Turkey Soup with Dumplings (Homemade Bone Broth)

Perfect for using up the last of the Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey

Turkey Soup

For the Stock:

1 turkey carcass, meat removed from bones

1 large onion, quartered

2 carrots, chopped

Several celery tops/leaves

Several sprigs fresh parsley

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

5-10 peppercorns

2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Cold water

Add all ingredients to a large soup pot. Cover with 1 inch of cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer. Simmer 4 hours with the lid tilted so broth can reduce. Then, remove bones/large chunks with tongs and strain through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard bones, veggies, and anything else the strainer catches (you’ll use fresh veggies for the soup).

For the Soup:

¼ cup butter

3 cups chopped carrots

3 cups chopped celery

3 cups chopped onion

4 cloves garlic

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

4 tsp. poultry seasoning

Several dashes of sage, thyme, marjoram, turmeric, savory, etc.

Egg noodles or dumplings

6-8 cups shredded turkey meat

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large soup pot. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant. Add the carrots and seasonings, then cover with stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer 10 or so minutes until carrots are about halfway done. Then, add noodles or dumplings, as desired. Simmer until carrots and noodles/dumplings are cooked through (10-20 minutes more). Add the turkey meat and heat through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Soup Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

A few dashes of any seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, etc.)

2/3 to 1 cup milk

Whisk together dry ingredients. Fold in milk with rubber spatula. Add enough milk to make a sticky dough.

Drop by small spoonfuls onto top of rapidly boiling soup. Cook 10 minutes uncovered, then another 10 minutes simmering and covered. 



Note: I had plenty of broth leftover that I froze in muffin trays and then transferred to a large gallon sized ziplock bag in the freezer so I can use it as needed for other recipes. Super handy! 

Authentic Posole

Authentic Posole

Seriously tastes just like how my aunt makes it....and she's authentic.

Ingredients:

3 lb. pork shoulder, BONE IN. 

2 onions (keep separate) (only need 1 onion if doing 1-day directions, 2 onions if making the broth ahead of time)

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

4 cups water

1/4 cup butter (only if doing 2-day recipe)

1 jalapeno

4 cups hominy (Mexican corn, in the Hispanic foods isle. Picture of can provided for reference)

Salt to taste

Cilantro

Lemon juice

Shredded iceberg lettuce

2 day crock pot directions (more flavorful):

1. Place pork shoulder, one onion (quartered), garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and water in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours until meat is extremely tender. 

2. Refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) for the fat to settle on top. 

3. Skim off the fat with a large spoon (but do not discard). Shred meat (removing any fat) and store in fridge. Place bones and fat back into the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours. 

4. Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer/cheese cloth. Discard bones, onions, and any other solids. 

5. In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add second onion (chopped) and jalapeno (chopped). Cook until tender. Add hominy (drained) and cook a few more minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer 1 hour.
6. Add shredded meat and heat through. Salt to taste.
7. Serve topped with fresh cilantro, lemon juice, shredded lettuce, etc.

Same-day stove top directions (simpler, but you get less bone broth flavor):
1. Place pork shoulder, chopped onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and water in large soup pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered 1 hour.
2. Add hominy and jalapeno to soup. Boil, then simmer covered another 90 minutes, until meat falls off bone easily and hominy is cooked.
3. Using tongs, shred meat into soup and remove bone. Salt to taste.
4. Serve garnished with cilantro, lettuce, lemon juice.

Here is what hominy looks like in the store. You can use white or yellow hominy. I prefer yellow hominy but my store didn't carry it so I used this instead.

Holiday Cranberry Salsa Dip

Holiday Cranberry Salsa Dip

Ingredients:

12 oz bag fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)

1 bunch green onions, finely sliced

2 small jalapenos, seeded and minced

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

2 T. fresh ginger, grated (really easy to do if the ginger is FROZEN btw)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 T. lemon juice

16 oz cream cheese, softened (just before serving)

Crackers

Directions:

1. Rinse cranberries. Pick out any mushy or bruised ones. Place in food processor or blender and pulse to chop (do not puree).

2. In a bowl, combine chopped cranberries, green onion, jalapeno, cilantro, ginger, sugar, and lemon juice. Should be lookin' pretty fanciful and festive like the photo below.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at LEAST 4 hours for the flavors to mature (salsa will be too tart/sharp to begin with).

