JBug's Kitchen Antics

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I know what you're thinking! Another repeat? When you've been apart from your main squeeze for a while or otherwise finding reasons not to cook, a quick swing through the memory book for favorites is high on the list. A craving for Mexican food along with leftover rotisserie bird from Big Guy's Monday BBQ session and the die was cast. Dinner's served!

As you might have figured, there's several different recipes on this site for chicken enchiladas but for some reason cooler temperatures and sandy beaches equate to the necessity for a calorie laden creamy version...that's if you need an excuse. This one's adapted from one of my favorite books, Idaho a la CArte, but I promise I'll promote a more calorically responsible version next time like maybe another favorite from Cooking Light. 

However, I have to say last night's version is far superior in our books so be sure you give it a try. Incidentlaly, Big Guy was reading the Food Network magazine this morning and mentioned to me that flour tortillas have tons more calories in them than the corn version, so if you're so inclined you can always substitute the latter for the former. 

Personally I think it's kinda' like eating the whole half gallon of ice cream today so I can diet tomorrow - in the great scheme of things, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense does it?

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Idaho a la CArte)

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 – 6 ounce can green chiles

3/4 cup hot salsa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon hot chile powder (optional)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 large flour tortillas

1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 – 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Heat vegetable oil in a large sauté pan. Add onion, garlic and chicken and cook until onion is soft and chicken is no longer pink. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in green chiles, salsa, salt, pepper, chile powder, red pepper flakes and whipping cream.  Mix together until well combined. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon  approximately 1/2 cup of chicken mixture onto large flour tortilla and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Roll to enclose the filling and place seam side down into casserole dish. Repeat until all filling is used. In a small bowl combine shredded cheddar, chicken soup and sour cream. Spread on top of enchiladas and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Remove foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with additional salsa and/or guacamole.

 A year ago - Baked Eggs

Two year's ago - Making Bacon - Pancetta

 

Make Stromboli Tonight's Blue Plate Special

I know what you're thinking. Blue plate specials are what your local diner calls their meatloaf, or country fried steak, or hot beef sandwich but I'm here to say JBug's Diner's going to start serving Stromboli more often.

Last night's special included pieces of leftover Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf along with slices of spicy pepperoni, roasted red peppers and strips of mozzarella cheese. Loaded onto a package of ready made  pizza dough thanks to Trader Joe's, rolled into a log and sealed, it hit the oven for 40 minutes and came out screaming for attention. Served on a bed of marinara with a tossed salad and a cool libation to top it all off, dinner was on the table. 

    
With Italian Sausage                Mexicali Style             

 Deli Style

Check out the other examples of stromboli we've had here before and while you're at it, try thinking outside the box a little too. How about using some leftover pulled pork that you had earmarked for red neck eggrolls, or meatballs or what about making a giant Ruben stromboli out of some corned beef you're planning for St. Patrick's Day. I would say the sky's almost the limit. 

Two year's ago - Clams Casino Pizza

Three year's ago - Mashed Potato Pie with Bacon and Cheddar

Pork Pot Pie

Remember the cranberry glazed pork loin roast we had a week or so ago? Well the frozen leftovers morphed into a memorable pot pie for last night's dinner and with no apologies to a chicken. After all, pork is the other white meat, right? 

I simply browned cubes of it quickly in a hot pan, deglazed said pan with a touch of sherry and added the flavorful morsels to a dish filled with sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms, pearl onions and chunks of carrot. Spiced up with herbs and swimming in a sherry and cream enriched gravy, then covered with a layer of pastry, the end result looked like this.

Delicious, you bet. Afterall, it's hard to go wrong with flakey pastry and gravy, isn't it. The only thing I gotta' say is next time I'm packing up kitchen essentials for a temporary residence, I'll remember to pack a casserole dish or two never mind a rolling pin. This little brownie pan's getting a tremendous amount of use. 

 Leftover Pork Pot Pie (an original from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Kiira Hall) 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup quartered crimini mushrooms

1/2 12 ounce package frozen pearl onions, defrosted

1 cup peeled carrot chunks

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled sage

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Montreal grill seasoning

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 package chicken concentrate (like Swanson’s Flavor Boost)

1/4 cup sherry, divided

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 cups cubed pork loin roast

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Pastry for single crust pie

 Preheat oven to 425. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium high heat and add onion, garlic, mushrooms and pearl onions. Sauté, stirring occasionally until chopped onions have softened and mushrooms start to brown. Meanwhile, partially cook carrots in microwave until tender crisp and add to casserole dish. Add sage, poultry seasoning and grill seasoning to sauté pan and sprinkle with flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons sherry along with chicken stock and concentrate as well as sage, poultry seasoning and grill seasoning. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Add heavy cream and set aside.  Heat another sauté pan over medium high heat and add butter. When butter is melted and starting to turn golden, add pork loin cubes. Brown cubes on all sides. Deglaze pan with sherry, and place pork and pan juices in casserole dish. Pour vegetables and gravy over top. Top with pastry and decorate as you wish. Be sure to cut holes in pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is browned. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Grilled Shrimp with Basil and Proscuitto 

Two year's ago - Poppers in a Blanket

Three year's ago - Chocolate Chip Cranberry Nut Cookies

Individual Pulled Pork Pies

The oven barbecued pulled pork we cooked on Sunday has been a real blessing this week. All the packing along with what Big Guy calls "stupid pills" has resulted in a hitch in my getalong and I've been unable to spend a lot of time on my feet the last couple of days without significant back pain. 

The three plus pound pork shoulder has really come in handy and produced some quick and delicious dinner solutions including but not limited to last night's pulled pork pies.

I simply warmed the pulled pork in the microwave slightly so it made it easier to handle and added more barbecue sauce to give it a better consistency. A scoop of pork placed on a rectangle made from the Dough Boy's crescent rolls (Pillsbury) along with thin slivers of red onion and a palm full of grated Mozzarella cheese made up the pies' innards. Coated in an egg wash, the bundles hit a 425 oven for 15 minutes while I concocted the salad and dinner was on the table. Yumm - you betcha!  Here's a few other fabulous things we've made before too ...

     

       Served in a baked potato                   In an ooey gooey Deepdish Pizza

     

          Red Neck Eggrolls                               On A Smashed Potato  

Now, about today - you can count on the fact I will not be packing boxes, lifting anything more than a cup of tea and I'm sorry to say, I won't be spending much time in the kitchen either. There is a lesson in all of this that I may or may not have learned...if you're moving and already have a bad back to begin with, hire the packing done. For darn sure it'll be a lot cheaper than the surgery you're setting yourself up for. Just sayin!

 

Chili with Turkey, Pinto Beans,Cranberries and Chipotle

OK so here's the story on this one. As you know, we're packing up the house and moving on to greener pastures; greener as in the Oregon Coast and pastures because the Big Guy's  being put out to pasture though not for 6 months or so. 

Consequently the freezer's getting purged of all and sundry and while there's not a lot left in it, what's there is good enough to be recycled at least as far as I'm concerned.

I mean if "Chopped" can do a whole show dedicated to the use of leftovers, imagine my glee when I discovered some turkey thighs left over from this! There's nothing much tastier than turkey thighs braised low and slow in red wine, chicken stock, chipotle peppers and cranberries. They were memorable. 

Add chopped onion, garlic, green and yellow bell peppers, canned tomatoes and spices along with a touch of dark cocoa, a smidge of molasses and we were singing a whole different tune. This particular turkey chili tasted an awful lot like turkey in a mole sauce and that's one of my very favorite flavors. I hope I've convinced you to try the original braised turkey thigh recipe alluded to above because now you know what you can do with any leftovers - that's if you happen to have any of course. 

Kinda’ Like Mole Turkey Chili (an original from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Martha Stewart)

2 leftover braised turkey thighs with 2 cups of sauce (from Chipotle & Cranberry Braised Turkey Thighs)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 tablespoons chile powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1-1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 28 ounce tin diced tomatoes with juice

1-1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon molasses

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium high until shimmering. Add onion and peppers and cook until vegetables are softened. Add garlic and cook for additional minute, stirring constantly. Add chile powder, cumin, and cocoa powder and stir well to combine. Stir in tomatoes, chicken stock, sauce from turkey thighs and molasses. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, remove bones from turkey thighs and chop meat into bite sized pieces. Add to chili along with pinto beans. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Cook, covered for additional 15 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

 A year ago - Sunday Gravy

Two year's ago - Common Ground

Three year's ago -Steamed Marmalade Pudding

Turkey Dumpling Stew

Last night's dinner effort's from Food Network and another keeper if we have anything to say about it. A perfect way to use up the turkey carcass leftover over from Thanksgiving never mind a large piece of turkey lurk we had hiding in the freezer, it was a great dinner solution after an afternoon spent wrapping and packing pictures and mirrors. 

