Every year, for as long as I can remember, my parents have prepared a huge (18-20 pound or more) turkey for our family on Thanksgiving Day. And every year, without fail, my mother or father prepares open-faced sandwiches with leftover turkey and gravy for days following. You would think that the day after turkey day, the last thing any one of us would want would be more turkey. But I think on Thanksgiving Day itself, the turkey can take almost a back seat to the sides on the plate. There are just so many sides to choose from. But the next day? It’s all about the turkey. And the gravy. The bread is there so you can call it a sandwich and eat it for lunch.

Continue reading “Open Faced Turkey and Gravy Sandwich” »

Thanksgiving dinner is behind us, and Christmas is a month away. Which means Black Friday, Put-the-Lights-Up Saturday, Buy-a-Tree Sunday, and Cyber Monday are upon us. In our family all the shopping, tree-buying, lights-raising usually happens the day or two before Christmas, which is why my brothers have been known to get socks from me under the tree.* This year I’m hoping to be a little more organized. In fact, I’ve been thinking about the gift-giving season for months, because I managed to convince, cajole, beg Marc Johns to create a series of culinary themed drawings to make available to you, Simply Recipes readers, as beautiful 8×10 signed, limited edition prints for the ridiculously reasonable price of $20 ea.**

Are you familiar with Marc Johns? He does mostly pen-and-ink drawings, sometimes with a little water color, sometimes with highlighter pens, and sometimes on yellow stickies. His drawings I can best describe as quirky, playful, and even delightfully absurd. He makes inanimate objects say and do things that well, since they are inanimate have no business saying or doing in real life. But this is art. The kind that makes you chuckle.

Continue reading “Marc Johns Culinary Prints” »

Every Thanksgiving, after our grand roast turkey dinner, we fill up a huge stock pot with the turkey carcass and water, and make several quarts of turkey stock for soup. Usually turkey soup is a pretty standard affair, but if you are looking for a soup that might pack a little more punch, I recommend this pozole. It’s made with turkey stock, leftover turkey, a little tomato, lots of hominy, and seasoned with smokey chipotle chile peppers in adobo. I’ve written about pozole before. It’s hard to resist this soup, essentially “taco night” in a bowl (but not as messy!). Perfect for a crowd, which can be useful if your family is like mine—lots of siblings and friends who like to stick around because they know the food is good. Pozole is all about the toppings. Just set them out and let people add what they want to their soup.

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Check out our other turkey leftover ideas!

Continue reading “Chipotle Turkey Pozole” »

Cheesy bread is one of my favorite things to do with spaghetti or pretty much any Italian dish. It also goes great as an appetizer for parties. I usually end up buying this from the store but have discovered making my own is so much better. I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman, and it has become one of my all time favorites! The process to making this cheesy bread recipe is fairly easy. You simply mix ingredients such as mayonnaise, cheeses, and green onions in a bowl. You then heat garlic and butter in a pan and coat the French bread with it. After that the cheese mixture is spread onto the top of the bread, placed into the oven and baked. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup real mayonnaise
4 green onions (minced)
1 dash salt
1 loaf French bread
1 stick butter
4 garlic cloves (minced)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl mix together cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, Parmesan cheese, real mayonnaise, a dash of salt, and green onions. Set aside. Cut the loaf of French bread in half, and then cut the halves in half.
Step 2: In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add ¼ of the minced garlic. Place one of the French bread slices cut side down in the skillet, swirling it so it soaks up the butter and garlic. Allow the bread to toast in the skillet until evenly browned. Remove any burnt garlic from the skillet. Remove and repeat with the remaining butter, garlic, and French bread.

