Oven-Roasted Turkey

Based on a recipe from Recipezaar.com



Ingredients:
1 8- to 10-pound turkey, thawed with giblets and neck removed
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs sage
1 lemon, halved
1 apple, halved
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or to taste)

Directions:
Wash the turkey and pat it dry. Place all of the herbs, all the butter, half the lemon and half the apple into the body cavity. Place the other half of lemon and apple into the neck cavity. Truss the turkey with kitchen string or dental floss. Rub canola oil all over the turkey and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Cover the turkey loosely with foil.

Roast in a 325 degree oven for 2 1/4 hours. Remove foil. Continue roasting 30-45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 180 degrees. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Comments:



I never really saw the big hullabaloo about cooking a whole turkey. Yes, it takes some time, but it's kind of hard to mess up. Anyway, combined a couple "recipes" to get some flavor and time ideas. It turned out quite well, I think. Then Adam took the leftovers, tried to make jerky from them, and turned them into turkey pellets. Ha!

Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 cups diced zucchini
10 ounces frozen corn
15 ounces black beans, rinsed
2 cups enchilada sauce, divided (recipe follows)
cooking spray
8 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Enchilada sauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
28 ounces crushed tomatoes

Directions:
To make sauce:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes Stir in broth and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes Makes 3 cups!

To assemble and cook enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium high. Add zucchini and corn; saute 5 mins or until tender. Remove from heat and then stir in the black beans. Spread a cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom on a 13x9 or larger baking dish coating with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the vegetable mix down the center of a tortilla and sprinkle with a couple of tbs. of the cheese. Roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat and then top with remaining enchilada sauce.

Bake for 30 mins and then add the remaining cheese on the top and cook for 10 mins or until cheese melts.

Comments:
I cheated and bought canned enchilada sauce. Perhaps a mistake, since that's the part I liked the least about this dish. The filling is great and I ate the leftovers that didn't fit in the tortillas by itself and was very happy. I didn't dig the enchilada sauce and will probably disassemble them when I eat the leftovers. Adam didn't mind them - except for the beans.

Adam Makes Applesauce (The Sequel)

Using a recipe from Recipezaar



Ingredients:
20 large tart apples
4 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar, to taste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, to taste

Directions:
1. Peel and core, and quarter apples.

2. Place in a large pot with the 4 cups water.

3. Over medium heat bring to a simmer, reduce to medium low and cook until apples are soft, stirring constantly.

4. Mash apples until desired consistency is reached.

5. Add Sugar, Lemon Juice and spices to taste.

6. While stirring bring applesauce to a full boil.

7. Remove from heat and ladle into clean hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.

8. Process for 25 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Comments:
Adam made applesauce before back in 2006 when we were still at our apartment. (He doesn't remember this, but I have proof.) The urge hit again so we bought a ridiculous amount of apples and he spent a good deal of the afternoon peeling, stirring, and canning. Not my thing (applesauce or canning) but whatever keeps him happy...

Taffy Apple Dip

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
6 apples, cut into wedges

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.

2. Spread mixture on small serving plate; top with nuts.

3. Serve with apple wedges

Comments:
Back at Christmas Cheryl brought some apple dip to our party and Adam loved it. He immediately went and found a recipe. This is actually the first time I've made it. I brought home two bags of apples from the store and when he saw me eating one, he remembered this dip and decided it was time to try it out. I tasted a bit when I put it in the container. Seemed kind of sweet to me, but I suppose that's the point. Adam likes it.

Oh, and I left out the peanuts.

Penne Pasta with Black Beans & Mango

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 small onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces penne pasta, cooked
1 mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup fresh basil leaf, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Simmer tomatoes, onion and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add beans and oil. Cook for one additional minute.

