Peas and Pancetta

  So, since Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, I was looking for some interesting and different ideas for holiday side dishes, and I happened upon Ina Garten's recipe for Peas and Pancetta. First off, if you're not familiar with pancetta, it's like bacon, but it's just cured, not smoked. Anyway, the recipe sounded great, so I decided to try it. To be quite honest, I thought it was ok, but I immediately knew I'd want to change a few things. Full disclosure, I wound up changing literally everything in the recipe except for the peas and pancetta. Only just small changes, but changes nonetheless. 

 In addition to the two main ingredients, the original recipe called for olive oil, shallots, and fresh mint. Frankly, I don't see what the shallots brought to the party that would be different from just using a regular onion. And if I'm being genuinely truthful, shallots always feel a little pretentious to me. Does anyone really keep a supply of shallots in one's pantry? And conversely, does anyone NOT keep a bag of onions handy? You see my point. I also wondered why we were using olive oil when butter would have been so much better. I mean, you usually put a pat of butter on your regular steamed peas, am I right?? And the biggest deal breaker, I think, was the addition of the fresh mint. Maybe it was originally included to add a freshness to the dish, but it was absolutely not working for me. (Sorry, Miss Ina!) So I chose fresh thyme leaves and parsley as a substitute. For me, thyme makes everything taste and smell like Thanksgiving, and fresh parsley gives everything a fresh hit. So I gave it a try with all of my tweaks, and I must say, I enjoyed it MUCH better! 

  So, here it is. I can't exactly take credit for this recipe, because it wasn't really my idea to start with, but I will happily take credit for the updates. And who knows? Maybe you'll read this and think, Nope, the original sounds much better! and to that I say, Go for it! Cooking is subjective, right? You make it that way YOU like it! That's what makes it fun! That's what I did! 

You should too! 

Enjoy!

2 or 3 tbs butter

4 oz diced pancetta

1 red onion (or onion of your choice), finely diced

1 24oz bag frozen peas

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves removed from the stem

Salt and pepper 

Fresh parsley

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta, and stir to render some of the fat for a few minutes, then add the finely diced onion. Stir and cook until the onions soften and the pancetta starts to brown, a good 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas, (no need to thaw!) and the fresh thyme leaves. Cover the pan and let it cook for a few minutes, stirring every so often, until everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with an addition pat of butter and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Tips:

One of the best things about this recipe is that it comes together in only a few minutes. The peas stay plump and bright green and sweet and delish! The only down side is that it's not really a good make-ahead sort of dish. I tried making it in advance, figuring I'd just heat it up for serving, and the peas weren't as bright green, and they weren't as plump and fresh. So if you're making it for a holiday meal, stir it up right before you sit down to the table so it's nice and hot when you serve it. 

 One other thing.. be sure you don't over cook the peas. They can go from bright green and lovely to grey and shriveled in a snap. You really only want to cook them until they're just heated through and no longer frozen. If you can't find pancetta, just use regular bacon!

 

 

Perfect Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast

   Every year, when Autumn starts creeping in, I'm always searching for different recipes and methods of cooking all of our holiday favorites. This year, my new favorite thing is cooking a boneless turkey breast in the slow cooker. Now, if you know me, you know about my love of slow cookers and the fact that I have an entire collection of them, (only 10, but who's counting?)
 Anyway, I first tried this method with a tik tok Cranberry Turkey recipe, and I loved the method so much that I thought "ok now lets try this with your usual traditional herbs and spices." I mean, you just can't beat the aroma of a Thanksgiving turkey cooking all day, am I right?
 The result was AMAZING! It's literally fall apart tender, flavorful and juicy as can be, and it absolutely smells and tastes like Thanksgiving. And the good news is, you can customize it for the amount of people you're serving. If you only have 3 or 4 people, you're good to go. If you have 6 or 7 people, just use a larger slow cooker and make two! And so forth. Oh! And here's the kicker: I wondered whether you even have to defrost the turkey, and guess what? You don't! You can literally take it out of the freezer, frozen solid, and throw it into the crock pot. Who knew? The only thawing I did was I held it under running COLD water until I could detach the frozen gravysickle packet. That was it! You do have to cook it for a longer stretch of time, but that seemed to be a worthwhile trade off. And it comes out exactly the same! Game changer.
Bonus: It also frees up your oven for all of your other casseroles and side dishes. Actually, come to think of it.. now that all the worry and stress about your turkey is sorted, what other side dishes are you gonna make??? Make lots, invite friends, and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