Step 3: Place the browned bread slices onto a baking sheet. Spread the cheese/mayo mixture onto the top of the warm browned slices of bread and place into the oven and bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and serve.
(Makes 4 Servings)

If you enjoy a spicy Chinese pasha dish, this recipe is perfect for you. Kung Pao Linguini combines kung pao chicken with noodles. This is apparently a copy cat recipe for California Pizza Kitchens Kung Pao spaghetti. We do not have a California Pizza kitchen around here so I am not aware what this dish tastes like there. I did make some modifications to the original recipe though. I rolled the chicken bits in cornstarch and then deep fried them. I also left out the dried red chili peppers. The best part about this recipe is the sauce. The sauce combines ingredients such as soy sauce, chicken broth, chili paste, red wine vinegar, and garlic. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup cornstarch
oil (for deep frying)
1lb uncooked linguini noodles
Sauce-
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ cup soy sauce
½ cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons red chili paste with garlic
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup garlic (minced)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup green onions (sliced)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add linguini and cook according to package directions. When linguini has finished cooking drain and set aside.
Step 2: While noodles are cooking, toss cut up chicken pieces with ½ cup of cornstarch until evenly coated.  Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Deep fry chicken bits in batches until golden brown and fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Drain on paper towels.
Step 3: In a bowl whisk together chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, soy sauce, dry sherry, red chili paste with garlic, sugar, red wine vinegar, and sesame oil.
Step 4: Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir fry for 15 seconds. Pour the sauce mixture into the pan. Stir in peanuts. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened and bubbly.
Step 5: In a serving bowl add cooked linguini and chicken bits. Add the kung pao sauce mixture.  Add green onions and toss everything together.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Burgers are always a solid choice for dinner, even in the winter. They go perfect for football season and the variety of condiments you can put on them is nearly endless. These Cowboy burgers are well seasoned burger patties and can be grilled or cooked in a fry pan. Grilling is always the best but unfortunately, it’s not always an option.  I used an indoor grill pan to make these burgers. These burgers are topped with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, French fried onions, and your favorite BBQ sauce. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef
4 hamburger buns
salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
4 slices Swiss cheese
½ cup BBQ sauce
1 cup French fried onions
1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Shape 4 patties out of the ground beef. Season both sides with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Lightly grease an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Heat to medium high heat. Add the burger patties and cook turning once until fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees). During the fast few minutes of cooking top each patty with a slice of Swiss cheese.
Step 2: While burgers are cooking melt butter in a sauté pan over medium high. Add mushrooms and sauté for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  In a small sauce pan, heat BBQ sauce.
Step 3: Split hamburger buns in half. Place each hamburger patty on the bottom half of the bun. Top with mushrooms, French fried onions, and BBQ sauce. Place the top half of the bun over the BBQ sauce.
(Makes 4 Servings)



This is one of our family’s favorite recipes.  Althought coleslaw might be best known as a side dish at a summer BBQ, we actually serve it at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Its nice and cooling – a good counterpart to all the heavy dishes also on the table.

Please forgive this terrible picture – my cousin took it with her iPhone.  I promise, my great grandmother’s coleslaw usually much more appetizing!

 

One whole cabbage will feed an army, so don’t worry about cutting this recipe in half.

Banana Fruit Cake Recipe

Fruitcake Recipe Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of butter
• 2 cups of brown sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of walnuts, chopped
• 3 cups of candied fruit
• 2 cups of dates, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of orange juice
• 1 teaspoon of orange rind, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas

Fruitcake Recipe Instructions
Prepare two 2 Litre (9″ x 5″) loaf pans. Preheat oven to 300ºF. In a large bowl combine the fruit, dates, pineapple and walnuts. Dredge them with 1/4 cup of the flour. Sift the remaining flour together with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside. Cream the butter, add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the orange rind, orange juice and orange extract. Mash the bananas with a fork. Alternately stir the bananas and the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the floured fruit and nuts. Turn into the prepared pans and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto racks. Yields about 5 pounds of cake. Enjoy the fruit cake !
Fruitcake-recipe: california-fruitcake recipe.

