Turkey Tetrazzini

I'm at a crucial time with my remaining turkey...use it or freeze it.  Since I spent last night cleaning out my freezer, using it won out.  I've enjoyed chicken tetrazzini so I wanted to try it with turkey.  I would have added a half cup of peas if I would have found some in my clean freezer...no go but there is 5 bottles of flavored vodka.  One must have their freezer space priorities.  And this recipe was an opportunity to use some of the pasta I bought from Eataly.  

Turkey Tetrazzini

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or turkey)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, separated
1 tbsp parsley
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups turkey
8 oz fusilli, cooked al dente

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour until a paste forms.  Gradually stir in broth and milk.  Allow to cook and thicken while you cook your pasta.  When the sauce has thickened, stir in 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, parsley, red pepper flakes and turkey.  Place drained pasta in a greased baking dish.  Pour the turkey mixture over the pasta and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan.  Bake at 350° for a half hour.  

Brownie Toffee Biscotti

I've been craving chocolate since yesterday and thought about a batch of chocolate chip cookies or trying something different.  The wind is still cold so making a new biscotti recipe to have with a cup of green tea sounded like a nice alternative to turning the furnace back on and curing my chocolate craving.  I always use dark cocoa just because it's my preference and I like the dark chocolate color and flavor but using regular will work just as well.  It was very tempting just to dig into this before I sliced for the second baking.

Brownie Toffee Biscotti

Combine in a large bowl:

1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup double dutch dark cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a small bowl combine:

3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla

Gradually add butter mixture into flour mixture until combined.  The dough will be crumbly.  Turn out onto a lightly flour surface and knead.  Add in 1/2 cup of milk chocolate toffee bits and roll into a 12" log x 3" wide.  Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for a half hour at 325°.   Cool for 15 minutes.  Slice at an angle into 1/2" slices.  Place back on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side at 300°.  Store in an air tight container.  

Turkey Spice Rub

Dreams of doing anything outdoors this holiday weekend are only going to happen if you dress warmly.  My deck cushions remain in the garage just waiting for warmer weather.  Along with the cushions, the grill awaits.  I had originally planned on cooking this turkey breast on the grill but cold winds made using the crock pot an excellent back up plan.

Turkey Spice Rub

2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper, fresh ground
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp sage
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dark brown sugar

Mix all the spices and sugar in a small bowl.  Rinse off turkey breast (or turkey) and pat dry.  Pat spice rub onto the turkey and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°.

Peach Pizza

I'm back.  I had gotten sick a week ago and it's taken a little while to get my appetite and energy back.  And what better way to return than with on of my favorite fruits - peaches.

Peach Pizza

1 - 8" pizza crust
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups peaches, sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp cold butter

In a small bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.  Spread over pizza crust evenly.  Place peach slices over the cream cheese mixture.  In another bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in butter pieces with a fork.  When crumbly, spread over peaches.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350°.

Summer Reading

It's almost summer and I'm lining up what I'll be reading.  Please share if you have any suggestions on what I can add to my list ~ I love to read and look at cookbooks.


I bought this book in the used section of amazon.com and I'm really happy that I did.  A quick glance through and I was impressed.  I might buy more cookbooks from Jonathan Waxman.

This is another that I bought at the same time from a charity that was raising funds and it looks like an interesting read of what goes on behind the scenes in restaurants.  And Eric Ripert is always well spoken so it should be good.

An impulse buy, I picked up Alex Guarnaschelli's cookbook.  I did crack it open and I'm not feeling as many warm and fuzzy feelings as I did from Jonathan Waxman but I'll find lawn chair time and read more.

Now for fiction.  I love cooking and mysteries so the combination is almost always a win for me.  I say almost always because there are a lot of series out there.  I've read some and enjoyed them and others are only a good time killer.

This is the second book I've bought in the series by Lucy Burdette and I thought the first was well written so this went into my Kindle.

I don't have this yet but it is pre-ordered in hard cover.  I am a loyal Diane Mott Davidson fan and want a real book.  Her stories are always fun to read and I love her recipes.  It's going to be a long wait until August but it will be worth it.

Honey Glaze for Chicken

We are getting occasional days that it actually seems like Spring here in the valley.  Rare but they do exist and since I've got strawberry plants out, it's time for the grill to make an appearance.  I had some skin on chicken breasts just waiting to hit the grill so they called for a new sauce.

