So, as with Thanksgiving, you want to find a use for the leftovers besides making sandwiches. This soup is one of my absolute favorites. It's so flavorful, thick and hearty... as my grandma used to say, it sticks to your ribs! It's one of those great comfort foods that makes you smile during the cold winters. The ham bone gives it deep, meaty flavor along with the earthiness of the bay leaf and the sweetness of the carrot and onion. Very simple to make and very satisfying to eat. I'll hope you'll give this one a shot!
1 ham bone (or substitute with 2 ham hocks or 2 strips of bacon or fatback, or leftover fat from the ham) 2 cups ham, diced into ½ pieces, fat and skin removed (use a little more or less to your liking) 1 medium onion, diced 1 carrot, peeled and shredded 1 lb. dry split peas, odd ones removed 7 cups water (for thinner soup, use 8 cups) ½ cup of half and half 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp. butter 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
The perfect compliment to my Christmas glazed ham! This dish uses shredded cheddar and buttermilk along with onion and garlic to give it a distinct and wonderful flavor. Yes, I know, you can call this Potatoes Au Gratin, but I like to be different! It's still smooth, creamy and satisfying! I'll hope you'll give it a try! Merry Frickin Christmas!!!
2 lbs. potatoes (yukon or russet), washed and rinsed. Peeled or not, your choice 3 tbsp. butter, plus more to butter dish 1 tbsp. flour 1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups half and half 1/2 cup buttermilk (or substitute with half and half) 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs kosher and cracked black, to taste
So here it is! If your family is like mine, we don't make a turkey for Christmas because, well, we just had one a month ago! So instead, we make ham. This recipe is my own concoction (well, the glaze is) and it is super easy to do. Try using a bone-in ham as I feel this gives it extra flavor. Avoid using those spiral-cut hams. Every time I've had one of those, they always seem to taste tough and leathery to me. Make sure to rest your ham (as with any cooked meat) for at least 20 minutes before serving to lock in all those wonderful juices. I'll hope you'll give it a try! Merry Frickin Christmas!!!
1 bone-in ham, shank or picnic shoulder 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup honey 1 tsp. dijon mustard 1 tsp. stone ground mustard 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1 1/2 cups juice, any kind (mix and match if you like) 1/4 cup marmalade or preserves, use your favorite kosher and cracked black
So, here it is! This is my last post on what to do with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I realize that most of you probably don't have any more leftovers, but not to worry... Just substitute with chicken and your set! I got this recipe online and put a few tweaks of my own on it but, as I mention in the video, it didn't come out quite the way I wanted. The correct techniques are in the video and the adjusted ingredients are listed below. I hope you'll give this a try!
4 tbsp. butter 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4'' dice 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4'' dice 2 peeled carrots, cut into 1/4'' dice bell peppers, 1/2 each of 3 colors, cut into 1/4'' dice with ribs and seeds removed 1 cup peas 2/3 cup black olives, sliced 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1/3 tsp. dried thyme 1/3 tsp. dried tarragon 3 tbsp. all purpose flour 4 cups leftover turkey, cut into 1" pieces (substitute with 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts) 1/2 cup of 1/2 & 1/2 1/2 cup white wine kosher and cracked black
So, here it is! As promised, my ingenious recipe for leftover turkey... Turkey Noodle Soup! Ok, so it's not ingenious, but it's a nice hearty and tasty soup that beats the hell out of eating turkey sandwiches. This recipe is for those few of you who had a 20+ lb. turkey for Thanksgiving. If you had a 'normal' 10-14 lb. one, cut this recipe right in half. I hope you'll give it a try!
1 20 lb. leftover turkey 3 1/2 gallons of water 6 medium onions, chopped 6 ribs celery, diced into 1" pieces 6 carrots, peeled and diced into 1" pieces 3 baby zucchini, diced into 1" pieces 3 cans (or 2 raw) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1" pieces 2 heads turnip greens, rinsed and chopped 2 lbs. broad egg noodles 1 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. sage 1/2 tsp. marjoram 2 tsp. rosemary 6 small or 4 large bay leaves kosher and cracked black
So, what do you do with that leftover turkey carcass (did I just say carcass?) and the neck and giblets that you can't or didn't eat? Why, you make soup, of course! Stay tuned!!
So here's my final installment of my Good Frickin Cookin Thanksgiving trilogy... THE GRAVY!!! I mean, c'mon, what's better than turkey and dressing topped with an awesome gravy? (hmm, now that I think of it, garlic mashed potatoes underneath that gravy doesn't sound bad...). Well, anyway, this gravy uses the pan drippings, butter, wine, and most of the same herbs used to make the turkey. A nice, thick, rich sauce that is truly the elixir of the gods. I hope you'll give it a try! Happy Frickin Thanksgiving!!!
2 tbsp. unsalted butter 4 tbsp. pan drippings 4 tbsp. flour low sodium chicken broth (enough to make 3 cups when added to remainder of pan drippings) 1/8 tsp. thyme 1/8 tsp. sage 1/4 tsp. rosemary 1/2 cup wine (any kind, but I like white best) kosher and cracked black
So here's my idea of the perfect accompaniment to the perfect turkey. This dressing uses sage, sausage and apples to strike a nice balance between sweet and savory. I hope you'll give it a try! Happy Frickin Thanksgiving!!!
1 lb. sweet sausage (or sage sausage), casings removed 1 14-16 oz. bag dressing croutons 1/4 tsp. or so sage 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 3 cups low sodium chicken broth 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided 2 eggs, beaten kosher and cracked black
Well, it's about time, huh? Better late than never. Just in time (and I mean JUST) for Thanksgiving, I bring you my recipe for what I think is the best turkey out there. I use butter and basting to keep this bird moist and juicy with a beautifully crispy skin. I hope you'll give it a try! I didn't mention in the video, but let your frozen bird thaw out 3 full days in the refrigerator before the big day, and after the initial hour, cook your turkey about 15 minutes per pound, checking the internal temperature at about 45 minutes from the end to prevent overcooking. Have a Happy Frickin Thanksgiving!
Empanadas are a latin food that I really love. They're simple to make and the crispy fried dough is hard to beat. Now, I'm sure that Latin moms make they're own discs, but I buy 10 of them at Walmart for $1.50, so you won't see me making my own anytime soon. My friend, Netta, who is Puerto Rican, said she could kick my butt at making these (and I'm sure she's right), but wanted to see me do a video on them anyway. I don't know what traditionally goes into them, but here's my take on them. I just hope I've done a decent enough job on them to at least avoid ridicule from her… LOL, anyway I hope you give these a try. :-)
1 package of 10 empanada discs
1 medium onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced with ribs and seeds removed
Yes, my new page is up and running! I've been posting on youtube for awhile now and decided it was time to expand. So what I have for you now is my latest video for buttermilk meatloaf. I got this recipe online from the very talented, very informative and oh-so-entertaining Chef John Mitzewich, host and creator of Food Wishes. I'm a huge fan of his (although I hope not the borderline-inappropriate kind) and he deserves a big shout-out here. I've put my own tweak on this recipe to give it a nice crust on the outside, along with topping it with a B-B-Q sauce from Dinosaur B-B-Q, a famous eatery that got its start in (you guessed it) Central New York (Syracuse, to be exact). I hope you'll give it a try!
