Bring On The Coma, It's Turkey Time!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Christmas dinner at our house always meant turkey, and for as long as I can remember, I've been in charge of cooking the turkey dinner...going back at least 20 years or so.  Needless to say, over the years I have picked up a few tips to make cooking dinner a little less stressful, more relaxing, and tasty as well.  

For the last few years, I've been doing a bacon wrapped turkey.  Yes, you read it, turkey wrapped in bacon.  It's as tasty as it sounds, and along with it being tasty, it also eliminates the annoying need to baste your turkey every half hour, as the bacon takes care of that for you, which leaves you with more time to sit around in your pyjamas and enjoy the presents that Santa left for you.

Keeping with tradition, aside from my pimped out turkey, stuffing is bread based (AND put into the actual turkey and not cooked on the side), and the sides are simple-mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce and homemade bread.  

The secret to having a stress-free dinner is to plan ahead, and time everything accordingly.  Your turkey, depending on the size, can take upwards of 5 hours or longer.  Going on the principal of 20 minutes per pound of bird, you want to gauge your meal prep accordingly.  For this, you start with your stuffing.  Enough with the turkey talk, here's the recipe:

For the turkey:

• 1 15lb turkey, thawed, rinsed, with giblets and neck removed.  Make sure you pat your turkey dry.
• 1lb of bacon (I like maple smoke bacon, but you can use whatever you prefer)
• 2 large carrots, and two celery stalks.

Using a large roasting pan, place the carrots and celery in the bottom of the roaster.  Rest the turkey, breast side up, on the vegetables.  This gives a good flavour base for your gravy, and a nice barrier between the turkey and the bottom of the roasting pan, which will help make clean up easier, and you won't have your turkey sticking to the bottom of your roaster.  

For the bacon weave, I start with placing the bacon slices lengthwise down the turkey, approximately five slices should do the trick.  Using the remaining bacon, I like to weave it in a basket weave pattern on the turkey.  You can opt to wrap the turkey legs with bacon as well, but it's not necessary.  Stuff your turkey with your favourite dressing, cover your turkey with foil and place in a preheated 350F oven, and cook accordingly.

During the last 30-45 minutes of cooking, remove the foil, and let turkey cook until golden brown.  Remove from oven and tent with foil.  You want to let the turkey rest before you carve.  I prefer to remove the entire turkey breast and the drumstick from the bird and slice it up on the platter.  Serve along with your favourite sides, and enjoy!

Hakuna Matata Chicken Picatta (AND WAFFLES!!!)

Oh poor, long suffering and neglected blog of mine...how I have missed you!

I seem to be going in spurts with my blogging these days...going weeks and even years at a time between postings.  Well, I think I might be able to keep to a regular entry from here on out, as it is a good form of therapy and less harmful than alcohol.

Today's dinner entry is one completely by accident.  I was asked by my friend Janet to make chicken picatta for her for dinner one night.  Having never attempted it before, I thought "hey, what the hell?" and just loosely followed a recipe that I found.  Well, holy heck was it ever tasty!  Since then, chicken picatta has been a somewhat regular meal feature in our home, and we've decided to do a good spin on the classic (and very tasty) chicken and waffles.  Now, like my previous entries, this isn't a recipe that does a lot of measuring, and you go pretty much by taste.  Trust me, in the end it will come together nicely, and you'll want to have it as a regular meal as well.  Warning, though.  If you are watching your weight, or concerned about cholesterol, you might want to stay away from this one.  But, if you're okay with having it on an occasional basis, well, giddy up!  Here's the recipe.

• 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or boneless and skinless thighs, whatever your preference-I prefer white meat, just to keep it on the "lean side")
• 1 jar capers
• Lemon juice
• Butter (salted is fine)
• Salt 
• Lemon pepper
• Flour-just enough to dredge the chicken in
• Three eggs
• Oil
• Pancake mix for the waffles (Now, if you don't have a waffle iron to make your own, you want to go for frozen Belgian waffles for this recipe)

Preheat oven to 350F

For the chicken:

• Crack three eggs into a shallow pie plate and beat lightly.  Add a tablespoon of water to thin out slightly.  Set up a flour dredging station and add flour, salt and lemon pepper.  If you don't have lemon pepper, regular salt and pepper works well. 
• On medium high heat, heat enough canola oil in frying pan to fry the chicken
• To dredge the chicken: first dip the chicken in the flour mixture.  Shake off excess flour and dip into the egg mixture and then back into the flour mixture.  Be sure to shake off excess flour.  You'll want to prepare all of your chicken before you start to fry it.  
• Once chicken is prepared, and oil is heated, brown chicken on both sides, cooking it until it's golden brown.  Once browned, remove from frying pan, and set on paper towel to remove excess oil.

For the sauce:

• In a medium sized saucepan, you'll want to melt about 1/2 lb of butter on medium heat
• Once butter is melted, add in about 1/4 cup lemon juice
• To the butter and lemon juice, add 1/2 small jar of capers, along with brine, and let simmer.  Now, when you taste this, you might be taken aback at the strong lemon/briny taste.  Not to worry, this will mellow out with the chicken.  However, if you find it's too pungent, adding chicken stock, about 1/4 cup will help to mellow things out.

