Turkey Tetrazzini by Joy Bauer

This recipe does take about an hour including prep and cook time, but so worth it!

Photo: Con Poulos

INGREDIENTS
1 lb turkey breast cutlets

(or boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

1 medium onion, diced

1 pkg (8 to 10 oz) white button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour

3 cups lowfat unsalted or reduced-sodium chicken broth

8 oz whole-wheat pasta (about 1/2 a standard box; angel hair, spaghetti, or linguine work best)

4 oz (1/2 cup) lowfat cream cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1 can (about 14 oz) artichoke hearts packed in water or brine, thoroughly rinsed and drained, roughly chopped

6 cups fresh spinach, large stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
PREPARATION
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Bring a 6-qt pot of unsalted water to a boil. While the water heats, liberally coat a 5-qt saucepan or Dutch oven with nonstick spray and heat it over medium heat. 2. Season the turkey cutlets with 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1⁄4 tsp of the black pepper. Place the cutlets in the saucepan and cook on the first side until nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the cutlets over and finish cooking on the other side until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the cutlets to a plate.

3. To the same saucepan, liberally reapply nonstick spray and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes, adding a Tbsp of water at a time as necessary to prevent scorching.

4. Add mushrooms, garlic and pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.

5. Push the vegetables to the outskirts of the pan to create a well in the center. Add the flour to the well. Pour 1 cup of the chicken broth over the flour, whisking vigorously; continue whisking to combine the flour and broth into a thick paste.

6. Slowly start to bring the vegetables into the paste, then stir to thoroughly combine. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the raw flour taste to cook out.

7. Add the remaining 2 cups broth and whisk vigorously to combine. Still working over medium heat, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken slightly.

8. While sauce simmers, break the pasta into 2-in. pieces (roughly) with your hands. Add the pasta pieces to the boiling water and follow the directions on the package for al dente. Don’t overcook the pasta; it will continue to cook in the oven. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of the cooking water; set aside. Drain pasta.

9. Season the sauce with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the cream cheese and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until the cream cheese is completely incorporated.

10. Chop the reserved turkey cutlets into 1/2-in. pieces. Add the chopped turkey, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and spinach to the sauce. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.

11. Add the cooked pasta. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated with sauce. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with the reserved pasta water, adding 2 Tbsp at a time and stirring after each addition to test the consistency.

12. Transfer the mixture to a 3-qt shallow baking dish coated with nonstick spray, and smooth the top. Or if you used a Dutch oven, simply remove it from the heat and smooth the mixture directly in the dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1⁄4 cup Parmesan evenly over the casserole.

13. Bake, uncovered, on the middle oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the casserole is bubbling around the sides.

Chicken with 40 garlic cloves

1 4 lb. chicken, rinsed & patted dry
1/2 tsp. salt & pepper
1 cup olive oil
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 each fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage sprig (some stores sell them in combination for poultry)
1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf (I forgot this and it was still tasty!)
1 celery rib
40 peeled garlic cloves

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper; Tie chicken legs together with kitchen string
Heat oil in 6-8 qt. wide oven proof pot over moderate heat; Add chicken & sear, turning until golden brown all over and then transfer chicken to a plate
Tie herbs & celery together and add to pot; Scatter garlic over bottom of pot and place chicken on top
Cover tightly & transfer to oven, baking until thermometer inserted in thigh reads 170 degrees (30 - 40 min.)
Transfer chicken to cutting board & let rest 10 min. before carving
Spread garlic on mini-toasts and enjoy!

* Cook spaghetti & combine with left over garlic cloves, oil, and a jar of marinated artichokes (quartered) the next day for a second meal. Mix in pieces of chicken to make it even more yummy!

Food Network Crockpot Chicken Chile

I give credit to Carolina for this one. She served it at Christophers b-day party and we all fell in love. I decided to serve it at Mikey's b-day and it was a hit again. It kindof has a lot of little ingredients but most are items already in the cupboard, it is really pretty easy.