There's nothing quick about it so don't be thinking I'm going to brag about having dinner ready in a flash because for once, I won't be doing that; however, the fact that it all starts with a homemade broth made rich and flavorful with the addition of carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf meant that we got to smell the fabulous aroma darn near all day long.

Four hours of bubbling in a pot and that carcass was plum clean, the broth strained through a fine mesh strainer and further reduced by a half leaving a sublimely colored rich and glorious base for a great stew. I added more herby flavors because, as you know, we don't do subtle around here - a couple of teaspoons of poultry seasoning, lots of pepper and salt and a little more thyme made all the difference as far as I was concerned. Oh, I left the green beans out too, although I'd have loved some green peas in the mix along with the carrots and parsnip I'd have been eating the whole pot myself because Big Guy doesn't like either.

Oh, about the dumplings - hold onto your hats. I cheated! I simply mixed a handful of freshly chopped herbs including parsley, thyme and a little rosemary from our garden into 2 cups of storebought biscuit mix mixed with 2/3 cup milk. Tossed with a fork until it just barely came together and scooped into the bubbling cauldron of stew, the covered dumplings cooked a mere 15 minutes and came out light as air.

As for the verdict - to be honest, I was a tad worried it would be a kind of "not fancy, no flavor" boiled dinner the kinds of which I suffered through as a kid and swore I'd never make myself ever but I was wrong. This turkey stew's well worth a repeat next time we've leftover turkey or roasted chicken hanging around.  Hit this link and head on over for the recipe - oh, and Happy New Year everyone! May your dreams come true in a big way in 2013!

 

Duck Pizza with Brie, Onions and Apples

When we braise duck legs and thighs like we did for Christmas dinner, we always do a few extra because the leftovers are absoutely sublime. Made into a pizza, carnitas or added to a pot of risotto, there's no way on earth we think of the results as anything but delicious.

Last night's pizza started with homemade dough, made in a flash in the food processor and left to rise during the time it took to gather the rest of the pizza toppings together. A lovely thick bechamel sauce loaded with salt, pepper and nutmeg along with the chopped up rind from the brie started the pizza off on the right foot. Bechamel's a fabulous way to sauce a pizza and using the brie rind adds a ton of flavor too. Followed by sauteed onions cooked to a lovely golden color along with several cloves of garlic, slices of soft creamy triple cream brie, chopped moist tender duck and some of the apples and oranges fished from the leftover sauce, fourteen minutes after the pizza hit the oven it was out and ready to be enjoyed. 

Now, if the photo's haven't convinced you to give it a try, had you been able to hear us, you'd be convinced to make a pizza just like this one. Munching and groans of bliss kinda' took over the airwaves for every second of the 10 or so minutes it took us to inhale this beauty. Just sayin'. 

Duck Pizza with Brie, Onions and Apples (an original from JBug's Kitchen)

Crust:

1 cup water

1 package active dry yeast (Rapid Rise is fine)

2-1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Mix well. Add 1 cup four, olive oil and salt. Combine well until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade (about 20 seconds). If dough is very sticky add more flour; however dough should be very soft. Remove ball of dough from processor and place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. After dough has risen remove to a floured board and cut in half. Form into 2 balls and cover with bowl. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before shaping. Makes 2 – 12 inch pizzas – we used one and a half for our extra large pizza and froze the rest for future use.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1-1/2 cups whole milk

Salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg to taste

Rind from 6 ounce piece triple cream brie, chopped into small pieces 

Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook mixture, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and cook until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste, then whisk in brie rind. Cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, whisking often until brie partially melts into sauce. Sauce will be slightly lumpy. Set aside to cool.

For the pizza:

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper 

Heat heavy skillet over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add onions. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions have softened and start to brown. Add garlic and cook for additional 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cool. 

3/4 cup chopped or slivered cooked duck (see recipe for Duck with Apples, Oranges & Cider)

8 ounce piece of triple cream brie sliced, (rind removed as above)

Apples and oranges from sauce, chopped into small pieces

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 500. Shape crust into 16 inch pizza. Top with Brie sauce, then sauteed onions, followed by brie slices, duck and chopped apples/oranges. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until crust is golden and topping bubbling. 

A year ago -  Chicken Thighs Braised In Wine

Two year's ago - Mushroom Risotto with Duck

 

Chicken Salad or Chicken Soup

We had some leftover chicken hiding in the refrigerator from the roasted bird the other night and while its soup weather here in the deep southwest, Big Guy had a yen for salad because he says I make the best. I don't know about that when it is really all about making use of what you have in your pantry and veggie drawer and building on the flavors used when you roasted the bird in the first place. Am I being too modest here?

Last night I simply used chopped celery, sweet onion and diced carrots and added zest from 2 meyer lemons and the juice of one, picked fresh off our tree. (I sure am going to miss that tree!) Combined with lots of mayonnaise and fresh tarragon from the herb pots going strong on the patio, for a second there I thought I'd gone overboard with the lemon juice but solved the issue by adding some meyer lemon marmalade that I made last year. 

Served with some of the dough boy's croissants hot from the oven and slathered in butter, it was a dinner without pretense if you know what I mean. Best of all, there's lots of salad left to pile into a couple of soft rolls, or between two pieces of crusty toast. It'll come in handy while we're packing boxes this afternoon. 

 

 
In case you're wondering, personally I had a yen for this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup we enjoyed a while ago, or the Chicken Pot Pie soup from 2009, or especially a pot of Mulligatawny full of curry and apples and all those good things, but they'll have to wait for another time. 

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Grilled Lemon Chicken Pasta

Chicken Tostadas

Roast Chicken With Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

Autumn Chicken Salad

Turkey and Stuffing Pot Pie

It's time to get rid of more Thanksgiving leftovers hiding in the freezer so last night's culinary adventure was a true trip down memory lane. I'm warning you though - it's a new invention that could benefit from a little more work but we're all about honesty here so I'm giving you the goods anyway.

It all began with a pre-baked flaky buttery pie crust and kind of morphed from there.  I whipped up a creamy sherry flavored filling that included  a couple of cups of chopped up leftover turkey along with onions, carrots, celery and diced potatoes. As you'll see didn't include anything green which would have helped the visual effects substantially; however, as you know Big Guy doesn't do green peas or beans. His bad.

Piled high with a cap of stuffing stolen from the freezer, the whole shebang hit a hot oven for 45 minutes and came out looking like this.

Unfortunately the nuts in the stuffing got a little "brown" but it was all good. It tasted OK, in fact there's isn't much about it not to like but serving was an issue. It fell apart but that could be overcome by making individual serving sized pies, each in its own ramekin.

Would I make it again - uh maybe, although I must confess to being a touch turkeyed out at the moment. What about you?

Turkey and Stuffing Pot Pie (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 large)

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 cup turkey or chicken stock

2 tablespoons instant blending flour (Wondra)

1/4 cup dry sherry or marsala

1 – 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

2 cups leftover roast turkey, cut into bite size pieces

 

Pastry for a single crust pie

2 cups prepared stuffing (I used leftover)

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange pastry in a 9 inch pie pan, prick with a fork and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Lower oven temperature to 375.

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until vegetables start to soften. Add poultry season, garlic powder, salt, pepper and potato and stir well. Add turkey stock, cover pan and simmer until vegetables are cooked through – about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in instant blending flour. Cook stirring for 1 minute or until thickened then add sherry. Stir in frozen peas, turkey and cream of chicken soup. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as required. Pour filling into cooled crust and pile leftover stuffing on top. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until filling is bubbling and topping is browned. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Rigatoni with Pancetta, Hot Peppers and Tomato

Two year's ago -  Apple Cranberry Raspberry Pie

Ham and Cheese Quiche

The ham we cooked a few weeks ago is still making the rounds with eggs for breakfast, in sandwiches and even devilled as an appetizer. I love the fact that it freezes so well and recycles beautifully too. We never seem to get tired of it.

Now I don't know about you, but it's my opinion that leftover ham without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze, so I combined the former two while settin' myself up for the latter two in a ham and cheese pie also known as a quiche. Hey Big Guy won't eat quiche so I tell him it's a pie. 

