Turkey Soup
Such a great way to use those turkey left-overs! This soup is simple to make and friendly to the tummy!
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Diced Cooked Turkey
1 Chopped Yellow Onion
1 Cup Diced Celery
1 Cup Diced Carrots
1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms (Optional)
1 Teaspoon Basil
½ Teaspoon Rosemary
2 Diced Garlic Cloves
3 Teaspoons Butter
3 Cups Chicken Broth or Stock
2 Cups Diced Potatoes
1 Cup Whole Milk
½ Cup Sour Cream
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a large soup pot sauté the onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, basil, garlic and rosemary in the butter for 6 minutes over a medium heat. Add the potatoes, turkey and broth. Stir. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the milk, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve hot with a dot of sour cream. Serves 8
Camille’s Black Friday Pasta Salad
If you’re tired of cooking and want to lighten up a bit try making this Pasta Salad. It’s easy to make and is delicious. Happy shopping today!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Corkscrew Pasta
12 Ounces Marinated Artichoke Hearts
8 Ounces Cubed Smoked Mozzarella
8 Ounces Cubed Pepperoni
3 Tablespoons Chopped Peperoncini
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves
½ Cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes
¼ Cup Chopped Kalamata Olives
Dressing
1 Clove Finely Chopped Garlic
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as directed on the package. Make sure that you don’t overcook the pasta as you always want it al dente. Drain well and cool. Drain and quarter the artichoke hearts. In a large bowl combine the pasta, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes, peperoncini, olive and basil. Combine well. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the pasta mixture. Serve chilled or room temperature. Serves 4
Cranberry Sauce
Forget the canned stuff and make homemade Cranberry Sauce. Tastes so much better and super easy to make!
INGREDIENTS
12 Ounces Fresh Cranberries
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Orange Juice
In a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat dissolve the sugar and orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook for 10 minutes until the cranberries start to pop. Remove from the heat and place the sauce in a bowl. The Cranberry Sauce will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate until time to serve. Serves 10
Brussels Sprouts In Butter & Lemon
These Brussels Sprouts are so much better than what I grew up on. I have always been a fan of Brussels Sprouts, but the sauté and butter & lemon at the end make this vegetable dish sing!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Fresh Brussels Sprouts
6 Tablespoons Butter
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
½ Lemon
Remove any ragged outer leaves on the Brussels sprouts and throw away. Steam the sprouts for 3 minutes until just tender. They should be nearly cooked all the way through. Do NOT overcook. Strain the hot water and place the sprouts in a bowl of ice water. Cut the sprouts into halves. In a large sauté pan over a medium heat add the 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the sprouts, salt and pepper and stir. Increase the heat a bit and cook for 2 more minutes. Make sure not to overcook or the Brussels Sprouts may become bitter. Turn the heat to low and add the rest of the butter. After 30 seconds turn off the heat. Stir in the melted butter. Squeeze half of the lemon over the sprouts and give a quick stir. Remove from the pan and place in a serving dish. Serves 6
Sauerkraut Pork Chops
This dish is so very easy to make. It goes well with potatoes and a green salad.
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Sauerkraut
½ Cup Chicken Broth
½ Pound Sliced Bacon
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Grain Mustard
½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
6 (1 Inch Thick) Pork Chops
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Chopped Shallots
1 Chopped Yellow Onion
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
In a Dutch oven heat the olive oil. Place the garlic, shallots and onion in the heated oil and sauté for 1 minute. Add the pork chops to brown on both sides. Add the uncooked bacon and sauté for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let stand for a few minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken broth and mustard. Pour chicken broth mixture over the pork chops and other ingredients that have been standing in the Dutch oven. Add the salt, thyme, oregano, pepper and paprika. Finally place the sauerkraut (with the juice) on top to help keep the pork chops moist. Place the covered Dutch oven in a preheated 350° F. oven and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6
Blondies
These bar cookies are great if you are in a rush. I can throw these babies together in about 10 minutes and have an instant dessert. The brown sugar gives these bar cookies a butterscotch flavor. This recipe calls for nuts, but you can certainly leave the nuts out if you want to.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Butter
3 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Cups Chopped Almonds, Pecans or Cashews
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir the brown sugar and butter over a medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Spread the batter in the parchment lined baking pan. Sprinkle with the nuts. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars while warm. Makes 36 blondies.