1 (3lb) Butterball frozen boneless turkey breast
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning blend
1/2 tsp ground sage
Salt and pepper to taste
4 pats of butter (about 1/2 stick)
1/4 cup white wine

Simply throw all ingredients into a crock pot, leaving the webbed netting on the turkey breast. 

Cover and set your slow cooker to low.
If your turkey breast is completely thawed, cook it for 6 hours.
If it's frozen, cook it for 8 hours.
Remove from slow cooker to a cutting board. Use scissors to remove the netting. Be careful! It's hot! Using a very sharp knife, slice into nice thick slices and serve.

For the gravy;
After removing the turkey from the crock pot, add a slurry made of 1/2 cup COLD water or chicken broth and a 1/4 cup flour to the slow cooker. Whisk to combine until it thickens. 

Pour gravy over everything!

Tips:
 Gravy- Be careful not to add too much wine. Once I just eyeballed it and it came out tasting much too winey for me. I found that measuring 1/4 cup was just the right amount.
 Seasoning- If you'd like to use fresh herbs instead of dry, go for it! You definitely can't go wrong with sage and thyme!
 Slicing- I found that using a really sharp knife will help you to make cleaner slices. That sounds kind of obvious, but if your knife is dull, the meat will just fall apart instead of making nice pretty slices. Presentation is everything! Also, making thicker slices helps to that end as well!
 And lastly, this recipe also works really well with a whole oven-stuffer roaster chicken. My biggest crockpot literally fits a whole 9 lb bird. Crazy, right? Just be sure to completely thaw it, remove the bundle from inside the cavity, rinse and dry it, then add a jar of chicken gravy to the listed recipe since it doesn't come with a gravy packet. Boom.

Joey's Slow Cooker Cowboy Lasagna

 

 

 

  If you know me, you know that I love canning. Pressure canning, water bath canning, steam canning, Love it. Not only does it provide me with a well-stocked pantry full of shelf stable food, but also I find it to be very therapeutic. It’s a great way to reduce stress and turn off your brain for a while. Some people like knitting and crocheting, I like canning.
 Anyway. recently I was pressure canning pints of chili for chili dogs, and I also did a big batch of Sloppy Joes. Most of the jars sealed up perfectly, but then there were a few that didn’t seal.  So that left me with two choices. I could either process it in the pressure canner again, or I could just put it in the fridge and eat it sooner than later.
 I opted for B.
I transferred all of the unsealed jars to a larger container. And then I got to thinking.. “well, now, what am I gonna do with all this chili/meat sauce?” I could do a hot-dogs-and-chili sort of casserole, I could make nachos, I could just simply have a bowl of warm chili with some shredded cheese and sour cream on top… hmmm..
 Then I thought, what about a lasagna? Only instead of Marinara sauce, I could use the chili as the meat sauce. Perfect!  I thought, oooo that sounds like it should be called Cowboy Lasagna. So I googled it, and whadya know,  Cowboy Lasagna is already a thing! Who knew? I googled some more and found a few different recipes and it basically this was my flight of ideas:
 … hmm.. this one has sausage in it.. I just happen to have some sausage!  great.. … next.. peppers, onions…awesome..  got ‘em, perfect… what else… cheese? Yup.. Cheddar and Mozzarella.. so far so good.. what else.. a few spices… ground cumin, paprika, definitely…. It needs something fresh… parsley! YES…. Keep googling other recipes… oh look.. this one has pepperoni on the top.. I have that too!
 It kind of cracked me up, because it felt like I was cleaning out my fridge and using up all of my leftover ingredients that all just happened to work for this recipe. I guess my biggest “outside the box” moment was when I added a little cream over the noodles instead of doing ricotta or cottage cheese. I really just wanted to focus on the meat sauce and noodles, instead of doing a whole cheese layer. Adding a drizzle of cream was just the right amount of richness. One might even call that the A HA moment. Well, that and the fact that I had half of a container of heavy cream in the fridge, waiting to be used up.
 So there we have it. Cowboy Lasagna, all thrown together while I was on my lunch break, and ready by the time I arrived home for dinner.  Easy, delicious, comforting, and perfect for a Fall dinner. 

