Turkey Pot Pie

On this unusually rainy weekend in Southern California, turkey pot pie is the perfect remedy.  We have been going stir crazy in the house, especially the new puppy!  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned the new addition to our family. . .meet Mr. Odie Spunkmeyer Waller! 

Odie is a 4-month-old Yorkie pup, who was given to Xavier on Christmas Day from Santa!  He has such a spunky character (hence his middle name:  Spunkmeyer) and is just absolutely charming in every way.  We all just love him to death. . .until the rain came!  He has gone wild with the rain, getting into everything he can, and just plain old causing chaos.  Thank goodness we only had two days of heavy rain!  Today he is finally able to get his little bum back outside and create havoc somewhere else!  J 

Turkey Pot Pie

1 T butter

1 T grape seed oil

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 T flour

4 C chicken stock

2 potatoes, peeled & diced

2 C cooked turkey, cut into bite-size pieces

1 t poultry seasoning

S&P, to taste

2 T parsley, chopped

1 C frozen peas & carrots

1 prepared pie crust

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat butter and oil in a pan over medium heat and cook onions and celery until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook another 2 minutes.

Stir in the chicken stock, season with poultry seasoning and S&P, and bring to a simmer.  Add potatoes and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in turkey, parsley, peas and carrots (I usually cut up a couple of fresh carrots but I didn’t have any on hand; I did have a bag of frozen peas & carrots though.).

Pour mixture into a casserole dish.  Roll out your pie crust on a floured surface, place it on top of the pot pie filling, and brush with egg.  Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.  Laddie likes his crust on the darker side, so at this point I turn the heat to broil and allow the pot pie to broil for 2 minutes. 

Menu #75

Hello!  How’s everybody’s week going?  Ours has been uneventful so far but that’s just fine with me.  We have a lot going on in the next couple weeks with X-man’s 6^th birthday approaching, the beginning of baseball season, and another catering gig.  This is sort of the calm before the storm!

On to this week’s menu. . .

Monday:  Grilled Salmon/grilled asparagus/scallion-lime couscous

Tuesday:  Turkey Pot Pie & salad

I used up turkey that’s been stored away  in the freezer since we deep fried it on Christmas Eve, and it was magnificent!  That’s a picture of the pretty pot pie above.  Laddie prefers a darker crust, so I broil it for a couple minutes at the very end to give it that deep color.  I’ll share the recipe with you later this week (hopefully!). 

Wednesday:  Leftovers

We have a birthday party at the park after school tomorrow, so I think leftovers will be all I have energy for at the end of the day. 

Thursday:  Chicken Pad Thai/edamame/mandarin oranges

Friday:  Cheese Tortellini w/ vodka sauce/salad/garlic-parmesan bread

Xavier’s new fave…tortellini!  He can’t get enough of the stuff!

Saturday:  Grilled Cheeseburgers & baked fries

Sunday:  Pigs in a Blanket & creamy asparagus soup

I saved all the ends of the asparagus from Monday night’s dinner and I’m going to use them up in the soup for this night. 

Wishing everyone a week full of good food & great health!  J

Menu #74

I didn't get to posting a menu last week because there wasn't a menu to post.  It was a crazy busy week last week.  I had a last-minute catering gig while there were a million other things going on with school and baseball, so we just ate whatever we had on hand. . .mostly pasta!  We were all ready for our 4-day weekend.  We had a great Valentine’s Day family outing in San Diego, beginning with brunch at Hash House A-Go- followed by a day at the San Diego Zoo.  The rest of the weekend was full of a lot of much-needed lounging. 

With the chaos of last week I was unable to post the Vegetable Chili recipe, so here it is now. . .

Vegetable Chili

2 T grape seed oil

1 link of Mexican soy chorizo

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 jalapenos, chopped finely

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 beer (I used a Corona)

1 32-oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 large can of diced green chilies

2 can black beans

2 heaping  T chili powder

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

1/2 T cumin

S&P, tt

Heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté soy chorizo for about 5 minutes.  Add the bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, and garlic and cook until the onions and peppers are starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Deglaze pan with beer and add tomatoes, green chilies, and beans.  Season garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, S&P. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Allow the chili to simmer for at least 30 minutes uncovered. 

This week’s menu. . .

Monday:  Red Curry Chicken/steamed brown jasmine rice/edamame

Tuesday:  Vegetable Chili/ham & cheese Panini

I froze the leftover chili from Super Bowl and thawing some of it out for dinner tonight.  This makes for a super easy dinner night since we’ll be at baseball practice this evening.   

Wednesday:  Roast Salmon w/ Mexican spices/lime-cilantro couscous/sautéed zucchini

Thursday:  7-layer burritos/salad w/ homemade 1000 Island

The burrito layers will consist of seasoned ground beef, refried beans, rice, guacamole, salsa, cheese, and sour cream. . .yummy!

Friday:  leftovers

Saturday:  Make-Your-Own Pizza Night

Menu #73

Vegetarian Chili

Good evening!  Hope you all had a fabulous Super Bowl Sunday.  The game was horribly sad for BDL but the fabulous company and insanely delicious food were a great distraction!  Everyone brought over such great treats, like jalapeno popper dip and jalapeno popper rolls, Buffalo-style cauliflower, Snickers fudge, a ridiculously decadent dessert called the Stadium Delight. . .the list goes on and on.  There was so much great food!  I made a vegetarian chili that is quite wholesome but also full of great flavor.   I’ll post the recipe on Thursday when I have some more time. 

