i meant to post this a few weeks ago, but clearly.

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?

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)!

melting pot chicken noodle soup

this weekend, i tried my hand at a homemade chicken noodle soup.

...

it turned out SO good! i want to share with you what i did. feel free to try it. it's quick and easy.

p.s. don't worry if you don't have a crock pot/slow cooker. a big stove-top pot will do just fine. although you can get one at walmart for less than $20.

what you will need:
2 full chicken breasts, cut each into thirds then thin slice
30-40 spaghetti noodles, break into thirds
1/2 cup of corn*
1/3 cup of sliced mushrooms*
1 cup of carrots, broccoli/cauliflower, and squash* (or you can buy a bag of mixed veggies like i did)
4-5 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1/4 celery stalk, diced*
10 cups of water
4 tbsp of olive oil
a crock pot (or a big stove top pot)

*optional, depending on your taste

directions:
pour 10 cups of hot water into the crock pot
add 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes
add garlic powder and onion powder
add 2 tbsp of olive oil
add corn (if so desired)
mix well, allow to simmer until crock pot is hot (high setting)

in the meantime, cut up your chicken and add your preferred seasonings to the frying pan with about 2 tbsp of olive oil on a low-med setting. cook while stirring occasionally for about 5-7 mins, then add to the crock pot. stir well.

add mushrooms (if so desired). stir.

cook for about 15 mins (crock pot), then add carrots (if so desired). stir.

add celery stalk. stir. cook for additional 10-15 mins.

add spaghetti noodles. cook for 30-45 mins.

add the rest of your choice veggies. cook for 20-30 mins.

done! :) enjoy.

i know i did! it was awesome!

chicken parm, my absolute fave

i love chicken parm...especially the pasta dish and the sub/sandwich. it rocks my entire world.

so of course, i like to make it, too.

this past weekend i made it from scratch for the first time! take a look. enjoy :)

**
serves 4-6

what you'll need:

4 chicken breasts (or 8-10 tenderloins), whole
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of flour
1 cup of bread crumbs--you can buy these pre-packaged from progresso(tm)
old bay seasoning*
ground black pepper*
stewed tomatoes
your choice of pasta (i toggle between bowtie, rotini, and angel hair)
tomato sauce (ragu/prego is fine)
grated parmesan cheese
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
parsley flakes or basil*

*all seasonings are added by you to suit your own tastes

boil 4 cups of pasta (1/2 box of typically any pasta) thoroughly; drain

mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of bread crumbs well, add seasonings & stir.

heat 1/2 cup of olive oil until hot enough to deep fry

take each chicken breast and coat with flour and bread crumbs mix (you can use an egg to coat first if you'd like, typically i don't use the egg unless i'm baking)

place chicken breasts one by one into hot olive oil. cook for 3 mins on each side or until golden brown; drain.

add stewed tomatoes to tomato sauce and simmer on stove top for 10 minutes. add basil/parsley flakes (if you like).

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

coat the baking pan (glass is best for pasta dishes) with pam or another non-stick material
spread the pasta to coat the bottom of the pan
place the chicken to coat the top of the pasta
pour the tomato sauce on top of the chicken
coat the dish with mozzarella cheese
bake for 15 mins
let stand for 5-10
sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, add basil/parsley flakes as a garnish

enjoy!

it is soooo good...and for you spice lovers out there, try adding cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers, or crushed red peppers to your tomato sauce. it is *that* much better, i promise!

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.

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