If you like chili, you’ll love this one!



Vegetable oil
1 lb Italian sausage (hot and/or mild)
2 bell peppers, any color
1 medium onion
4-6 cups of your favorite chili
A handful of chopped fresh parsley
A few shakes of each:
            Ground cumin
            Paprika
            Dried oregano
            Salt
            Black pepper
1 box uncooked lasagna noodles
16 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
16 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
Heavy cream
Pepperoni slices


  Add a few glugs of oil to a large skillet. Remove sausage casings (if needed) and brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up as you go. Add the chopped peppers and onions, and continue to sauté.
When the meat is brown and the veggies are soft, pour everything into a giant mixing bowl. Add the chili, parsley, oregano, and spices. Stir until well combined.
Spray your biggest slow cooker with non stick cooking spray. 

Spread a cup or two of the meat mixture across the bottom.
Now do a layer of dry lasagna noodles, breaking them into smaller pieces as needed to complete the layer. Drizzle just a little heavy cream over the noodles, (not too much!) then sprinkle with a little of each kind of shredded cheese.
Do this 2 or 3 more times, or as many layers as your slow cooker will allow.

Meat, noodles, cream, shredded cheese.
Now place slices of pepperoni  across the top and sprinkle with a little more chopped parsley. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. At this point, it'll be very soupy, so it's best to turn off the heat and let it set up for a bit before cutting into it. Serve with a big dollop of sour cream on top.


Tips:
All of the amounts are just guide lines. If you like a lot of something, add a lot!
If you don’t have chili already made, you can use Hormel, or just make a meat sauce with ground beef and tomato puree, then add chili seasonings to it. If you're not sure what spices go in chili, it's easiest just to add a packet of ready made chili seasoning, like Chili-O. 

If you'd like a spicier lasagna, add the pepperoni slices to each layer, not just the top!
I didn’t add beans, but you absolutely can. Any kind you like! Just rinse and drain them, then toss them into your meat mixture. Red, black, any kind you like! You could even just add a can of regular pork and beans, sauce and all. Or even a can of corn. It will all work!
Feel free to add any kind of hot peppers, crushed red pepper flakes, Tabasco Sauce, or any other kind of heat, as much as you dare. You do you!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, this recipe can also be made in a regular 9x13 casserole dish and then baked in the oven. Bake it at 350º, covered, for about an hour. And while it’s baking, go on Amazon and buy yourself a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Breast

 When we think of a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, the image that immediately comes to mind is something like the iconic Norman Rockwell painting, Freedom From Want. It depicts a large group of people gathered around the dinner table while a humongous turkey is being presented as the centerpiece for the feast. Since I have a ginormous wonderful family, I can certainly relate to this idea!

 But what if your wonderful family isn't so ginormous? What if you have maybe 3 or 4 people instead of 20 or 30? Yes, you'd still love to serve a terrific Turkey Dinner for Thanksgiving, but you've decided you're definitely not gonna cook a giant turkey. What are your options? Well, this recipe answers that question! 