2 lbs. ground chicken
3 TBSP chili powder + 2 tsp for later
1 can kidney beans (rinsed) add an extra can for larger groups
1 can white beans (rinsed) add an extra can for larger groups
2 cans diced (fire roasted) tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can chicken broth
1/4 cup instant tapioca
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP salt
1 tsp oregano
1 TBSP onion powder
2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1 small sweet potatoe peeled and shredded

Put chicken in the crockpot.
Add 3 TBSP chili powder and all other ingredients.
Stir, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Just before serving stir in additional 2 tsp. chili powder

Serve with some chips, shredded cheese, sour cream and anything else you think sounds good. Enjoy!!!

Crockpot Meatloaf

I love meatloaf and I love this recipe, especially because it isn't greasy. I guess it's not for everyone but if you like meatloaf, try it out and see what you think.
First of all, the crockpot I like to use is kindof an oval shape (about 5 1/2 quart), I use this one so that the fat isn't surrounding the meat the whole time.

2 1/2 pounds of ground beef or turkey (or a mix of both)
1/4 cup ketchup, plus 2 TBSP for later
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP worchestershire sauce
1 small onion (diced)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Form into meatloaf shape.
Line crockpot with aluminum foil (for a much easier clean up).
Place meatloaf into crockpot, top with an additional 2 TBSP ketchup.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

We love to serve it with green beans, mashed potatoes, and some brown gravy.
Enjoy!!!

Alcohol Substitutes

I have been noticing that a lot of recipes I've been getting out of Cooking Light call for white or red wine. I know that not all of us have wine on hand so I thought this article I found on "Alcohol Substitutes" might help when you don't want to buy a whole bottle of wine for one recipe.

Beer or Ale

• Chicken Broth, white grape juice, or ginger ale

Rum (for all those desserts!)

• white grape juice, apple juice, or pineapple juice

Wine, Red

• red grape juice, cranberry juice, apple cider, or chicken broth,

Wine, White

• white grape juice, apple cider, apple juice, vegetable stock, or water

Hearty Beef and Potato Stew

I got a Le Creuset dutch oven for our wedding (3 years ago) and haven't made very many things with it. So this winter I've been on the hunt for good dutch oven recipes! As I've experimented I have to say I love cooking with it! I highly recommend getting a dutch oven, I know Le Creuset's are expensive but I think they are worth every penny! Ben requested a "beef stew" recipe and I had this one among my collection. We were very pleased with it.

Ingredients:

Serve 6 (or 4 with left overs for lunch the next day!)

• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion chopped
• 1.5 lbs chuck roast, cubed (a lot of the time you can find beef specifically for stew already pre-cubed in the meat section)
• 1/2 cup red wine (if you prefer not cooking with wine you can substitute for more beef broth/stock)
• 3 carrots chopped
• 2 tsp rosemary
• S&P
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 1/2 lbs baking potatoes cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 tbsp flour (or cornstarch to make this recipe gluten-free, just be sure to dissolve the cornstarch in water before adding it to the pot)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Heat a medium-large dutch oven or medium-high heat. Coat pan with EVOO or cooking spray. Add garlic, saute 1 minute remove garlic with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Coat pan with EVOO; add onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add onion to garlic. Coat pan with EVOO add beef to pan; saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Add beef and accumulated juices to onion and garlic mixture.
3. Add wine (or 1/2 cup beef broth) to pan and and loosen browned bits. Add beef mixture. Stir in carrot, rosemary, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Add 1/2 cup water, broth, and tomatoes; stir to combine. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; cover and bake at 300 for 90 minutes. Remove from oven; uncover and stir in potatoes.
4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup water and flour; stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir flour mixture into the stew. Cover and bake an additional 90 minutes until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves.
5. Serve with bread and a salad!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I made this soup while Ben and I had some visitors in town. It turned out great, however, I added way too much rice so I ended up having to add more broth making the pot of soup HUGE! So even though the amount of rice sounds small it will end up being plenty. Don't double the amount like I did!

Ingredients:

Serves 4 (generous amounts)

• EVOO
• 4 carrots chopped
• 4 celery stalks chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• coarse S&P
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked)
• 2/3 cup wild-rice

Directions:

1. Ahead of time I put some EVOO and seasoned chicken in a skillet and cooked until no longer pink. Chop the chicken in small bit size chunks.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; season with S&P. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add broth, chicken, rice, and 2 cups water to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 10 minutes add zucchini and peas, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. (Or until rice is tender.) Season with S&P to taste, serve with bread and a salad.