Turkey & Barley Soup

This is a great way to use your left over turkey from Thanksgiving.  It's a delicious & hearty soup.  My dad makes this soup every year the week after Thanksgiving.  Thank you dad for this recipe.

Soup Stock Ingredients

1 - 20lb. turkey carcass & any left over turkey meat

4 qts. of water

1 whole yellow onion (quartered)

4 whole carrots (cut in half)

4 whole celery stocks (cut in half)

3 whole garlic cloves (peeled)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. pepper

Place your turkey carcass in a large stock pot.  Cover the whole carcass with water.  I'm guessing it's about 4 qts. could be more, could be less.  Add in the remaining ingredients above.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours, till turkey meat is falling off the bones.  Remove chunks of veggies, remove bones.  Strain the soup stock through a large colander into a large bowl to make sure you get every bone out of the soup stock.  Throw away all the veggie chunks.  Let the carcass cool.  Pick over the cooled bones and remove all meat.  Shred the turkey meat with your hands so that everything is bite size.  Keep turkey meat with the soup stock in the large bowl.

Turkey & Barley Soup Ingredients

soup stock from above

left over turkey meat

1/4 cup butter

1 large yellow onion (chopped)

6 celery stocks (sliced)

4 whole carrots (sliced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 cup pearl barley

1 Tbsp. italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. thyme

sprinkle of cumin

1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

In the large stock pot, melt butter.  Saute yellow onion, celery and carrots for 4 mins.  Add minced garlic for the last minute so it doesn't burn.  Sprinkle in all the italian seasoning, bay leaves, thyme and cumin.  Pour in the turkey and soup stock.  Bring to a boil.  Add the barley into the soup. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour to cook the barley.  Add fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste.  Then serve.  Makes 8-10 servings.  Serve with soup crackers or fresh bread or garlic bread.  Which ever you like best.  Enjoy! 

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! 

  This is a quick and easy meal you can put together and use up any leftover stuffing you may have.... If you don't have leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving, below I have posted my recipe for stuffing.

 Stuffing:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 tbsp. butter

7- pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped

 1- clove of garlic, minced

1 cup of chicken broth

2 cups of pepperidge farm stuffing

In a large saucepan melt butter. Add onion, celery and garlic cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add broth, bacon and stuffing. Mix altogether, set stuffing aside.

 Take two pork tenderloins and butterfly. Spoon stuffing into the middle of the tenderloin. At this point you can wrap the sides of the tenderloin around the stuffing and secure with kitchen string or you can leave open (like I have) and bake, uncovered, in the oven at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Let meat stand for 10 min. before serving.

Monkey Bread

This is perfect for a big crowd!  Usually it's made for breakfast or brunch but why limit yourself?  It's good anytime! 

2-16 oz. cans of flaky layer refrigerated biscuits

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped or whole pecans

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 12 cup fluted tube pan or bunt pan with butter or cooking spray.  Separate dough into biscuits; cut each into quarters.  In a medium bowl or large storage bag, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Roll each quarter of dough around in the sugar cinnamon mix.

In a sauce pan over low heat melt the butter.  When melted add brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.  Stir over low heat for 1 minute.  Sprinkle pecans in the bottom of the bunt pan.  Pour a small amount of the butter brown sugar mix over the pecans.

Start layering the biscuit pieces.

  Once all the biscuit pieces are arranged.  Evenly pour the remaining butter brown sugar mix over the biscuit pieces.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins.  Cool in pan for 10 mins.  Turn upside down onto serving platter.

 

Pull apart to serve.  Serve warm.



 



Teriyaki Chicken Stir -fry

This week I'm trying to keep things on the lighter side, because I know things will be on the heavy side next week during Thanksgiving!  This is probably not a true stir-fry but, I couldn't think of another name to call it.  You can use a bottle of teriyaki sauce to marinate your chicken or there is a teriyaki chicken(Samoan Style) marinade here on this website that's delicious!  Serves 6.

6 teriyaki marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped

2 cups carrots, chopped

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1-8oz. can water chestnuts, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. peanut oil

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1-8 oz. pkg. thin rice noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to the package and then drain and set aside.  Broil or grill your chicken.  While your chicken is cooking start heating up a large skillet. Add peanut oil to the skillet.  Once oil is hot add broccoli, water chestnuts and carrots.  Saute for 2 mins.  Add spinach, green onion, garlic and sesame seeds.  Saute for another 3 mins.

 

Add rice noodles to the skillet.  Pour soy sauce over the noodles.  Stir together.  Once chicken is finished slice it up and add it to the rice noodles and vegetables.  Serve in a bowl.



Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade

This recipe is light and easy.



4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. dried basil or 1 Tbsp. fresh basil

1 tsp. dried parsley or 1Tbsp. fresh parsley

1 tsp. thyme or 1Tbsp. fresh thyme

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. chili pepper flakes

Place chicken and all the ingredients in a air tight container or zip lock gallon freezer bag.  Marinate for at least 30 mins. No longer than 24 hours.  You can broil, grill or bake the chicken.



