Sunday, November 21, 2010

Thanksgiving... re done

Ohhhh boy... hope you got your fat pants close by!! :) It was Thanksgiving at Lindsey's house today! Yippee! We had a delicious spread, a little out of the ordinary menu... but it turned out wonderful! Let me not waste my breath... lets get to the good stuff! The recipes and pictures!! :)

First, this was not on our menu, but I had to share, because it's yummy.

CRAB CRESCENT LOAF

* 1 package crescent rolls
* 6 oz. cream cheese
* 1/2 tsp dill
* 1/3 cup chopped onion
* Pepper to taste
* 1 cup chopped crab
* 1 egg yolk

  • On a greased baking sheet, unroll crescent dough into one long rectangle; seal seams and perforations. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, onion and dill until blended. Spread mixture lengthwise over half of the dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with crab.
  • Fold dough over filling; pinch seam to seal. Brush the top with egg yolk. Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into slices.

Here's dinner----

First, I'll share the potatoes with you... really simple and easy, but quite tasty!

SEASONED ROASTED POTATOES
* 2 lbs potatoes (I used a mix of sweet potatoes and red potatoes), cut into bite size pieces
* 1/3 cup olive or canola oil
* 2 pkgs dry onion soup mix

- Toss potatoes with oil and season with onion soup mix.
- Roast in 450 degree oven for 30-40 minutes

BACON WRAPPED TURKEY WITH WILD RICE STUFFING
Courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats (www.iowagirleats.com)

Bacon Wrapped Turkey
10oz boneless, skinless turkey breast

Salt & pepper
6slices center cut bacon


Stuffing:
One 6oz package wild rice mix
2Tablespoons butter
1rib celery, chopped
1/4cup onion, chopped
2Tablespoons dried cranberries
2Tablespoons walnut pieces
1/2cup sour cream
  • Prepare wild rice mix according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté celery and onion until soft, about 6 minutes.
  • Add dried cranberries, walnut pieces and sour cream to the skillet. Heat until sour cream has melted then add cooked wild rice and stir to combine. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butterfly turkey breast by slicing horizontally across the length of the breast, being careful not to cut all the way through, and open like a book. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top and pound until 1/2 inch thick.
  • Season butterflied turkey breast with salt & pepper, then mound 1 cup wild rice mixture onto one side of the breast, leaving 1/2 inch clear around the edge. Fold the other side over.
  • Lay 6 slices of bacon out on a cutting board. Place the stuffed turkey breast in the middle and fold bacon slices over, trimming any overlapping pieces.
  • Place bacon wrapped turkey breast on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes or until internal stuffing temperature reaches 160 degrees.
  • Allow turkey breast to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
OHHHHH boy was this delicious! It was tender, just like butter... :) Haha. It was definately the workings of the bacon on the outside juicing it up! :) This recipe is for 1 little "turkey loaf", I made about 6 :) Tee hee. But actually the rice stuffing goes farther than just 1 turkey loaf. I made 3 batches of the rice and I still had left over. So, plan accordingly.

Not sure about your tastes, but CRANBERRY CHUTNEY goes quite well on top of this turkey, and I'm not a big cranberry fan. :) This recipe has a few different flavors, so that's prolly why I liked it. See for yourself.

* 1 can whole cranberry sauce
* 1 small granny smith apple, cored and chopped (skin on is ok)
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 tsp marsala wine
* 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
* 1/2 tsp ginger
* 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
* Juice of one orange

Mix everything in a medium saucepan, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool in the fridge.

Ohhhh dear... the pie!!! We just had soooooo much today. This blog is full of recipes, so I'm done for awhile with the blog... you got your work set out before you! :) The pie was a delicious rendition of pumpkin pie. It had a nice cheese cake layer and pecan streusel on top!!! :) YUM! This recipe is courtesy of Hy-Vee... hence all the HyVee ingredients. I thought it was cute, as they try so hard to sell their products, so I kept it as is! :)


DOUBLE LAYER PUMPKIN PIE

1 Hy-Vee refrigerated pie crust
1 (8 ounce) package Hy-Vee cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. Hy-Vee granulated sugar, divided
3 Hy-Vee large eggs, divided
1/2 tsp Hy-Vee nutmeg
1 tablespoon Hy-Vee vanilla
1 1/4 c. Hy-Vee pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
1 c. Hy-Vee evaporated milk
1 tsp Hy-Vee cinnamon
1/2 tsp Hy-Vee ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp Hy-Vee salt
1/4 c. packed Hy-Vee brown sugar
2 tbsp Hy-Vee all-purpose flour
2 tbsp Hy-Vee butter
1/2 c. Hy-Vee pecan pieces
Whipped Cream

All you do:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in a deep-dish pie plate; set aside.
Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, nutmeg and rum with electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pie crust.

