Turkey Pot Pie

1/2 cube butter

1/4 c. flour

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 c. chicken broth

1 c. milk

1 can cream of chicken

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Thyme, Rosemary, or sage to taste

1 pkg peas and white corn

2 cups sliced baby carrots

3 c. diced Turkey

Salt and Pepper to taste

uncooked pie crust

I found this chicken recipe in the Alta Vista cookbook and changed it to Turkey and added some of the Turkey drippings to the roux/paste.

Bake at 375 for 40-50 min. Add 1 hour if frozen. Cover with foil if browning too quickly.

Special Chicken

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5-6 slices of bacon
1 cup sour cream (maybe more like 1 1/2 cups)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Cook bacon for about 2 minutes on each side, it should not be fully cooked. Mix the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup together, add a little bit of the bacon grease to the mixture, mix well. Wrap the bacon around the chicken and put in baking dish. Pour the sour cream mixture over the chicken. Bake at 350 covered for about 1 1/2 hours, then uncovered at 325 until cooked through, (use a thermometer.)

This is great served with rice pilaf and green beans or asparagus.

(This is a recipe my family has made forever. Traditionally you put a piece of deli ham on the bottom of each piece of chicken. The ham used is the cheap deli packaged kind and it always grossed me out so I don't use it. It adds a good flavor though, I suppose you could just buy better meat and it would serve the same purpose.)

Pineapple Chicken Bake

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks in juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon tabasco
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Adjust oven rack to upper position and heat to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper and lay in a 9X13 inch baking dish lightly coated with vegetable spray.

Drain pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup of juice. Whisk pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, curry powder, and tabasco together in medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Simmer, whisking often until mixture has thickened, about 8 minutes.

Quickly dissolve the cornstarch in the water, then whisk into the honey mixture. Stir in the pineapple chunks. Pour the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with almonds. Bake until the chicken registers 160 degrees on a thermometer, 15-18 minutes.

-From America's Test Kitchen

We usually serve the chicken over rice.

Chili

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, finely diced
1 lb ground ground beef
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 14 oz can chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
3/4 Cup tomato sauce
3 cans of beans of choice, drained (I used black beans, chili beans and red kidney beans)
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons ground cumin

1. Heat oil into a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in turkey, salt, pepper and garlic salt; cook until browned and no longer pink. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, hot sauce, chili powder and cumin. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. Serve with cornbread muffins.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

By: Ina Garten

• 1 pound French green lentils
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
• 4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
• 3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Method:

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain. In a large stockpot on medium heat, sauté onions, leeks and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and sauté for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine vinegar and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Note: Red wine vinegars vary in strength. I usually add 1 Tbsp. and then add more if needed.

Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. flank steak
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. white wine
1 T. sesame or olive oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
6 T. sugar
1/2 t. pepper
1 green onion, chopped
stir fry vegetables
rice

Assembly:
Cut thin strips of steak against the grain. Mix all other ingredients in gallon bag. Add meat and marinate for 1 hour or freeze.

Serving Day:
Defrost meat and vegetables. Discard marinade. Stir fry 2-4 min in hot wok or skillet turning to brown on each side. This works best if you do a few pieces at a time. Next stir fry veggies to desired doneness, then return meat to pan to mix and heat through. Serve over rice.

Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta

a la Pioneer Woman

Braised Short Ribs

• 8 whole Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt & Pepper To Taste
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 6 pieces Pancetta, Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
• 2 cups Red Or White Wine
• 2 cups Beef Broth
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 2 sprigs Rosemary

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid.

Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)

Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

NOTE: The polenta was easier to re-heat on the stove. Put the defrosted polenta in a sauce pan, then add water until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta

1 Pkg. whole wheat bow tie pasta

1 cup frash Kirkland Pesto

1 cup roma tomatoes diced

1 cup Italian blend cheese

1/2 cup parm. cheese

3 cups diced grilled chicken breast

Defrost and heat (stove top or oven).