Turkey Tetrazinni

Mr. E. and I hosted our first Thanksgiving this year. It was wonderful to spend the holidays in our new home with our family... and more importantly, the food on Thanksgiving was a success! We ordered a 16 pound turkey so we could be sure to have leftovers. Over the past few weeks we have had turkey sandwiches but we had been saving about 1.5 pounds of Turkey for a big casserole. This one turned out to be turkey perfection and it made a lot of leftovers which is always good with a 7.5 month under foot! It was delicious but I still cannot believe I served something as a main course for dinner that had potato chips in the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound white button mushrooms, ends trimmed, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 1 pound cubed or bite-size shredded roast turkey
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 (5 1/2-ounce) bag potato chips, crushed

Directions

Saute the onions and bell peppers in 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the mushrooms, Essence, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock and cook, stirring, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and very flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
When the sauce has thickened, add the noodles, turkey, parsley, salt, black pepper, and Parmesan to the skillet and stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer to the prepared casserole and top with the potato chips. Bake uncovered until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

www.foodnetwork.com

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bread

Mmm... now that the weather is getting a bit colder, it is time to break out the sweet breads! This is my own twist on a classic and I must say, it is now at the top of my list of yummy sweet breads that I have tasted. Who would have thought butterscotch could make such a big difference?

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
8 T unsalted butter (one stick), melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips (or you could follow the traditional recipe and add toasted pecans or walnuts)

1. Adjust an oven rack to lower middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil or spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger together in a large bowl. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl until frothy.

3. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the butterscotch chips. The batter will be very thick.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes.

5. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

From the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, p. 588.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

     I love Pumpkin...hence half of the title of this blog! A month or so ago when I began to crave all things pumpkin I headed to the store to stock up on the canned stuff. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any at any of my usual grocery stores...including Trader Joe's. My grandmother had the same problem and shared with me that she had heard we were going to have a canned pumpkin shortage because of a poor growing season last year... oh no! Alas, the pumpkin finally arrived in stores and I have been able to get my fill on nearly a daily basis.

     One of my favorite blogs to follow of late is "Kath Eats Real Food". The reason I like the blog is because it presents healthy ways to eat including new foods that I don't normally cook with. One of her breakfast staples is oatmeal and Mr. E. and I have heartily embraced breakfast oats because of this blog. Not only are they delicious and healthy, but this is really the only way Mr. E. would eat breakfast during the week because I can make individual batches and put them in a jar for him to grab on his way out the door. If you are interested in Kath's blog it can be found at http://www.katheats.com/

     The cold oats we have been rocking this week were made in one big batch so we wouldn't have to make breakfast each morning. We are super busy in the morning so anything that saves us time before Noon is great! So... I made a big batch of steel cut oats (these are the creamiest and healthiest oats you can buy... unfortunately they take about 30 minutes to cook which is why it is best to make a big batch at once). To make 6 servings you will need 1 cup of oats and 4 cups of liquid (I used 3 cups of lite vanilla soy milk and 1 cup of water. We love the flavor of the vanilla soy milk), and cinnamon. Bring the milk/water and a generous dash of cinnamon to a boil and then add the oats. Boil for 5 minutes until creamy and then reduce heat to a simmer and continue to simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. After the oats are finished, let cool and then add half a jar of canned pumpkin. When we are ready to eat them, I mash up a banana in a jar, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the oats, a spoonful of apple butter and sometimes a spoonful of ground flaxseed meal if I remember and then mix it all together. Top that off with a spoonful of either almond butter or peanut butter for added protein. Top off the jar with your lid and it is breakfast on the go! Yum--you will really look forward to breakfast with this treat.

Vegetarian (Tempeh) Meatballs

I was really in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs but unfortunately we did not have any ground meat in our freezer and O and I were not interested in venturing out into the 90 degree weather to get some meat. So... I found some tempeh in our refrigerator and I figured there must be some way to make meatballs out of these! I found this great recipe online that I altered slightly and they were delicious! They taste almost as good as real meatballs but there is nothing quite like a ground beef and pork meatball so I won't proclaim them just as good. However, it is a great way to get some protein and a healthier meatball with your pasta meals!

*I forgot to take a photo of the meatballs so instead I am sharing my new flour and sugar storage containers! I have been looking for something like this for a few months so I was psyched to find them on sale at target this week...

Tempeh Meatballs

Ingredients

2 8 oz. Packages of Soy Tempeh

1/2 cup Quinoa Flour (or whole wheat/other grain flour) 

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar 

1/4 cup Olive Oil 

1 tsp. Garlic Powder 

1 tsp. Onion Powder 

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper 

1/2 tsp. dried Oregano

1/2 tsp. dried Basil

3/4 tsp. Salt 1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme, finely chopped, or 1 tsp. dried thyme 

Directions

Cut the tempeh into 1 inch cubes and steam with a little bit of water for 10 minutes in the microwave
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the steamed tempeh and all other ingredients in a food processor or large bowl. Process until the tempeh is completely broken up and everything comes together.

