Thanksgiving Cornbread Dressing

In my family the dressing is prized over the turkey. As a matter of fact we usually make the turkey to compliment the dressing. We need the turkey "juices" as my Mema calls them. Also, with the leftover turkey we'd chop it up and add it to the dressing and eat on it for days. Why days? Because we make a small bathtubs worth of dressing every year so that everyone in the family can have leftovers. The thing is, this recipe is simple and I totally get that it isn't for everyone, because one thing I've learned is that people like and want the dressing they grew up with. Here's our family version. This makes a big lasagna pan, for a smaller amount, half the recipe, we usually triple it at least! Oh, one other thing. I'll run this recipe by my Mema to make sure it gets the final stamp of approval!
-Amanda

Thanksgiving Cornbread Dressing

2 recipes of cornbread (Homemade, CornKit, whatever suits you)
6 hard boiled eggs
1 onion finely diced
3 stalks of celery finely diced
4 pieces of the whitest white bread you can find
salt & pepper to taste
ground sage to tast <- this is hard to put a measure on, but probably at LEAST 3-4 tbsp.
6-8 cups of liquid: which means as much turkey "stock/juice" as you can get your sticky fingers on (the gravy people in the family also fight for this high prized commodity!) Supplement turkey drippings with chicken STOCK (not broth) and water if you must.

A lot of recipes have you saute your veggies before you add them to the dressing, our family likes the crunch so we put the veggies in raw. So, dice up your onions, celery and the hard boiled eggs and set aside. In a very large mixing bowl crumble up your cornbread into various sized pieces. With the white bread, tear off small pieces and roll and crumble them between your fingers to evenly distribute throughout the cornbread. Add veggies and egg and mix well. Add salt and pepper. Add sage. Stirring everything in very well. Now you do a "dry" taste until the seasonings taste right. Add the liquids. Transfer to baking dishes and cook on 325 degrees until the top gets browned. It is important to taste every 10-15 minutes just to make "sure" the seasoning is correct. Also just as important to have multiple tasters available.

I can't say how long you bake it because other things are usually crowding the oven and the temp goes up and down depending on what else is in the oven. That is just a Thanksgiving issue!

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Noodles

Since today is the day after Thanksgiving and the leftovers didn't seem to make it past lunch time in our house, I wanted a simple dinner for tonight. It dawned on me that this would also work great for leftover turkey if you are lucky enough to have any left. This hit the spot with my twin toddlers. It is the first time they have ever asked for thirds in their life.
-Amanda

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Noodles.

2-3 chicken breasts
1 package of frozen broccoli florets
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of mushrooms (or sliced fresh mushrooms)
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/2 cup mozzarella
8-10 oz noodles (I used egg noodles)

Boil noodles according to package directions and drain.
Meanwhile, cut chicken into small squares. In a large skillet start the chicken cooking. Season with salt and pepper. When it is about half cooked, add the frozen broccoli, can of mushrooms, can of mushroom soup and fat free half and half. Stir everything together. Add noodles and sprinkle with cheese.

Best Stuffing EVER!

Stuffing is a matter of taste. People tend to be very particular about their stuffings or dressings. They like them a certain way. My favorite is the basic bread stuffing recipe (made from scratch or the package from the store) with breakfast sausage and apples.

Best Stuffing EVER

Use any basic stuffing recipe but before you sauté the vegetable cook one pound of breakfast sausage (crumbled up) and and a cup and a half of diced apples. Amazing!! It is my favorite way to eat stuffing. There will be no picture because I am not hosting Thanksgiving (for the first time in my adult life.) There also probably will not be sausage and apple stuffing in my future since I am living in a Muslim country where it is hard to find pork products. So make this and send me a picture!! Best wishes for a happy and safe holiday. Or as we say here, Iyi Bayramlar!

