Turkey Noody

Hello! I am trying to return from the short pause I was forced to take. If you are curious or interested I will soon be posting a "Ginger's History" post to update everyone on my conditions. It was after much consideration that I decided I would share it.

Anywho, back to Turkey Noody for now! I'm sure you are all wondering why it's called Turkey Noody and if I meant nudy? I assure you it was intentional. I found the recipe for turnkey noodle casserole by fine cooking in their magazine and when Drew and I were talking about dinner and which recipe to try he accidentally called in Turkey Noody so I renamed it. It is way more fun to say and makes it a little more interesting. So there you have it. Turkey Noody for dinner.

It turned out to be a quite involved preparation. The magazine is titled one-pot meals which suggests you need one pot to create them. You'd be wrong. It finishes in one pot. So because of my knee my mother, Drew, and myself all made dinner. Drew cooked the turkey and mushrooms in one dish, cooked noodles in another, mom made a bechamel sauce, and I manned the cutting board. (I got off easy haha). Also a little *Hoorah* out to mom- she has never made a bechamel and was getting annoyed at it for having to be continually whisked and trying to figure out how it pour milk in a steady stream into the sauce while whisking it. With me pouring and her whisking we were victorious and the sauce was perfect! Way to go mom and a little English cheer - hoorah!

So all of those things were poured into a casserole dish, topped with panko bred crumbs mixed with grated Parmesan and sage and baked for an hour. (It was also exasperating for my mother that we finished all this a 6 o'clock which is usually time for dinner only to learn it must cook for another hour) haha no worries though, she made good use of the extra time and went to the store for a few bottles of wine :)

Here's the recipe which I DID NOT INVENT. It is from One-pot meals by fine cooking. No. 72.

4 tbs butter
Salt & Pepper
3/4 c breadcrumbs (I used japanese panko breadcrumbs)
EVOO
1 tbs grated Parmesan
1 tbs sage
1 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms sliced (I used only white cap)
3 tbs minced shallots
2-4minced cloves of garlic
1/2 c all-purpose flour
6 c low fat milk
1 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar
3 tbs finely chopped parsley (I used dried, it's what I had on hand)
8 oz. wide egg noodles
3 c. Shredded or diced roast turkey

Serves 6-8 preheat oven to 350. Bring large pot of water to boil with salt.
- mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, sage, pinch of salt & pepper in a small bowl and set.
- in a large skillet over med-high heat, add 1tbs. EVOO and diced mushrooms, cook stirring frequently until edges are golden (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low and add shallots and garlic. Cook until soft (about 2 minutes) season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- melt the butter in a saucepan over med heat. Add flour and whisk constantly until it colors slightly (2-3 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat (but don't turn off the burner) and gradually whisk in enough of the milk to form a think smooth paste. (At first it will get really thick and pasty but do not loose hope! keep adding milk) Set the pan back on the heat and whisk in the remaining milk in a steady stream. Add salt.
- bring the sauce to a boil while whisking then reduce to simmer for 3 minutes and whisk continuously. Turn the heat off and stir in the cheddar and parsley. Season to taste and set aside.
- cook the pasta to al dente (one minute less than the package) drain and spread noodles in bottom of greased casserole dish. Sprinkle turkey and mushrooms over the pasta. Pour the sauce over top and use a fork to distribute evenly. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top and bake for 50-60 minutes. (Put the casserole dish onto a cookie sheet while baking to catch any drippings)

It was worth the wait and the hassle. It was quite like an Alfredo dish (which of course is a bechamel) so that would be what to expect. We had salad for a side to cut the heavy sauce. Very successful but most certainly NOT one dish!

I'm using the iPad and the app doesn't let you put the photos into the wording of the post yet so here is what they are: 1) freshly grated white cheddar, 2) sliced mushrooms, 3) mushrooms cooked with shallots, garlic, and EVOO, 4) The span of a hectic everything cooking, 5) whisking pesky bechamel, 6) putting it all into the casserole, 7) panko breadcrumb topping and finished!