Place chicken in an oven proof pan.  Cover up with lemon caper sauce and cover with tin foil.  You'll want to cook the chicken until it falls apart, approximately 30-45 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare waffles.  If you're using a waffle iron, I always found it helpful to prepare the batter to be on the thick side.  With my handy waffle iron, it takes about 8-9 minutes to make two golden brown waffles.  Be sure to make about 8-10 waffles, as this meal is good for four hearty portions.  If you're using frozen Belgian waffles, prepare according to the package directions.

Once chicken is cooked, and waffles are prepared, I like to portion out two waffles per person, with the chicken and picatta sauce sandwiched between the two waffles, and topping the waffle with lemon caper sauce, to taste.  Serve this with your vegetable of choice, or a side salad.

Enjoy!

Time To Q It Up With Some Pulled Chicken

Tonight's Menu: Open Faced Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Herb Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables.

Well, after yet another not so brief break from blogging, I'm back to share some new recipes I've tried out in the last couple of months.  As of late, I've been trying to perfect some of my crock pot recipes, and I think I'm well on my way to finding the perfect slow cooker ribs.  Today, I'm testing out BBQ pulled chicken.  It's a simple enough recipe that you can modify to suit your tastes, and a great meal to cook during the week when you're busy with work, school, or life in general.  Here's the recipe:

•    5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Or, if you have dark meat lovers in your household, you can use a combination of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
•    1 bottle BBQ sauce (Get the good stuff!  Watery BBQ sauce will have very little flavour, and you really want to pack a punch with the sauce.  Tonight, I’m using Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce)
•    1 medium sized onion, sliced thinly
•    Salt and pepper, to taste

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put into the crock pot.  To the crock pot, add the thinly sliced onion, and BBQ sauce.  Set slow cooker on high, and cook for 3-4 hours.  If you’re going to put this on for a meal that’s ready for when you walk in the door, cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

When the chicken is done, pull out the chicken breasts and shred with two forks.  Place shredded chicken back into the BBQ sauce for 10 minutes while you prepare the buns or bread for your sandwich.  For my sandwiches, I buttered the bread with a bit of butter and some garlic and toasted it.  Top the toasted bread with the shredded chicken. 

For the potatoes, I just boiled up four potatoes, cut into medium sized pieces.  Cook them until they’re fork tender.  Drain the water off, and put back into the pot to get rid of excess moisture.  To the pot, add some butter, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. 

Happy Eating!

Carbs And Cheese? Yes, Please!

Tonight’s Menu: Manicotti stuffed with three cheeses and spinach

Pasta is one of my favourite comfort foods, and it’s something I always have on hand in my cupboards, along with a variety of sauces for a quick weeknight meal.  It is an excellent staple to have on hand in the pantry, and you can turn a simple noodle into a fancy dinner with just a few simple ingredients.

My three cheese manicotti with spinach is an easy recipe to prepare if you’re looking to entertain guests or just having a family dinner at home.  It’s a nice change up from spaghetti and meatballs, and just as easy to make.   Here’s the recipe:

12 jumbo manicotti shells  
2 eggs, beaten  
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese  
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese  
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, or an equal measure of basil and oregano, if you don’t have the Italian seasoning on hand in the cupboard  
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce  
1/2 tsp dried basil  
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 small package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

Cook pasta using package directions for half the time; drain, rinse and drain again.  Set aside.  Mix eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, spinach and Italian seasonings in a bowl.  Stuff pasta with cheese and spinach mixture and arrange in a large greased baking dish.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix tomato sauce, basil, garlic powder and remaining Parmesan.  Pour sauce over stuffed pasta.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  Bake the manicotti for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is nice and bubbly.

Serve with a Caesar salad, garlic bread, and a nice glass of wine.

Happy Eating!

Super Simple Breakfast For Dinner

Tonight’s Menu: Fast Man’s Pie, AKA Quiche

It’s a groaner of a title, I know, but I couldn’t resist it!  It’s an early week blog entry in light of the fact that I feel terrible about not posting regularly on past Sundays.  Tonight’s dinner is considered another method recipe-you have the basis, and then you can change up what you put into your quiche.  This recipe couldn’t be any easier, and it’s a great way to use up any potential leftovers you have in the fridge and just aren’t quite sure what to do with them.

Fridge diving, I managed to find some red bell pepper, onion, Parmesan cheese and Italian sausage to put in our quiche.  Of course, you can prepare this dish with fresh purchased ingredients and mix things up and make a ham and onion quiche, spinach mushroom and bacon quiche, or even a simple broccoli and cheddar quiche.  Once you have the method down, the combinations are only limited to your imagination.  Here’s the recipe:

•    1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
•    2 tablespoons flour
•    1 cup milk
•    3 eggs, slightly beaten
•    ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
•    1/2lb Italian sausage, cooked and cut up into small pieces
•    ¼ cup chopped onion
•    1 small red pepper, seeded, and diced
•    1 9 inch unbaked pie shell
•    1 dash pepper

In a medium sized bowl, toss the cheddar cheese with the flour.  Add milk, eggs, Parmesan cheese and pepper; mix well.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until set.  Serve with a side garden salad for a light lunch or with home fries and toast for a fancier breakfast at dinnertime.

