Basic Chicken or Turkey Brine

8:00 am

As I've mentioned several times on here before, I'm not a huge fan of chicken.  Especially boneless skinless chicken breasts.  So, I decided to try a brine, I'm told it's life changing.  I've read that once you brine you never go back.  I'm looking forward to all of this being true.  I'm obviously having chicken for dinner so I'll get back to you. 

5:30 pm

Well, I can tell you that I had a delicious dinner tonight.  Really really good, moist and juicy. I made Lemon Chicken Piccata, which was yummy.  I still have two brined chicken breasts that I plan to cook tomorrow, but based on tonight's meal I think I'm going to enjoy it very much. 

Basic Chicken or Turkey Brine

Recipe from Food.com

Ingredients

• 1 gallon cold water
• 1/2 cup kosher salt (1/4 cup table salt)
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Marinate your chicken in this liquid for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. This recipe can be used with parts as well as the whole bird.

Dinner Club: Theme - Healthy Foods

Dinner club took a slight hiatus this last year but we're back on track for 2014.  I hosted January's dinner club and I chose "healthy" just because it was January and everyone I know is on a diet.  I wanted to see what other people were making for their own families so I could promptly steal their recipes. :) Not steal so much as just kindly borrow.

Turns out my neighbors make some killer healthy food.  Not everyone submitted recipes to me but I'm still going to show pictures and describe them the best I can.

Thank you everyone for coming to dinner at my house!  I can't wait till the next one!

I cannot believe that I didn't remove the cap to the fruit dip BEFORE taking a picture.  UGH!  I promise to make this again myself very soon and replace this horrible picture.  I'm so sorry because this dip was the my biggest weakness of the night.  I LOVED it!

This dip was brought my Melissa Y.  She brought one other item too but hasn't given me the recipe for it just yet.  I will post it as soon as I get it.

Chocolate Fruit Dip
Recipe from EmilyBites via Taste Of Home Cooking School Cookbook

Ingredients

• 8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups light whipped topping

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl or a stand mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder together until creamy.
2. Add the vanilla extract and whipped topping and beat together again until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
3. Serve with any fruit, graham crackers, marshmallows or anything that might be delicious covered in chocolate.

I had posted about these meatballs already but here they are again.  They were nice to have at dinner club not only because of their yummy flavor but also because they were in the slow cooker and they didn't require my constant attention.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Recipe from here

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup wing sauce (I used Franks)

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a medium bowl making sure the ingredients are well dispersed.
2. I used a small cookie scoop to get even sized meatballs. Roll them in your hands to make them a nice round shape. 
3. Place the meatballs in your slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top.
4. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for about 3-4 hours.

This dessert is one I made based on the fact that it didn't use sugar, which I gave up in January….well tried to give up.  I did sample some of the cake below.  I had to, as a blogger it was only right.

The filling in these little babies does taste like cheesecake and with no sugar you don't have to feel guilty about two or three or four.  Just sayin.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Recipe from French Press

Ingredients

• 1 pound hulled strawberries
• 8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup fat free or low fat Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
•  graham cracker crumbs

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, honey and vanilla in a bowl and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream the ingredients together until smooth.
2. Use either a small spoon to scoop the cream into the hulled strawberries or use a frosting bag and tip for a more decorative design.
3. Top each cream filled strawberry with the graham cracker crumbs.

Brought by Lynn T this was our one "not so healthy" OK not healthy at all but totally delicious and very much appreciated cake.  Very chocolaty and moist, great option if you need a dessert and don't have time to use traditional methods!

Crock Pot Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Cooks.com

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 package instant chocolate pudding
• 4 whole eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 cup water

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a 5 quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray, or you can use a metal coffee can or a crock pot cake bake pan.
2. cover
3. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low

Another great recipe brought from Lynn T was this Couscous and Lentil recipe.  I really liked it and I think everyone else did too.  I'm a huge fan of Feta cheese and it was the perfect cheese here.  Healthy really does taste good!

Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad
Recipe from MyRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 can (14 oz) low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
• 1 cup red diced bell pepper
• 1 cup fresh mint
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Place lentils in a large saucepan and cover with water so it's 2 inches above the lentils.  Bring to a boil, cover and then turn to simmer and let cook for 25-30 minutes. Drain well and cool.
2. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan, add the couscous.  Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork. 
3. Combine the lentils, couscous, bell pepper, mint, parsley and onions. Stir together in a large bowl. 
4. In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, oil, Dijon, garlic and black pepper.  Whisk to combine and then pour over the lentil mixture.  Add the crumbled feta and gently mix. 

The pictures below are for the other items that were brought but that I didn't receive recipes for. 

Beautiful spinach salad with cucumbers, beets, and avocado's brought by Emily L.  Thanks Emily!

I'm not sure of the exact name for these but they were little pizza's in won ton wrappers brought by Melissa Y.  She brought some marinara to dip them in and they were so so good.  Thanks Melissa!

