopped chicken breasts and sliced kielbasa. cook until well done on stove top in 2 tsps of olive oil (about 10 mins, stir occasionally).
drain.
in a separate pan, simmer pre-cooked shrimp in 1tsp butter for about 5 mins. watch closely, stir often.
add ground turkey, diced peppers and onions to the chopped chicken breasts and sliced kielbasa. add shrimp, stir well.
cook 3 cups of rice separately until done. (without rice cooker, add 6 cups of water to 3 cups of rice, cook on medium setting until all water has disappeared. DO NOT stir.)
warm tomato paste adding 4 tbsp pepper, 1 tbsp salt, 4 tbsp old bay seasoning, 2 bay leaves, and diced tomatoes on stove top for 7-8 mins.
add the meat pot to the tomato sauce & seasonings pot. stir well.
you can decide the next part: either add the rice to the jambalaya (my favorite way) or serve the jambalaya on top of the rice, separately. and feel free to add more or less seasoning, to satisfy your taste.
it's always nice to add cornbread or biscuits to this meal, too :) it's a comfort food.
enjoy,
ronetta cheryll
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