Turkey grossness put to good use....

I don't know if any of you have leftover bones and gross remains of your turkey, but if you do like I did put them to good use by making the best chicken stock you've ever had. Freeze it for future use and you will be thanking yourself for the time and money saved, not to mention the flavor that comes from what would otherwise go in the trash.

Pennyless Chicken (or Turkey) Stock*

Ingredients:

Leftover turkey bones chopped

2-3 large onions, chopped (you can leave the skin on)

2 large carrots, chopped

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup of whole pepper corns

2 bay leaves

small bunch of flat leaf parsley

3 sprigs of sage

3 sprigs of thyme

12 cups of cold water

Directions:

In a large pot on medium-high heat combine turkey bones, carrots, onions, toss with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Let saute slightly for about 15-20 minutes stirring ever so often. Add 12 cups of water and remaining ingredients; bring to a rolling boil. Lower to a medium simmer and cover for 4 hours. Skim the fat off the top and cook for another 30 minutes over high heat or until reduced by half. Remove from heat and using a mesh strainer, strain stock into clean containers. Use immediately or store in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*modified from Bobby Flay's Rich Chicken Stock & Alton Brown's Chicken Stock

Thankful

This was the turkey that I made for Thanksgiving for those that were in need locally through our church. It made my kitchen smell o' so good. Simply roasted with butter, sage and thyme forever (well about 9 hours). 13 other turkeys were being roasted by others at our church for the same purpose. What a great reason to cook for Thanksgiving. So thankful for my church and to have been able to be a part of this, and not just simply stuff my gut (which I did do, don't worry; more details of that to come)! Hope ya'll had a great Thanksgiving. Check back soon and I'll tell you about my two Thanksgivings I enjoyed, and my favorite dishes from each. What was the best thing you ate for your thanksgiving feast?

One for the Books

Last night we celebrated the birthday of, who in a short time, is someone I call a dear friend and I am so thankful for her and her family. The evening was contagiously filled with laughter upon laughter. It was one for the books......incredibly relaxing; a night out on the town to put to-do lists away and brush away the anxieties that may have been a part of our week.

To celebrate we dined in one of Louisville's must-try restaurants Mojitos Tapas Restaurant. The decadence of this restaurant is due to the dainty, elegant dishes that are ordered and then shared. For starters we had this incredible, I mean incredible guacamole with the, catch, long curling strips of plantain chips. Shortly following were seasoned, sweet potato fries with thier popular smoked honey sauce for dipping. Then out comes these plump shrimp swimming in this incredible butter and garlic concoction that you layer with a piece of fresh bread, aioli, and pico de gallo-then if your smart you dip it again in the irresistible butter and garlic. Fried calamari is next and accompanied with fried tentacles (my husband's favorite-not really), roasted peppers, and the ingenious invention of fried olives with aioli and sweet chili sauce that I wanted to chug. Now for the meaty goodness of the evening, and what the men were anxiously anticipating.....grilled skirt steak, cooked to perfection with a green chimichurri sauce that I almost had my way with and shredded potato chips. Then out comes lamb chops (not the beloved children's puppet), but grilled and served over piquillo pepper hummus-there are no words. Favorites of this dinner extravaganza for me was the guacamole and plantain chips, the garlic shrimp, and the skirt steak with lamb chops close behind.

We ended the evening in style at The Cheesecake Factory where we practically swam in organic coffee and left on a sugar high. The table was filled with a slices of ridiculously, yummy cheesecake, and what some people may call a sin, Lemoncello Cream Torte which I ordered upon the waiters recommendation, and I am so glad I did. Layers of vanilla cake and lemon marscarpone cream, topped with streusel and served with strawberries and whipped cream. It is my favorite dessert I've had there by far. As we shared bites of our desserts my friend described mine perfectly as strawberry lemonade. To me it was just that, like a strawberry lemonade cream float-airy and creamy with the right amount of richness.

We serenaded the birthday girl when her cheesecake was placed on the table and she blew out her candle; all seemed right. More laughter filled our table as we all continued to grow in friendship and love for one another. Great food, a great evening, and great friends to share it with.

