Make-A-Wish(bone) Soup... for dreary February days

If you’ve ever read “Stone Soup” to your children or grandchildren - it’s a great story about cooperation and sharing.  But - even in real life - it doesn’t take much more than the desire to make soup to make it spring to life and end up with enough to share.  Beginning with turkey or chicken broth, this comforting soup is surprisingly delicious.

The weather is teasing us here lately with warm temperatures and sun - but then reality always hits.  When we have a week of unexpected snow, I like to experiment with new soups.

This one I found on cjaneinthekitchen.  She mentions that her mother makes it from the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving - but it works just as well with chicken.  Since I still have frozen turkey & broth - I decided to retrieve it from the freezer and give this a try.  

By the way - did you ever fight over the wish-bone when you were a kid?   It actually began with the Etruscan’s - who believed that fowl could predict the future.  The Romans embraced this custom, fighting over the unbroken bones of chickens because they wanted good fortune.  The phrases “I need a lucky break” or “I never get a break” came from the loser in the tug of collarbone contests.  This quickly spread throughout England, and eventually when the Pilgrims found an abundance of turkeys here - the custom changed from chicken to turkey.  So - before you make broth from your bird - see if it’s your turn for a “break”...

This is not a clear broth soup.  It reminds me of creamy clam chowder - but with a rich poultry flavor.  Instead of potatoes, the long grain rice is hardly noticeable.  Most of my family asked how I got the potatoes so tender, only to find out it was rice instead.  My grandchildren really liked it (it’s not often they ask for more soup before dessert...)

This was a hearty, comforting soup for a dreary, drab February day.   Serve with fresh homemade bread and sliced apples and cheese.  If your meat-eaters complain - make them a grilled ham & cheese sandwich on the side and they will be perfectly content.

You'll find the recipe at:

www.changeabletable.com

Calypso Spinach Salad

If you think I made this as part of my New Years’ resolutions - you’re wrong.  Yes, I need to lose weight.  Yes, I need to watch what I eat after all the holiday overconsumption.  But... I made this (my version of a Rumbi’s classic) because it is just so delicious.  It seemed to be the right meal for a Sunday evening when I’m tired of heavy holiday fare.

During the Holidays my daughter & her husband took me to Rumbi’s Island Grill.  I had no idea what to order, so I tried their Calypso Spinach Salad w/Chicken.  I’ve been dreaming of it ever since.  

When I looked it up on the web - I found it was pretty healthy.  The Rumbi version has grilled chicken, red onion, cabbage, and feta cheese - which would make it even better.  Since all I had was a turkey breast (and no feta, which was a shame) I made do with what I had.  I tried a few Balsamic Vinaigrette dressings, and this is the one that I thought was closest.  If I had added honey mustard, it would have been spot-on.

I also found a great recipe for sugared walnuts (the usual caramelized walnuts are just too sweet and HARD, in my opinion).  These are lightly sweet, take very little time and skill to make, and are great to munch on - in or out of a salad.

It is simple to adapt this salad recipe to your personal preferences.  So - whether you want a salad for noble reasons, or just a craving - this will not disappoint you. 

For the recipe(s) & directions for everything included in this salad, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

"Good Gravy" Turkey Noodle Soup

By the time you reach Turkey Tuesday (the Tuesday AFTER Thanksgiving) - most households are finished enjoying leftovers from the big meal.  Anything left by this time is not regarded with the same anticipation and zeal of a week ago.  After all the socializing (and sharing coughs and colds) you will enjoy this adaptation of leftovers from the big day.

Most of my family have identified their Thanksgiving leftovers of choice well before the holiday arrives.  They keep a watchful eye on whatever they consider their comfort food - and when I bring the leftovers out, it becomes apparent.  

The first to disappear is white turkey, then potatoes, then stuffing, then various pies.  Pumpkin pie is always a loner at the end - the last item to be chosen.  I really don’t know why I keep making it, but tradition rules.

The evening of Thanksgiving (before everyone bundles up for the Black Friday sales) - I put out ziploc bags, foil, plastic wrap, various disposable containers, etc... and my family chooses their leftovers to take home.  It reminds me of army ants devouring everything in their path...

The problem arrives when the stash of leftovers dwindles to a negligible amount.  This year I had a smidge of dark turkey, a pint of turkey stock, a little bit of gravy, and (of course!) that annoying pumpkin pie.

This is how I used it up (all except for that pie)  When my family left, they didn’t leave me completely empty handed - they shared their coughs & colds.  This soup tasted exceptional tonight, which I enjoyed wrapped in a blanket while reading a new book.

For the simple recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com 

Food Storage 'Fluke'

I took the last week off to spend as much time as possible 

with this great looking missionary son. 

I dropped him off yesterday at the MTC to begin his mission 

- and now I'm wandering around like a lost soul.  

He was my last one at home - and I'm still in shock.  

You'll probably notice a shift in my cooking soon - more "empty nest" than "full house".  Sigh.  But (I've always found) my family still comes home often 

- and that's when I switch gears back into quantity cooking just like all those years before.