  I first saw a version of this recipe in a tik tok video, and I gave it a try. LOVED it! But immediately thought I could make it better. After a few tries, I think THIS is the best one! It's SO easy to do, it only takes a few minutes to throw together, and since it's in a slow cooker, it frees up your oven for other dishes like casseroles or roasted veggies. And the gravy that it makes is absolutely delicious! Another great fact about this recipe is that you don't have to serve it just for thanksgiving. It's an easy simple weeknight meal! Also it's perfect for me, since most of the time I'm just cooking for myself. Turkey just happens to be my all time favorite dinner, and now I get to have it as often as I want! This recipe is just that easy. 

 So if you're looking for a Thanksgiving option, or if you just happen to love turkey as much as I do, give this one a try.  It's definitely a keeper!

1 (3lb) Butterball boneless turkey breast, including gravy packet

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

Cracked black pepper to taste 

Big splash of white wine

3 pats of butter

3 tbs flour 

 

 

  Defrost your frozen turkey breast in the fridge for a day or two. Since it's so small, it doesn't take a long time. When it's completely thawed, remove the packaging, but be sure to leave the netting that holds the turkey intact. I usually rinse the turkey of all the extra liquid from the packaging, and then pat it dry with a paper towel. 

  In a 3 quart slow cooker, combine all of the sauce ingredients, except the butter and flour. Be sure to include the packet of gravy that comes with the turkey breast. I usually use a whisk to break up the jellied cranberry sauce. Place the turkey breast in the slow cooker, and turn until coated. Place a few pats of butter on top. Cook your turkey for 6 hours on low.

 Remove the turkey to a cutting board. Very carefully remove the netting using scissors or a sharp knife. Slice the turkey into nice thick glorious slices. Place on a serving platter.

 Now make the gravy. Turn the slow cooker to high. In a small bowl or mason jar, make a slurry by mixing 3 tbs of flour with the same amount of COLD water. Pour the slurry into the slow cooker and stir well. Let it continue to cook for a few minutes. Your gravy will thicken perfectly. Pour gravy over your fanned turkey slices, or serve in a gravy boat. 

 Now dig in!

Tips:

 You can easily use home made or whole berry cranberry sauce. It will all work!

Yes, I know, I know. Onion soup mix and cranberries.. who knew? But it definitely works, just like when I made Cranberry Chicken many years ago. In fact, you could use this same recipe with chicken too! Actually, come to think of it, if you have a large 7 quart slow cooker, you could easily use this recipe to make a 9 lb oven stuffer. I just might have to do that one of these days. 

 If you don't want to add the wine, add a splash of something else to add a little acid. Balsamic or cider vinegar, a squeeze of lemon, anything with a little tang to it. It will brighten the flavor and balance the sweetness. 

 There is no added salt included in this recipe because the onion soup mix already has that covered. 

 The cooking time is listed as 6 hours on low. I suppose you can do 3 hours on high, but I've never tried it. Some things just taste better when you cook them low and slow. Usually I just set it up at lunch time and then it's perfectly ready by dinnertime.

Serve this with more jellied cranberries, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, corn casserole, stuffing, and candied sweet potatoes. Pro tip: Pour gravy over everything!

 

Joey's Spiced Tomato Soup

 

                  

 

 Many years ago, my school pal, Kathleen, gave me a FABULOUS recipe for tomato soup. It was rich and decadent and SO indulgent with lots of butter and cream included in the recipe. Absolutely delicious.

 But recently I was having a few friends over for a little bonfire get together, and I knew I wanted to do a tomato soup, but maybe not so heavy with cream this time. Plus, I wanted a recipe that I could preserve in jars for my pantry, which means no dairy. So instead of scaling back Kathleen's recipe, I decided to come up with something entirely different. As always, I researched a bunch of recipes, and took inspiration from them. Then I tweaked them here and there to make it my own. And this was the result!