- In a large bowl, stir together pumpkin, evaporated milk, remaining 2 eggs, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt until thoroughly combined. Starting around edge of pie, slowly pour pumpkin mixture over cream cheese layer. Bake for 50 minutes.

-Meanwhile, make streusel topping. Combine brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in pecans. Set aside.

- Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over pie. Bake 10 minutes more or until center is nearly set and topping is golden. Cool to room temperature. Cover loosely and chill. If desired, serve with Whipped Cream.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

'Tis the Season


Hello! I hope you're all doing well! We're pretty good over here! Getting all ready for the holiday spirit!!! :) I just love Thanksgiving and Christmas! I did set up the tree a couple days ago! Early, for sure, but I got all new stuff and I was SOOO excited to set it all up!! :) Haha. It makes our house happy and cheery tho! It's great!

I have a totally non-holiday recipe to share with you today. Although some holiday recipes will be coming up! Yummmm! Today I'm sharing a recipe for CHIPOTLE BURRITO BOWL. Now, if you're an exact recipe follower this recipe may be difficult for you. I don't really have exact measurements, it kinda depends on your quantity and taste... so enjoy! Oh... and it tastes quite like the restaurant CHIPOTLE... mmmm mmmm!!!!


1. The Rice

Cook rice according to package directions. When done, finish with:

  • Small spoonful of butter
  • Salt
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Sprinkle of chopped cilantro



2. The Beans

In a microwave safe bowl, heat up 1 can drained and rinsed black beans with:

  • Splash of chicken broth
  • Dashes of chili powder, cumin, oregano & cayenne pepper


3. The Chicken

Cook two chicken breasts in a skillet seasoned with:

  • Chili Powder
  • Garlic Salt
  • Onion Powder
  • Cumin
  • Oregano

4. The Pico

Whip up this easy Pico De Gallo with:

  • 1 tomato (plus some cherry tomatoes I had on hand)
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/4 small red onion
  • Sprinkle of chopped cilantro
  • S&P
  • Juice of 1/2 lime

Das it! Pile it up... rice, beans, chicken and pico! Yum yum!!!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Spicy Chicken Soup & Seattle

Hello everyone! We are back from Seattle (well, for awhile now). Aaron's job interview went well, although the next day was election day, and the annexation vote failed. So, now instead of 21 job openings, there are only 2 openings. We had a great time though! We even had a couple days of sun! :) The weather was chilly like here... 50's.

Here we are atop the Space Needle.... built in 1962 for the World Fair. They thought that the Space needle was what all buildings of the 21st century would look like. :) Weird.
Of course I'd be crazy if I didn't share my food pictures! Here is Eggs Benedict from The Broadway Grill. This was a local restaurant with a great chef! It was delicious!

This is the appetizer sampler from Hard Rock Cafe! We split it and had side salads for our meal. Delicious!!!

Cedar River Smokehouse, another local restaurant with AMAZING beef brisket and corn bread!


Pike Place Market... the most wonderful place on the planet. Kind of like a cook's Disney World! They have fresh veggies, fruit, and fish, meat, cheeses, EVERYTHING all year round!! It's a farmer's market... but more beautiful than any other!!! :)

More Space Needle... here we were on a Harbor Cruise around Seattle. Notice the nice blue sunny sky!
Ridin' on the boat


Here we are sitting on one of the Piers


Seattle skyline!

And now for some real fall food... SOUP! This is my favorite new soup ... its a little different than chili or chicken tortilla soup, but mmmmm it's yummy! Enjoy! SPICY CHICKEN SOUP


Ingredients

  • 2 quarts water
  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 5 cubes chicken bouillon
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained
  • 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine water, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred chicken.
  2. In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, sour cream, shredded chicken and 5 cups broth. Simmer 30 minutes.

Oh, and I am not a professional photographer... so no, I didn't wait for the soup to cool... so my picture is blurry from the steam of the soup! But I couldn't wait for it to cool... I wanted to eat it!