3. Place pasta in a serving bowl, and spoon bean sauce over the top.

4. Add mango, basil and salt & pepper to taste.

5. Toss and serve.

Comments:
Once again Adam saw the beans and complained. And then ate it and determined it wasn't horrible. And he'd probably eat it again. *sigh*

Anywho. Picky, complaining husbands aside, this was a total breeze to prepare. Nothing tricky, I skipped the oil, but kept the rest of the recipe the same... for the most part. I almost never cook with garlic - it makes Adam's stomach unhappy - so I usually throw some garlic powder in toward the end instead. I was also feeling lazy and on onion overload so I gave a few shakes of the dried, minced stuff and called it good.

I liked the texture contrast of the tomatoes, beans, and mango. Flavor was good too. We ended up with some leftover sauce so I'll see how it reheats tomorrow.

Brown Rice and Edamame

From Recipezaar.com



Ingredients:
3/4 cup long grain brown rice
1 1/4 cups frozen edamame, shelled
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, toasted
1/2 teaspoon sugar
crushed red pepper flakes
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
salt
pepper

Directions:
In a med saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups lightly salted water to boil. Add rice, reduce to a simmer; cover and cook, 30 minutes. Stir in edamame; cover and cook until rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together lime juice, vinegar, oil, red pepper flakes and sugar until sugar is dissolved. With a fork, stir in lime juice mixture and scallions into rice; season with salt and pepper.

Comments:
I was finally able to track down some edamame. None of the grocery stores we usually go to carry it. What's up with that? Anyway, I tried this as my first edamame experience. I think they might have been undercooked, but it was still pretty good. They don't really have a flavor of their own, but the vinegar/sesame/sugar mixture and the scallions helped that along. I'm looking for other recipes for edamame. Let me know if you have a good one.

Cake Batter Ice Cream

From Recipezaar.com



Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup cake mix

Directions:
1. Place freezer bowl of ice cream maker into the freezer. It is better to keep it in there 24/7 that way it is always ready.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste.

4. Stir in cake mix, making sure there are no lumps.

5. Pour mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes).

6. Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place into a separate container.

7. Place freezer bowl and the ice cream into the freezer to further harden.

Comments:
It's been awhile since I posted an ice cream entry. We just love the frozen custard so much that's generally all we ever make. But Adam had a hankering for cake batter ice cream (a la Maggie Moo's) so he found this recipe and went to town. It's so easy, freezes well, and tastes great. I thought it was a bit sweet, but I'm more a chocolate and peanut butter kind of gal.

Hawaiian Slow Cooker Chicken

From Recipezaar.com



Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple slices, reserve juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. Place chicken breasts in oblong slow cooker sprayed with vegetable cooking spray and sprinkle with a dash of salt if desired.

2. Place pineapple slices over chicken.

3. In a medium bowl, combine pineapple juice, brown sugar,lemon juice, ginger, cornstarch, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, and black pepper, until cornstarch mixes with liquids.

4. Pour over chicken breasts.

5. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Comments:
I stopped home at lunchtime to throw this in the crockpot for dinner. It turned out quite well despite the fact that I didn't measure anything. :) The chicken was tender and just fell apart. Adam didn't like the pineapple, but I didn't mind it. I cooked up some rice to go with it and it was a good dinner.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
butter
white chocolate chips
eggs
sugar
flour
salt
almond extract
strawberry jam
sliced almonds

Comments:
I saw this recipe on a blog that I read and immediately thought Adam would like these bars. I showed the recipe to him and he agreed. So I went out and got the almond extract and almonds and went to work. I was afraid they were going to bomb when the first layer seemed so thin, but they bake up well. They were a lot sweeter than I expected, but Adam loved them and declared them to be addictive. They're all gone.

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
brown sugar
shortening
sugar
eggs
vanilla
flour
salt
baking soda
M&Ms

Comments:
Well I think I may have found my stock M&M cookie recipe. After my last attempt I was hoping for the best. They really are chewy and I used mini M&Ms and dumped in probably twice the amount called for in the recipe. Woo! We'll see how they hold up in the container while they last.