I use the same basic custard recipe I've developed over the years and adjusted it to fit a partially baked 9 inch pie shell. It's just a combination of eggs, plain yogurt or sour cream, and half and half seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, Dijon mustard and a touch of nutmeg. Poured on top of a little finely minced onion, tiny cubes of ham and cubes of cheese - Emmanthal and Gruyere this time, the result is a light, cheesy creamy addictive excuse for dinner.

I know I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating - cube up the cheese rather than grating it and you'll end up with a much lighter textured pie because the custard surrounds the cheese cubes and as it cooks, the melted cheese ends up dispersed throughout the pie instead of in one gluey globby layer. 

Along with a nice bright and cheerful spinach salad loaded with gorgonzola, toasted almonds, scallions and dried cranberries, it was a totally satisfying light dinner that could be just as fabulous on the menu for brunch or lunch. 

Ham and Swiss Quiche an original from JBug’s Kitchen

Pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

1/4 cup finely minced onion

1 cup ham cut into quarter inch cubes

6 ounces cheese cut into quarter inch cubes (I used a combination of Emmanthal & Gruyere)

4 eggs

1 cup half and half

2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange pastry in a 9 pie dish, flute edges and prick all over bottom of pie shell with a fork. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Whisk together eggs, half and half, yogurt (or sour cream), salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard until well combined.

Arrange ham cubes in bottom of cooled crust. Top with onion and cheese cubes, spreading out evenly. Pour custard over top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - Irish Potato Cakes (Boxty)

Two year's ago -  BBQ Brisket

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Ham and Bean Soup

Turkey Croquettes on Greens with Cranberry Vinaigrette

There's a host of things to be made with leftover turkey as you'll see if you hit "Turkey" on the index to your right. Soups, salads, sandwiches, pot pies, enchiladas, bread pudding - we've kinda' run the gamut but one thing we'd never tried before was a turkey croquette until last night.

Thanks to Fine Cooking, these beauties are smaller and shaped more like rissole than a larger croquette, but then again the difference is only in the name, right? Afterall, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it must be a duck right or in this case, a crispy, golden fried hunk of leftover turkey.

Simply minced bird spiced up with rosemary, thyme and poultry seasoning, moistened with leftover mashed potatoes and a thick bechamel sauce loaded with minced onion, shallots and garlic, our version of the recipe is of course slightly different from the original but no less delicious, I'm sure.

The fact that I used leftover mashed potatoes instead of cooking spuds and left out the step of coating the patties in egg wash before they hit the crumbs, panko in this instance meant they were much easier to put together than Fine Cooking's version. Hey the patties were moist enough and panko will stick to darn near anything anyway. Allowed to sit for 40 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking meant the croquettes firmed up nicely and were less delicate to handle. After a quick browning on both sides, I put them into the oven for 10 minutes so they had a chance to heat all the way through.

Served on a bed of mixed greens with a tart cranberry balsamic vinaigrette, it was a rather welcome light and delicious change of pace after so much excess. I don't know about you, but there's only so much stuffing, gravy, mayonnaise loaded turkey sandwiches on white bread I can handle. 

Turkey Croquettes with Mixed Greens and Cranberry Vinaigrette (from JBug’s Kitchen, adapted from Fine Cooking)

Croquettes:

1 pound leftover turkey, cut into pieces

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Small handful fresh parsley, chopped

2 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped (stems removed)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt and course ground black pepper

12 ounces prepared mashed potatoes (I used leftovers)

1/4 cup butter

1 shallot, minced

1/2 medium onion, minced

3 cloves garlic (small) minced

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup whole milk

1 cup panko crumbs

Vegetable Oil for frying

Place turkey into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Move to a large bowl and add parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, rosemary, thyme, poultry seasoning, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add mashed potatoes and combine well.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, onion and garlic and cook until softened. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, and cook sauce stirring constantly until very thick – about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, then pour sauce over minced turkey mixture and mix well. Using a 4 ounce ice cream scoop, form mixture into balls then flatten into discs about a half inch thick. Coat both sides with panko crumbs and set onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for a minimum 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil to a depth of approx. ¼ inch in bottom of large skillet. When hot, fry croquettes on both sides until nicely browned. Move to a sheet pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until warmed through. Serve with mixed greens and Cranberry Vinaigrette. (Serves 6. …I froze half the croquettes uncooked for future use).

Cranberry Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup minced onion or shallot

1/4 cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons balsamic

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and course ground black pepper

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients into a jar with a tight sealing lid and shake until emulsified. Allow to sit at room temperature until serving. 

A year ago - Ginger Creme Brulee

Two year's ago - Clam and Corn Chowder

Ham and Bean Soup

First off I must apologize for missing a post yesterday. That old man Murphy with his law and Father Time were having a field day plotting and scheming and the result was "one of those days". Thank you all for your patience.

When your day is filled with impossibilities, one of the best things you can do other than make dinner reservations is to put a pot of soup on the stove and just forget about it. I don't know about you, but I don't necessarily need to follow a recipe when I'm making a pot of soup although in this case because it made use of a package of assorted dried beans along with some barley (Trader Joe's of course), the beans needed a little special treatment before they hit the pot. Since I forgot to soak them overnight, I did the quick soak treatment instead by boiling the lot in a big pot of water for a full 2 minutes, then allowing them to sit for a couple of hours before completing the soup. 

After the beans were plumped up, I sauteed some onion and garlic in a big soup pot, then added a host of veggies like carrot, celery, green and red pepper as well as canned tomatoes and tomato paste along with veggie stock and the ham bone from Sunday's dinner. It all simmered, bubbled and gurgled on the stove for the balance of the afternoon until I hit the pot with a couple of handfuls of dried pasta to beef it up, so to speak.

Next time you're looking for a low maintenance kind of meal, think about putting a pot of soup on the stove ...or heaven forbid, in the slow cooker.  Who just said that? Musta' been that darned old Murphy. 

Ham and Bean Soup (from JBug’s Kitchen, inspired by Purity Cookbook)

1 package dried bean mix (I used Trader Joe’s 17 bean plus barley mix)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

1 -28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 quart veggie or low sodium chicken stock

2 cups water or more as needed to fill pot

3 ounces tomato paste

1 large meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks

1 cup dried pasta (any large pasta will do)

Shredded cheese for garnish

Pre-soak beans according to package directions. Rinse and drain well. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot until shimmering. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions start to soften – about 4 or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery, red and green pepper and sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, oregano, pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Add canned tomatoes and ham bone, and then add stock and water as needed to fill pot within 2 inches of top. Stir in tomato paste, bring pot to a boil, then lower heat, cover pot and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, until beans are soft. Fifteen minutes before serving, add dried pasta to the pot. Simmer until pasta is cooked and soup has thickened to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Remove bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded cheese.  Makes 8 to 10 servings. (Freezes well)

A year ago - Dairy Free Rich Chocolate Mousse

Two year's ago - Potato Gratin 

Baked Potato Pie

If you're looking for something new and different to serve with some of that leftover turkey and gravy coming down the pike in the next couple of weeks, then I have got a deal for you.

Think about a crispy tender buttery pie crust courtesy of Trader Joe's freezer. Hey - you know me and pastry are on the outs these days. Add a scooped out baked potato, cottage cheese, sour cream, and eggs to the mix. Top it off with a dusting of cheese, bake for about an hour and what have you got? 

If you guessed a perfect vehicle for sour cream, bacon bits and french fried onions, you'd be right because honestly it's just a glorified gargantuan fabulous new and different baked potato; however, serve that new "thang" along side some leftover turkey smothered in gravy or as was our case last night, a supersized serving of Chicken Fried Steak and creamy rich gravy and I'd say you'll have yourself something darn near food orgasmic. Just sayin'. 

Baked Potato Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Jackie Eddy, Slicing Hooking and Cooking)

1 very large Idaho potato

16 ounces small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pastry for single crust 9 inch pie

Garnishes: sour cream, crispy bacon bits, French fried onions

Prick potato and microwave on high until done (about 4 to 5 minutes). Wrap potato in a towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes, and then set aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop pulp out of potato and place into a blender or food processor. There should be 2 cups of cooked potato.

Add cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper to blender and puree until smooth.

Preheat oven to 425. Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry and flute edges. Pour filling into the pie shell and level off with a spatula. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then lower heat to 350 and continue baking for an additional 40 minutes or until top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish each piece with sour cream, bacon bits and French fried onions. Makes 6 to 8 servings.  