This recipe was an ‘accident’ that came about when I was really grasping at straws for ideas for dinner one evening.  

I started with a pound of hamburger, 1/2 can of leftover spaghetti sauce, and grated cheese.  My food storage room provided the rest.  

My grown up kids still ask for this simple dish, and I have no idea why!

I sometimes use ground turkey for a change, and when I do I swap out the spaghetti sauce for Small Batch Pizza Sauce (recipe is HERE).  

It’s a real hit with kids.  You can also feel good about serving it as a “lighter” dish.  No one will know the difference (but you). 

I was surprised at how satisfying this pasta dish was - even with ground turkey as it’s mainstay.  The addition of chunky pizza sauce adds interest and lots of flavor to otherwise bland ground turkey.  Usually dishes of this type are high in fat, but using ground turkey keeps it light - yet still zesty.

So next time you find yourself staring aimlessly into your pantry for ideas 

- give this one a try.  It's not gourmet, but satisfying nonetheless.

For the recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Turkey Meatball 'Comfort' Soup

This is a soup where meatballs are the main ingredient.  More often than not, vegetables and some kind of starch (such as pasta, rice, dumplings, etc) are the principal ingredients in a soup.  This was out of my box, but the flavor was wonderful.  You may like it ‘as is,’ but I’ve added my suggestions.

Lately I’ve experimented with substituting ground turkey for ground beef (and I barely notice the difference).  This version of soup had such an interesting combination of flavors with the turkey, I had to try it.

It was delicious.  The cumin and oregano were great with the garlic & onion - really giving some personality to the (normally bland) turkey.  I would make two changes, however.  

One - (since I’m not too concerned about turkey being lean) don’t use 100% turkey breast.  It was much too dry.  And two - I would skip the breadcrumbs.  Breadcrumbs make these meatballs tough, which I didn’t enjoy.  And (if I actually have any) I will certainly use fresh cilantro.  Fresh parsley was a nice touch this time around.

Next time, this soup will be (as the title implies) a true “comfort” experience. 

For the recipe, source, and photos/directions - go to:

www.changeabletable.com 

Lettuce Wraps - (PF Chang style)

It must be the combination of crunch, freshness, and an explosion of so many flavors that makes lettuce wraps so irresistible.  It’s probably a good thing they aren’t “all-you-can-eat”, or I would never know when to quit.  Most copy-cat recipes come close, but this one has to be a clone of the real thing.

If you’ve never experienced lettuce wraps - I can only describe them as Chinese tacos, with the lettuce being the tortilla.  Even if you think you don’t like Chinese - these will turn you into a loyal fan.  The ingredients aren’t exotic (as you may suspect), and it doesn’t require endless slicing & dicing.  

I find myself craving these whenever I drive past Pei Wei (the “budget” version of PF Chang’s).  I've enjoyed them at both PF Chang's and Pei Wei - and I really can't tell any difference in the two.  I don’t enjoy eating out by myself - but for these, I wouldn’t think twice.  

When I saw this on honwhatsfordinner - I was really motivated.  She doesn’t cite her recipe source, so I can’t help you there.  

I did have to dash to the grocery store at 11:45 PM the night before I served these for Sunday dinner to pick up ground turkey, green onions, and hoisin sauce (which was annoying...)  But now that I have the right ingredients - I can make these any time I get the craving.  

I have kept the filling tightly sealed in the refrigerator, and it’s so simple to take out to warm up one serving at a time.  At Pei Wei, they serve these with a side of some kind of sauce.  I rarely bother drizzling it on, because there is plenty of flavor in the filling.  Make sure your lettuce is CRISP - otherwise, there is no pleasure in the consumption.

For the complete recipe, photos, and a link to the source - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Cheesy Chicken (or Turkey) - give turkey leftovers a new lease on life...

The sauce in this recipe is so simple, yet indescribable. Cheese added during the last few minutes of baking is melted to perfection, blending perfectly with the sauce. The meat beneath is never dry - and the poultry seasoning and garlic is such an unusual combination. Turkey leftovers never tasted so good...



We are dyed-in-the-wool DARK turkey people here. So at the end of all the turkey pickins’ we have a grundle of white meat left over. This year I decided to roast a turkey the Tuesday before Thanksgiving so we could enjoy turkey sandwiches for a few days. You don’t get that luxury when you don’t host it at your house - so this was turkey “insurance”... I deboned a 23 pound turkey, separating it into light and dark meat - as well as making two quarts (+) of yummy turkey gravy.



A few days after Thanksgiving I sliced one section of the turkey breast I had stored into 1/2” portions and layered them in a 9” x 13” pan. I thought of that yummy sauce I had recently used to make the Cheesy Chicken recipe I found at yourhomebasedmom.com. You’ll love this recipe to give a new lease on life to your turkey leftovers. White turkey meat tends to get progressively drier as it ages - no matter how well you store it. So I decided to get right on it and use it up at it’s prime.



It's easy to keep this sauce refrigerated to use a little at a time for smaller portions. For this great poultry recipe, along with photos, links, and directions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com