 It's definitely still rich and smooth, so you don't even miss the heavy cream, and it has just the right amount of warm heat on the tail end. The secret ingredient? just a little bit of curry powder. BOOM! This was the AHA moment that says "this is a tomato soup, not just a big bowl of marinara sauce." Perfectly warm and comforting on a crisp Autumn night by the bonfire with cherished friends!

 You'll definitely want to keep this in your repertoire. In fact, make a double batch, and then freeze half. Or do like I do and pressure can it in pints. Then all you need to do is heat it up while you're making your grilled cheese sandwiches. Fabulous. I hope you like it!

 

4 cups peeled whole tomatoes (either your own, or canned)
2 cups peeled roasted red bell peppers (fresh roasted or store bought)
1 large onion, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried basil
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs lemon juice


  Simply add all ingredients to a large soup pot. Simmer about 30-45 minutes, stirring every so often.
Use a hand blender to puree all until smooth. (Or do small batches in a regular blender, but be careful! It's hot!) Taste the soup and adjust seasoning, if needed. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. 

And that's all there is to it! 

Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches. Or even more fun, cut up your grilled cheese sandwiches into small pieces (as pictured) and use them as bite sized croutons or dunkers. So good!

Optional serving suggestions: You can still add a pat or two of butter or up to a cup of heavy cream to make it richer, or add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a little extra spicy hit.

 

Tips:

  If you don't have fresh peeled tomatoes, then just use canned whole or crushed. You're going to puree everything anyway, so it all works. I used fresh tomatoes because I always keep a supply of my own home canned Jersey tomatoes on the shelf. And I also used my own home roasted peppers. The most important thing with the tomatoes and peppers is to make sure they're peeled. I tried making a batch just adding both without peeling them, and it just wasn't the right texture. Using peeled tomatoes solved that problem! Another solution would be to use a high powered blender. That would definitely make short work of the tomato and pepper skins!

  If it becomes too thick, just add a little more broth, some tomato juice, or even just water, a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.

  If you want to make it ahead of time, simmer and blend the soup as directed, but if you're planning to add cream, don't add it until you're ready to serve. This way it'll stay nice and velvetty smooth. Otherwise the citric acid in the lemon juice might make the cream break. And nobody wants that!

 To make it vegetarian, just use veggie broth.

 To make it vegan, use veggie broth and leave out the cream! It'll still be fabulous!

Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole

 

 OK, I have a confession to make. I absolutely love McDonald's. Like seriously, LOVE it. The fries, the Quarter Pounder with cheese, even the filet o'fish, and especially, the Big Mac. Frankly, I don't think I've ever met a fast food burger I didn't like. Back story... when I was little, it was always a special treat to stop and get McDonald's, so I always think of it that way. Is it terrible for you? Probably. But so is ice cream. And fried foods. And chocolate cake. But I'm certainly not giving up any of that. Everything in moderation, right?  Now, as an adult, I still think of having McDonald's as a treat, reserved only for when I go on a vacation involving long drives, or sometimes as a matter of convenience when I'm hopping between theme parks.

  And then I saw this casserole on a tiktok video. I wish I could remember whose it was, but I forgot to note who posted it, or whose recipe this is. But all I could think was "I'm making this!" Of course, true to form, I didn't leave the recipe alone. I tweaked it ever so slightly, just to make it that much better.

 It has all the flavors of a Big Mac, and you'll know it as soon as you taste your first bite. It's super simple to make, and it feeds a crowd too. And when you're shopping for ingredients, you don't even have to write anything down. All you need to do it sing the jingle.. "Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a ses'me seed bun!" 

You sang it with me , didn't you..LOL 

Love it. Enjoy!

 

 

 

1 bag frozen tater tots
1 1/2 lbs ground beef, browned and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup Thousand Island dressing
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
1 onion, finely minced

Velveeta or American cheese
Sesame seeds
Shredded lettuce, for serving

 

Arrange tater tots in one layer across the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.
Place in oven. Turn on oven to 350ºF. Let it heat up to crisp the tots slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together browned beef, dressing, pickles, and onions. 