Pre-Made Pot Roast

HEB (the only grocery store in Corpus Christi) has meal deals weekly where you buy the protein and get anywhere from 3-7 things free. This week it was shoulder roast that is already marinated with mashed potatoes, baby carrots, and something else but I wasn't interested in whatever it was. 

I made the roast and, surprise! It was pretty good! It was more fatty than I would have cooked for myself. I usually trim mine up before I plop it into to crock pot. Great marinade though. I would like to know what it was. 

I also bought the sweet potatoes that were mashed rather than the regular in an effort for healthy eating. They were fine, very smooth, not really seasoned so I added butter and garlic salt which did the trick. 

I thought about cooking the baby carrots as the other side but that just seemed like it would have been a lot of orange on the plate so I went with the ever safe, sweet peas. 

It was a tasty meal, not the best thing I've ever made, granted, but it was fine for a weeknight fix.

On another note, next week I will not be doing any home cooking because I am going to Tampa for a surgery. I'm not going to air my dirty laundry about it but I WILL air the delicious food I eat there! YUM!

A Rhonda Sandwich

The inspiration for this sandwich, I am sad to say, was not my own. It was that of a posting of one of my family friends' on Facebook! Rhonda, your turkey leftover sandwich looked excellent! I took the idea and ran with it. I guess ya'll should know what she made before I tell you how I changed it. Only fair haha. She made a panini with leftover turkey, cranberry chutney, arugula, and Gorgonzola. What she didn't know was that I have been trying to find recipes using arugula because I have such an abundance growing in the garden, I don't know what to do with it all.

Because of the peppery taste that is signature to arugula, my family and I don't really prefer it as a salad. Having grown it myself that peppery taste is just so strong I need to put it into other foods. Hello?!? Sandwich!!! Duh.

So I changed out the turkey for chicken breast that I just pan sautéed with poultry seasoning. I got both a French baguette and a ciabatta loaf for the bread. We have a lot of blue cheese so I switched that out for the Gorgonzola. Both cheeses have very strong flavored and work well interchangeably. Instead of making chutney I used the cranberry relish left over from thanksgiving. It's a family recipe that Gran makes with orange zest that gives it a really fresh taste. Finally, I have a addiction to cheese. I'm not afraid to tell you, "hello, my name is Dev and I'm addicted to cheese." All kinds of cheese, I will, without fail, find a cheese that can go with anything. Some might even say I could put cheese on my cheese. Which I did. I put provolone on the sandwich while it was toasting in the toaster over and then the blue cheese!

It was a surprisingly harmonious sandwich of flavor. I admit, I was apprehensive about putting cranberry relish on my sandwich but it really enjoyed it. The peppery flavor of the arugula offset the sweet and she chicken and cheese added salty and savory. Yum!

On a side note, I also made a Greek salad out of the abundance of cherry tomatoes from the garden and a cucumber. I have to mention, growing your own veggies is so rewarding! I love picking the produce and having the fresh food but even more than that, the flavors are so incredibly strong that you get the flavor of what a real tomato or pepper or whatever tastes like!! The dressing was just equal parts oil and vinegar with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and onion powder.

Moral of the post? Don't underestimate your sandwiches ya'll! They can be fabulous!

Pepper Steak

My Dad has been requesting pepper steak for quite a while now. I finally bought the stuff to make it yesterday and decided it was past time to cook it. The recipe in the family cook book that my mom made was less than helpful in actually recreating it though haha. No times or real instructions on what it was supposed to end up looking like or being. Fortunately dad was home in time to walk me through it since it was his moms recipe.

In hindsight, I think I should have marinated the steaks to make the round cut a little more tender. It was easy to make though and quite tasty to eat!

I'll update this post tomorrow with the recipe. I have to fix it to actually have real directions haha.

Yakitori Chicken Rice Bowl

Yakitori Chicken (or beef)  is one of my favorite appetizers to get at Asian restaurants. It usually comes on a skewer and can be described as sweet and savory, much like teriyaki. When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine this month I knew I had to make it. Part of what is hard, for me at least, about Asian food is the sauces! Well this sauce was delectable. 