-Jules

Creamy Parmesan PestoTomato Soup

While I could probably eat Chicken Tortilla Soup every single day forever (okay, maybe not...) I think John could do the same with Tomato Soup. Almost every time I check out of the grocery store, I have about 10 cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup in my cart. I thought I'd try my hand at making homemade, but wasn't sure if I'd match up to the store bought variety that he's used to. John gave this soup a passing, but told me not to fancy it up with fire roasted tomatoes (sorry, it was what I had in the pantry!) He also recommended that I puree it a bit longer than I did, and I have to agree with him on that one. The random chunk of onion really threw off the texture. But the flavor was really good and this is coming from someone who cannot stand canned tomato soup. I'll definitely make this again, and with the grilled cheese sandwich on the side it was superb!
-Amanda

Creamy Parmesan Pesto Tomato Soup

2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 onions
1 garlic clove
2 cans of diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)
1 1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
dash of pepper
salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pesto (homemade or prepared)

Rough chop the onions into small pieces and mince up the garlic clove. In a medium pot, melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic on medium heat until it becomes translucent. Add canned tomatoes. Using either an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree onions and tomatoes.

Add yogurt and heavy cream to the pot and lower the heat all the way. Add salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese has melted in the soup. Add a dollop of pesto to individual bowls when serving. Serves about 4.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is my favorite homemade soup. I think there have been days that I've eaten it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yes, I know... call me weird. Every time I make it I make it a bit different. Sometimes I make it with no chicken, so it's a Vegetable Tortilla Soup, sometimes I combine the two and add a ton of veggies, with chicken. Sometimes I throw in some rice, other times I leave out the rice. This version is just a simplified Chicken version without too many bells and whistles.
-Amanda

Chicken Tortilla Soup


Some of the pantry ingredients: Green Chili Peppers, Chicken Broth (or stock), tomato sauce and a can of black beans.

Other ingredients:


2 chicken breasts chopped into bite size pieces.



3 cloves of garlic (pictured above) 1 onion, diced, 1 bell pepper, diced & 1 cup frozen corn (not pictured)


About a tbsp of Ancho Chili in Adobo Sauce. It comes in a can. I empty the can into a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze it. That way I can chip off just the amount I need. This stuff is spicy!


In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper in 1 tbsp of oil on high heat until it starts to brown around the edges.


Add salt (about a tablespoon of kosher)


And seasonings... I use cumin and oregano. About 2-3 tsp of ground cumin and about 1/2 tbsp of dried oregano.


Add frozen corn (about 1 cup) and black beans. I usually don't drain them.


Add tomato sauce and about 4 cups of chicken broth. Simmer on low for 30-45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Do not boil or chicken will get tough.


Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, avocado and sour cream if you like.

Semolina Helva

This dessert is delicious. It is really quick to make and is really neat because it is not something you often see served for dessert (in the States at least.) This makes it ideal for dinner parties. It is yummy, soft and warm. It is really excellent served for dessert after strong tasting foods. It is not a particularly diet conscious food, but really is worth it.

Semolina Helva (Irmik Helvasi)

1 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tbsp pine nuts

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup milk

Put the milk, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. While that is going on-- in a heavy saucepan melt the butter, and add the semolina and nuts. Brown the semolina and pine nuts lightly. Watch them!! They burn quickly.

Stir together the liquid and the dry ingredients. It will sputter so be careful. Mix until thoroughly incorporated let cool until warm and not hot. Fluff mixture then press into a bowl and invert onto a plate to serve. You could top it with cinnamon or toasted pine nuts.

--Jules

Curry Burger with Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

I asked John if he had any ideas for dinner this week and he said we hadn't had hamburgers or spaghetti in a while. The poor boy he asks for spaghetti and hamburgers... last night I served chicken puttanesca (sorry, I didn't photograph it for The Frickin Chicken!) and tonight I made Curry Burgers. Not exactly what he had in mind! But they were SO good. I was licking my fingers. The girls ate them too, while saying yummy, yummy. The other thing... they were a snap to make!
-Amanda

Curry Burgers

16 oz ground turkey meat (I'm don't know how beef would taste but it worth a try)
3 tablespoons of a tandoori chicken seasoning mix

Gently mix the seasoning into meat. Don't over mix or your burgers will become tough. Divide into very thin 4 oz patties. Cook on a hot griddle, about 3-4 min per side, you must cook turkey until it is done, but don't over cook it. I served on Oroweat Sandwich thins with a curry mayo.

Curry Aioli (Fancy Mayonnaise)

1 small grated garlic clove
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp mayo
1 tsp curry powder

Stir all ingredients together.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato
1 tsp cinnamon
salt
oil

Cut sweet potato into french fry lengths. Coat all of the fries in oil. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon. Broil for 10 minutes, flip the fries with a spatula and then broil for 10 more minutes.