This week’s menu is all made up from Super Bowl party leftovers.  I kept the menu easy and quick again because there’s a lot going on with school stuff and the start of Spring baseball.  Also, at the end of the week we are heading to Visalia for my twin nephews’ 1^st birthday party.  Happy Birthday Ethan & Elijah!!!

Monday:  Chili & Cheese Omelets/breakfast potatoes/fruit salad/whole-wheat toast

Using up the leftover chili, cheese, and fruit.

Tuesday:  Pigs in a Blanket/mac & cheese/veg salad

Using up leftover hot dogs and vegs.

Wednesday:  Chicken Stew & garlic-parmesan toast

This is going to be a long day at X-man’s school, so I’m just pulling some chicken stew from the freezer.

Thursday:  Pasta Primavera/salad/garlic bread

Using up the last of the vegs from the veg platter.

Friday:  l/or or take out

Saturday:  Heading to Visalia!

Sunday:  Food on the road home!  

Menu #72

Crispy Fish Tacos w/ mango-avocado salsa

My holiday hiatus turned into a very long break from the blog thing, but I’m back now and I have a lot of great recipes to share!  I also have a few revisions or just some slight adaptations to some old recipes that I can’t wait to share also; one being the fish tacos pictured above.  I’ve posted about fish tacos before, but I usually use a cornmeal-flour breading for the fish.  This time I was out of cornmeal, so I used the FEB method (flour, egg, breading) using panko crumbs with the same seasonings as the original tacos.  I really can’t tell you which BDL and I prefer; they’re both great! 

 I’ll share as much as I can this week but my time will be monopolized by “100^th day of school” week in X’s class…tons of fun crafts and activities to celebrate the 100^th day of school!  One of the activities is an at-home project for Friday’s Superhero Day.  X-man has to pick out 100 items he wants to adorn a cape made from a t-shirt.  Guess what he picked…thunderbolts!  100 thunderbolts!!!  These thunderbolts are to represent his dedication to the San Diego Chargers but at the same time “to look cool like Flash!”   I have no idea what we are going to make these thunderbolts from, but I do know I’m taking a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby tomorrow in hopes for some inspiration.  Wish me luck!

I’m keeping this week’s menu easy and fast since I’m working at the school 4 days this week and getting things ready for our annual Super Bowl party. . .Go Broncos!!!

Monday:  Chicken & Veg Stir-Fry/steamed brown jasmine rice/edamame

Tuesday:  Loaded Baked Potato Soup w/ bacon, green onions, & cheese/spinach salad/garlic-parmesan toast

I have potato soup stashed away in the freezer and this is a great week to take advantage of freezer meals!  J

Wednesday:  Rachael sandwiches/baked fries/fruit salad & pickles

A Rachael is like the sister to a Reuben sandwich but instead of corned beef it’s turkey with coleslaw, 1000 Island dressing, and Swiss cheese.  . .yum!

Thursday:  Tuna Noodle Casserole/salad/garlic-parmesan toast

I’ve had a craving for this recently.  I’m going to use my mom’s recipe, which is a huge favorite from my childhood.  I’ll post it later. 

Friday:  leftovers or make-your-own grilled pizzas

Saturday:  Party food tastings!

I’ll be prepping for the big Super Bowl party, so there will be plenty of food to taste and snack on throughout the day.

Sunday:  Super Bowl Party!  Homemade onion dip w/ potato chips/nacho bar w/ queso dip & all the fixings/chorizo-stuffed jalapeno poppers/fruit bouquet/chili bar w/ veg chili, beef chili, and all the fixings

Laddie’s team, Denver Broncos, are in the Super Bowl this year!  A veg platter, extra chips, desserts, and drinks are arriving with the guests and it’s going to be a big party!  Go Broncos!

On holiday hiatus...

Happy Holidays!

Menu #71

December is just flying right by!  We are having some great holiday fun along the way though!  I am prepping for a holiday party this weekend, and I’m making this festive-looking pepper jelly as small Christmas gifts to hand out to our friends.  I’m short on time today, but I’ll get the recipe to you later this week.  It’s simple and scrumptious.  Our favorite ways to use the pepper jelly are on bagels with cream cheese, on brie en croute, and as a glaze for salmon…yum!

On to our weekly menu . . .

Monday:  B4D—Pork & Potato hash w/ tomatoes/poached eggs/pumpkin pancakes

I made pork steaks smothered in tomatoes and garlic the other night and I had 2 steaks leftover, so I’m using the leftover to make this hash. 

Tuesday:  Clam Chowder in “Sprouts” bread bowls

Didn’t get to this last week. 

Wednesday:  l/o

Thursday:  Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry/steamed brown jasmine rice/mandarin oranges & edamame

Friday:  Party Food Tasting

I will be busy with party food prep all day, so we will be forced to taste all day!  J

Saturday:  Holiday Party!

Appetizers: 

Barbecue Sausage Slices (spicy beef w/ jalapeno & sweet turkey w/ pineapple)

Queso Dip (spicy & mild) w/ tortillas chips

*Guests are bringing along more appetizers

Soup Station:

Chicken Stew

Roasted Tomato-Red Pepper Bisque

Cheesy Breadsticks

Whole-Wheat Rolls

Desserts:

Cooking-Decorating Table w/ sugar cookies, gingerbread people, vanilla frosting, and lots of sprinkles & candy

Peppermint Fudge

Happy Holidays!!!