The recipe calls for just the snow peas but it didn't really look like it was going to be enough for 4 people so I went ahead and added the green beans I happened to have on hand. It really complimented the dish well but I forgot to account for the extra water it was going to the sauce. Oops! So the sauce was pretty runny but you know what? It still tasted pretty savory. If nothing else, it made the chicken have a sweet and salty flavor that I might try again to marinate the chicken in. 

A picture of the recipe is at the bottom of the page if you want to use it!

Beef Curry

As Dill instructed, I made something he wouldn't like for dinner last night. I made beef curry.

I know what your thinking, curry is a scary spice! Few people are confident enough to use it often. I am also one of those people so don't worry. This recipe is a little reminiscent of a stroganoff. It combines rice, onions, ground beef,mushrooms, and curry and at the end I put a dollop of sour cream in top.

Curry is just another one of those things that is slightly scary if you didn't grow up with it. Since I did not, I have little idea how to use it to my advantage. The same happens at Indian restaurants. I always want to go to them but haven't idea what to order. Help!! Any suggestions? I mean I am sad to admit that I have very low tolerance for spicy foods so that is mainly what holds me back.

Anywho, here is the recipe! I highly recommend you trying it. Although Dill doesn't like it, I have a hunch it's just because he, like many, are just afraid that it has curry in it. See for yourself I suppose.

Makes 4+ servings
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp butter
2 med onions
1 sm can mushrooms WITH the juices
2 tsp yellow curry
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 c uncooked rice
1 1/2 c beef broth or bouillon
1 tbsp worstershire sauce
1 pt sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350.
Cook the onions I the butter until clear. Add the meat and brown.
In a casserole dish, add the rest of the ingredients (except the sour cream) and the meat mixture.
Cook for 1 hour uncovered.
Dish and add a dollop of sour cream!

Chicken Pot Pie... SOUP

Yes, You read correctly! It was chicken pot pie SOUP! It was in the newest issue of Food Network Magazine. I foudn that there are some great morsels of recipes in this month's issue. (Not that there isn't usually). I have been getting the magazine for a little over 2 years now and yes, I am a hoarder of cookbooks and the like so I still have every issue on my shelf! Well, I mean with all the wealth of knowledge and great recipes inside how could I let them go? Maybe that is the first sign of a hoarding problem? We'll visit that later. For now, soup!

I changed a few things, as you know I usually do ;) I made puff pastry instead of pie crust. I topped it with an egg wash, cracked salt, and poultry seasoning. The soup came out a little brothier than I would have preferred. It was a pretty hearty soup so I was expecting it to be thicker. I could have just added more flour but we were out so better luck next time! 

Here it is:
1 refrigerated pie dough I used puff pastry
Poultry seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut to bite size
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion I use sweet onions most often
1/4 c flour
3 c low sodium chicken stock or broth I eliminated the water and just did all 5 cups in stock
2 c water
1 c half and half I had to use condensed milk haha 
3 medium potatoes
1 pkg frozen peas and carrots.

Cook the dough according to the package. 
Melt butter in a large pot over med-high heat. Add chicken and do NOT stir. Let them just cook for 2 minutes undisturbed, then stir and cook 1 more minute. move the chicken to a bowl and set aside. 
Add celery, onion, flour, salt, flour, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Cook 1 minute then add broth, potatoes, half and half, and water. Simmer for 10 minutes partially covered. Add peas and carrots for 6 more minutes. Add chicken for 2 more minutes until cooked through. ENJOY!

The family really loved it. Dill was a little apprehensive about it being a soup as he is not one for soup much but he ate a few helpings! He did however announce, "Dev, if there is anything you ahve been wanting to try that you think I won't like, make it tomorrow." Why Dill? "The boss is taking me out to PF Chang's so I won't be home" (with a large grin on his face) Hahaha. What a little turd. 

I guess I'll make some curry then :)

Well anyway, I think since I felt so inspired by the recipe and the magazine that I am going to try and try a lot of the recipes from the issue. Lets see how it goes!