Dressed Up Ramen Noodles

Posted: April 25, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Meats, Pasta, RECIPES | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

I always thought Ramen noodles were for kids and college students until I found this recipe from the Bodily Recipe Box.  I followed Angela’s recipe, except I used canned turkey and added some fresh sage.  Use fresh when you can, but if not . . . all the ingredients for this recipe can be stored in your pantry.  Canned poultry, dried carrots and celery, and ramen noodles make a great last minute meal!

Minted Turkey Meatballs With Yogurt Herb Dipping Sauce

Posted: April 21, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Meats, RECIPES | Tags: , | Leave a comment

The second recipe in the “what to do with mint” series.  These meatballs are fantastic!  I placed them on a bed of lettuce from the garden, but they would also be good wrapped in soft flatbread like a Greek kabob.  Funny thing when you eat food with mint in it you feel like you’ve just brushed your teeth.

Minted Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1/2 cup minced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 egg

2 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cardamon

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Yogurt Herb Dipping Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon (None in the garden yet, I used a heaping Tablespoon of dried)

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh green onion or chives

Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce and place in the refrigerator while you make the meatballs.  Combine all ingredients for the meatballs, except the olive oil and shape into balls.  Heat olive oil in skillet.  Cook meatballs on medium heat until browned and no longer pink inside.  Serve with dipping sauce.

Chicken Pot Pie

Posted: February 17, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Meats, RECIPES | Tags: , | 3 Comments

It’s such a temptation to waste it in the name of busyness, the chicken carcass.  I usually put them in a freezer bag for a later date, but this one was left in the refrigerator for a couple of days.  Here’s the unmeasured version of my chicken pot pie, because really, who wants to take the time to measure?

Chicken Pot Pie

Take one roasted chicken carcass and the drippings from the pan.  Put it into a large oven proof pot (dutch oven) and cover the carcass with water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove carcass from pot and cool until you can remove the meat from the bone.  Be careful not to include the bones in your pot pie. While the chicken is cooling —

Strain the broth you have just made and return it to the pot.  Add some chopped or sliced veggies (carrots, celery, green beans, peas, broccoli, etc.)  Cook them until tender.  You can add some herbs of your choice and salt and pepper to taste at this point.  While that’s cooking —

Mix up a batch of yogurt scones without the jalapeno and cheese, but with the herb of your choice.  Cut them into biscuit shapes.

Add the chicken that you’ve taken off the bone to the pot and thicken with a bit of roux.  Place the biscuits on top of the broth.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Roux – I make mine by combining equal parts butter and flour.  This can be stored in the refrigerator to use when you’re in a hurry.  I also found a recipe for bake and store roux that looks pretty good.

The Foster’s Market Cookbook

Posted: February 3, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: BOOK REVIEWS, Cookbooks, Meats, RECIPES | Tags: , | 1 Comment

I love a good cookbook and I found The Foster’s Market Cookbook at none other than Foster’s Market in Durham, North Carolina.  The market and cafe are a feast for the eyes and the food is fabulous!  Some of the recipes from Sara Foster’s exceptional cookbooks can be found on their website and if you live in Springville, this book is available at the public library.

Yesterday I purchased two chickens at $5.00 each.  For our family of two this will make 8 dinners.  This probably sounds like one of the story problems you loved so much in school . . . you do the math.

The following yummy recipe was adapted from The Foster’s Market Cookbook.

Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken

1 lemon, cut in half

1 onion, cut in half

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup white grape juice (I used grape juice from our little backyard vineyard.)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash chicken and pat dry.  Place chicken breast side up in roasting pan and squeeze lemon juice over the chicken.  Place lemon along with onion into the cavity of the chicken.  Pour vinegar and grape juice over chicken.  Rub the chicken breast with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Turn chicken over and roast breast side down for 30 minutes.  Turn chicken breast side up and roast 50 minutes longer, basting often with pan juices.  (Exact timing will vary according to the size of the chicken.

Normally I would stuff the chicken cavity with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, but my herb garden is frozen at the moment.