Spaghetti with tomatoes, Kalamata olives and plenty of Feta cheese brought by Shannon B.  I love these flavors together.  Yummy, thanks Shannon!

Lisa F brought some yummy sushi and California rolls.  Delicious!  Thanks Lisa!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

I'm happy to say that our neighborhood dinner club is back in session.  It seemed to sort of disappear last year and we never got back to it.  Thankfully we're back and boy am I glad.  I love hanging out with the girls from my street. I'll post the dinner club recipes soon!

I was trying to think of a good theme and decided since it was January that I should stick with the idea of eating healthier.  I can tell you, we did NOT suffer through bland boring food that night.  These turkey meatballs were so tender and moist, the sauce sort of seeped into the meatballs so even though they didn't look like they were coated with sauce you definitely got the bite from the buffalo sauce.  Full of flavor!

My husband was out of town at the time but once he got back and had some leftovers he was hooked.  He wanted me to tell you all that this would be a fantastic addition to your Super Bowl party food!  I think he's right.  And you can't beat the fact that they're cooked in the slow cooker, this will give you time to spend with your guests and the game and not being stuck in the kitchen.


Slow Cooker Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Recipe for Turkey Meatballs found on Food.com
Recipe for Sauce found on the back of the Franks Red Hot bottle

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup wing sauce (I used Franks)

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a medium bowl making sure the ingredients are well dispersed.
2. I used a small cookie scoop to get even sized meatballs. Roll them in your hands to make them a nice round shape. 
3. Place the meatballs in your slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top.
4. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for about 3-4 hours.

Brined, Roasted Turkey Breast

Obviously this information might be more useful to you next year, but I've got to tell you, this recipe makes me want to cook turkey breast more than just once a year. It does require a bit of refrigerator space but the meat is so tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned.  This would work nicely for a large chicken or maybe even two small one's.

I followed the Butterball directions for cooking and it was nice because I didn't need to cover it and then baste it at all during the cooking process.  I coated ours with plain butter but you can certainly spice up your butter or add some orange zest or more rosemary so that the skin is infused with the same flavors that the brine had.  Although, we did detect notes of these flavors on the skin even though we just used plain butter.

Turkey breast was the perfect size choice for our family.  We didn't have so many leftovers that we were sick of them but we had enough to enjoy several turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving.

If you're looking for a new way to make a holiday turkey, this might be worth a try!

Turkey Breast Brine

Ingredients

• 1 gallon water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp peppercorns
• 1 medium orange rind, cut into strips
• 1 Tbsp rosemary
• 8 cups ice

Cooking Directions

1. Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Stir to dissolve the salt.
2. Turn off the heat and let sit to come to room temperature.
3. Add the ice and the turkey.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. Remove from the refrigerator, rinse the turkey with clean water.  Dump out the brine (you don't need it anymore) and refill the container with fresh water.  Let the turkey soak in the fresh water for 10 minutes. 
6. Pat dry with paper towels. 

Roasting the Turkey Breast

Directions from the Butterball Fresh All Natural Whole Turkey Breast insert. 

For Turkey Breasts 3 - 5 1/2 pounds: 2 - 2 1/2 hours

For Turkey Breasts 5 1/2 - 9 pounds: 2 1/2 - 3 hours

Internal temperature should be 170º

• Preheat the oven to 325º
• Place the turkey skin side up in a flat roasting pan. DO NOT add water to the pan.  No need to cover it. 
• Brush the top with oil, spray with cooking spray or rub with butter. 
• Let turkey stand for 10 minutes after it's done cooking. 

Sloppy Joe's

This past week/weekend we were in Boston visiting our family.  The weather was great! Of course I came home to torrential downpours.  Hopefully the nice weather will be back soon but I can't complain since everything is so green and healthy looking right now.

Before we hopped off to Boston I made this sloppy joe recipe from The Pioneer Woman and I loved it! It's much like the kind I remember from a can only better. I left out a couple of the ingredients that Ree puts in her recipe simply because I either didn't have them or I knew my daughter wouldn't try it if they were in there. Either way, it was awesome.  My version is below but the link will bring you to The Pioneer Woman's recipe. 

Sloppy Joe's

Recipe modified from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey (or ground beef)
• 1/4 to 1/2 a large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• Worcestershire sauce to taste
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a large skillet, add the ground turkey and cook over medium until the turkey is browned. If you're using beef, drain any fat at this point.
2. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook just until it is beginning to get tender.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes to meld the flavors.
4. Serve with toasted rolls or whatever you have. This would also be delicious served over a bed of lettuce!

Frontier Burger

It's grill season again in the South.  Isn't it funny how everywhere else in America it's grill season in the summer but it's too hot here, so I break out the grill in the Fall.  I pretty much just hide in the house or at the pool for the summer months around here.  Growing up in Montana made me less able to stay cool when it's hot....or maybe it had nothing to do with growing up on Montana.  I like to tell people that story, they always agree with me. Heeheehee

Either way, October is my month!  Regardless of where I'm at I always feel like I am at my most ambitious in October.  It doesn't hurt that it's followed by all the most awesome holiday's.  I like to break out paint and do projects.  It also explains why my daughter's middle name is Autumn. :)

I've been making this burger with all different types of ground meat and sometimes even mixing the meats for years.  It's basically like a meatloaf in burger form.  This is really more of a method then a recipe so feel free to change it up. 

