Spaghetti squash lasagna

Slightly modified from Cooking Light.

2 Small spaghetti squash (about 1 1/2 lb each)
2 teaspoon olive oil
4 clove garlic, minced
1/2  cup ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 pound ground beef, venison, turkey or chicken
1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4  cup parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions: Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place cut side down on a jelly roll pan with a little water.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  As soon as it's cool enough to handle, scrape out the strands with a fork, leaving a small layer of squash in the shell.  Drain strands or squeeze in a towel.

Mix garlic, oil, cheese, salt and 1/4 c mozzarella with the squash strands.

Cook ground meat, if using, until browned.  Add marinara sauce, cover and simmer 4 minutes.

Increase oven temp to 425.  Layer in squash shells:  sauce, squash mixture, mozzarella,  sauce, squash, mozzarella, parm.  Bake for 20 minutes.

If desired, place under broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheeses.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pear scones

Pear drop scones

1 3/4 Cup flour

1/3 Cup honey

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup butter, chilled

1 egg

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup pear, chopped

Instructions: Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture has a crumbly texture.  Stir in egg and half and half.   Stir in pear.  I have used other fruits, and added walnuts--very good.  Drop large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Great sandwich bread

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

2 c boiling water
1 c old-fashioned oats
1/2 c honey
1/4 c butter
1 T kosher salt
1 t cinnamon

Mix together and let sit until lukewarm (not too long--warmth helps the yeast).

Mix in

1 T yeast
1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour
4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

***Here I also add 1/4 c flax seed, 1/4 c sunflower seeds and 1 c walnuts.

Knead (I use the dough hook on my mixer) 5-7 minutes (10 minutes if by hand).

Oil bowl and surface of dough lightly, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Place in greased pans (I use one 13" Pullman pan; otherwise use two regular loaf pans), cover and let rise, 60-90 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Tent lightly with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent over browning.  Cool on a wire rack.

Modified from joythebaker.com

Chicken parmagiana pizza

I don't much like chicken or turkey dark meat, so I started looking for recipes using ground chicken.  And look what I found!  This is from Rachael Ray on Food.com.  And it's really good.  The crust is from Taste of Home.

Pizza crust

2 1/2 c flour
1 t salt
1 t sugar (I use honey)
1 T yeast
1 c warm water
1 t oil

Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast.  Combine water and oil, and add to flour mixture.  Add flour if needed to form a soft dough.  Knead on a lightly floured surface for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 20 minutes.  Punch down dough; press/pat to desired size on pizza pan.

Poke a few holes in the crust and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 425.  

Pizza topping

2 T oil
1 lb ground chicken
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 t oregano
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c shredded provolone (I used mozz)
5-6 leaves of fresh basil, sliced thin


Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Break up chicken as it cooks.  When cooked (5-6 minutes), add parsley, oregano and tomatoes (and a couple pinches of red pepper flakes, if desired).  Heat through.

Top partly cooked crust with sauce and cheeses.  Return to oven and bake until golden and bubbly, 5-10 minutes.  Top with fresh basil and serve.

Crisp cucumber salsa

No leftovers here!  Use up those cucumbers!!

2 c cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 c tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 c red onion, chopped
2 T fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 T fresh cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c sour cream
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 t lime juice
1/4 t cumin (I use 2 x this amt)
1/4 t seasoned salt

Combine vegetables.  Make dressing from sour cream, juices, cumin and salt.  Pour over vegetable mix toss gently, and serve immediately with chips.

This is from Taste of Home.  The original recipe also has a jalapeño pepper seeded and chopped in the vegetable mix.

Jerk port tenderloin with black beans and pineapple

Delicious!!!

From the National Pork Council

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it is quick to put together!

1 whole pork tenderloin

Rub
1 T dried minced onion
1 1/2 t onion powder
2 t thyme, crushed
1 t salt
1 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t cinnamon
1 t sugar
1/2 t cayenne (I omitted, don't like heat)

30 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, chopped
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
2 T lime juice

Salsa
20 ounces canned pineapple (I used fresh)
1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 T rice vinegar
2 T olive oil
1/8 t cayenne pepper (I omitted--don't like heat)
1 jalapeno, diced and seeded (I omitted--blah, blah, blah)
1 T black pepper
1 T cilantro, chopped


Coat the tenderloin with the rub; place in a shallow roasting pan and roast at 450 for 20 minutes (to 155).  Remove and let rest 10 minutes (temp should rise to 160).

