Turkey "Pozole" (Rojo)

Pozole is usually made with pork. I have never made a pozole recipe so I'm not sure how authentic this is, but I am not complaining about how this turned out. This is a Martha recipe and commenters posted this is not a true pozole. So yes, this is probably a quick/cheater recipe. Don't judge me. Martha even gets the spelling wrong they said! (Posole)

We are serious believers in good soup garnishes. When I make my white chicken chili (with hominy), I break out even MORE garnish ingredients.

Not pictured- baked corn tortilla chips.

 

The turkey was leftover from that huge ass turkey I roasted during the Vortex. 7 cups of chopped turkey in this stew. Yay for leftovers!

It was also my pleasure to tear into two HUGE cans of hominy. I love hominy. So much!

It came together quickly but it needed to simmer for 30 minutes. I needed that time to bake the tortilla chips. My boys can't get enough of chips.

Funny little boy quote: "Mom, when I have kids will you show me the recipe for these chips. These are really good."

Tortillas, oil, salt. Oven. There you go, kid.

 

Don't make fun of my Chococat bowl! It gets me through rough times.

 

We like! I think it will taste even better tomorrow. And plenty to freeze for future lunches.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Martha's Chicken (or turkey) Posole.

 

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Rigatoni Pasta Pie

The finished pie.

 

No, it's not really a pie.

Yes, it was a bit of work arranging all these rigatoni noodles upright like this. Slippery little suckers.

 

 

And then the meat sauce got pushed down through all the holes, the best that I could.

 

 

That plain bit of real estate is for James. I knew he'd like his piece with no cheese. Semi-picky seven year old, but that was an easy fix so I didn't mind.

 

 

I wasn't patient enough to let the "pie" set up for 10 minutes. We dug right in. (P.S. It sliced up very nicely the next day!)

 

The verdict- very kid friendly, nice idea for presentation, but the meat sauce was nothing to write home about. I could use a jarred pasta sauce and save a bit of work. And yeah, I could save a bit of work and just make a lasagna or regular spaghetti if I just want pasta, sauce, and cheese. I just like to try new things!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Rigatoni Pasta Pie.

 

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Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and Chili

I saw the recipe for these biscuits on Pinterest, but they are taste tested by my favorite blogger (Brown Eyed Baker) so I knew they would be good!

The verdict? Duh! My husband and even my small child loved them! They are quick and easy, and will definitely be made again and again. I just hope they don't replace my beloved cornbread when it's chili making time..

This is my instagram picture, titled: Life is good. Chili in my Chococat bowl, Sweet Child of Vine Fulton beer, and a copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit.

 

Drop biscuits. Good and easy!

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

And because I've never really posted my chili recipe, here it goes from memory... It is a South Beach recipe from long ago. I want to say that I got it from a message board, which is why I haven't been able to find it online anywhere now. It might not be the most authentic, true chili but it is darn good and healthy.

Chili

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 bell peppers, any color, chopped (I usually do a green and a yellow/red)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef (these days we substitute lean ground turkey)
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 can tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can black beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1 can light or dark kidney beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic and cook until softened. Add the ground meat and cook until there is no pink left.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add dollops of sour cream, shredded cheddar, and any other toppings that you enjoy!

 

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Thai Ground Turkey with Basil and Chiles

 

I really appreciated this recipe! I've been craving rice lately and I love these flavors- it reminds me of Big Bowl's Spicy Basil Chicken. Jim and I both agreed that the spice was just right, or maybe I could bring it down a notch so we could notice the other flavors because there is a lot going on here!

Ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, chiles, peanuts, basil, lime, Sriracha, peanuts, green onions, mmmmmmmm.

I'm sure ground turkey is not Thai. It makes for a lighter, healthier meal so I didn't mind it at all. Jim suggested shrimp for next time. We also agreed on more sauce.

I spilled all over the recipe so I'm going to need to print out a new copy. I really, really need to. This recipe is a keeper. (I discovered that if I don't have recipes printed out and organized in my binder, I don't repeat them.)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Thai Ground Turkey with Basil and Chiles.

 

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Pesto Turkey Burgers

 

MMMMMM pesto. It's really just a burger. Jazzed up with some pesto and grilled onions but it was nice to follow a recipe and learn from it. I really just need to get in my kitchen and throw my favorite foods into some ground turkey or beef and create!

This was good but I wish I had had some extra pesto to smear in each of the burgers. I didn't have enough for the recipe and the smearing.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pesto Turkey Burgers.

 

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Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

These were great! I was hoping the Buffalo flavor would appeal to my husband. It did. The burgers were actually quite spicy but in a good way. Carrots are grated and added to the burger mix, which would be good if you were trying to sneak veggies into your family's diet!

I did find reduced fat cheddar slices and whole wheat buns to make this a bit better for my diet. Diet, diet, diet. Yeah, I guess I should start calling it something else since this is just the way it should be.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Diet or not, my husband liked it! He said it's the best diet he's been on :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw.

 

Corn Dogs and Fried Cheese on Sticks

I don't know if deep frying is my thing.  It's not the healthiest but it was a worthwhile experiment and rare treat.

I made corn dogs and fried cheese on a stick!  I followed a recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  She knows what she's doing!  I thought we had a Fry Daddy (from Jim's bachelor days) but it must have gone the way of the Goodwill (or Disabled Vets) some time ago.  I don't have experience with deep oil so I looked up directions online and then saw all the fire warnings.  Eeeeek!  The fire extinguisher and baking soda (recommended) came out just in case!