4. Soften cream cheese. Just before serving, mash cream cheese into salsa with a potato masher. Serve with crackers. 

Spiced Hot Cocoa

Spiced Hot Cocoa
Can easily be a traditional hot cocoa recipe if you leave out the spices. No other changes needed for this.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
dash ginger
dash cloves
1/3 cup water
4 cups milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. You may want to sift the cocoa and spices so there are no clumps.
2. Bring the 1/3 cup of water to a simmer in a saucepan. As soon as bubbles appear, whisk in the dry ingredients. Boil while stirring for 2 minutes.
3. Add milk and heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat, then add vanilla. And none of that sissy imitation stuff, neither. (But if that's all you have on hand, double the amount).
5. Add some marshums. Duh.

Serves 4

Cilantro-Lime Taco Soup

Ingredients

          1 lb ground beef

          1 large onion

          1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped very fine

          1 large sweet bell pepper

          1 packet taco seasoning

          1 packet ranch seasoning

          1 can RoTel Cilantro Lime Tomatoes (undrained)

          1 can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)

          1 can pinto beans, undrained and pureed in blender

          1 can corn (drained)

          1 can black beans (drained)

         

Garnishes: Fresh cilantro, lime wedges or juice, sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, etc.

Directions

1.    In large soup pot, brown the ground beef. About halfway through cooking, add onion, chipotle pepper, and sweet bell pepper. Continue to cook until the meat is fully browned and onions are tender.  (Note: The chipotle gives the soup a nice “medium” amount of spice. Add less or more as desired).

2.    Drain the fat off the meat and return to the pot. Add seasonings and stir well.

3.    Add the remaining canned ingredients and stir well. If the soup seems a little dry, some water or beef broth can be added.

4.  Bring to a boil, then serve. Garnish each bowl individually with fresh cilantro, avocado, lime juice, sour cream, and cheese.

Note: If doubling the recipe, puree both 1 can of pinto beans and 1 can of black beans and leave the other two cans intact for more variety. The pureed beans give the soup a creamy base. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

These come out perfect every time even in high altitude

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbl. warm water

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbl. buttermilk or sour milk

2-3 really super ripe bananas 

2 cups flour

1 cup assorted mix-ins (candied fruit, nuts, chocolate chips.... I prefer 100% chocolate...)

Directions

1. With a hand mixer, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and beat well. Add soda water, salt, and buttermilk and combine. 

2. Coarsely mash bananas and stir in. If you're planning on eating the muffins hot, leave chunks of banana because they become AMAZING melty pockets of sweetness... But, if you're one of those people who let muffins cool before eating them... .you'll probably want to make everything nice and smooth so they don't get... moisty.

3. With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour and chocolate chips until just combined. 

Makes 18 muffins.

Bake at 325 F for 12-15 minutes until nicely browned on the outside and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean (the banana pockets might stick a bit...)

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Crispy Orange Chicken

Crispy Orange Chicken

Like Panda Express, but more time and effort.

This recipe serves approximately two people, depending on how much of a pig you are.

First, put a pot of 1 c. white rice with 2 c. water on to cook while you make the rest.

Fried Chicken Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 egg

2/3 cup white flour

1/3 cup corn starch

Salt and Pepper

Oil for frying

Fried Chicken Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high, preferably one with a lid to protect from splatters. You'll want about 1 inch of oil in the pan.

2. Beat the egg with a fork in a shallow dish (pie plates work great). Dredge the chicken through the egg.

3. In another shallow dish, whisk together flour, corn starch, and season with salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture.

4. Fry chicken in a single layer for 3-4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. May take 2-3 batches. 

5. Drain on paper towels, keeping warm.

Orange Sauce Ingredients

1 1/2 T. soy sauce

5 T. granulated sugar

5 T. vinegar

Zest and juice from one large orange

2 T. corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Orange Sauce Directions

In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, zest and juice. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the corn starch mixture. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Keep warm.

Stir-Fried Veggies Ingredients

1 T. oil

1 T. ginger root, peeled and grated (easily done if ginger is frozen)

1 tsp. garlic, minced or crushed

1/4 tsp. crushed red peppers (or more if you like it to be spicy)

1/4 cup green onion, sliced

1 T. vinegar

Stir-Fried Veggies Directions

1. Heat oil in small fry pan. Add ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and green onion. Sautee until onion is tender.

2. Add vinegar and allow to boil off most of the liquid. 

THEN....

Mix stir-fried veggies into the orange sauce, and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.... I didn't have any so there ain't any in the picture. Serve immediately.