I feel like the A1 sauce is essential in these burgers.  It just adds a tanginess that can't be duplicated.

I recently made a pretty spectacular dipping sauce that would be heaven on one of these burgers.  I promise to post about that very soon.

Frontier Burger

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey (or any ground meat or a mixture of several)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp A1 sauce
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs *only if using a lean meat*
• 1/3 cup grated cheese of your choice, I use sharp cheddar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• Optional red pepper flakes, Tabasco sauce

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium bowl add all of the ingredients.
2. Use your hands or a sturdy wood spoon to mix all of the ingredients together.
3. Divide the meat mixture into 4 even amounts and patty.
4. Cook over medium heat in a skillet or griddle for about 5 minutes on each side.
5. Top with cheese during the last 3 minutes of cooking on the second side.

Quick Turkey Tetrazzini

My friend Amanda invited me over for dinner one night so I documented her Turkey Tetrazzini recipe to share with you.  Thank you Amanda!

Amanda doubled this recipe and made some slight modifications based on her own tastes.  Start with the sour cream.

Add Parmesan cheese.

Chopped onion

Cream of mushroom soup

Chopped turkey (or chicken)

Zucchini - chopped

Noodles of some kind - cooked
 
 


Stir together until well coated in the soup mixture and then bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

What you'll need for one recipe:

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup onion - diced
1/3 Cup sour cream
1 small zucchini - chopped
1 1/2 Cup turkey - cooked and chopped
1 1/2 Cup noodles

Combine all of the ingredients in an oven safe dish and mix well.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if you'd like.

Original recipe found here

Turkey Tetrazzini

Why is it I only make turkey once a year?  Why do I only make Tetrazzini once a year?  After making this I will be making it more for sure! I love this.  So creamy, re-heats well with just a little milk added.  I encourage you to try this.  You'll be oh so happy that you did.

I started by browning a chopped onion and some button mushrooms that I sliced.  Set this aside for now. Now would be the time to get a large pot of water boiling for your spaghetti noodles too.  Oh, pre-heat your oven to 350 also.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter (one stick).  

Shave some Parmesan cheese so its ready. Also, chop up your leftover turkey.

Once the butter has melted, add the flour and stir to get any lumps out.  Let cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the milk slowly while whisking to keep lumps from forming.  Sauce will thicken quickly.

Now add the chicken broth while whisking.  Bring this mixture up to a boil; stirring frequently.

Pour in about 1 1/3 cups of the shaved Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and remove from the heat.

Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Sour Cream and mix to combine.

Next add your leftover chopped turkey.  I think this was about 3 cups or so.  Add the onions and mushrooms.

Next add in the cooked spaghetti and mix well.

Pour into a 9x13 inch pan.

Top with the remaining shaved Parmesan cheese.  Pop it into the oven for about 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown slightly.

This delicious creamy tetrazzini can be made with chicken also (for those of you who only cook turkey once a year like me).  I think adding celery would also be delicious.  If you try it, let me know!  I'd love to know what you think.

Turkey (or chicken) Tetrazzini:

1 (16 oz) uncooked spaghetti
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (small blue container) button mushrooms; sliced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
3 cups chicken broth
1 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 sour cream
3 to 4 cups chopped turkey

Pre-heat the oven to 350

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti.  While the spaghetti is cooking, melt the butter.  Once melted add the flour and whisk well.  Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.  Add the milk and chicken broth while whisking and bring to a boil.  Once thickened add the 1 1/3 cups of Parmesan cheese.  Stir until melted and creamy.  Remove from the heat and add the sour cream, stirring until combined.  Now add the turkey, onions and mushrooms and stir well.  Next add the cooked spaghetti and then pour into a 9x13 inch pan.  Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and cook for about 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top is just beginning to brown.  Enjoy!

Brined, Roasted Turkey

Our turkey was one of the best I've ever had, I didn't take very many pictures of it so I'll be sure to give you the links where needed. 

We started out brining our turkey with these instructions: Turkey Brine and Instruction

The only thing I will add to the link I've just given you is this, we did brine a defrosted frozen turkey and it was just fine.  Although, maybe I like salt more than the rest of you but I doubt it since we ate at a friends house who also brined her frozen turkey and it was delicious also.  You will not need to salt the gravy if you're making it out of the turkey drippings however.  Plenty of salt there.

Once you've brined your turkey and you're ready to cook it.  Click here: Cooking a Brined Turkey

I took mine out of the oven after cooking for half the time and slathered melted butter onto it and put it back in for the remainder of cooking time just as she instructs.  Our turkey was amazing!