Gwen's Lemon Cake

Gwen was my great-grandma Duggan's nursing school friend.  I am told that Gwen was very funny.  She had a beautiful smile and a great laugh.  Thank you for this recipe aunt Sue.  This cake is a family favorite!  It's light, sweet and tart!  So delicious!

Make the icing first

Icing:

Juice from 2 lemons

1 cup of powdered sugar

In a small bowl, mix thoroughly.

Cake:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1 small pkg. lemon jello

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine cake ingredients and beat for 4 minutes.

Pour batter into a 9x13 greased baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 mins.

Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Prick the cake all over with a large fork

Spoon icing over the top and smooth it in.

Let the cake completely cool before cutting and serving

Enjoy!

Pot Roast

This recipe was passed down from my grandma Haynes, to my mom, and now to me.  I've been making pot roast this way for 10 years.  Serves 4.  We usually have this with a side of warm french bread.

1- 3.50 lb boneless beef chuck pot roast

1/4 cup flour

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, quartered & sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 -12oz cans of light beer

2 russet potatoes, thick sliced

4 carrots, thick sliced

In a 12" skillet heat olive oil.  Add sliced onions to oil and saute (4mins.)  Remove onions from skillet.  Sprinkle both sides of the meat with salt & pepper.  Coat both sides of the meat with flour.  Add a little more oil into the skillet if needed.  Place meat into a hot skillet and brown on both sides.

Once meat is browned on both sides.  Add the sauted onions back to the skillet and add the minced garlic.  Pour 1 can of beer over the meat.  The beer should just barely come to the top of the meat.

Cover and simmer for 4 hours.  (This is where there was a communication breakdown.  I continue to cook my pot roast in the skillet.  My mom takes it out of the skillet once browned and simmers it in a crock pot. Either way works.  You get to choose how you'd like to simmer it) 

Check it once an hour to adjust the temperature or add more beer.  If you choose to cook it in a skillet, you should also flip the meat at least one time.  Wear an apron, flipping it can be a little tricky.

When you only have an hour and a half left add the potatoes on top of the meat.  Last hour add the carrots on top of the potatoes and meat.  Add more salt & pepper. Cover and simmer all together for that last hour to cook the veggies.

After potatoes and carrots are cooked, remove everything from the skillet.  If you want you can use the remaining liquid to make a gravy. 

Wilkus Pie

This is my husbands favorite pie.  His mom makes it every year for his birthday.  The first time I made this pie I ruined it.  8 years later I tried it again and it came out great!

3/4 cup margarine

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

8oz. cream cheese

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2- 3oz pkgs. of chocolate pudding

3 cups cold milk

16 oz. tub of cool whip

In a medium bowl combine margarine, walnuts, sugar and flour. Mix well.  Press into a 9x13 Pyrex dish.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20 mins.

  Let the crust completely cool.  This is where I messed up last time.  The crust has to be cool before you spread anything over it.  Lesson learned...the hard way.

 

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 cup of cool whip.  Spread on top of the cooled crust.

Combine chocolate pudding packages with 3 cups of cold milk.  Beat until firm.  Spread over the cream cheese layer.

Spread the remaining cool whip over the top.  Chill for 1 hour before serving.



Stuffed Baby Peppers

This is a new recipe I tried the other night.  They came out good.  Somewhat healthy.  So I thought I'd pass this along!

6 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

24- 3 inch long sweet baby peppers

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a frying pan cook the bacon.  Remove bacon to let it cool and crumble it.  Add chopped onion to the leftover bacon grease in the pan.  Saute onion till translucent and soft (5 mins) Set aside and cool for 10 mins.

Using a paring knife cut off stems and hollow out peppers.  Remove seeds and veins.

In a medium bowl combine onion, bacon, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, peas, salt and pepper.  Stir gently together.  Fill each pepper with ricotta cheese mixture.  Place filled peppers on baking sheet.  Bake for 15-18 mins.  Remove and cool for 5 mins. before eating.



Mediterranean Chicken Empanadas

With the holidays fast approaching here's an appetizer idea.  I look for recipes around this time of year where the food can be made ahead and frozen.  Then easily reheated the day of a party.  For me, the key to a stress free holiday is planning ahead.  Way ahead! 

1 (15oz) pkg. refrigerated pie crusts 

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 (8oz.) pkg. shredded colby cheese

4 oz. cream cheese softened

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. mediterranean seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl combine chicken, cheese, cream cheese, bell pepper, artichoke and all the seasonings.  Mix together.  Unroll 1 pie crust onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll into a 15 inch circle.  Cut out rounds, using a 3 inch cookie cutter.  Re-roll dough as needed.  Repeat process with remaining pie crusts, making 12 to 15 circles.  Arrange 1 round on a flat surface.  Lightly brush edges of crust with water.  Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. 

Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal.  Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture.

At this point, you can freeze the empanadas for up to 1 month. 

Or arrange the empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 15 mins. in a 400 degree oven.