Incidentally, while this recipe calls for basic unadorned potato, I'm here to say that I've made it before using a different method and it's safe to say you could certainly use leftover mashed spuds from your Thanksgiving dinner to come up with a fabulous pie. Hit this link and head on over to the other version and see what I say. 

A year ago - Old Fashioned Swiss Steak

Two year's ago -  Roasted Tomato Soup with Spinach Pesto

Autumn Chicken Salad

We had some chicken left over from Monday night's bird in hard cider sauce that needed to be put to good use one way or another. Since Tucson's still enjoying 80 degree temperatures, I figured a salad would be quite appropriate even though the Northerner in me's craving a good hot bowl of soup and a snow shovel. (I know...call me crazy!)

We love chicken salad around here as you can gather from the many versions on this site and I enjoy experimenting with different flavors and textures because when you put chicken into a salad, there's no reason on earth not to experiement.

For example, when you've chicken that's been roasted with lemon and thyme, take advantage of the flavors by adding  green olives, fresh lemon zest, sundried tomatoes and a fresh basil garnish for a Mediterranean twist. On the other hand if your cooked bird is a smidgen on the bland side, spice it up with a curry mayonnaise, add a little honey, some fresh cantalope balls and a few pecan pieces for added crunch and you've created something memorable.  

In this case because the chicken was cooked in hard cider with onions and garlic, it made sense to take advantage of the autumn flavors. Beginning with sweet onion and celery, I added some diced Granny Smith apple and a handful of dried cranberries to the chunked up chicken and devised a dressing from mayonnaise, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. So far so good, right?

My plan was to enhance the texture by adding a handful of toasted walnuts which as you can see, I forgot, as well as some crispy, salty crunchy bacon but the bacon didn't make it either. I burnt it...yup, I did.  Five slices of beautiful home cured bacon up in smoke quick as you please. Stinkin' up the house and messin' up the microwave. What can I say. When I fail, I fail big. 

Autumn Chicken Salad (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 cups leftover roasted chicken, cut into chunks

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into half inch pieces

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

5 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Toss together chicken, onion, celery, cranberries and apple. Season well with salt and coarse ground black pepper. In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Pour over salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with crumbled bacon and toasted walnuts. Makes 4 servings. 

A year ago - Mango Chicken Curry

Two year's ago -  Pasta Salad with Green Olivada

King Ranch Casserole

Can't believe we've lived in the Southwest for 10 years and this is my first attempt at a King Ranch Casserole. It certainly isn't that I haven't wanted to try it before now. I mean really, it's got everything in it that we love including lots of ooey gooey goodness.

 

We must have been exceptionally anxious to chow down on this casserole last night, because this is the only picture we got. Sorry!

I took my inspiration from a "light" version via myrecipes.com but added a few more calories - hey, heaven forbid anything should be too light around here and while I know there's scratch versions out there like the one at Homesick Texan, since JBug's Kitchen is all about every day cooking, I went ahead and used a couple of Campbell's products in the form of fat free cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom too. I'm sure I'll hear from you "gourmand's" out there who take issue with using convenience foods, but so be it. 

I threw in extra garlic powder, a touch of cumin and some of our favorite chipotle chile powder as well as just a touch of sour cream and a little chicken stock too. Good thing the sour cream was in it because Big Guy picked up Rotel with Habenero peppers in it for a little extra kick. Just can't trust him can I?

As for the chicken, I raided the freezer for the rest of the bird we roasted a few weeks ago which means we enjoyed 3 totally different meals plus leftovers from that one little bird. Not bad, eh? Oh, in case you're wondering whether we liked the casserole - heck yes. What's not to like? Rich creamy flavorful soul satisifying good grub that's a cross between chicken enchiladas and chilequilas... no way you can go wrong with that!

Lighter King Ranch Chicken Casserole (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from myrecipes.com)

1 large onion, chopped

5 assorted mini sweet peppers, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 – 10 ounce can fat free cream of chicken soup

1 – 10 ounce can fat free cream of mushroom soup

1 – 10 ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes with habanero peppers

1/3 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup lite sour cream

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 -1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

10 – 6 inch corn tortillas cut into quarters

2 cups chopped leftover roasted chicken

4 ounce grated Pepper Jack cheese (or Monterey Jack)

2 ounce grated sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together undiluted cream soups, tomatoes, chicken stock, sour cream, pepper, garlic, chile powder and cumin until well mixed. Pour a third of the mixture onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with one third of the tortilla pieces, followed by half the chicken, half of the onion pepper mixture and a third of the cheese. Add a third of the sauce and repeat layers, ending in sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until the casserole is bubbling. Serves 6 to 8.

 A year ago - New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

Two year's ago - Magic Banana Caramel Pudding

Chicken Tostadas

I was in a real fix yesterday trying to decide what to do with some of the leftover roast chicken from Saturday night's dinner. I was thinking enchiladas since we haven't had them for a while and of course there's always one of my favorites, chicken pot pie but we've had plenty of those in the past. 

Instead I took a page out of Marcela Valladolid's book at Food Network and put together a platter of goodies as toppers on small corn tortillas that I fried until crisp and golden. The tostada's are a cinch to make so there's no need to buy the shells because they take all of about a minute total to get crisp and puffy. A little oil in a large cast iron pan, a pair of tongs and that's it.

Next time you've some leftover pork, beef, chicken or even fish or shrimp, take an imaginary trip to margarita land and cook up this simple Mexican version of an open face sandwich.  I bet your family will have a blast choosing how to build their masterpieces never mind enjoying the crisp and flavorful results of their labors. I know we sure did!

The simple version...uh dainty isn't it?

 

The manly kind. Dainty? NOT

A year ago - Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila Marinade

Two year's ago - Shaker Lemon Bars

 

Pork and Apple Pie In A Bowl

When I say another - I do mean another. We presented our first pork and apple pie way back in 2010 and while it's great in its own rather traditional way, I've got to admit last night's effort while somewhat similar, is different in a good way.

Adapted from the same recipe for The Henry Ford Pork & Apple Pie, it's proof once again that recipes are merely guidelines and the same cook can make the same thing more than once, with none identical. It is one of the many reasons I love to cook so much! After all, variety is the spice of life ...says the same person who has ordered exactly the same thing for breakfast, at the same restaurant every Saturday morning for 3 years. Ha. Anyway, I digress.

Last night's pork "pie" started with bacon, cooked until crisp followed by diced onion, carrots, celery and sweet delicious parsnip. Seasoned with lots of salt, pepper, fresh chopped rosemary and a dash of cinnamon, flour hit the pot to form a roux with the veggies before equal parts apple cider and chicken broth make a sauce. Wedges of nice firm Granny Smith apples joined the party and the whole thing simmered for 20 minutes before I added approximately 2 pounds of leftover pork roast from the other day, (minus the stuffing). 

While the stew was cookin', and the flavors blending, I cut a circle of the dough boy's (Pillsbury) prepared pastry into wedges and baked it up in a hot oven for 12 minutes until the pastry was crisp and golden. 

I dished up the stew into bowls, garnished the bowls with pastry and we chowed down on the new and oh so delicious version. Easy? You betcha'. It is a pot pie in a bowl, full of rich pork and sweet apple flavors. It is easier and much quicker to make than the traditional version, but the big question remains...Is it better?  You be the judge!

Pork and Apple Pie In a Bowl

 

Traditional Pork and Apple Pie

 

Pork and Apple Pie In a Bowl

Original Pork and Apple Pie

3 slices bacon, diced 2 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced 2 parsnip, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Salt and coarse ground black pepper 3 heaping tablespoons flour 2 cups low sodium chicken stock 2 cups apple cider (or more as needed) 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges 2 pounds leftover pork roast, cut into 1 inch cubes   In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Add butter, onion, celery, carrots and parsnip and sauté until vegetables start to soften. Add rosemary, cinnamon and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in flour and cook stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and apple cider, bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add leftover pork cubes and simmer for another  10 minutes, adding more cider if mixture is too thick. Alternatively, if it is too thin, remove the cover and let the liquid reduce.   Pastry for single crust pie (I used Pillsbury), cut into wedges and baked on a sheet pan in a 425 oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.   To serve, ladle stew into bowls and garnish with pastry wedges.