Happy Eating!

Back In The Swing Of Things With Butternut Squash Soup

Tonight’s Menu: Butternut Squash Soup With Maple Glazed Apples

Well, after a not so brief absence from my blog, I am back.  Having spent the last few weeks working and uninspired, I’m settling into my new Sunday work routine and once again incorporating cooking actual meals on Sundays again, and not just throwing something together for the sake of having something to eat.
With the cool weather finally settling in, I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect about fall: changing leaves, cooler weather, fuzzy sweaters and of course, my favourite: cozy comfort food. 

Today’s recipe is from my college days, when given the chance you cook in bulk and freeze it for a rainy day.  Unlike my previous recipes where measuring really wasn’t a factor, this recipe is precise, using weight measurements.  Break out a digital scale for this one, unless you have a handy dandy conversion chart at home to follow.  I personally can’t take credit for this recipe, but I will give the chef’s at George Brown College a nod, as this was a recipe that was done for one of my practicum labs many, many moons ago.  Here’s the recipe:

•    750 gm butternut squash, peeled and diced
•    150 gm onions
•    75 gm leek
•    1 stalk celery
•    80 gm carrots
•    2 cloves garlic, puree
•    2 cooking apples
•    100 gm butter
•    250 ml 35% cream
•    30 ml pure maple syrup
•    1.5 litres chicken stock
•    1 sprig thyme
•    1 bay leaf
•    1 sprig sage, finely chopped
•    Salt, white pepper and nutmeg, to taste

In a large soup pot, sweat the onions, leeks, celery, and carrots in 60 gm butter until soft.  Once soft, add the squash, garlic and ¾ of the peeled apples and continue to cook for a bit longer.  Add the chicken stock, bay leaf and thyme, and bring soup to a boil, simmering until vegetables are tender.  Once tender, remove bay leaf and thyme sprig, and puree the soup in a blender in batches.  Once all of the soup has been pureed, place it back into the pot and bring back up to a boil, add part of the cream and adjust seasonings to taste. 

For the garnish, caramelize the remaining apples with the maple syrup in a small pan, and place on top of soup. 

Happy Eating!

Garfield Was Onto Something!

Today’s Menu: Lasagna

Call me Garfield.  I absolutely love lasagna!  Aside from it being so tasty, it’s also quite versatile and can be made in a number of ways, using different ingredients to suit even your pickiest eaters.  From the most basic noodles, sauce and cheese, to a more sophisticated eggplant lasagna for those on low carbohydrate diets, this dish is a great one to have on hand whenever you need a tasty dish that can feed a crowd and is simple to make.

Now, I admit, I’m not a puritan when it comes to my lasagna dish, and by no means am I saying that you need to follow my recipe to a T.  I consider my lasagna recipe a method more than anything else.  Play around with your sauce by adding or taking away ingredients, mix up your cheeses (cottage cheese, or ricotta), and change up your noodles.  This is a great chance to experiment and come up with a dish that works well for you and for whomever you may be cooking for.

The recipe that I stick with has been passed on to me by my mother, and has only been tweaked mildly with the addition of more cheese.  And, once again, there’s not a lot in the way of measuring, and is all done to taste.  Here’s the recipe:

For The Sauce:
•    2lbs lean ground beef
•    1lb ground Italian sausage
•    2 tbsp oil
•    3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
•    1 medium sized onion, chopped fine
•    Small pinch of salt, and pepper
•    1 large can diced tomatoes, drained
•    1 can (680ml) tomato sauce
•    2 tsp dried oregano
•    2 tsp dried basil

For the Lasagna:
•    1 box no bake lasagna noodles (this part is important, as the noodles are not boiled before preparing.  I happen to like Unico’s no boil spinach lasagna noodles)
•    2 medium sized containers cottage cheese
•    ½ to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•    2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, or you can use the three cheese blends found at your grocery store

For The Sauce:
Iin a large pot (I like using my Dutch oven or pasta pot), over medium heat, add onion and garlic to the oil, and cook until soft, but no colour.  Add in the ground beef, sausage salt and pepper, and cook until ground beef and sausage have browned.  Once the ground beef and sausage has cooked, drain off fat and put pot back onto stove.  Add in the drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, and basil.  Stir to combine and let simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes until sauce is nice and thick.

For Lasagna:
In a glass lasagna pan that has been sprayed with Pam or other cooking spray, add 1/3 of the sauce, and top with noodles.  For your second layer, add 1/3 of sauce mixture, and top with cottage cheese, and top cottage cheese with ¼ cup parmesan cheese and top with noodles.  For your third layer, top with remaining sauce mixture, parmesan and cover with shredded cheese mixture.  Cover with tin foil, and bake in a preheated 375F oven for one hour.  (Side note: the lasagna will spill out onto your oven, so I highly recommend protecting the bottom of your oven with an oven tray protector just for easy cleanup.)

After one hour, remove tin foil and let bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Cut into equal sized pieces and serve alongside a tasty salad, and some garlic bread.

Happy Eating!