Southwestern Turkey Chili

Still have leftover turkey hanging around? Try this super easy recipe for turkey chili. It is perfect for the cold weather and you can make it in a snap!

You can also substitute chicken for the turkey if you want to make this any other time of year when you don't necessarily have leftover turkey!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. leftover turkey, shredded
1 14.5 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can of Rotel
1 15 oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1 teaspoon dried onion
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups water

Optional toppings:
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Tortilla Chips

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a slow cook and add all remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Turn slowcooker to high and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Serve with desired toppings and tortilla chips or corn bread.

Turkey and Dumpling Soup

True or False: It's the day after Thanksgiving and your fridge is loaded down with leftovers from the day before. I'm going to go with True.

While you definitely can't go wrong with just heating up a little turkey, mashed potatoes and drizzling on a little gravy, here is a great recipe if you want something a little different or have more turkey than you know what to do with! Plus this the perfect thing to make on a cold rainy day like today! )Well, at least here in Louisiana--even though it was 80 degrees yesterday!)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil or butter
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small onion-baseball size)
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1 tablespoon flour
8 cups turkey stock, see below for recipe or purchase at the store
2 cups water
1 lb. leftover turkey (more or less, depending on your leftovers)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

In a large stockpot, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrot 3-5 minutes. Sprinkly veggies with flour and cook for one to two minutes. Pour about one cup of stock into the pot, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom and stirring to incorporate. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Pour in remaining stock and water. Add turkey and stir in bay leaf and rosemary. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Taste soup and season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Dumplings
1 1/2 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup milk
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped or crumbled in your hand

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients until you get a slightly sticky dough. Bring broth mixture to a boil and spoon about a teaspoon at a time of dumpling dough into the boiling liquid. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes and then cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with leftover rolls and whatever else you have! And if you have leftover soup, save it for the next day--it'll be even better!

Turkey Stock
Turkey Carcass,  meat removed and broken down to fit into the pot
16 cups of water
2 celery ribs, cut into two inch pieces
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into two inch pieces
2 onion, quartered
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 clove of garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons black peppercorn

Add all ingredients to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to low and simmer for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, skimming fat, occasionally. Strain the stock and use in your favorite recipes, like this one, or freeze for later use.

Brined and Roasted Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving? This year has just flown by! (It is actually just a few days away from our first wedding anniversary and I can not believe the first year has gone by so quickly! Great memories already! Happy Anniversary Steven!)

Anyways, back to Thanksgiving!

I am such a holiday-loving girl and of course Thanksgiving is no exception! There is so much cooking to be done, time spent with family and of course, eating! What's not to love! For me, my favorite part of the holiday is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving which I aptly nicknamed "Cooking Day." This is the day when my mom and sisters and I get together and start cooking for Thanksgiving. Translation: My mom and I do a lot of cooking, Annie tries to cook and we all laugh at her and Katherine does a dessert or two and sits at the counter and reads gossip magazines out loud. It is truly one of my favorite days.

Because Thanksgiving is largely built around traditions (at least in our family) and there is a lot of pressure to please and impress, it is a time of the year that I don't really mess around with trying a whole lot of new things in the kitchen. I stick with the favorites.

Since the turkey is the star of the show, it has to be good, so my mom and I do the same turkey every year (and actually for the last couple of years, I did it all by myself!).

If you are looking for a new recipe, this is one to try! You will not be disappointed. The turkey comes out juicy and delicious!

Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Squeeze the oranges and lemons and add them, along with the thyme and rosemary, to the brine.

Turkey:
1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
Brine, recipe follows
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 large orange, cut into 8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.

Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated (or in a cooler), for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Turn the turkey at least once during the process.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine.

Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

I will post some more Thanksgiving favorites as it gets closer. If you have a family tradition or recipe that you would like to share, let me know! I'd love to post it for you!