Lightly grease or spray a cookie sheet. Form the tempeh into ~1 inch meatballs and place on cookie sheet. Bake in the oven until browned, about 20 minutes.

If freezing, make sure to allow these to cool completely before doing so. Otherwise the water vapor will make them quite hard to get out after they have frozen together.

Makes 24 Meatballs.
4 meatballs is a serving.

Number of Servings: 6


Reference: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=633944

Canning!

My mom is the QUEEN of canning fruit jams! She spends time every summer picking fresh raspberries and blackberries and turning them into delicious jars of jam. They are so popular that we even gave them away as my wedding favor. As a teenager and young twenty-something I had no interest in learning how to make jam and can vegetables. Fast forward a few years and I am finally extremely excited to learn how to can. Now that we live in southern North Carolina, peaches and okra are abundant so I thought that it was only fitting that we make peach jam and pickled okra!

     I was planning to give most of these jars away as Christmas presents but I am quickly going to be depleted of my stash! It sure looks like a lot of jars and it was a lot of work but I wish we had twice as many to show for our efforts. The pickled okra will be less popular than the peach jam but I am excited to give a jar to my Uncles Darrell and Randy as they are the KINGS of canning and I am in love with their homemade canned sauerkraut and pickled beets. It will be nice to finally give back with some Southern Okra!

Pickled Okra

Ingredients

• 1  (9-piece) canning kit, including canner, jar lifter, and canning rack
• 7  (1-pt.) canning jars
• 2 1/2  pounds  small fresh okra
• 7  small fresh green chile peppers
• 7  garlic cloves
• 2  tablespoons  plus 1 tsp. dill seeds
• 4  cups  white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1/2  cup  salt
• 1/4  cup  sugar

Preparation

1. Bring canner half-full with water to a boil; simmer. Meanwhile, place jars in a large stockpot with water to cover; bring to a boil, and simmer. Place bands and lids in a large saucepan with water to cover; bring to a boil, and simmer. Remove hot jars 1 at a time using jar lifter.
2. Pack okra into hot jars, filling to 1/2 inch from top. Place 1 pepper, 1 garlic clove, and 1 tsp. dill seeds in each jar. Bring vinegar, salt, sugar, and 4 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over okra, filling to 1/2 inch from top.
3. Wipe jar rims; cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands (snug but not too tight). Place jars in canning rack, and place in simmering water in canner. Add additional boiling water as needed to cover by 1 to 2 inches.
4. Bring water to a rolling boil; boil 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool jars in canner 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a cutting board; cool 12 to 24 hours. Test seals of jars by pressing center of each lid. If lids do not pop, jars are properly sealed. Store in a cool, dry place at room temperature up to 1 year.

www.southernliving.com

Crack Pie

When I read the latest issue of Bon Appetit and saw a recipe from a famous NYC Bakery that involved salty and sweet--I was there! I figured I could make this recipe and we could eat a we would cookies (which I rarely make to being with...) and just nibble when we needed to satisfy our sweet teeth. This recipe is not called crack pie for nuthin! Do not attempt if you are on a diet :)

Ingredients
Oat Cookie Crust

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
* 5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 large egg
* 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
* 1/2 cup all purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
* 6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
* 4 large egg yolks
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation
Oat Cookie Crust

* Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
* Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling

* Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.

* Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.



Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/09/crack_pie#ixzz0z3sZnpr9

Buttery Sourdough Dinner Rolls

We had dinner at our new neighbor's house last week and he is a bread man. He bakes two loaves of bread every week to be used for their sandwiches and then makes additional rolls, sweet breads and additional breads as needed. I was impressed. For dinner that night he made these rolls and they were divine.... Honestly, I know I have been throwing around the term "the best" liberally, but these were the best rolls I have ever eaten. Mr. E. and I were lucky enough to enjoy them with dinner tonight as our generous neighbor shared his cookbook with me as well as a jar of his valuable sourdough starter. For more information about sourdough starters check out this website http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm One of the main differences between a lot of starters I have seen and mine is that mine was made with milk. Enjoy!

2 packages dry active yeast
½ cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 T butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 cup sourdough starter, at room temp
½ cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups of flour, the sugar and salt. Then add yeast mixture, 6 T of the melted butter, the egg, starter and milk.

Beat with a heavy-duty mixer for about 5 minutes until well blended and smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Pour 2 T of the remaining melted butter into a 9 13 inch baking pan, tilting pan to coat bottom. Stir dough down and drop into pan by large spoonfuls, making about 15 rolls. Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and puffy (about 30 minutes).

Drizzle the remaining 2 T melted butter over the rolls. Bake in a preheated 425 oven 400 for a glass pan for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Turn out onto a plate and serve hot. Pull rolls apart to separate.