Honey Glazed Chicken

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Heinz 57 sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Frank's Hot sauce

Combine all in a small saucepan and let simmer until you're ready to use.  I basted the chicken 3 times on the grill and kept a little for dipping.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Nothing like a rainy day to bring out the need for comfort food.  Mashed potatoes has always been in the top 10 of my comfort food and even though I had milk in my refrigerator, I decided to go entirely with sour cream this time.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

5 medium sized red potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes and cooked until tender - leave the skins on
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Mash the potato cubes.  Fold in sour cream and spices.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

I have been on a pepperoni kick lately and this is what I made.  I co-worker gave me a cajun chicken roll up a couple weeks ago that was absolutely delicious so I got to thinking about what I could do that was different with the same concept.  The bonus to this that it is fun to make with the different layers and rolling up.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

4 lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
1 cup ricotta
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
24 slices pepperoni
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, oregano and garlic powder.  Spread out the noodles.  Put 1/4 of the ricotta mixture in a center strip on each noodle.  Top each noodle with 6 slices of pepperoni and sprinkle mozzarella on top.  

Carefully roll up each piece and put seam down in a greased 9 x 9 pan and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.

Crispy Chicken Tenders

Some days dinner plans call for an easy meal that tastes good after a long day at work.  Chicken tenders are loved by most people and a little cayenne adds that little heat to them.  These would also make a great snack while watching your favorite team play on the tv.  

Crispy Chicken Tenders

1 # chicken tenders
2 1/2 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne 
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup milk

Put the cereal in a large plastic bag.  Crush the pieces either by hand or using a rolling pin.  Add in spices.  Put the milk in a small dish that is suitable for dipping the tenders.  Dip the tenders one at a time and place in the bag.  Shake and put on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Pizza Potato Bites

I really don't feel there's any wrong way to make a pizza.  Well maybe it would be bad to try to create one on slices of cake but any bread or vegetable base is fair game.

Pizza Potato Bites

4 red potatoes ~ choose a good size for your choice of toppings
pizza sauce ~ my recipe is below
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese


Pizza Sauce

1 - 6 oz tomato paste
6 oz water
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp Italian Seasonings
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Mix together tomato paste and water in a medium sized pan.  Add in honey, garlic and spices and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Cook potatoes of medium heat until fork tender.  Allow to cool enough to slice.  Slice potatoes in 1/4" pieces.  Place on a foil lined pan sprayed with olive oil.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.  Flip over and bake for another 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce, a slice of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.  Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Hamburger Stroganoff

It always seems that Monday is a rough day and it needs an easy meal to make. Here's what I made with a pound of hamburger.

Hamburger Stroganoff

1 # extra lean ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup beef stock

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp dill weed

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Brown ground beef. When almost done, add in the minced garlic. Stir in beef broth, milk and cream and let reduce. Add in spices. A few minutes before serving, add in the sour cream. Serve over your favorite noodles.

Frangelico Silk Pie

Happy Mother's Day!  Today I've made a special treat for mom ~ a chocolate silk pie lightly flavored with Frangelico.  

Frangelico Silk Pie

1 pie crust, either homemade or store bought
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 - 1 oz unsweetened chocolate squares
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp Frangelico, divided
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Bake and cool your pie crust.  Combine 2/3 cup sugar and eggs together in a small saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a metal spoon.  Take off heat and stir in the chocolate squares, vanilla and 2 tbsp Frangelico.  Keep stirring until smooth and let cool down until it's only slightly warm.  
In a small bowl, whip the butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture and beat on high speed until light and fluffy again.  Add in another 2 tbsp of Frangelico and beat for another minute.
In a large bowl, beat whipping cream until it thickens.  Add in Mascarpone and beat until stiff peaks form.  Add in powdered sugar and beat for another minute.  
Fold chocolate into whipped cream mixture.  Pour into pie crust, smooth out evenly and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Orange Glazed Carrots

I like to give vegetables a kick up with a nice balance of acidity and orange juice is a perfect compliment to carrots.  I'm not really a zest fan but you can most certainly add it when you make these.

Orange Glazed Carrots

2 cups sliced carrots (I used frozen)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch salt

Cook carrots in water until tender.  Drain and add in remaining ingredients.  Stir until well mixed and heat until the sauce thickens.

Chicken with Paprika Cream Sauce

I'm always looking for new ways to make chicken and somehow I had 2 pints of whipping cream in my refrigerator.  I know I was intending to make a pie using one but I can't remember what recipe I was planning on creating using then 2nd one.  It's in my sauce now.

Chicken with Paprika Cream Sauce

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp paprika (mine was a generous measurement)
1 tbsp butter
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Brown the chicken breasts in a large frying pan with the olive oil.  When cooked, remove from pan and add in butter.  When melted stir in paprika and then the cream.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until thick.  Serve with the chicken over pasta or rice.

Italian Corn

This might be the last of my corn that I froze last summer from my CSA.  But every time I think I've used up the last of it, I find another package tucked in one of my freezers.  I decided to give this batch an Italian flavor twist.

Italian Corn

2 cups frozen corn
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Combine all the ingredients and place in a greased baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.

Grilled Peaches & Cinnamon Bread

Ever see an item in a grocery store and can't wait to make something new with it?  That's what happened with me when I saw Krimp Cinnamon Bread.  I'm still remembering how good the grilled angel food cake dessert was so I wanted to try this.  I made it for breakfast instead of a dessert.  It was very tempting to make a second because the cinnamon and peaches combination was so tasty.

