Lazy Day Turkey Soup

What a crazy weekend! By the time I got around to thinking about dinner (and blogging tonight) it was almost 2PM. Typically I think of something I haven't posted yet and voila! That's what we end up having for supper. See the problem today was that I was still in PJs at 2 and had no intention of going to the grocery store - truly a lazy lazy day. I ransacked my freezer and fridge and found a bag of turkey parts and plenty of meat, so I decided on turkey soup.

Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass (bones, scrap meat)

4 cups of cooked turkey meat

2 large onions (1 quartered, 1 diced)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp rosemary

3 cloves of garlic

3 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 1/2 cups of green beans 

1 1/2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

5 quarts water

1 1/2 cups, medium grain white rice

The key to a great soup is the broth or stock you make it with. I typically use store bought stocks to cook with just because it's quicker, but for a good hearty soup you should really make your own. Start by putting your turkey carcass, bones and all, into a large stock pot with your quartered onion, bay leaves, rosemary, salt, pepper,  garlic cloves and water. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 2 hours, making sure to get all of the flavor out of the miscellaneous turkey parts in there.

Once your stock has cooked down, strain all of the parts out of it and dispose of them. Return the stock to the pot and add in the turkey meat, celery, carrots, diced onion, green beans, and rice. Bring to a boil and then once again return to a simmer and cook for another 30 minutes.

The best accompaniments for this soup are flaky biscuits or a wedge of my "Full Belly Boule". And, as with any homemade soup, it just gets better after it sits in the fridge. You can freeze your leftovers too, so you can enjoy your lazy day turkey soup whenever your lazy day may be!

-J

I almost forgot! I want to give kudos to Pauly T. for some amazing homemade Philly cheesesteak last night - "It's all about the Whiz" :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day makes me think of one thing...DESSERT! Forget the flowers and cards and all that mushy stuff...the way to this girl's heart is definitely through her stomach.So on the menu today: Heart shaped angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream (cake recipe borrowed from America's Test Kitchen).

Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cake flour
12 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsps lemon juice
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat your oven to 325 and place the rack on the lower/middle level. Line two heart-shaped cake pans with parchment paper (typically this would cook in a tube pan, but I felt festive). On to the fun part...

Add the flour and 3/4 cup of sugar to a medium mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl whip the egg whites and cream of tartar together on low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium/high and whip the whites into billowy mounds, gradually adding the remaining sugar and salt. Continue to whip the whites until they form soft peaks (1-3 minutes).

Once the whites have peaked, mix in the lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract, by hand. Sift in 1/4 cup of your flour/sugar mixture and gently fold into the whites - you want to keep that fluffy texture and just mixing it in would change the cake completely. Keep repeating that process in 1/4 cup increments until it's all incorporated.

Split your batter between the two prepped cake pans, or put it all in one, depending on what you're working with. Bake until golden brown (30-35 min for two pans, 50-60 min for one pan).

Now here's the part where two cakes is necessary - if you baked the standard tube cake I'd just use the strawberries and whipped cream as toppings and call it a day.

Since this is a super special heart shaped cake for valentines day, I diced up fresh strawberries, sprinkled them with sugar and put them in the fridge for about 1 hour. Once your cakes have cooled, put one on your cake stand, pile the strawberries in an even layer, then place the second cake on top. All that's left to do is cover it with whipped cream!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!'

- J

2011 SuperBowl Feast - Post Game Report

Ugh...I think I'm still full from yesterday! I spent the entire morning in the kitchen and it was absolutely worth it. Here's a rundown of what we had (some homemade, some store bought):

• Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps (special request by J - http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-chicken-bacon-wraps-paula-deen-146427)
• Slow cooker Chili with Fritos
• Caprese Poppers
• Turkey Pepperoni Pretzels
• Cocktail Weenies with cranberry mustard glaze
• Turkey Keilbasa with brown sugar
• Nachos
• Jerk Chicken Kabobs
• Carrots and Tzatziki
• Onion Dip and Chips
• Chipotle Cheddar Cheese and Wheat Thins
• Cheesy Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
• Jalapeno Poppers

I know everyone has got their favorite chili recipe - and as a cook with an aversion to super spicy foods - I think mine has a nice balance of flavor and heat. Joe typically adds more hot sauce (Cholula is the old standby - http://cholula.com/) while I opt for a little extra sour cream, and we both have a great meal!

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey if you prefer)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced

2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes w/ chilies 

3 14 oz cans of light red kidney beans, drained

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 pkg of McCormick Hot Chili mix

Ok, before you say "PACKAGE OF CHILI MIX?!?" here's my excuse - I still haven't quite perfected the seasoning blend, so why have sub par chili if I can get a packet that's consistent and tastes great? When I figure out the right mix I'll be the first to let you know :)

This makes a huge batch so you are going to need at least a 5 qt slow cooker. In a large pan, brown the ground beef, making sure to cook it all the way through. Drain the fat and add the meat to your slow cooker. Take about 1/3 of the beans and mash them with a potato masher in order to thicken the chili in the cooking process. Next, add your onions, garlic, peppers tomatoes, mashed and whole beans, tomato sauce and spice blend. Mix throughly and set the cooker on low and cook for 6 hours. 

It's going to be hard not to dig in early, but it's worth the wait. I keep toppings on hand like the old standbys: diced onion, shredded cheese, sour cream - and our favorites: Frito's and of course hot sauce.

Piece of cake right? I'll have more recipes from SuperBowl 2011 soon, just got to get over this food hangover...

- "Jess" A Pinch