Mater Soup

This is definitely soup weather, so to warm up my household and my toes that's what's for dinner. Here is my simple tomato soup for you to try.

You can easily make variations on this by roasting* the tomatoes before hand which adds an endless amount of flavor. You can also substitute heavy cream for milk to make it even silkier and richer in texture. For soup without actual pieces of tomato, puree the tomatoes until smooth or to the texture you prefer.

Fresh canned tomatoes and juice from the summer would be perfect to use here.

Mater Soup

Ingredients

1 28 oz can good tomato juice

1 12 oz can whole tomatoes, roughly chopped or halved

1 tsp garlic

2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup milk

4 tbsp butter

1 pinch of baking soda

salt & pepper, to taste

fresh basil leaves for garnish

Directions

Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil on medium heat. Add garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle add the tomatoes immediately. Add salt and pepper to season. Stir the tomatoes for 2 minutes. Add the tomato juice, butter, and milk. Bring to a rolling boil. As soon as it begins to boil add the baking soda, this will insure that the milk does not curdle. Reduce to a simmer for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

*Check out Red Peppers 10 for 10 on how to roast. Make sure you keep an eye on the tomatoes as you roast, the time may vary slightly. Also add garlic and herbs with the tomatoes and your taste buds will be ever so thankful!

Perfect Pancakes with a Not-So Perfect Week

I gave in to the man…..the man of the house that is, I got weak and through my hands up without a fight. I think he saw that I just didn't have it in me to walk over to the stove or maybe he wanted pizza or maybe it was a little bit of both. Either way I could’ve easily done the spending freeze to completion; I promise you. I’m even gonna try to make some more of my staple meals that were left on the menu this week to prove it! Well that's my story today anyway; we'll see.....

So here’s the actual recap of the week on the spending freeze. I’m trying not to beat myself over this.

Here’s the actual menu just to refresh your memory:

Monday-Moroccan Butternut Squash Couscous with Raisin, Almond, Feta Salad

Tuesday-Vegetable Stir-fry

Wednesday-Pasta Tossed in Anchovy-Oil with Stuffed Mushrooms on the side

Thursday-3-Bean Chili with Grilled Cheese

Friday-Dinner at friends' house

Saturday- Cubed Steak Red Beans & Rice with Roasted Carrots on the side

Sunday-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Garlic Croutons and Romaine Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing

And here is the somewhat successful attempt (I can't call it a total failure):

Monday: Moroccan Butternut Squash Couscous with Raisin, Almond, Feta Salad (check)

Tuesday: Dinner at Gigi’s (check)

Wednesday: Spaghetti w/ stuffed mushrooms (check)

Thursday: Easy, Oozy, Cheesy Spaghetty Bake (check; still no money spent)

Friday: Laraine’s Insane Blackened Chicken Fettuccini (Still craving this from 3 nights ago; check)

Saturday: Perfect Pancakes (check), then gave into the delicious idea of bacon & mushroom pizza delivered, which we are still eating on.

Sunday: Our favorite Mexican restaurant Fiesta Time was calling our name on the drive home from church. We did have a coupon though, plus we had a ridiculous amount of leftovers which we have eaten today. I ordered what they call a Fajita Quesadilla. A flour toritilla overflowing with chicken, fajita vegetables-grilled to perfection, smothered in that famous white cheese sauce. I mean who could resist that, so good!

Now back to those pancakes I made on Saturday. You can easily make pancakes from a box mix, but you probably have everything you need to make them from staples you have at home and they taste so much better!

Homemade Perfect Pancakes*

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg & cinnamon combined
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Butter, maple or pancake syrup, confectioners' sugar, for serving
• 1 splash of vanilla

Directions

1. Heat a griddle or large pan to medium heat. Heat oven to warm (180°F) and place a foil-lined baking sheet inside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and allspice. Separate eggs and whisk egg yolks in small bowl with milk, vanilla and oil.

3. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks, about 1 minute. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold in egg whites in two additions, until no white streaks remain.

4. Using a ladle, drop 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter onto heated griddle. Repeat, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Cook 1 minute, or until bubbles in batter pop and remain open. Carefully flip pancakes and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.

5. Transfer to baking sheet in warm oven; repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with butter and syrup or confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Mix, mix, mix.