Photo: Spinach-Feta Rice Pilaf, Sliced Steak with Oregano Sauce, and Broiled Tomatoes with Parsley Recipe

The Rice Recipes kitchen (The home of delicious Rice Recipes) invites you to try Spinach-Feta Rice Pilaf, Sliced Steak with Oregano Sauce, and Broiled Tomatoes with Parsley recipe. Enjoy our wonderful collection of easy rice recipes and learn how to make Spinach-Feta Rice Pilaf, Sliced Steak with Oregano Sauce, and Broiled Tomatoes with Parsley.  

Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
Prep 10 min
Inactive 5 min
Cook 50 min

Yield: 6 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients
 
Rice:
    Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling
    2 tablespoons butter
    1/2 cup orzo
    1 onion, finely chopped
    1 1/4 cup long grain rice
    2 cups chicken stock
    1 large bundle farm spinach, washed and dried
    Freshly grated nutmeg
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 cup Greek feta crumbles

Steak:
    2 (1-pound) pieces flank steak (2-pounds total)
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating
    4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    1 large shallot, finely chopped
    1 red chile pepper, chopped or sliced
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 lemon, juiced

Tomatoes:
    6 plum tomatoes, halved
    A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, thinly sliced

Directions

For the rice: Heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a saucepot with tight fitting lid. To the melted butter, add the orzo and lightly toast. Add the onion and cook to soften, 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and 1 1/2 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the broiler.

For the beef: Heat a cast iron griddle or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat flank steaks in extra-virgin olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. When the grill is very hot, cook the meat 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare or 15 minutes for medium, turning occasionally.

When the meat has been cooking for about 5 minutes, start the sauce in a small saucepot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, shallot, chile pepper, and oregano. Stir 2 to 3 minutes, and then add the butter. When the butter melts, stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat.

For the rice: Add the remaining splash of stock along with the spinach to a food processor and process to a fine chop. Stir the spinach into the rice and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cover, turn off the heat, and let stand 2 more minutes. Fluff the rice with fork and stir in the feta.

For the tomatoes: Season halved tomatoes with salt and pepper and top with parsley. Drizzle the tomatoes liberally with extra-virgin olive oil and broil 3 to 4 minutes.

Allow the meat to rest a bit then very thinly slice against the grain. Serve the sliced steak with a side of rice, a spoon of sauce over top, and a 2 tomato halves per person.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: 30 Minute Meals Episode: Let Me Entertain You

More Rice Recipes:

Stuffed Peppers with Beef, Rice, Spinach and Cheese
Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice

Chicken and Rice Casserole
Spanish Chicken Cutlets and Olive Rice with Artichokes and Piquillo Peppers
Latin Chicken and Rice Pot
Spanish Chicken and Rice Soup  

Save and share Spinach-Feta Rice Pilaf, Sliced Steak with Oregano Sauce, and Broiled Tomatoes with Parsley recipe

Want to share this recipe with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

The Rice Recipes kitchen (The home of delicious Rice Recipes) invites you to try Baked Red curry chicken and rice recipe. Enjoy quick & easy rice recipes and learn how to make Baked Red curry chicken and rice.  

Recipe facts:
Costs: £1.64
takes: 10 mins to prepare and 30 mins to cook
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 onion
432g pack chicken breasts
65g Red curry paste
250g Value long grain rice
100g Tesco green beans
400g can coconut milk
5g fresh coriander

Preheat the oven to 200c, 180c fan, gas mark 6. Heat 1tbsp oil in an oven proof casserole pan, and cook 1 sliced onion for about 5 minutes.

Slice 1 x 432g pack chicken breasts fillets and stir into the pan with 2tbsp red curry paste and cook for 2 minutes. Then add 250g Tesco Value Long Grain rice and 100g chopped green beans.

Stir together 1 x 400g can coconut milk and 250ml water, pour into the pan, bring to the boil then put on the lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is done. Scatter over a little coriander before serving.
    
More Rice Recipes:                   

Stuffed Red Peppers 
Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry 

Mr. John’s Meat-Stuffed Bell Peppers 

Cheesy Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole 
Spicy rice with peas 
Rice Salad 

Save and share Baked Red curry chicken and rice recipe

Want to share this recipe with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.