2 slices bacon, chopped (optional) 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried sage Coarse ground black pepper 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour 1 cup low sodium chicken stock 3/4 cup apple cider 2 Tablespoons cream 2 Tablespoons apple jack (optional) 4 cups cubed cooked pork loin 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced Cinnamon   In a large sauté pan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and add onion and celery. Sauté until vegetables are soft. Add thyme, sage and black pepper, mixing well. Add flour and cook, stirring well for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and apple cider and cook until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in cream and apple jack. Set aside to cool.   Pastry: 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening 1/2 cup boiling water Sprinkle salt on top of shortening. Add boiling water and stir until shortening has melted and mixture is well blended. Cool to room temperature.   Blend together 1-3/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Cut in shortening mixture using a pastry blender or fork until a dough forms. Form it into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill thoroughly.   Preheat oven to 425. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and place pork cubes in the bottom. Top with cooled sauce mixture. Place apple slices on top and dust with cinnamon. Roll pastry out on a well floured board to fit top of casserole and decorate as you wish. Brush with egg yolk wash if desired. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 350 and continue baking for 40 minutes or until pastry is well browned, casserole is bubbling and apples are cooked.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

A year ago -  Old Settler Beans

Two year's ago -  Baked Haddock with Onion and Bacon Crust

The Hot Brown - Not Just Any Old Turkey Sandwich

I figure my Canadian readers are just working their way through the last of the Thanksgiving turkey so here's something different for those of you who've had enough of the ordinary - although I'm not sure how a turkey sandwich piled high with cold stuffing, cranberries and mayo could ever be called ordinary.

Regardless, I'm here to say that when you have one of these, you'll be cooking another turkey PDQ so you can have more. The Hot Brown first came to be in the late 1920's and was served at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. I think it's a cross between a Welsh Rarebit and turkey version of a Croque Monsieur which is a Croque Madame without the egg. However you want to describe it, let's just say it's plum good!

We've had it before with the traditional cheese sauce but last night's version adapted from Food Network Magazine contains sauteed onion in the sauce as well as chicken stock. I changed it up by using half and half to make it richer and Jarlsburgh cheese instead of the muenster they called for, and kicked it up a notch too with a little cayenne pepper and a splash of sherry. 

Loaded onto slices of crisp grilled French bread, slathered with mustard and layers of sliced tomato, turkey and sauce all browned up under the broiler, the crowning touch has to be the crisp salty bacon on top.  Served with a crisp salad on the side, it more than sufficiently saffonsified my resident carnivore. 

Hot Brown Turkey Sandwich (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Food Network Magazine)

Sauce:

5 slices bacon

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup half and half (more as needed)

1-1/2 cups grated Jarlsburgh cheese (or Muenster or Monteray Jack)

1/8  teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons dry sherry

Salt & pepper

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel and reserve for later. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan. Add onion to the pan and cook until softened and starting to turn golden. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in chicken broth and half and half. Lower heat to medium low and cook stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat and add grated cheese, cayenne pepper and dry sherry. Stir until cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper as required. Cover and set aside to keep warm.

Sandwich:

4 thick slices crusty bread (I used French bread)

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Dijon mustard

1/2 pound sliced roasted turkey

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat broiler. Spread softened butter over both sides of French bread slices and grill in a hot pan until golden. Remove from pan and place onto a foil lined sheet pan. Slather grilled toast on one side with Dijon mustard and top each slice with a few tablespoons of prepared sauce. Arrange sliced tomato on top, followed by a thin layer of sliced turkey. Top with sauce and follow up with more turkey, ending with sauce on top. Place under the broiler and cook until golden brown – about 2 to 3 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon. Makes 4 servings (or serves 2 gluttons). 

A year ago - Ranch Potatoes

Two year's ago - Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Use Leftovers - Turkey and Pumpkin Enchilada Casserole

Leftovers can be the best gift a cook can give herself and never moreso after a big holiday meal. With that in mind, we threw a few extra turkey thighs in the pot on Sunday so we'd take care of a few more meals through the week. Here's number 1.  

I don't know about you but when I use the word casserole, I think of something quick and easy to make. Unfortunately this version of Mexican style lasagne doesn't quite fit into the "quick" category but believe me when I say it's worth every second of the time it takes to get it on the table. 

Step one is the sauce. While you could forgo this by simply opening a can of prepared enchilada sauce, this sauce isn't difficult to make and definitely worth it in the flavor department. Simply mild California dry chiles mixed with a couple of dried Ancho chiles, six cloves of garlic, oregano and water, the pot of red simmers for a half hour until the chiles are softened and the garlic cooked, then steeps for another half hour before it gets hit with an immersion blender. A little golden roux, brown sugar, salt and a bit more time on the burner and the sauce is done - rich, red and absolutely delicious. 

The enchilada filling includes onion, garlic and cumin, as well as pumpkin or butternut squash, simmered until just cooked then joined by a few cups of leftover turkey. Layered between warmed corn tortillas, the fabulous deep red rich chile sauce and shredded monteray jack cheese, the casserole hits the oven (finally) and 30 minutes later comes out looking beautiful and smelling glorious.

We loved it, in fact oddly enough I was the one who kept asking if it couldn't have used more spicey heat but honestly it's perfect just the way it is. We garnished our servings with sour cream and some purchased salsa but head on over to Fine Cooking for the recipe and see how they did it. I changed not one thing to the casserole and I'd make it exactly the same again in a heartbeat.

Next time I might just double the recipe and make 1 for the freezer and 1 for dinner. As for the sauce, we'll be canning quarts of it and calling it Ruby Red Chile Gold! Just sayin'. 

A year ago - Pumpkin PIe Creme Brulee

Two year's ago - Cider Brined Pork Chops with Apples and Creamed Leeks

Pork and Sweet Potato Chili

I'm always looking for ways to repurpose leftovers around here. Afterall when you cook as much as we do and there's just an audience of two, there's usually always something left over. As a result I've become rather creative, if you know what I mean. 

As an example, take Big Guy's slow cooker spicy country ribs that we had a while ago. I've been thinking about various ways to use the remains of them and pulled the container out of the freezer yesterday. Originally I thought about carnitas - crisping up the meat on the flat top grill and making tacos loaded with guacamole, salsa and slaw but then the wonderful gravy would have gone to waste. That would have been tragic because honestly, in my opinion that's where all the flavor is.

I could have put the whole thing into a casserole dish, added a few veggies, put a crust on it and called it a pot pie too and you all know how I love me some pot pie like this one, but something different was in the cards. 

Instead I sauteed some onion and garlic, added sweet potatoes and a couple of roasted fresh green Hatch chiles, some chipotle chile powder and a can each of drained pinto beans and diced tomatoes and the country ribs morphed into a pot of glorious spicy and totally satisfying chili.

So listen, are you wondering if it tasted like leftovers? Not on your life! 

Pork and Sweet Potato Chili (an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics)

Half a recipe of Slow Cooker Spicy Country Ribs with Gravy

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon Knorr tomato bouillon (optional)

1 large sweet potato or yam, peeled and diced

2 diced roasted Hatch chiles, skin and seeds removed

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 – 14 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2/3 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water

Sour cream, hot sauce and mango salsa as garnish

Warmed corn tortillas (optional)

Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and when hot add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion has softened. Stir in chipotle chili powder, bouillon if using, sweet potato, green chiles, tomatoes and chicken stock. Cook, covered for 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Add leftover country ribs with gravy and drained pinto beans. Heat to a simmer and taste for seasoning. If desired, thicken mixture with cornstarch/water slurry and cook for additional 3 or 4 minutes or until mixture boils. Serve with sour cream, hot sauce and salsa with corn tortillas on the side. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Chicken Parmigiana

Two year's ago -  Mac and Cheese

Chicken 'n Stuffing Pot Pie

Not just any old chicken pot pie, this one's about to be repeated several times over the next couple of days as we have leftovers of leftovers. There's not likely to be any complaints about it because last night's effort was pretty darn tasty.

Purely made up as I went along, the main deal's about the leftover lemon rosemary rotisserie roasted chicken courtesy of Big Guy about 10 days ago and recovered from the freezer. Feel free to use a store bought pre-cooked bird but for heaven's sake hit the link and you may be enticed to make one all by your lonesome.

Joined by sauteed carrots, celery, garlic and onion, along with a touch of fresh tarragon and a dash of poultry seasoning, the sauce is fashioned from white wine, concentrated chicken stock like Swanson's flavor boost (I used Trader Joe's version) as well as a can of cream of mushroom soup. Hey I didn't say it was gourmet, now did I? All mixed up together, I'd have added some frozen peas but didn't want to hear the reaction from you know who.