Remove dish from oven.  Add a layer of sliced or shredded cheese over the tater tots.
Now pour the beef mixture over the cheese.
Do another single layer of tater tots, then another layer of cheese.
Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly and heated through.

Serve with some shredded lettuce over the top, and maybe a little ketchup on the side.

 

 

 

Tips:

The original recipe included ketchup and mayonnaise in addition to the Thousand Island dressing, and it also included sweet pickle relish instead of dill pickles. First, the dressing and relish used together made it too sweet. And I'm pretty sure they use dill pickles on a Big Mac, so I switched the relish to dill pickles. Second, it seemed like A LOT of "special sauce" to add ketchup and mayonnaise in addition to the dressing. That just seemed kind of redundant to me. Of course, as I always say, if you like a lot, add a lot, and you know I also say more is more, but in this case, I don't think it needs so much. And finally, I added an extra layer of cheese as I was layering, I sprinkled it with sesame seeds before I baked it, and I served it with shredded lettuce on top, since this was not even included in the original recipe. I mean, come on, it's in the jingle! It needed to be there! 

Oh! and one more thing.. if you love pickles as much as I do, try serving this with a little Heinz Pickle Ketchup instead of regular ketchup on the side. It's so good!

Chicken Parm Bubble Up Bake

 

 

   OK, this is about the easiest "shortcut meal" you'll ever make. It reminds of me a show that used to be on the food network called Semi-Homemade, remember that one? It basically showed recipes where you add store bought ingredients with a few fresh ingredients. Lots of time savers and easy short cuts. I don't know if I would spend the extra money on diced onions rather than just cutting one myself, but you get the idea. Side note, it always cracked me up that the entire kitchen was always redecorated for each themed episode, and the fact that she would called her table a "table-scape". Also she used to finish each episode by making a cocktail. Too funny. But I digress..

 This casserole is super simple because you only need a few store bought ingredients, and then you just throw 'em all together and bake. Love it! It feeds a crowd too, which is always a plus in my book.

 So if you're in a rush to get something hearty on the table, this one's a keeper. Tbh I have no idea whose recipe it is. There are actually lots of different variations of "bubble up" recipes where you add cut up biscuits to a casserole and then they bubble up when you bake them. I'm guessing it's a Pillsbury invention? Who knows? 

 Anyway, if you like chicken parm, you'll love this!

1 (24oz) bag frozen chicken bites or popcorn chicken nuggets (I used Tyson)

1 (24oz) jar of your preferred tomato sauce (I used Prego)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can Pillsbury Grands biscuits

Parmesan cheese

Italian spices

First, cut the pieces of chicken down to bite size, if needed. Now add the chicken bites, tomato sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese to a large bowl. Stir to coat with sauce. 

Open the can of biscuits. Cut each one into 6 pieces. (cut each one one half, then cut each half into thirds). Add them to the bowl with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Toss well.

Pour all into a sprayed casserole dish.  Bake in a 350º oven for about 25 minutes. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Add an extra sprinkle of Italian seasoning, if desired. Bake for an addition 20-25 minutes. It's done when all the biscuits are "bubbled up".

Let stand for a few minutes before serving. 

 

 

Tips:

 Feel free to add any extras you want. Do you like it spicy? Add a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes. Do you like extra garlic? Go for it. Also, the amounts are just guidelines. Do you want it to be more meaty or saucy? or cheesy?? or biscuit-y? Add more! If you like a lot, add a lot! Adjust it to how you like it. You could even turn it into a pizza bake by using pizza sauce and adding diced pepperoni, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers, etc. Yum!

Btw, I should mention, the original recipe said to bake it at 375, but it seems to me the the outside biscuits always start to overbake before the ones in the center are done. I've had bubble ups with burnt biscuits on the outside and raw ones in the center. So I decided to bake it at a slightly lower temperature (350), just to let the center biscuits catch up. Problem solved!