Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Turkey Pot Pie with Corn bread stuffing

I know, a lot of people might be SICK of turkey by now, but I made something SO delicious with my leftover turkey that I just had to share it. 

Now, to explain – on Thanksgiving, I wasn’t happy with the way our turkey came out. The thermometer told me it was done, and I listened to it.  The thermometer was faulty, and so as a result, I had to put the turkey  back in the oven for another hour right when it was actually time to serve.  Then it just wasn’t as good as it should have been.  So a week later, I made another turkey, and that one came out fa bu lous.  Still, it was a lot of turkey, and after several sandwiches, it sat in the fridge for several days.

Finally, inspiration hit and I did this pot pie.

  • 1 pre-made pie crust
  • 2 cups shredded turkey
  • 1- 1 1/2 cups turkey gravy
  • 1 box cornbread stuffing
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 onion, diced small
  • 1 stalk celery, diced small
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

I pre-baked the pre-made pie crust for about 10 or 15 minutes at 350..

Meanwhile, I heated the turkey & gravy in a sauce pan. Use your judgment on the amount of gravy – you do not want it to be soupy.  It will just soak through the pie crust and make mush.

Sauté the onion & celery in a skillet until translucent.   Combine in a large bowl with the pre-packaged cornbread stuffing and mix unti well combined.  Moisten it with the chicken broth – folding the mixture together.

Remove pie crust from oven and pour turkey & gravy mixture into the shell.  Top with the stuffing, and be sure to pat it down so that it’s  “snug”.  This will help keep the slices together when it’s finished.

Return the pie to the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the top of the stuffing crust is crisp & brown.  Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

 

As a side note, I know this sounds quite a bit like another recipe I recently posted, but let me assure you – this one is SSOOOO much better!

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

A different take on an old classic

With the Holiday season in full swing, many people will be scanning their cupboards for something fun, and preferably inexpensive to bring to that pot luck, office party or whatever other holiday gatherings.

In recognition of that, Ocean Spray & Heinz have partnered up to bring you a really easy and inexpensive recipe that is sure to put smiles on everyone’s faces.

I am a big fan of simple. I’m also a big fan of inexpensive. So this recipe was perfect for me. 2 steps – 3 ingredients. How much simpler can it get?

The Ultimate Party Meatballs

  • 1 16-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
  • 1 12-ounce bottle Heinz® Chili Sauce
  • 1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs
Directions

Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.

Makes 30 appetizer servings.

Slow cooker Preparation: Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on HIGH.

In addition to offering lots of other great recipes for those holiday gatherings, the Ultimate Party Meatballs website is also having sweepstakes. The winner will receive $3,000 to throw the ULTIMATE party.

So go check out their recipes, enter the sweepstakes – and have a happy Holiday season :)

Special thanks to Mom Central for giving me the opportunity to share this with you!

Roasted Sausage & peppers

Another meal that I don’t particularly anticipate to be awesome winds up being awesome, and no pictures. LOL

This was originally based on a recipe by Rachael Ray, but I’ve corrupted it enough that now it’s pretty much mine LOL

Roasted Sausage & Peppers w/Spaghetti

  • 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
  • 2 yellow peppers, sliced into strips
  • 1 red pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
  • Olive oil
  • basil, dried
  • spaghetti, cooked according to directions

Toss strips of peppers with a light coating of olive oil, salt & pepper.  Spread into a single layer on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes on 350°.

Arrange sausage links on another foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast those for 20 minutes or until done inside.

(meanwhile, you’re boiling your spaghetti)

Once sausage is fully cooked, slice into 1/2” discs onto peppers baking sheet and toss together to combine.  Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with a generous dose of basil.  All I had was dried, but that worked well.

Once spaghetti is finished cooking, drain and return to pan.  Then add sausage, peppers & tomatoes and all their yummy juices directly to spaghetti pan and toss to coat.

Serve  :)