Here are some of the corn dogs and pieces of pepper jack cheese and Colby jack.  The PW suggested using chopsticks but wooden skewers did the trick too.

I was able to use my new cast iron pot!  (Thanks Laura!)

He likes it!  He likes it!  (Shocking!)

The inside of the cheese balls.  Some were balls, some were sticks.  

So our final verdict?  I think I'll stick to state fair and carnival corn dogs.  These were good but a lot of worry.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Corn Dogs and Cheese on a Stick.

Turkey, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup

Still working on leftovers. We used most of the leftover turkey in this soup. Soups are my FAVE. We needed to pick up mushrooms (baby bellas), more broth, and an onion.

This simmered in the background while we played with James and enjoyed our Christmas lights.

This was a great soup. I'm so glad there is leftovers of the leftovers!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Turkey, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup.

Gobble until you Wobble!

My Thanksgiving plate: Herb Roasted Turkey with Sage Gravy, Double Bread Stuffing with Brown Butter, Bacon and Sage, Squash, Green Bean Casserole, PW Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Sauce.

The Tauer family came over for Thanksgiving. To prep we made these cute Oreo turkeys the night before. James enjoyed putting the parts together :)

We put a turkey at each place setting. James helped! It was also a good way to prepare James for guests. He knew who was coming over and he was excited for them to see his turkeys.

We needed to break out a card table. I was determined that this wouldn't be a "kid's table" Kara (college student) isn't a kid! I knew I would be insulted to be called a kid at that age :)

Oh there's Kara, relaxing on the massage chair. I went downstairs to give the 10 minute warning for food and found lots of fun in the basement. Massage chair...

Video games...

Wild claw!

Pool.

I am SO THANKFUL for this little boy.

This ended up being the "Cool Table".

The turkey before (with lots of herbed butter)-

And after!

I tackled yeast again. Buttery Cloverleaf rolls.

THE BEST Green Bean Casserole. The mushroom sauce was killer. We think we might need to make some and just eat it as SOUP.

Double Bread Stuffing with Brown Butter, Bacon and Sage. You just can't go wrong with my favorite breads- cornbread and sourdough... Mmmmmmmm. And hello? BACON!

I didn't get a picture of Laura's squash. It's pictured on my plate above!

Simple cranberry sauce.

Roger and Linda brought Wild Rice Soup.

They also brought dessert- apple pie and pumpkin trifle (layered with gingerbread, pumpkin pudding, cool whip).

Again, I didn't get many pictures with family but here is James saying goodbye to Grandma Laura. He was pretty cranky towards the end so I'm glad she got a hug :)

We are thankful for so much! Thank you Familia :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Thanksgiving Pioneer-Style Herb Roasted Turkey with Sage Gravy.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes. I didn't end up baking the potatoes but while they were still hot I put them in the crockpot to keep warm.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Double Bread Stuffing with Brown Butter, Bacon, and Sage.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cook's Illustrated Green Bean Casserole.

We also served Ginger Tea Lemonade. Yum. Click here for the stolen recipe for Ginger Tea Lemonade. Jim is becoming the Master of GTL!

Turkey (or chicken) Tetrazzini

I thought that this would be a James-friendly meal one day. He loves spaghetti, he likes chicken (sometimes) and he loves cheese but he wouldn't touch this. This is a pretty cheesy sauce and even though I'm not a big fan of cream of mushroom soup, it all goes well together.

Does it even look appetizing?




Why don't I like cream of mushroom sauce? The only reason is that I don't like the ingredient list. It's a processed food, so there are too many unrecognizable ingredients. Yes, I am a food snob sometimes.

This is a easy recipe if you have all of the ingredients and precooked chicken/turkey. Sometimes I've gone to the grocery store deli and asked them to cut me a 3/4 pound slab of turkey. Like one big piece that I've diced up for this recipe. THIS time I used a packaged box of deli chicken chunks. Again, a processed food but slightly healthier because it was a "natural" product and it at least has pronounceable ingredients!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini. Originally I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine.

Thanksgiving

It's amazing how little time it takes to scarf down all that food, all that love, energy, and time spent cooking for two days. Was it worth it? Of course! I was very happy to try so many new recipes. I don't think a single one really disappointed. My cranberry walnut rolls weren't light and fluffy, but kind of dense but still good. It was one recipe I wouldn't repeat as is. I wonder if I kneaded too much? Anyway, lots of good food. And I made my own gravy! Very proud and happy :)


OH! And my husband made both desserts. I can't make any claims on those. He did a fabulous job!


Appetizer-

Stuffed Mushrooms

Meal-

Pioneer Style Herb Roasted Turkey with Sage Gravy

Unfortunately, I didn't get any "after" pictures of the turkey. This is the 20 pounder slathered in herb butter. James declared it "yucky" looking.

The turkey ended up with a fabulous brown crust. It was darn pretty. I am so regretful that I did not get one little picture. Oh well. I have something better- leftovers!

Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes- These were great because I made them ahead of time and just stuck them in the oven while the turkey rested.


Brussel Sprouts Gratin- This isn't a picture from tonight's gratin. I was flying around the kitchen at the very end and didn't take a picture of the gratin or the turkey. Bummer.



Sourdough Stuffing with Carmelized Onions and Apples

Framboise Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Walnut Rolls

Dessert-

Jim proudly serves up his creations.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Chocolate Pecan Pie

We are all satisifed and full. Our guests all went home with plenty of leftovers. That 2o pound bird was more than enough for our meal and many others. Happy Thanksgiving!