My Mother's Turkey Stuffing

Use Pepperidge Farm dry stuffing--8 oz. equals approximately 4 cups (a large turkey uses about 24 oz. stuffing). Empty into large bowl. Melt 1/4 lb margarine or butter in 1 cup of hot water. Add 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, Bell's Poultry Seasoning (sage), 1 tsp. salt, pepper, and 2 Tbsp chopped celery to stuffing mix.

Mix thoroughly; add water and melted butter and mix again. Let cool somewhat for the next step. Add 1 beaten egg to mix and stir again (if the stuffing is too warm during this step the egg will cook into lumps). Stuff turkey (after cleaning it of course).

Zucchini Medly and Fritters

Two successful zucchini dishes for dinner tonight. I liked that they were similar enough that I could prep and cook both at the same time without too much of a hassle, but the final dishes tasted different enough that it wasn't boring. Hooray for eating vegetables!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Corn-and-Zucchini-Melody/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Zucchini-Fritters-Ever/Detail.aspx

cake truffles

Tanya posted about these on her personal blog here - I think they're really cute and wanted to get the info out for everyone in case someone wants to make something similar this weekend. They'd also be really cute at Christmas in other colors to be little ornaments or something.

The original idea is from bakerella.com and I just spent a little while going through that site. Click on the "cake pops" option in the top left corner, and you will get TONS of ideas on what to do with these things for pretty much every single holiday!

Red Beans and Rice

This is one of our favorite cold-weather foods!

1 lb dried red beans

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp cajun or creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's)
kielbasa
rice (about 1 cup per serving)

Rinse the red beans, then put them in a pot of water to soak overnight.

Drain the water, cover the beans with water again, then put them on to boil. Once the beans are boiling, turn down to a simmer.

Add the onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning to the pot early on so it can cook down. (You can also add celery and/or a bell pepper.) Cook the mixture for about an hour to an hour and a half. Slice the kielbasa and add it about 15 minutes before the beans are done.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in a separate pot.

Serve the beans over the rice, and drop on a few drops of Tabasco sauce.

It takes a while to make, but it's worth it, and we usually have leftovers for days!

Brownie Muffins

I realize that there is no such thing as "guilt free" treats - espeshally brownies - but these have very little guilt - taste amazing - and are SOOOO easy!

http://www.recipezaar.com/Ww-Brownie-Muffins-the-Longmeadow-Farm-281279

Tomato Bisque

I found this one on Recipezaar (#49957). Yummy and great with grilled cheese sandwiches! My hubby, who HATES tomato soup, loved this and requested I make it again.


Tomato Bisque

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, hearty
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, more to taste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium pot, heat the oil.
2. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, broth, honey, salt, and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced by a quarter and thickened, about 15 minutes.
7. Using a standard or immersion blender, puree about half the soup; it will still be chunky and thick.
8. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream.
9. Heat gently and adjust the seasonings.
10. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the parsley if using, and serve immediately.

Southewest - chicken, black bean soup

Who would have guessed cinnamon would be so yummy in soup - but it is AMAZING!

http://www.recipezaar.com/Southwest-Chicken-Black-Bean-Soup-43728

Soups! Post Your Recipe Now!

The weather is getting cooler and I thought it would be fun to share our favorite soup, chowder, and stew recipes. I know I'm always looking for something yummy and hot to eat on cold days.

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops

Okay, I have to say these were the BEST pork chops I have ever had in my life. Easy to make and very delicious. Also, I didn't have any dried apple slices so we used 2 fresh braeburn apples cut up instead. Perfect. We paired this with unsweetened gravenstein applesauce, mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower and broccoli (my kids favorite). Really super fantastic. Try it, you will not regret it. YUM.


Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2006


Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 8 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 6 hr 20 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients


2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 pound ice
4 (1 to 1 1/2-inch thick) bone-in pork chops
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 ounces dried apple slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, julienned
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions


Combine the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup kosher salt, brown sugar and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook just until the salt and sugar dissolve, then remove from the heat and add the ice. Place the pork chops into a 2-gallon zip-top bag along with the mixture and seal. Place in a plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the chops from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Season on both sides with the kosher salt and set aside

Place the apples in the slow cooker.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch stainless steel saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the pork chops on both sides until golden brown, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Once browned, place the pork chops into the slow cooker atop the apples.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan followed by the onions and saute until they begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Add the black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Transfer this to the slow cooker, set to high, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Decrease the heat to low and continue cooking for another 4 hours and 30 minutes or until the pork is tender and falling away from the bone.

grilled chicken with rosemary and lemon

Number 34 - grilled chicken with rosemary and lemon from AllRecipes.

Marinate 6 chicken breasts in the following:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh rosemary (or 2 Tbl. dried)
3 cloves garlic
zest from an entire lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Mix the marinade.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken breasts, and brush half of the marinade over them.
Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Grill the chicken while brushing with the rest of the marinade.

We cut chicken into strips and put it on sandwiches.

The original recipe called for butter instead of olive oil in the marinade. I don't know what idiot decided that BUTTER is a good ingredient for marinade. I melted it so it would be a liquid, but it congealed right back up as soon as the lemon hit it not to mention when I tried to brush it on the cold chicken. It all tasted fine, which is why I'm posting the recipe in the count, but making it was a mess. I also couldn't separate out part of it for the original marinade and part for basting later on the grill. Dumb.