Toss together beans, onion, chili powder and cumin.  Heat a small amount of olive oil, then stir fry the mixture until heated through, 3-4 minutes.  Toss with cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste.

Stir together pineapple, cucumber, rice vinegar, olive oil, cayenne and jalapeño (if using), black pepper and cilantro.  Cover and let rest at room temperature for an hour to let flavors blend.  Refrigerate if longer.

Serve and enjoy!  Hope you like it.

Turkey leftovers

I grew four huge turkeys this year; the smallest was 22 lbs.  Greg and I (yes, two people) fixed a 28 lb turkey the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I experimented with a low temperature overnight cooking method--it was terrible.  But we had a LOT of turkey.  I used the last of it  tonight.  No kidding!

I wanted to share the fantastic recipes I found to use up the turkey.

I fell in love with croquettes in Spain; this is my first attempt at making them and they are delicious.

TURKEY-MASHED POTATO CROQUETTES

• 2 cups finely minced leftover turkey
• 1 cup leftover seasoned mashed potatoes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 green onions, with a few inches of green, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• 2 cups finely ground fresh bread crumbs

Combine the turkey, mashed potatoes, parsley, and black pepper.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add green onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir until well blended. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Continue cooking, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add salt, to taste. Combine with the turkey mixture, blending well. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 to 2 hours. 

Put 1/2 c of flour in a plate. Beat eggs in a bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Put the finely ground bread crumbs in another bowl.

Shape croquette mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll gently in the flour to coat, then in the egg until coated. Coat with the bread crumbs. Place on a waxed paper or foil-lined cookie sheet.

Let the croquettes stand for about 30 to 45 minutes to dry a bit.

Heat oil to about 360°. Fry the croquettes in small batches for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, depending on size, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.  

Makes about 16 to 18 1 1/2-inch croquettes.

TURKEY FOCACCIA CLUB

Focaccia (From King Arthur Flour)

In a bread machine:

• 1 c warm water
• 3 T olive oil
• 3 c flour
• 2 t salt
• 5 heaping t italian seasoning
• 2 t active dry yeast

Run on the dough cycle.  At the end of the cycle, punch dough down.  Roll out to a rectangle; transfer and pat down on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.  Make indentations in dough with fingertips, about an inch apart.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Let stand 30-60 minutes.  Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Use for the club sandwich below, and save some to eat with soup.

From Taste of Home

Mix until blended:

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1/2 c whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 T chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T honey

Cut focaccia in half horizontally.  Spread with mayonnaise mixture.  Layer with tomato slices, turkey, lettuce, sliced Gouda cheese and 2 strips of bacon.

CHEDDAR TURKEY CASSEROLE (Taste of Home)

4 c uncooked spiral pasta

1 clove garlic, minced

3 T butter

3 T flour

1 t salt

1/4 t prepared mustard

1/4 t thyme

1/4 t pepper

2 c milk

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

2 c cubed cooked turkey

2 c frozen mixed vegetables

1/2 c slivered almonds

Cook pasta per package directions.

Saute garlic in butter.  Stir in flour, salt, mustard, thyme and pepper.  Gradually stir in milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Drain pasta; place in a large bowl.  Toss with turkey, vegetables and cheese sauce.  

Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with almonds.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

TURKEY SALAD WITH RED GRAPES

1 c seedless red grapes

1 c diced celery

1/2 c chopped green onions

3/4 c broken pecans

3-4 c cooked diced turkey

1 t lemon juice

3/4 c mayonnaise

1/8 t black pepper

salt to taste

Mix all ingredients.

TURKEY NOODLE SOUP (Taste of Home Big Book of Soup)

This is originally a chicken noodle soup recipe--I just substituted turkey.  It's great with the focaccia described above.  The recipe calls for 2 chickens roasted with rosemary, garlic powder, pepper and seasoned salt.  I added those seasonings directly to the soup.

Simmer 30 minutes:

1 1/2 qt turkey broth

1/2 c chopped celery

1/2 c sliced carrots

1/2 c chopped onion

1/4 t pepper

Noodles

2 1/2 c flour (divided)

1 t salt

2 eggs

1 can evaporated milk

1 T olive oil

Reserve 1/3 c flour.

Mix remaining flour and salt.  Beat eggs, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients.  Sprinkle dry surface with reserved flour.  Knead dough until smooth.  Divide into three sections.  Roll each to 1/8" thickness; cut to desired width.  Freeze two portions for future use.

Add to simmering soup and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Add chicken and heat through.