The cruncher occurred when I realized I only had enough pastry dough for a single nine inch pie and since I was looking at 4 rather significant ramekins, I figured my goose was cooked. That's when a foraging trip into the pantry resulted in a package of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix and a new idea was born.

I mixed some dry stuffing mix with a little melted butter and a splash of white wine, then topped each ramekin with stuffing and pastry. Baked in a 400 oven for 40 minutes, the pot pies came out bubbling and looking right handsome, if I do say so myself. 

It kind of left me wondering what other brilliant ideas are hiding in this brain of mine. As you can see we had our individual pot pies with a side of creamy slaw with chunks of green apple and dried cranberries. Perfect!

Chicken ‘n Stuffing Pot Pies (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped onion (about half a large yellow onion)

1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)

1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 large)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons instant blending flour (Wondra)

2 packages chicken broth concentrate (like Stouffer’s Flavor Boost)

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup dry white wine

1 – 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

3 cups leftover roast chicken, cut into bite size pieces

 

Pastry for a single crust pie

2 cups dried stuffing mix

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons dry white wine

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until vegetables soften and onion turns transparent – about 5 to 8 minutes. Add tarragon, poultry seasoning and instant blending flour. Cook stirring for 1 minute, then add white wine. Cook for 30 seconds until wine has partially reduced and mixture is thickening. In a small bowl, stir together water and chicken broth concentrate, and then add to sauté pan. Cook until mixture comes to a boil then remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile spray 4 ramekins or 1 medium sized casserole with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl mix together cream of mushroom soup, peas (if using) and roast chicken pieces. Fold in cooled vegetable/sauce mixture. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Transfer mixture to ramekins. Toss together stuffing mix, butter and white wine. Place lightly on half of each ramekin, covering the remaining half with pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until filling is bubbling and topping is browned. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Deviled Chicken 

Two year's ago - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad (Bo Bun)

Salmon Spread 2

Every once in a while we crave the uncomplicated. You know how it goes don't ya? A fridge filled with fresh ingredients, a pantry filled with great things and none of it looks interesting. That was the lay of the land in our house last night.

As a result, I had no choice but to come up with something interesting from what was ready on hand (in other words ...leftovers), so I unearthed the extra piece of herb crusted salmon from the other night and mixed up one of our favorite munchie dishes. Mixed with cream cheese, sour cream, lemon rind and juice, as well as minced sweet onion along with horseradish and lots of fresh dill, the flakey salmon morphed into one of the best excuses for salmon salad on earth. 

Arranged on a platter with leftover meatloaf and Caponata from the other day, assorted cheeses, pickles, crackers and bread fresh from the oven, dinner was highly enjoyable - if I do say so myself. 

Incidentally in case you're wondering what's in the little cast iron pan on the upper left of the photo, wonder no longer. From Pasture Pride, a Wisconsin cheesemaker, it is Juusto, a Scandanivian style baked cheese that has a buttery flavor and very dense texture. This one is flavored with Italian herbs. To serve it, you warm it up until it glistens then cut it into pieces to eat. The amazing thing is that the cheese doesn't melt but holds a firm squeaky texture even when all warmed up and glistening.  

Did we like it? Uh not much, but in all fairness it was an afterthought to our menu so I'm not sure we gave it the attention it deserves, especially since we didn't serve it with a little Marinara sauce as recommended.  It is not at all what we expected so we'll have to give it another chance in the future. If we can forget that it's a "cheese" and treat it more like a cracker, we might have a winner here. 

Salmon Spread with Horseradish (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sour cream

Rind of whole lemon

Juice of half a lemon

2 teaspoons horseradish

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

3 tablespoons minced sweet onion

8 ounces leftover cooked sockeye salmon (cold)

In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, sour cream, lemon rind, lemon juice and horseradish, salt and pepper until mixture is smooth. Flake salmon and check for bones, then add to cheese mixture along with dill and sweet onion. Fold to incorporate. Chill a minimum of 1 hour before serving. Serve with crackers or assorted breads and pickles. 

A year ago - Polenta Tamale Torte 

Two year's ago - Country Style Ribs and Beans

 

Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts

We hit the MO Club (Mountain Oyster) last night for an amazing Hawaiian Luau and of all the stupidity I forgot to bring a camera so I could share the event. You'll have to be content with hearing about the salad we cooked up for Monday's night's dinner instead. 

The incredible thing about cooking your own rotisserie chicken other than the fact that it's delicious of course, is that you also know what's in it. The spices you've used and flavor you've added can be enhanced in whatever you're making from the leftovers. Take Big Guy's Chipotle bird for example. You had to know we'd pick that one first, now didn't ya!

The spicy southwestern flavors combined beautifully with cool peaches, crunchy toasted walnuts and a touch of orange juice to calm the heat and create a darn tasty salad. Of course the usual chopped celery, tangy red onion and crunchy colorful carrots helped too, never mind a creamy dressing made a tad lighter by a combination of mayonnaise and  yogurt and brightened with the addition of orange juice, and a smidgen of orange marmalade to calm the aggressive chile heat. It really did the trick and married beautifully with the peaches too.

Just remember to think outside the box next time you're whipping up a chicken salad, or any salad for that matter. Use your imagination and add dried or fresh fruit including pineapple, mango, grapes, fresh or dried apricots and even dried cranberries or sour cherries to the mix and of course your nut choices are unlimited too. 

What do ya' mean  you're not inspired yet? Hit the links for a few more unique and tasty chicken salads we've enjoyed here in JBug's Kitchen. 

 With Asparagus              Pasta and Pesto          Curry and Toasted Almonds  

Orange and Tarragon       Potatoes and Dill        Buffalo Style

Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

2-1/2 cups diced leftover cooked chicken

1/2 cup finely diced raw carrot

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used no fat Greek)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried ground Chipotle chile seasoning

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 14 ounce can sliced peaches, drained

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted

Combine chicken, carrot, celery, and red onion in a medium sized bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic powder, ground Chipotle chile, orange marmalade and orange juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Mix with chicken, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to blend flavors. Just before serving garnish with peaches and toasted walnuts. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - Creamy Hominy Gratin

Two year's ago - Corn and Basil Cakes

BBQ Beef Chili

My apologies to my regular readers but there's nothing even close to being inspired coming from JBug's Kitchen at the moment. I'm trying to get the freezer contents down to a bare minimum so our house sitter doesn't have to worry about it next month in case the power goes out for any length of time as is normal during monsoon season. At least the freezer losses will be minimal.

One of my foraging finds was a 3 pound chunk of barbecued beef the Big Guy cooked up for our big party in May and since he's nutso about our chili created from leftover beef, he was a happy camper last night when he saw the big pot of red on the stove.

Hit the link and it'll take you to our original post, but in case you'd rather not read about chili created from leftovers that includes lots of onions, garlic, tomatoes, beef consomme and beer, never mind a good amount of barbecue sauce, I've re-posted the recipe below.  Just remember you can make a pot of this anytime you've leftover meat and that doesn't mean it has to be beef either. Try it with chicken, turkey or pork and I guarantee you'll be really happy with the outcome.

Incidentally, I added another can of tomatoes to the pot along with a little more beer because I had a lot more meat in this pot of chili than I usually do, never mind that I only had 1 can of beans in the pantry;  however, there were no complaints coming from the resident carnivore. None, nada, zilch...no siree!

The Ultimate Chili from Leftover Prime Rib from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by Fine Cooking 

4 slices smoky bacon, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large yellow onions, diced

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons mild chili powder

1 tablespoon hot New Mexico chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 - 12 ounce can lager beer

1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce (I used Kraft original)

10 ounces of beef stock or a can of beef consomme'

1 or 2 pounds leftover prime rib roast, cut into half inch dice

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Garnishes – cubed cheese, chopped sweet onion, pickled jalapeno, lime wedges

Heat a Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add olive oil and bacon, and cook stirring occasionally until bacon has released its fat and pieces are starting to crisp. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are very soft – about 8 to 10 minutes. Add chili powders, cayenne, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook stirring constantly for another 3 or 4 minutes. Add beef, tomatoes, tomato paste, barbecue sauce and beef stock. Bring to a boil, and then add beef. Lower to simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Add pinto beans and cook additional 15 minutes, stirring often. Serve with garnishes and a squeeze of lime. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Cornbread with Pancetta and Beef and Chorizo Chili 

Two year's ago - Tres Leches

Maui Chile Verde - well kinda' verde

Much like the Maui taco's we told you about some time ago, this isn't what you think. We had a ton of the pork carne adovada filling and grilled pineapple leftover from a recent family event and put the leftovers in the freezer for another time. 

