Butter & Herb Turkey

I love turkey, and turkey leftovers. So I definitely wanted to try this recipe because it's for turkey, and then another recipe for the leftovers (which I will post separately). Also it's a crock pot recipe so that's easy too. If, that is, the turkey breast you buy will fit into your crock pot...from Simple & Delicious April/May 2011.

Butter & Herb Turkey
1 bone-in turkey breast (6 to 7 lbs)
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth (I used homemade)
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water

Rub turkey with butter. Combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and pepper; sprinkle over turkey. Place in a 6-qt slow cooker (mine must not be 6 qt, or the shape is funny or something...mine didn't fit very well...it was like 2 inches from the lid fitting on all the way...I got on a stool and squashed it down as hard as I could...it took like an hour of cooking before the lid would close all the way). Pour broth over top. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until tender (not sure I believe this is long enough. I did it on high for that long and it was barely done).

Remove turkey to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with turkey.

This made, of course, SO MUCH turkey. I estimate we ate about 1/4 of it for this meal. Tomorrow I'm going to make the leftovers recipe, and I will still have enough to make a pot pie later in the week, because there is a lot of gravy left too. So on the whole, very successful. It did make the skin slimy, so we didn't eat that part. A keeper.

Black Bean-Chicken Quesadillas & Red Pepper Corn

Because I'm so Mexican, I wanted to try this recipe. We love quesadillas (emphasis on the diLLas). We have a yummy Corn & Black Bean recipe for them that we love, and also if it's Steve's night to cook (like once every couple of months)(not because he's not willing but because I love to cook...he only has to if I'm SO tired...) he makes a delightful quesadiLLa with chicken nuggets and taco cheese (sounds funny but it's soooooo yum and he made it up himself). This one is from Simple & Delicious April/May 2011.

Black Bean-Chicken Quesadillas
1 can (15 oz) southwestern black beans, drained (I didn't see the southwestern ones at Walmart so just got regular ones)
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 pkg (6 oz) ready-to-use southwestern chicken strips (I did not buy these...I don't want to spend $4 on what would be the equivalent of one chicken breast...I just cooked my own and did not add any seasoning so it wouldn't be too spicy for the kiddos)
1 tbsp onion powder
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used shredded Mexican [Ole!] because I love it)
8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
2 tbsp canola oil
sour cream, salsa, guacamole (optional)

In a large skillet, combine the beans, tomatoes, chicken and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until thickened.

In a small bowl, combine the cheeses. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over 4 tortillas. Layer with chicken mixture and remaining cheese mixture. Top with remaining tortillas.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook quesadillas in 1 tbsp oil for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted, using additional oil as needed. Cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole if desired (we only had ours with salsa).

Red Pepper Corn
3 cups fresh or frozen corn
1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp maple syrup
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chili powder (I left this out, hoping the kids would eat it)

Place the corn, red pepper, and water in a 2-qt microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until corn is tender; drain. Add the remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

Doesn't that corn sound yummy? It really was. The kids didn't like it because of the red pepper. Also mine didn't look as pretty as the picture. But it was so good! The quesadiLLas were great too. The black beans made the chicken kind of black, which freaked the kids out. Nathan and Emma wanted nothing to do with this, so they had nuggets. My dear friend Melissa & her kids ate it with us and they all liked it. It was really SO so good. Definitely keeping this one.

Delicious Whole Slow Cooker Chicken

This is not the recipe I was going to make originally. I had planned to make this Moroccan chicken from the Rachael Ray magazine. It had almond stuffing and sounded very very yummy. It was different than anything I've made before, but didn't sound so foreign that the fam wouldn't eat it. However, you were supposed to season the chicken with saffron. You were supposed to toast the saffron, then mix it with a few other ingredients, and then cover the chicken with it. It seemed like an important ingredient. However, would you like to know how much saffron costs? At the NLC, they do not have it in bulk. They had it in little tiny containers for $8.99. At Hannaford they did not have it at all. At Walmart they had it for $16.99. So when I was in the spice aisle at Walmart I said to myself, "self, we are not going to make this recipe." But I still got the chicken, and figured I could just make something with it out of my "keeper book." I thought it was going to be hot today, so I wanted to make it in the crock pot, but the only whole chicken crock pot recipe I had was for lemonade chicken, which needed frozen lemonade concentrate, which is not something I have on hand. So I went to allrecipes.com and found this one. I had all the ingredients except sesame oil.

Delicious Whole Slow Cooker Chicken
1 (3 lb) whole chicken, skin removed (I had a 4.5 lb chicken, but it's fine...also I HATE getting the skin off chicken...SO gross)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil (a lot of the comments on the recipe said this was too much oil, so I only used half of that amount...so basically 1/6 of a cup, but that looks funny)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced garlic

Remove skin from chicken (throughout this process, gag liberally), and empty inner cavity of contents within (how polite that sounds...I almost forgot to take out the giblet bag, that would have been so awful if I had forgotten). Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place in slow cooker.

In a bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Pour mixture over chicken and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Well, I think calling this "delicious" is a stretch. It was okay. Like almost all crock pot recipes, it smelled fabulous, which in itself might make it worth it. But the chicken didn't seem to have much of the flavor of the sauce. I didn't make gravy out of the drippings like I would normally do, because of the ingredients (gravy with vinegar and honey?). I could have just served the juice (or, the jus, if you are french) with it and that probably would have helped. We had this with Rice a Roni the San Francisco treat because it is Emma's favorite rice and we don't have it very often. So it wasn't terrible, but I'm not keeping the recipe.

