Turkey Minestrone Soup

I invented a new soup yesterday, so I'm putting it up here before I forget what I did.  Isn't it fun when you can take a couple of recipes that sound good and create your own thing?  And then when it ends up tasting good, doesn't it just make you so excited for life?  That's how it feels for me.  With a little bit of everything, I give you my newest soup invention.

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Turkey Minestrone Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
1 quart (4 cups) turkey broth (or chicken broth, if that's all you've got)
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 cup cooked turkey, chopped (again, this would be great with chicken too)
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 (14.5 oz) can green beans, roughly chopped
1 (15.5 oz) can garbonzo beans (same as chick peas)
Salt and pepper

1. In a large stock pot, warm olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and carrots, then saute until vegetables are almost tender, stirring frequently (about 5 minutes).  Note: because you're sauteing them in a pot, rather than a skillet, the chances of them sticking to the pan or burning quickly are higher, so make sure you watch them.
2. Add broth, stewed tomatoes, turkey, brown rice, Italian seasoning, and poultry seasoning.  Return to a boil, cover, and reduce heat.  Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until rice is tender.  Add green beans and garbonzo beans and heat until warm.  You can add the beans earlier if you want them to be more flavorful, but adding them too early may make them too soft, depending on your texture preferences.
3. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve it up with some parmesan cheese bread.

Parmesan Cheese Bread

I really don't know why I haven't put this one up already.  I make it all the time because it goes with almost everything and can round out a meal when you didn't make a side dish and you realize that there's only a bowl of pasta on the table.  In moments like this, I make parmesan cheese bread.  I'm pretty sure that makes my husband's perception of the meal go up about four notches, regardless of whatever else I made.  It's not an exact science, hence the total lack of measurements.  It takes like three minutes to make.

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Parmesan Cheese Bread

Bread
Butter
Garlic Salt
Seasoning of some sort (Italian seasoning, basil, parsley, oregano...whatever smells good at the moment)
Parmesan Cheese

1. Turn on your broiler to heat up a bit.
2. Butter your bread.  Sprinkle on your seasonings until it looks and smells yummy.  Just be careful with the garlic salt because it tends to blend into the bread, making it hard to tell just how much is on there if you weren't paying attention when you sprinkled.  Parmesan cheese it.
3. Place the bread on a cookie sheet (or, if you're like me, a little piece of aluminum foil) and broil until the edges of the bread are just brown.  Do NOT forget you're making it or your house will end up smelling like smoke all night.  Just watch it, and you'll be fine.
4. Devour the goodness.

Confetti Rice

I've decided that I know how to make quite a few main dishes but don't really know many side dishes (besides heating up a can of green beans or something), so I'm trying to expand my horizons with side dishes.  I found this one the other day on allrecipes.com and found it to be flavorful and tasty.  It was a very colorful way to spruce up an otherwise boring-looking meal.  This is definitely one that you could play around with and use different kinds of vegetables to suit it to your taste.  I give you...confetti rice.

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Confetti Rice
(adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com)

14 fluid oz chicken broth (That's either a can of broth or a little over 1 3/4 cups water + 2 bouillon cubes)
1 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup diced bell peppers (Here's where you can have some fun.  I did half a cup red peppers and half a cup green peppers.  Try 1/3 cup each of red, orange, and yellow.  Have fun with this part, as long as it adds up to a whole cup)
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 tsp parsley
dash lemon juice (optional)

1. In a large pot, combine broth, rice, water, salt, oregano, and black pepper.  Cover, and bring to boil.  Just as it starts to boil, add bell peppers and onions.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Remove from heat and stir in peas.  Cover again and let stand 5 minutes. 
3. Toss with parsley and a dash of lemon juice (if desired).  If you've read many of my recipes, you can probably tell that I like to add lemon juice to a lot of things.
4. Pair it with a bland-looking main dish, and you've got yourself an awesome-looking meal.

Mock Chicken Fried Steak

The other day I made biscuits and gravy.  Apparently, those gravy packets make way more gravy than you can use on a dozen biscuits, so I had lots of leftovers.  In my quest to not waste any food, I got online and searched for things I could make using country gravy.  To my delight, I found this recipe for mock chicken fried steak that goes perfectly with country gravy.  Because it uses ground beef instead of real steak, it's much less expensive than the original version.  But never fear!  What you sacrifice in meat quality is not sacrificed in taste.  Give it a shot, and you might be surprised at how close to the real thing this tastes.

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Mock Chicken Fried Steak
(adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com)

1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup oil for frying (unless you're going to bake them to be healthier).

1. In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, parsley, chili powder, salt, egg, and about 1/4 cup bread crumbs.  Mix until well combined.  Divide into about 6 balls, then flatten each ball into a patty. 
2. Place the remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs in a small, shallow bowl.  Dip each patty into the bread crumbs to coat completely.  Chill coated patties in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  This helps the patty solidify into one solid mass so it doesn't fall apart during cooking.
3. Here's where you can go one of two ways:
          Option A: Fry them (after all, it is chicken fried chicken).  In this case, warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Fry until each side is golden brown and the meat is thoroughly browned inside each patty.  Drain patties on paper towels.
          Option B: Bake them (after all, it's a "mock" recipe anyway, so who cares if you don't fry it to make it healthier).  In this case, bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until meat is cooked thoroughly.
4. Top patties with an abundant supply of country gravy, and eat it with some good old corn on the cob (or maybe even some sweet cornbread).