Creamsicle Pancake Syrup

This recipe was adapted from Heather's Dish "Very Vanilla Pancakes with Creamy Orange Scented Drizzle"

http://www.heathersdish.com/ad-free/very-vanilla-pancakes-with-creamy-orange-scented-drizzle/

All credit goes to her for her ingenuity.

Changes made were simply to document how I adapted the recipe using ingredients I typically have on hand (turns out I don't even know what "vanilla bean paste" is)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Zest from 1/2 a large naval orange
Juice from 1/2 a large naval orange
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

For directions, see Heather's Dish, link above. I doubled the recipe because my husband likes his pancakes to swim.

Note: I think it'd be awesome to substitute vanilla coffee creamer for the milk, but I didn't have any this morning when I made it. Need to try that next time!

Bacon and Butternut Risotto

Ingredients:

3 T. butter

1 small butternut squash

3 T. brown sugar

Salt and Pepper

3 slices bacon, chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried sage

2 cups arborio rice

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

Directions:

1. Peel and chop butternut squash into small cubes. Should yield approximately 4 cups of cubes. 

2. Melt butter in a medium skillet. Add squash. Sprinkle with sugar and salt and pepper. Sautee until browned and tender.

3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, brown bacon pieces. Once they begin to brown, add green onions, thyme, and sage. Cook until bacon is completely cooked, onion is tender, and herbs fragrant. 

4. Meanwhile...back on the ranch..... okay sorry. Bring broths to a boil. Add rice and bacon mixture. Simmer until rice is fully cooked and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in butternut squash. 

Note: I'm aware that usually risottos are made by slowly absorbing the liquid until it's fully cooked while sauteeing but... this is the easy way, okay? 

Note: I'm also aware that this is a very autumnal meal. Don't care. 

Cinnamon Tortilla Triangles

Ingredients:
6 T. salted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large flour tortillas (burrito sized)

Directions:
Note: You're going to prepare one at a time. You'll see why. Just trust me.

Preheat oven to 350F

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2. Melt butter using your preferred method (I nuked mine)
3. While butter melts, slice one of your tortillas into triangles using a pizza cutter.
4. On a cookie sheet with a rim, slather both sides of the tortilla triangles with the butter (use all of it. Remember, just trust me!) then sprinkle with the sugar mixture on both sides.
5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until the sugar looks kinda caramelized and the tortillas look crisp...but not TOO crisp. You want them slightly chewy still so they don't make a terrible mess when you try to eat them. Unless you're into that.
6. Being vewwy vewwy careful to not burn yourself on that scalding sugar, transfer tortillas onto a plate or cooling rack. As you can see, a ton of sugar and butter will be left on the pan. I used a rubber spatula to scrape the stuff out of the pan and into a bowl to cool slightly before handling. Then I sliced up the second tortilla, poured/smooshed the remaining sugarbutter over them, and baked again.

These are super awesome when they're still hot, but also good at room temperature for a snack later. Just store in an airtight container after cooling.

Okay, okay, I admit. I used way too much butter and sugar the first time and discovered the fact that the sugar could be reused to make another. Because the sugar mixture leaks off into the pan no matter how you do it, I think this method is easier than trying to do both at once or whatever.

Also, don't be freaked about the pan getting scorched or anything... you're not baking for very long or for a very hot temperature so my pans were perfectly okay and the sugar mixture dissolved in warm dishwater easily.

Unbelievably Decadent and Frothy Dark Chocolate Milk

Don't worry. It's simple.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups milk, divided

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, and 1/4 cup of the milk in a small saucepan. Whisk briskly and constantly over low heat until all is dissolved and resembles traditional chocolate syrup--it might be a little lumpy. (See reference pictures below, and don't laugh at my ghetto foil-lined stove)

2. Separate the mixture into two glasses. Add remaining milk and whisk together. 

3. If you really love the person you're sharing this with, serve with a straw.

Notes:

I feel like this recipe could easily produce 4 glasses of generic tasting chocolate milk-decent, but nothing special. But the high concentration of cocoa in these is what makes them amazing. 