While we could have gone ahead and repeated what we had the last time ...you're lookin' at it, I decided to use some imagination and make a batch of green chile verde instead. The only problem is it turned out a little more red than green because of all the spice mixture already mixed into the pork. It may look a little strange but it sure doesn't taste that way.

A base of sauteed onions, anaheim and green peppers, and garlic along with cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano make up the spicy basis of this bowl of yum. Add chicken stock, salsa verde and a single bottle of Mexican beer as well as some simmering time and this was the result. 

We loved the spicy pork flavor and the sweetness of the pineapple which really cut the heat down, in fact just enough that a garnish of pickled jalapenos and some sour cream was the perfect thing. 

So next time you're having a bunch of people over, serve some Maui taco's and make sure you make extra. Then you can revamp the dregs into a delicious pot of chile becauuse believe me, there's no way this lives up to what we normally thing of as the leftovers. It's so delicious you'll want leftover leftovers. 

Maui Chile (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large Anaheim pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 bay leaf

1 cup salsa verde (I used Herdez)

1 – 14 ounce can low sodium chicken stock

1 – 12 ounce bottle Mexican beer (I used Modelo)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 pounds prepared maui taco filling – see recipe below

Garnish with sour cream, pickled jalapenos

Heat oil in a large dutch oven until shimmering. Add onion, bell and Anaheim peppers and cook until onion softens. Add garlic and cook another minute, then stir in flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, then add oregano, cumin and coriander. Stir in salsa verde, chicken stock and beer. Drop in bay leaf. Cook stirring until mixture comes to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and add maui taco filling. Simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Cover pot if you find the mixture is getting too thick and/or add more chicken stock.  Serve garnished with sour cream and pickled jalapenos. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Maui Tacos

Meat – Carne Adovada

30 dried chile de arbol, stems removed

2 dried New Mexico chile’s stems removed

1 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

10 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/4 cup red chile powder (mild)

2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 pounds pork loin, cut into half inch cubes

In a spot pot, boil water. Add chiles, cover and let soften for 20 minutes. After they’ve softened, drain chiles reserving liquid. Place chiles into a blender along with canola oil and 2 tablespoons of reserved liquid and blend until completely pureed. Pour over cubed pork; add garlic powder, garlic, cumin, red chile powder and salt. Mix well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for a minimum 4 hours or overnight.

Maui Tacos:

Add to above meat mixture:

1/2 cup chopped Maui sweet onion

1 – 14 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained

On a large flat top grill or cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium high heat.  Add meat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  If using large skillet – cook meat in batches so pan is not crowded. Cook until meat is browned and onion and pineapple have caramelized.

Serve with warm flour tortillas. Garnish with Pineapple Salsa, fresh chopped cilantro, queso fresco cheese, guacamole and sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime.  

 

BBQ Turkey on a Bun

Late night dinners are a whole different ball game around here. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time eating a heavy meal then going to bed and expecting to sleep. Of course sleep is rather fleeting around here this week anyway with the Maxer doing his seizure dance, but if I were going to catch some zzz's, I'd be hard pressed to do it after a heavy meal. 

 
Last night's dinner sure wasn't rocket science but it filled the void, was quick to make and filling but not the stuff kind of filling and rather tasty too. This sandwich is simply shredded leftover turkey, moistened with chicken stock and slathered in barbecue sauce on a grilled bun. That's it, that's all - except for the red onion, red cabbage slaw of course.

No mayo in this one - just the sharp bite of red wine vinegar and a 2 hour room temperature marination  and the crispy relish was ready as a true crowning glory on our sandwiches. Accompanied by some cold crisp crudites and sweet potato chips, we were sufficiently suffcified. 

In case you're wondering what's happening with the kitchen renovations, the new granite was installed  with a couple of hitches that need to be resolved which may mean the third time we go through this exercise. Believe me, it's not that I'm fussy ...just the guy that cut the granite must have been into the tequila because it's out almost a half inch on one side meaning there's a big enough gap between the granite and the wall that our backsplash tile isn't likely to cover.

The plumber has also been and gone. We've a new sink with actual running water in the kitchen, except the water is also running UNDER the sink so of course the plumber will have to come back to fix it and to pick up the faucet wrench he left behind. Oh, speaking of faucets, the faucet is too tall so we can't open the plantation shutters or the window for that matter so it's safe to say our string of bad luck is still rolling along. When I picked the darn thing I took that into account but apparently when they supply measurements, they only include the distance to the top of the faucet, not including the handle.

If you think that's all, you'd be wrong. Our precious wine fridge that has the dual duty of curing pancetta and storing wine was built into the island - in fact, the island was designed around the darn thing. The only problem is the fridge doesn't like its new location, even though the manual says it can be used as a built in or stand alone refrigerator. Needless to say, we now need to purchase a new wine cooler or find something else to do with the huge gap in the island. 

Oh and update on Max, he still doing the shaky dance - 14 and counting since Sunday night and we're working hard to get them under control but failing miserably. He's had enough valium to sink a battleship and if he's not careful his Momma will be stealing some ... I might have thought about it before now if it weren't for the fact they're suppositories. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Do I hear anyone laughing?

I can honestly say if I didn't know any better, one would think there's a curse on us. On a positive note - I love our new kitchen especially the cabinets and really love the pot drawers we added to replace cupboard doors. They're absolutely amazing and make the kitchen much more efficient!

BBQ Turkey Sandwiches (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Slaw:

1 small red onion, cut into very thin slices

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and store at room temperature for a minimum 2 hours, then chill until serving.

 

Sandwiches:

4 panini rolls

Butter

1 pound cooked turkey

1 cup barbecue sauce ( I used honey flavored)

1/4 cup white wine or low sodium chicken stock

Tear or cut turkey into small shreds and place in a sauté pan along with barbecue sauce and wine. Heat slowly to a simmer, stirring often. Cut Panini rolls in half and butter well. Toast buttered side down on a hot grill. To serve arrange a generous amount of turkey mixture on grilled bun and top with slaw mixture. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Bacon and Blue Mac and Cheese 

Turkey Noodle Casserole with Artichokes

The leftover turkey from Easter dinner's been a real godsend this week as there's nothing that's more versatile than leftover poultry. This quick casserole makes good use of chunks of white or dark meat mixed with artichoke hearts, black olives, green pepper and pimento for color and onion for flavor and some quick cooking wide egg noodles. 

It's a pretty basic recipe from my Wall Drug Cookbook that had not one other spice or herb in it, so I took the liberty of adding garlic, tarragon and lots of salt and pepper. Slathered with grated parmesan cheese, it held admirably in the refrigerator until I got the call that Big Guy's late class was over. Forty minutes later he was home and the casserole was almost ready. 

So what did we think about it? Big Guy said it was OK which means "it's OK but you don't have to put it on the make again list". Me ....I thought it was boring as heck and was much better with a half bottle of Arizona Gunslinger hot sauce slathered over top. OK, so that's an exaggeration, but let's just say it needed more than a few drops to jazz it up.

If you're making lunch for your great aunt Sylvia and the rest of the bridge gang, then this might be just the thing for a ladies who lunch kinda' dish, but I'd be inclined to leave the noodles out of the equation, add some mushrooms and serve the turkey/artichoke/olive/green pepper/pimento/onion mixture in some puff pastry shells instead, garnished with toasted almonds for crunch. Just sayin'. 

For those of you that just dropped by for a look see at JBug's Kitchen Antics, I must apologize for the fancy dinner ware you see in the photograph but we're in the midst of renovating our kitchen and we're without a kitchen sink (among other things). Believe me using disposable plates while the kitchen's being renovated is becoming a life saver ....or should I say wife saver! 

Turkey Noodle Casserole with Artichokes (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Wall Drug Cookbook)

2-1/2 cups cooked turkey or chicken cut into bite size pieces

1 – 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, well drained

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 cup finely diced green pepper

1 small jar pimento

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

6 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked to al dente and well drained mixed with 1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl mix together turkey, artichoke hearts, black olives, green pepper, pimento, onion, garlic, and tarragon until well combined. In a small bowl whisk together chicken soup, white wine and sour cream. Fold into turkey mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Place half the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Layer buttered noodles on top then add remaining turkey mixture. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 6.