Now the wet ingredients; don't forget to separate the eggs!

Stiff peaks, this makes them o' so cloud-like.

Fold in the egg whites gently.

Tiny bubbles forming; time to flip.

Voila!

Mmmm! Mmmmmm! Good!

*Modified from Family Circle magazine Perfect Pancakes by Julie Miltenberger

All Aboard the Flavor Train

My belly is still full from last night's pasta extravaganza. My friend Laraine cooked us this ridiculously creamy, spicy chicken fettuccini. She set the massive bowl of awesomeness on the dinning room table right in front of me, I took one whiff, and almost did a swan dive right in the middle of the bowl. I started to picture myself doing the backstroke and sucking up one, long noodle, letting the tail end of it hit my nose-kind of like Lady on Lady and the Tramp. I had to sit on my hands to contain myself from following through with this absurd vision; the intoxicating smell was making it nearly impossible.

Thankfully Laraine and Greg went into prayer mode and I snapped out of it. After praising the Lord, I gingerly placed a big pile of this madness on my plate, picked up my fork to swirl around the most perfect bite, and placed it in my mouth with intentional elegance. Well, that's not exactly how it went.....I scooped out a big spoonful, slapped it on my plate, impatiently glanced around to see if everyone else had served themselves, and then jammed the fork in my mouth. O wow! I had just gotten on the flavor train and I did not want to get off. I ferociously scooped up more pasta and proceeded to stuff it in my mouth. All that was left for me to do was to lick the bowl, but Sydney (their daughter) said they were not allowed to do this, so I restrained myself because I certainly did not want to be grounded from coming over to their house.

So the meal was pretty good, well ok, insanely delicous if you couldn't tell, but honestly the time we all spent together was even better. Seriously, we really didn't want to leave, my son's tears when it was time to leave was somewhat of a testimony to how we all felt.

Laraine's Insane Blackened Chicken Fettuccini*

Ingredients

• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 cup blackening spice (Laraine uses Zatarain's)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cooked fettuccine
• Tony's Creole Seasoning, to taste (optional, but o' so good)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, remember internal temperature must read 165 degrees. Slice chicken to bite size pieces.

In a large non-stick skillet, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the sliced chicken. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half. When the sauce is at a thicker consistency add pasta, and stir till pasta is coated. Let sit for several minutes and the noodles will soak up some of the sauce; it will become even thicker. Add Parmesan.

*modified from Guy Fieri's Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Easy, Oozy, Cheesy Leftovers

Because of my non-Type-A disease that I have been diagnosed with (I guess it would be clinically titled Type B), surprise, menu plan changed again! Not to make an excuse for my illness, but I just had one of those days where I didn't feel like cooking chili or anything else on the planned menu. Migraine from the moment my eyes opened, and then every little noise made the constant pounding in my head a hundred decibels louder. So after I tried to rest a bit and I threw-up (I know gross, especially talking about food, my Momma says I have no manners) it was time to figure out what I felt like cooking, if anything. Then I remembered I had this big container of leftover spaghetti from last night that was just begging to be used; so I gave in to it's plea and made another meal out of it. Thank you left over spaghetti. So now Thursday night of the spending freeze has become (drum roll please).....

Easy, Oozy, Cheesy Spaghetty Bake

Ingredients

Leftover Spaghetti

tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 cups cheese (I used Colby since that's all I had.)

2 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp dried rosemary

2 tbsp dried thyme

pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp black pepper

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with oil. In a large bowl mix leftover spaghetti with dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. In a small separate bowl whisk egg and milk. Place half of seasoned spaghetti in prepared casserole dish. Cover portion with 2 cups of cheese. Place rest of spaghetti on top layering it. Pour egg mixture over the layered spaghetti and top with remaining 2 cups of cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with vegetable or salad.

Just a thought; this dish would also be good layering in your favorite pizza toppings. My college roommate Jen taught me that trick.

So all in all a good ending to a not so good beginning. Saved money, time, and energy! High fives all around.

Don't forget to pour this on. I almost did it gives the dish it's creamy and rich consistency.

Time to bake.....I love cheese. I could bathe in cheese.