Butternut Squash and Granny Apple Soup

Ingredients:

•           2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)

•           ½ cup yellow onion, chopped

•           ½ cup red onion, chopped

•           6 green onions, sliced

•           4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

•           1 large granny apple, cored and cubed (leave skin on)

•           1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced

•           2 potatoes, cubed (leave skin on)

•           1 quart chicken broth

•           ¼ tsp cinnamon

•           dash ground ginger

•           dash ground allspice or cloves

•           dash ground nutmeg

•           ½ to 1 t. salt, to taste

•           ½ cup whipping cream (optional)

Directions:

1.                  Melt butter in large soup pot on medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 mins.

2.                  Raise heat to medium-high and add remaining vegetables, chicken broth, and spices and stir. Cover, reduce heat to low, and boil gently for 20-30 minutes until carrots and squash are soft enough to easily pierce with fork.

3.                  Puree the soup in batches in blender.

4.                  If adding cream, put now-pureed soup back into pot and add cream and simmer gently on low for another 5 minutes, covered.

About this blog

I hate those blogs where you have to scroll through 3 pages of text about how Granny used to serve this recipe every Sunday before her head was eaten by a dingo and a zillion photos of the food from several angles to get to the actual recipe. I didn't make this blog for any reason other than keeping track of recipes I've tinkered with and hopefully introducing others to some of my genius. Kidding. Also, I came up with the name of the blog in the shower and thought it was funny so... there you have it.

Green Powerball Freezer Smoothies

Get breakfast ready in approximately 2 seconds in the morning. (Prep required. Of course.)

For the Powerball:

2 T. dry oats
1 T. flaxseed
1 T. peanut butter
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 T. water

In a blender, combine oats and flaxseed and grind to a powder. Combine oats/flax powder with remaining ingredients in a small bowl with a rubber spatula until it can be molded into a ball. Freeze on wax paper while you prep the produce for the rest of the smoothie.

For the Produce:

1/2 banana
1/8 avocado
1/4 cup frozen berries
2 wedges apple
2-3 baby carrots
1/4 cup packed spinach

Chop banana, avocado, apple, and carrots into small pieces. Place in sandwich-sized Ziplock bag. Add powerball. Freeze bag.

For the Smoothie:

In the morning, stumble out of bed. Dump contents of ziplock bag into blender. Add 1/2 cup of whatever milk you drink. Blend. Breakfast's ready.

Approximate Nutrition:
350 calories
40 g carbs
17 g fat (from peanut butter and avocado. healthy fat.)
12 g protein
10 g fiber
16 g sugar (from fruit and milk)


Note: The purpose of the powerball is so the peanut butter doesn't stick to the inside of the bag. Also, it sounds frickin' epic.

Note: If you desire a sweeter smoothie, use 1 T. honey instead of water when making the powerball. Or just dump a bit of sugar up in there. No judging here. I had Reese's for dinner last night.

Note: I like to make about a week's worth of smoothie bags at a time. Takes 3 bananas, 1 avocado, 1 apple, and a few handfuls from bags of baby carrots, spinach, and frozen berries.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars - Perfected Ratios!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ratios Perfected! (no more trying to figure out how many crackers equals exactly 1 cup of crumbs…)

Ingredients:

1 shrink-wrap package of graham crackers (you know... they come 3 to a box...)

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

Heaping 1/2 cup of peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1.       Unwrap the graham crackers and place in gallon size ziplock bag. Crush with rolling pin.

2.       Place in medium bowl and add powdered sugar.

3.       In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Stir peanut butter into melted butter with a fork to combine.

4.       Drizzle about 3/4 of the butter/peanut butter over the crumbs and sugar. Stir until all is absorbed—it will still be pretty powdery at this point. Then drizzle on the remaining butter mixture and it should moisten the rest. (If you stir it all in at once, it absorbs too quickly and remains crumbly. This method ensures all gets moistened).

5.       Press mixture into a square cake pan (8x8 or 9x9). Greasing the pan is not necessary.

6.       Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. Do not overcook. (Might take a total of 3 or so minutes...but heck if I know. I [still] just have a crappy 700-watt microwave that fit dorm safety regulations in college...)

7.       Using a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate over the peanut butter.

8.       Chill for at least 15 minutes for chocolate to harden. Cut into bars.

9.       Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Tip: I like to melt the chocolate chips in the same bowl I did the butter in so the chocolate gets a slightly salty flavor. I also think it melts a little more uniformly.

Tip: if you like more chocolate for your peanut butter, double the chocolate. I personally think the peanut butter crust is the best part so I don’t like to mask it with too much chocolate.

Tip: This recipe can be easily doubled to make a 9x13 pan of bars. 2 pkgs graham crackers, 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 sticks butter, 1 1/4 cup peanut butter, and 1 cup chocolate chips.