Santa Fe Casserole

When I first started dating my husband, he decided to make me dinner one night.  He said he was making his favorite meal--Santa Fe Casserole.  I had no idea what to expect, but when I tasted the first bite I knew I was going to keep the recipe.  It's tasty, and I'm not sure if I've ever had another dish quite like it.  From our family cookbook, I give you Santa Fe Casserole.

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Santa Fe Casserole

1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 pkg taco seasoning (about 2.5 Tbsp)
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sour cream
2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles
11 oz tortilla chips
1-2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (depending on how cheesy you want it)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced (I usually omit these, and it tastes just fine)

1. In a medium skillet, brown ground beef until crumbly.  Drain fat. Add the taco seasoning and blend well.
2. In a small bowl, mix together broth and flour (it will be less lumpy if you use cool broth, rather than warm), then add broth mixture to meat.  Bring to a boil to slightly thicken the liquid.  Stir in sour cream and green chiles until well blended and remove from heat.
3. Place ½ of the tortilla chips in a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish, then top the chips with ½ the meat mixture, ½ of the cheese, and ½ of the green onions.  Layer again with remaining ingredients.  Any chips that are left uncovered by the sauce or cheese will get crispier, so if you like it crispy, leave more chips exposed or vice versa.
4. Bake uncovered at 357 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
5. Enjoy it now and again tomorrow, when it will taste even better. 

Peanut Butter and Banana Creamsicles

I recently attended a surprise birthday party for none other than my fabulous husband.  As a prize for winning one of the games we played, he received a totally awesome popsicle maker, and I just had to try it out by making these peanut butter and banana creamsicles.  They were ridiculously easy to make, and my husband really enjoyed them, so I'm posting them here.  Don't have a popsicle maker?  Just use those little paper cups with a popsicle stick stuck in the middle.  If you're craving a cold summer treat, give these a go and see what you think.

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Peanut Butter and Banana Creamsicles

1 small (3.5 oz) box instant banana pudding mix
2 cups milk
2 tsp peanut butter

1. Prepare pudding mix by whisking two cups milk into the banana pudding for approximately 2 minutes.  Place pudding in refrigerator for 4-5 minutes.  Basically, you just make the pudding according to package directions and take it out just barely before it's fully set.  I made this with a bigger box of pudding and just added extra peanut butter, and it turned out great.
2. Mash and stir peanut butter into the pudding until mixed evenly.
3. Pour pudding mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until solid (at least 5 hours).
4. Eat your homemade creamsicle creation.

Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine meatballs were always a treat growing up.  As a kid, I thought they were so fun to eat.  Really, what kid wouldn't think it was fun to eat a porcupine?  These meatballs are slightly like meatloaf but with a little kick of flavor and some added texture.  This recipe is super easy--only two real steps.  I think you'll love them.

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Porcupine Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup uncooked white rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 water
1 can tomato soup (10 oz)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup water

1. Combine ground beef, rice, onion, and 1/4 cup water until well combined.  Form into about 15 meatballs.
2. In a skillet, combine tomato soup, chili powder, and 1/2 cup water until well blended.  Bring to a boil and add meatballs.  Make sure the sauce really covers the meatballs as much as possible to keep the meatballs really moist.  Reduce heat and simmer gently for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Eat your porcupines (by themselves or over steaming white rice).

Substitutions Tab

Hello readers!  I just wanted to let you know that I've added a new tab to the blog.  It's got a list of common kitchen substitutions you can make if you don't have what you need on hand.  Check out the link to a fairly comprehensive list of herb and spice substitutions--something I use all the time.  If any of you out there have any other substitutions that you commonly use, leave a comment and I'll add it to the list.  And if you like what you've been seeing on the blog, please subscribe.  Thanks, and happy cooking!

Fry Bread Scones

Fry bread scones are extremely versatile.  They can be eaten plain, with honey butter and cinnamon, with syrup, or they can be used to make meals like Navajo Tacos.  One day when I was searching for a fry bread recipe I could make quickly (without having to wait for it to rise), I ran across this one and thought it was great.  Give it a try!

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Fry Bread Scones

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly mix in milk with a fork, using just enough milk to make the dough moist.  If you don't use all of the milk, don't worry about it.  Making them too moist makes the dough extremely hard to work with.  If you end up adding too much milk, just add a little flour at a time until you can work with the dough again.
2. Knead dough for 5 minutes, then let dough rest for 5 minutes more.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  The oil should be about half an inch deep.
3. Separate the dough into individual scone-size pieces, using about 3/4 cup-worth of dough for each scone.  Shape each scone into a round disc about 1/4 inch thick.  For best results, make the middle slightly thinner than the edges of the scone.  
4. Fry each scone in oil until golden brown, turning once.  Remove scones from oil and drain on a paper towel.
5. Top with your favorites toppings and serve.

Quinoa

Everybody that's healthy seems to be talking about quinoa lately, so I decided to give it a try.  I use this recipe from allrecipes.com as my start.  I was fairly sure that I would think it was disgusting once I ate it, but I was pleasantly surprised and ended up really enjoying it.  If something healthy can taste great too, that's success in my book. 

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Quinoa

1 Tbsp butter
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups hot water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsps parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add quinoa and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until lightly browned.  This seemed like a strange step to me, but it really does make a difference. 
2. Stir in broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.  I like my quinoa a little more tender, so I cooked it for about 25 minutes and loved it.  It's all personal preference.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the quinoa with garlic, parsley, salt, and onion.  Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.
4. Be proud of yourself for making something healthy and delicious.