Hearty Turkey Noodle Soup

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Leftover turkey?  Here is a delicious turkey noodle soup your family will love.  If you don't have any leftovers, just use chicken instead.  Of course, then it will be chicken noodle soup :-)

Hearty Turkey Noodle Soup

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 oz. (about 4 cups) cooked noodles
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup evaporated milk or 1/2 cup whole milk
2 -3 cups diced turkey (or chicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)
1 Tablespoon parsley (optional)

Heat chicken broth and bouillon together.  Add carrots celery and onions.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.  Mix cream of chicken soup and milk together, then add to soup mixture.  Add chicken and noodles.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Umm, Umm Good! 

Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

Eggplant?  Yuck!  No, you won't think that after you try this Eggplant Parmesan Casserole. Personally, I don't like eggplant, but I loved this dish and my family loved it too.  You'll become an eggplant lover with this casserole as well.

Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
2 (15 oz.) cans of tomato sauce
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Vegetable oil

In a bowl mix together the flour, salt and pepper.  In another bowl mix the egg and milk.  Then dip the peeled and sliced eggplant in egg and milk and dredge in the flour mixture. In a large skillet, heat oil and brown eggplant slices on both sides.  Drain on a brown paper bag. (I'm sure you can use paper towels instead.)  Rinse skillet and saute ground beef or turkey and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste.  Add onion and green pepper  and cook until meat is done and onion and peppers are tender.  Drain.  Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning.  (I also added a packet of Stevia.)  In a greased 9 x 11 baking dish place alternating layers of meat mixture, eggplant and Mozzarella cheese.  Top with Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly.

South of the Border Dinner



Top

Bottom/Inverted

I tried this recipe because I knew my husband would like it.  My husband kept saying, "This has a real nice taste to it!", as he went back for seconds and thirds and . . .  Yep, I knew he'd like it.

South of the Border Dinner

1 - 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey (I made mine with turkey)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small bell pepper, chopped

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box cornbread mix (I used Jiffy)

In a skillet cook meat until browned, stirring so it will be broken up.(I seasoned meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.)  Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft.  Add tomato sauce, chili powder and salt.  Cook until mixture is heated.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 9 baking dish ( I used a 11 x 7 dish).  Mix cornbread according to package directions.  Spread cornbread on top on mixture.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly browned.  Loosen side of pan with knife and invert onto platter.  Serve hot.

Terrific Grilled Turkey Burgers

Do you need something quick and easy for supper tonight?  Here's the perfect solution--Terrific Grilled Turkey Burgers!  Quick, easy and DELICIOUS!

Terrific Grilled Turkey Burgers

2 pounds ground turkey

1 package dry onion soup mix

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg, beaten

8 hamburger buns

Cheese slices (optional)

In a bowl, mix the turkey, onion soup, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, and egg.  Refrigerate this mixture for about 10 minutes (I didn't do this because I was in a hurry), then form into 8 patties.  Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.  Lightly oil (or spray with Pam) the grill grate.  Place patties on the grill and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, turning at least once, until well done.  Add cheese on top if you like.  Serve on buns.

Turkey Pom Poms

So, what do you do with all the left-over turkey after Thanksgiving? If you're like our family, we never have any left-overs! But, it you do, here's a delicious recipe you should try.

Hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!


Turkey Pom Poms

3 cups cooked rice (that's about 1 cup uncooked rice)
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups diced turkey
2 eggs
Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Form into balls (I usually use a 1/4 cup measure so the balls are about the same size.) You'll need to press firmly as you are making the turkey balls (pom poms) so they stick together well. Roll in bread crumbs and put on a pan. Bake (uncovered) at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
Bring to a boil and put on top of Pom Poms.

Giblet Gravy

You have the turkey and stuffing recipes, now you need the gravy--Giblet Gravy!

Giblet Gravy

Boil the giblets in salted water for about 45 - 60 minutes. Chop and set aside.

Put the broth from the turkey (add Swanson's chicken broth if needed), in a pot. Add the chopped giblets and 2 - 4 chopped hard boiled eggs. Heat and bring to a boil. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup gravy flour ( I use Wondra) to thicken. Stir and keep warm to serve with your turkey and stuffing and put some on your rice. Ummmm!

Turkey Stuffing and Dressing

Dressing? Stuffing? What's the difference? Well, dressing is made outside the turkey and stuffing is stuffed inside the turkey. I always do it both ways. My sister-in-law makes the best dressing, but every time I make it, it's just not as good as hers. But my stuffing is pretty good. My family likes it because it is so moist--after all it is baked inside the turkey with all those delicious turkey juices. Here are the recipes. Choose one or make both. See which one your family likes best.

Turkey Stuffing

1 small bag (8 oz) of Cornbread Stuffing (I use Pepperidge Farm)

2 - 3 Tablespoons butter

1 onion chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup dried cranberries

hot water

Put the cornbread stuffing in a large bowl. Saute the onion and celery in the butter until onions are clear. Add to the stuffing and toss together. Put in cranberries and toss again. Add salt and pepper and enough hot water to get the stuffing mixture to stick together (about 1-2 cups). Then stuff the mixture into the breast cavity of the turkey. Pack tightly. When your turkey is cooked, take out the stuffing and put in a serving bowl. You can microwave it before serving.

Aunt Elaine's Dressing

Make cornbread below:

2 cups self rising white cornmeal

1 cup self rising flour

1 egg

Milk (about 1 - 1 1/2 cups--consistency is a little thicker than pancake batter

Put some butter and cornmeal in skillet to prepare for baking. Heat 1/4 cup oil in an iron skillet. add cornbread mixture. Cook in oven at 400 degrees. When brown on top, flip over (take a plate to flip it) and brown other side.