Soda Pop Chops with Smashed Potatoes

This is from Simple & Delicious April/May 2011. There are so many good recipes in this issue, and I know my new one is going to come any day, and I have barely made any of these yet. Oh well. I just thought this sounded good. Nothing too profound to say about it, I guess =o)

Soda Pop Chops with Smashed Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, halved
1 cup root beer
1 cup ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
2 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp pepper, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
4 bone-in pork chops (I used boneless and just needed less cooking time)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter

Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the root beer, ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder; set aside. In a large ziploc bag, combine the flour, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Add pork chops, one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown chops in oil. Add root beer mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until meat is tender, turning once. Remove pork and keep warm. Bring sauce to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Meanwhile, drain potatoes; mash with butter and remaining garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Serve with pork chops and sauce.

Okay so I guess this was pretty good, but not outstanding. My favorite part of the meal was putting the sauce on the mashed potatoes. That was so so good. But really the sauce was just a glorified barbecue sauce, and texture was a bit off. Also the pork was a bit dry, but I used boneless so maybe I cooked it for too long, I don't know...so not a keeper, but not a tanker, either...

Homemade Ice Pops

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. At my Tupperware party I got some practically free popsicle molds, so I went in search of a recipe to put in them...I didn't want to just throw juice in there and freeze it because I thought it would be a mess when it melted. I found this one, which uses jello and kood aid powder. I'm not crazy about the additives, but I only paid $1.68 for enough ingredients to make at least 12 batches (not counting the sugar). If I was buying already-made popsicles, they would have the same additives, and perhaps more, and I'd be paying a lot more for them. This recipe makes a TON of liquid...I only have 6 popsicle molds...the lady who submitted this recipe said to put them into paper cups with a popsicle stick, but I'm not doing that. I did halve the recipe, knowing I would have too much, but still had enough to make at least 6 more...I shall have to be on the lookout for popsicle molds this summer at yard sales...anyway here is the recipe...

Homemade Ice Pops
1 3 oz pkg fruit flavored jello
1 unsweetened packet of kool-aid (they have a lot of these at Marden's right now for $0.06 each)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup boiling water

In a large pitcher, combine jello, kool aid mix, and boiling water. Stir until powders are dissolved. Add enough cold water to make 2 quarts. Pour into 3 oz paper drinking cups and freeze until hardened.

The drip factor on these was great...Sam and Emma had almost no drips, and Nathan, possibly the slowest popsicle eater ever, had minimal drips even though he took about 15 minutes to eat his (and I am not exaggerating that time at all). He did wrap a towel around his hand, but I don't know that he really needed to, he just hates sticky hands (he gets that from me). He threw the last little bit into the sink, and like 45 minutes later it wasn't all melted yet. Yay jello. So I will keep this recipe. I bet there are healthier things I could do, but these will be good for a hot day.

Whole Grain Waffles with Cheddar and Maple-Apple Sauce

Wow, what a long name. Maybe Rachael Ray thinks you have to have extremely descriptive names in her recipes, instead of just saying "Waffles with Sauce." This recipe sounded so so good, even though I had to buy real maple syrup, which I almost never do, at a premium price. But I always try to do the recipe the written way, at least the first time through, and just leave out little things like mushrooms or hot sauce or whatever. But when I got to the syrup part of the recipe, I knew the fake stuff wouldn't cut it. I almost passed this recipe by a couple of times, but then I decided to just make it. We love having breakfast for supper so I figured everyone would like it. It's from Every Day with Rachael Ray Apr 2011.

Whole Grain Waffles with Cheddar and Maple-Apple Sauce
4 gala, honey crisp, or golden delicious apples
1 cup dark amber maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups whole grain pancake/waffle mix
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for brushing, if needed
1 1/2 to 2 cups reduced-fat milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
Cooking spray, if needed

Peel, quarter, and core the apples, then cut them into chunks. In a large saucepan, combine them with the maple syrup, cider, and cinnamon stick and bring to a bubble. Lower the heat a bit and, stirring occasionally, let rapidly reduce into a thick topping while you make the waffles.

Meanwhile, heat a waffle iron to high. Combine the waffle mix with the eggs, melted butter, 1 1/2 cups milk and lots of freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/2 tsp)(or just use it from a jar like me). Stir in the cheese. If the mixture gets too thick, stir in a little more milk.

If the waffle iron is nonstick, fill it with the batter and cook until crisp. If it's not nonstick, spray with cooking spray or brush with more melted butter, then fill and cook the waffles. Top with the maple-apple sauce.

Yay, everybody liked this!! You couldn't even tell there was cheese in the waffles. When they were cooking, I thought I could smell a hint of it, but I couldn't taste it at all. Definitely keeping this one, even though I won't make it very often due to the real syrup in it. But so so good.

Barbecue Pork and Penne Skillet

I know, it doesn't really sound that good. The picture of the recipe looks pretty yummy though. And it's an easy recipe to make on a Sunday afternoon after church. It's from the April/May 2011 Simple & Delicious.

Barbecue Pork and Penne Skillet
1 pkg (16 oz) penne pasta (I used whole wheat penne, which is only 13 oz, but ends up almost the same cooked amount)
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carton (18 oz) refrigerated fully cooked barbecued shredded pork
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute red pepper and onion in butter and oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the pork, tomatoes, broth, cumin, pepper, and salt; heat through.

Drain pasta. Add pasta and cheese to pork mixture. Sprinkle with green onions.

Steve and I liked this. It smelled great. It was a bit too spicy for the kiddos. Sam did eat all his and didn't say a word, but the two little ones didn't like it. Plus, it made a LOT. My friend Melissa stopped by and she ate some and LOVED it. A recipe like this I usually don't keep, because the ingredients can be expensive, but I did want to try it. Good for a change, as my mother would say...