Grilled Peaches & Cinnamon Bread

2 slices cinnamon bread
1 tsp cream cheese, softened
1 tsp peach jam
3 peach slices, I used frozen, slightly thawed
butter, softened

Place a buttered slice of the cinnamon bread face down in a frying pan.  Top with cream cheese and sliced peaches.  Spread peach jam on the inside of the second piece of cinnamon bread and place face down on top of the peaches.  Butter the top side of the second slice of cinnamon bread.  Lightly toast each side.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I was looking for a side when I was making my Cheddar Cracker Chicken Breasts yesterday. I had two sweet potatoes sitting in my kitchen so I decided to try something different with them and this is going to be my go to recipe for Thanksgiving from now on.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2 sweet potatoes, baked until soft

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

3/4 cup pineapple

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Scoop out baked sweet potatoes while still warm into a medium sized bowl. Add in butter, brown sugar, salt and mash. Fold in pineapple and put into a greased baking dish. Top with marshmallows and bake for 20 minutes at 350°.

Cheddar Cracker Chicken Breasts

I discovered that Goldfish crackers work pretty well as a coating base for chicken. I was a little over zealous when it came to cleaning out my cupboards and the leftover flavored potato chips that I saved to chicken were tossed so the only thing left in my house was cheddar Goldfish. I crunched some really fine and left some chunky for a variation.

Cheddar Cracker Chicken Breasts

2 chicken breasts

1 cup crushed cheddar Goldfish crackers

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Whisk together egg and milk in one soup bowl for the initial chicken dip. In a second bowl, place cracker crumbs and spices. Have a foil lined 9 x 13 pan next to the second bowl. In an assembly line, dip chicken in egg mixture, then in crumbs (both sides) and place in the pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

Mexican Chicken Packets

Chicken and cream cheese together is always a good start to any recipe. Add in a few green chilies and it's a taste fiesta. One tip ~ make sure your flour tortillas are room temperature before you start working with them or slightly heated in the microwave.

Mexican Chicken Packets

10 fajita size flour tortillas

1 # chicken tenders

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp green chilies

4 oz cream cheese

1 tbsp taco seasoning

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded.

Place the chicken broth, green chilies and chicken tenders in a large skillet. Heat until chicken is cooked and broth has evaporated. Fork shred the chicken and add into taco seasoning and cream cheese. Heat until cream cheese has melted. Remove from heat.

In the center of each flour tortilla, place 2 tbsp chicken mixture and top with 1 tbsp shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Fold in opposite sides and then the other two sides to form a packet. Place seam down on a greased jelly roll pan. Top with packet with a tbsp of Colby Jack cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 325°

Mexican Rice

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow and here's a recipe that I made in early celebration...of course accompanying margaritas are always a good thing.

Mexican Rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup white rice

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp onions, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp parsley

salt to taste

In a medium sized pot, place chicken broth, rice and butter. Bring to a boil, stir one time, cover and turn the heat down to simmer and leave for 20 minutes. Remove from heat after 20 minutes and keep covered for another 10 minutes. While you're waiting, in a small pan heat the olive oil and cook the onions until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in tomato paste, cumin and parsley. Mix into cooked rice and add salt if necessary.

Grilled Angel Food Cake & Fruit

Yesterday's dessert send my mind into overdrive...or was it my sugar levels?  I knew I had leftover angel food cake and liked the toasting method.  The best part is that I have more fruit and jam combinations I can try with the remaining cake.

Grilled Angel Food Cake & Fruit

2 slices angel food cake, cut 1/2" thick
2 strawberries
1/2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1/2 tbsp strawberry jam


Place one slice of the angel food cake in a frying pan.  Top with cream cheese, sliced strawberries.  Spread strawberry jam on the inside of the second piece of angel food cake and place face down on top of the strawberries.  Lightly toast each side.

My next angel food desserts will be using peaches and blackberries.

Fruit Panzanella

This is a very fun to make dessert and you can use any of your favorite fruits. You might want to make extra cubes of angel food cake because they're so tempting to nibble on.

Fruit Panzanella

2 cups angel food cake, cubed and toasted

1/2 cup blackberries

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup peaches, diced

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp Greek yogurt

Cut angel food cake into 1/2" cubes. Toast in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. In small bowls, divide the sugar and put over the strawberries and peaches.

Before serving, put all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl, including the juices of the fruit. Toss and put into serving glasses. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Italian Meatballs

Ever throw together some ingredients and have them turn out to be so delicious that you start nibbling before the rest of the meal is ready?  These meatballs fit that description.  So tender and tasty that they do not need a sauce.

Italian Meatballs

1 # extra lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Roll into medium sized meatballs and place on a jelly roll pan.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.