In a large bowl, crumble cornbread and add 8 oz. package of herb stuffing mix. Saute 2 cups chopped celery and 2 cups chopped onion with a stick of butter. Add 1 raw egg. Add enough turkey broth (use Swanson Chicken broth if need extra) to make mixture moist so that it sticks together. Put in 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 until bubbly and brown (about 30 -45 minutes).

Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

Where did the time go? Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This past weekend I decided to make a Thanksgiving dinner so I could share some of my favorite recipes and have some pictures to share, too. The main thing about making a delicious turkey is seasoning, seasoning, seasoning! There is really no recipe I can give you, but I will give you directions on how you can make a delicious turkey for Thanksgiving, too.
Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

1. Thaw frozen turkey in refrigerator for about 5 days.

2. Remove the giblet packet and the neck, and rinse turkey with water. Undo turkey legs from the metal prongs, but leave the prongs in the turkey. I usually pull off any fat around the openings of the turkey and I cut off the little tail on the end (but you don't have to).

3. Place turkey on some paper towels and pat dry. Be sure to dry inside the turkey, too.

4. Season turkey really well, all over, with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then put Catalina French Dressing all over the turkey. You can also sprinkle a little paprika over the turkey, but I always forget to do that and it's still good. You can stuff the turkey (recipe to follow next post) if you'd like.

5. Take a whole onion and put it in the neck cavity. Put the legs back in the prongs.

6. Put the turkey in a roasting pan, add about 1/2 cup of water along the sides and cover with heavy duty aluminum foil. Make sure your roasting pan is deep enough. You don't want the juices to run out into your oven. Not only will it make a mess, but it could start a fire. (I always put enough foil to cover the bottom of the roaster as well as the turkey. This saves me some clean-up.)

7. Start baking the turkey at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes to get the turkey going. Then turn down to 275 degrees and bake about 30 minutes per pound. I usually put it in the oven before I go to bed (because I'm always up late the night before Thanksgiving getting everything ready anyway) and get up early to finish it. When it is done (juices run clear when pricked with a fork), uncover the turkey and brown at 325 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. Recover and let cool.

8. Remove the onion and throw it away. Save your turkey broth to make gravy (this recipe is going to be posted, too). Slice your turkey--actually it will almost fall apart it's so tender--and serve.

Be sure to keep looking on my blog for the rest of our Thanksgiving recipes. I plan to do the next several posts just on these recipes so you can use them for your family's turkey feast.

Turkey Chili

Well, if it's "soup" weather, then it's "chili" weather, too. This a the chili recipe that Brandi's mom makes. I add more beans than Brandi's mom does, but it is basically the same recipe. My husband loves for me to make this chili because it is made with turkey rather than beef. He always says, "I don't eat red meat because it's not good for me." Now, ask my kids if that is true--that he doesn't eat red meat. NOT! We're glad he says he doesn't eat it because if he said he did eat it, we would never get any. But you can make this with beef instead of chicken. Either way, it's our favorite chili!

Turkey Chili

1 pound of ground turkey

1 small onion chopped

2 cans petite diced tomatoes

1 heaping Tablespoon chili powder

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

1 heaping teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 - 3 cans pinto beans

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can dark red kidney beans

Brown turkey (I add salt, pepper and garlic powder to the turkey) and onions. Then add everything except the beans and simmer for 1 hour. Add the beans and warm thoroughly. I drain the juice from one can of pinto beans and the can of light red kidney beans. I leave the juice in the other beans. I just don't want my chili too soupy.

**We like to eat the chili with corn bread. Now, my friend Verlene, has a great corn bread recipe. It's real buttery and sweet like a cake. I will plan to post it in the future. In the meantime, it's so easy just to pull out a box of Jiffy corn bread mix. Some days I'm lazy--just plain lazy! By the way, this Jiffy mix makes really good corn bread.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Here is a chicken casserole recipe that our family loves. It is also a great casserole to take to potluck suppers or to make for a friend in need.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (boiled and cut in pieces)
To give the chicken a good taste, boil the breasts in water with salt, a piece of celery, and an onion. Boil for about 45 minutes until done. Set aside

1 8oz. package of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing Mix
Toss with 1 stick of melted butter. (I usually use less butter.) Set aside

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. sour cream
Mix together in a bowl. Set aside.

1 cup chicken broth
Use water from the boiled chicken.

Directions: Layer ingredients in a 9x13 pan: 1/2 of the stuffing, chopped chicken, 1/2 cup chicken broth, soup and sour cream mixture, remainder of the stuffing, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubbly and brown.

If you're like me, you never have sour cream when you need it. My sister-in-law makes a similar chicken casserole, but without the sour cream. Sometimes she will use turkey (when she makes a turkey breast) instead of chicken and if she doesn't have any broth, she uses the canned broth. It is really delicious, too. Here's how to make it:

Mix an 8 oz. package of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing Mix with 1/2 stick of butter. Put 1/2 of the stuffing mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Put chicken or turkey on the top of the stuffing mixture. Mix together 1 can of cream of chicken and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and put on top of the meat. Pour 2 cans of broth over the soup mixture (don't mix anything) and put the rest of the stuffing on top. Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes.

When my sister-in-law makes this with turkey, she serves it with cranberry sauce. You should try it and then you can have Thanksgiving everyday!