A year ago - Zippy Chicken and Rice Soup

Two year's ago - Two Potato Salad with Mustard and Bacon

Curried Turkey Salad and Sour Cream Scones

Other than the turkey sandwich I had for lunch yesterday, the next best thing I wanted to put together from the leftover Easter turkey is this curried turkey salad we had for dinner last night.

Thrown together without a recipe, it's got all the usual bird salad ingredients in it like celery and red onion, but in addition I loaded it up on dried cranberries and slivered almonds too just for a different crunch. What really gives this one a step up is the curry flavored mayo based dressing I concocted.

I added 4 teaspoons of curry powder to a 1/2 cup of mayo and a 1/4 cup of sour cream, then realized I might have gone a tad overboard with it. Curry can be a little bitter if it isn't mellowed in a hot pan first which of course I didn't do, so I added a half cup of our homemade kumquat marmalade to sweeten it up a bit. Any orange marmalade will do just fine, but there's something special about one that you've fashioned yourself out of kumquats from your own trees. Anyway, it was just what was needed to put this salad up there with one of our best. By the way, the salad would be wonderful with more fruit added to it in addition to the dried cranberries. Try mango chunks, or green grapes or some diced up apple and see what I mean.

I knew the plate needed one more thing and since I didn't have any dinner rolls hiding in the freezer, I went to the internet and found Paula's Sour Cream Scone recipe online at foodnetwork.com. They came together in the food processor in a flash but I left out the heavy cream/raw sugar finish she recommends and the top was perfectly golden and crunchy anyway, thank you very much.

The only thing I didn't do was work them a little more when the dough came out of the processor so if anything, the finished scones were a little too light and fluffy. Imagine having such a problem when often they can be like dry hockey pucks instead of the moist tender morsels they ended up as. I should make that mistake again soon! Thanks Paula!

Hit the link here to head directly to Paula's Sour Cream Scone recipe, and see the Curried Turkey Salad recipe below. 

Curried Turkey Salad (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 cups diced cooked turkey (or chicken if you wish)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

3 to 4 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup orange marmalade (I used our homemade kumquat)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Salad Greens

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder and orange marmalade and mix well. All to sit for 5 minutes, then taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Add celery, onion, cranberries, turkey and almonds to the dressing and toss well to combine. Refrigerate well covered for a minimum 1 hour to blend flavors. Serve on bed of mixed greens. Makes 4 servings.

For those of you that just dropped by for a look see at JBug's Kitchen Antics, I must apologize for the fancy dinner ware you see in the photograph but we're in the midst of renovating our kitchen and we're without a kitchen sink (among other things). Believe me using disposable plates while the kitchen's being renovated is becoming a life saver ....or should I say wife saver! 

Two year's ago - Maui Tacos with Seared Pineapple Salsa

Cheater Chicken Pot Pie

I'm sure you've noticed we've been eating rather simply the past week and this chicken pot pie is no exception. I've been making it for years and years when I want a quick no fuss but tasty pie and while I enjoy one made with freshly cooked chicken with assorted cubed fresh veggies in a roux based gravy of chicken stock and cream, this version really does in a pinch.

Adapted from a recipe in my old tried and true original Purity Cookbook, it makes use of pre-cooked chicken -  I used Trader Joe's grilled version found in their freezer section, a small package of frozen mixed veggies, a cubed cooked potato and a can of cream of chicken soup jazzed up with sherry and other spices to form the base. Rest assured, I very patiently hand picked all the peas out of the frozen vegetables so I wouldn't hear a groan from you know who.

The pie was topped with a flaky cap made from puffed pastry I happened to have hiding in the freezer. The pastry was baked separately on a sheet pan so it wouldn't get all soggy on the bottom, and decorated appropriately with some chicken shaped cut outs and an ax. Yup, that rather morbid suggestion was Big Guy's idea so don't think I've gone over to the dark side on you. By the way, if you want your puff pastry to puff all over, don't do what I did and slash cutouts in it, but even with the goof, it came out looking rather interesting. 

It was all ready in no time with limited mess and delicious served with a coleslaw loaded with dried cranberries and toasty almonds.  

Cheater Chicken Pot Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Purity Cookbook)

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted per package instructions

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

1 small packaged frozen mixed vegetables

1 medium potato, peeled, cubed and boiled for 5 minutes then drained

1 – 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup dry sherry

Dash each poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage

Coarse ground black pepper

Unfold puff pastry onto a floured board and roll slightly to remove creases. Cut into shape of casserole dish and move to a parchment lined sheet pan. Decorate as you wish and place pastry into freezer to chill until needed.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Grease a medium sized casserole dish with softened butter and add onion, chicken, mixed vegetables, and potato to the casserole. In a small bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sherry and seasonings. Pour over chicken/vegetable mixture and using a fork, fold it into the veggie/chicken mixture. Cover casserole with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes (45 minutes total).  Remove pastry from freezer and brush with egg/water mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Take casserole from oven and remove foil. Carefully place cooked pastry on top and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Bacon Blue Burger with Bourbon Onions

Two year's ago - Basque Chicken with Chorizo

Duck Carnitas

There's something amazing about leftovers, especially when it is leftover braised duck legs. There's at least a b'zillion things you can do with it, assuming of course that you haven't gorged yourself on the original like we wanted to do on Sunday night. 

Thankfully we held ourselves back because I knew this week would be a challenge, so last night we simply warmed up our little red Coleman grill, replaced the grates with griddle pans and made short work of crisping up the meat for soft tacos. I merely chopped up the meat, sprinkled it with fresh lime juice and the Big Guy fried it up till it was perfect. I warmed flour tortillas on the other side of the grill and dinner was ready.

Thank Trader Joe's for the peach salsa that adorned our duck carnita tacos along with shredded cabbage, slivered sweet peppers and a touch of chopped green onions. Delicious!

For more inspiration in the leftover quack department, just hit the links for 

Duck and Mushroom Risotto   or my personal favorites  Duck PIzza with Caramelized Onions and Brie or with Figs, Pancetta and Brie

   

In case you're curious about what's happening around here - well, the AC guys finished at noon yesterday and it is absolutely amazing how quiet and efficient the new unit is. They did a fabulous job for a very reasonable price.  Today American Kitchen Cabinets arrives to start the kitchen reno and I can't wait to see the results!

A year ago - Turkey Casserole with Apple Raisin Slaw

Two year's ago - Mexican Cowboy Beans 

Are You Wondering What To Do With Leftover Corned Beef?

It's been a few days since St. Patrick's Day and if you're anything like I am, you've been wondering what on earth to do with that piece of corned beef hiding in the depths of your refrigerator.

We solved part of our problem with last night's dinner and enjoyed what has become an annual tradition around here - Reuben Sandwiches. I have a pet peeve with the things when the inside's cold and the cheese hasn't melted either, so this time I drained and rinsed the sauerkraut then warmed it slightly in the microwave before putting it on the sandwich. I also sliced the corned beef and warmed it as well before constructing the sandwich with Thousand Island dressing, provolone and swiss cheese. Buttered on each side then placed on a medium hot griddle, the rye bread toasted nicely on one side then I flipped 'em over, placed a sheet pan on top along with a cast iron skillet to weight it down and the result was nicely melted cheese and appropriately warm innards. MMM 

I've plans for the rest of the corned beef too. We'll be enjoying another breakfast like the one Big Guy made for us on the weekend. There's absolutely nothing that starts a Sunday morning off quite like corned beef hash on a crispy potato cake, topped with poached eggs. In fact, I may not wait until Sunday and have it tonight for dinner, since Big Guy won't be home. I love breakfast for dinner but he's not so hot on it.

Oh, how about making some Cornish Pasties with some of that gold? Just substitute corned beef for the pork in this recipe , eliminate the half cup of gravy and add a little wine or beer to moisten the filling. Believe me, it will be delicous. 

Of course if that doesn't turn your crank, you could always make a lovely quiche like pie using hash brown potatoes for the crust like we did here with this one. Just substitute corned beef for the chicken and leave out the green chiles and you'll have a fabulous new creation to enjoy. 

Failing that, dice some leftover corned beef up and throw pieces into a batch of cheesey buttermilk scones. Open a can of soup to go with them or make something like the Winter Vegetable Chowder we had the other night or our Roasted Tomato Soup and you'll have a meal fit for a king. 

Just for heaven's sake, don't let it go to waste. It's just too darned delicious, don't ya' think?