Chopped Endive & Gorgonzola Salad
I had a version of this salad in a Boston restaurant recently and thought that I would try and duplicate it. I made it tonight for dinner and it turned out perfect! It was actually better than what I had in the restaurant.
INGREDIENTS
1 Small Red Onion
4 Heads Endive
¼ Pound Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
¼ Cup Oil & Vinegar Dressing
Juice of 2 Lemons
Chop 1 small red onion and place into a medium bowl. Squeeze the lemons over the chopped onions and let sit for 45 minutes. Soaking the onions in lemon juice will take the edge off quite a bit. Chop 4 heads of endive and place into a serving bowl. Set aside. Add the lemon soaked onion and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Pour over ¼ cup of the oil and vinegar dressing and toss. Serves 4
Dressing:
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Aged Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt.
Ginger Beef
Most Friday nights I go out for some sort of Asian meal. I call it “Get Your Asian On Fridays.” For me it’s a nice break from the normal weekday meals. I think I’ve tried just about every Chinese and Thai restaurant near my apt. Sometimes I just like to make some sort of stir fry at home. Here is a tasty Ginger Beef recipe that I think you’ll like. If you’re not a fan of the mushrooms then swap them for a vegetable that you do like.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Beef Flank Steak
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dry Sherry
3 Teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Minced Garlic Clove
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
8 Ounces Sliced Mushrooms
1 Large Thinly Sliced Carrot
8 Ounces Sugar Snap Peas or Snow Peas
2 Diced Celery Stalks
1 Thinly Sliced Onion
2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
8 Ounces Fresh Bean Sprouts (Optional)
Cut the steak lengthwise in half. Slice the steak crosswise into 1/8 inch thick slices. In a medium bowl mix the steak, soy sauce, sherry, ginger and garlic. Set aside. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and carrots. Stir often until the liquid evaporates and then transfer to a large bowl. In the same skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium high heat and add the sugar snap peas (remove the strings), celery and onions. Cook and stir until tender and crisp. Stir in the bean sprouts if you want the bean sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into the bowl with the mushroom mixture. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and ½ cup of water until the mixture is smooth. In the same skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium high heat until very hot. Add half of the steak mixture and cook. Stir constantly, until the beef loses its pink color. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Repeat with the remaining steak mixture. Finally, return the vegetables and all the beef back to the skillet or wok. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook. Stir constantly until the liquid is slightly thickened and comes to a boil. Remove and serve. Serves 4
Caribbean Chicken Kabobs
INGREDIENTS
2 Chopped Green Onions
1 Seeded & Diced Jalapeno Chile
1 Tablespoons Peeled & Chopped Fresh Ginger
2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
3 Teaspoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 Skinless & Boneless Chicken Breasts
2 Red Or Orange Bell Peppers Cut Into Chunks
4 Long Metal Skewers
In a food processor (or blender) combine the green onions, jalapeno chile pepper, ginger, vinegar, Worcestershire, allspice, thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Pulse until well blended. In a medium bowl place the chicken pieces. You should cut the chicken into about 12 pieces. Add the green onion mixture to the chicken. Stir well to make sure the chicken is well coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes. In another medium bowl place the red or orange bell pepper pieces. Toss the pepper pieces with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside. Preheat your oven broiler. On 4 metal skewers, alternately thread chicken and pepper pieces. Place the kabobs on a broiler pan. Place the broiler pan on the top rack. Broil for 10 minutes. Turn the kabobs once. Makes sure that the chicken loses it pink color throughout. Remove from the oven and place on serving platter. Serves 4
White Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Dip
I love this dip. All you need is either a food processor or a blender. So easy to make and full of flavor. I also like to spread it on sandwiches instead of using mayonnaise.
INGREDIENTS
19 Ounces Cannellini Beans
16 Ounces Roasted Red Peppers
¼ Cup Fresh Parsley
3 Tablespoons Paprika
¼ Cup Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a food processor, puree the cannellini beans, roasted red peppers, fresh parsley, garlic, olive oil, paprika, salt & pepper. You want the consistency to be smooth and creamy. Serve with vegetables, toasted pita chips or on sandwiches. Makes 2 cups.
