Turkey Nachos

Tired of the turkey leftovers? Tired of the "traditional?" I heart these nachos. And they use up leftovers in a new way!

3 tbl. lime juice
2 tbl. olive oil
1 tea. cumin
1 tea. garlic powder
2 c. cooked turkey- coarsely chopped (or chicken)
1 (10 oz) pkg. tortilla chips
1 can refried beans
cheese
salsa
sour cream

Whisk the lime juice, oil, cumin, and garlic powder. Toss with turkey in a small bowl. Season w/ salt and pepper. Layer tortilla chips in bottom of baking dish. Spoon beans over top, toss on turkey, and sprinkle with cheese. Pour salsa on top and bake at 425 for 15-20 mins.  Serve with sour cream.

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Minema's Yams

Ok, you lucky ducks. This is a treasured family recipe from my Dad's side of the family- the Norwegian side where everything is covered in sugar. With more sugar on top. (as a kid, I loved the Norwegian way- now still I do, but I am more cautious about the ominous fat-pants)

Now, I've never actually had yams with those marshmallows- but they look questionable. For as long as I've been alive, we've had Minema's yams for Thanksgiving- and they rock. I definitely think you should try them.

Here's what you'll  need:

2 (29 oz.) canned yams (or 4 fresh yams, peeled & cooked)
5 apples, peeled & sliced (I use granny smith)

Sauce:

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. hot water
1 c. pineapple juice
1 stick butter
3 tbl. cornstarch
1 tea. salt

Preheat your oven to 350. You can make these ahead and refrigerate before cooking.
Place yams and apples in 9x13 pan. Combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add water, butter and pineapple juice. Cook to thicken. Pour over yams and apples. Cook for 30 mins. (or 45 mins. if refrigerated)

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November Casserole

Ok, so you can make this with thanksgiving leftovers, or you can just make it when you are longing for fall and holiday times. (like the middle of June!)

2 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing
1 stick butter
3 c. chicken/turkey pieces
1 pkg. frozen vegetables (any will do, but my favorite is cut green beans)
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 c. milk

Melt butter and toss with dry seasoning and stuffing mix. Then transfer half to the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan evenly.
In separate bowl, mix milk, soup, vegetables, and chicken. Pour on top of stuffing layer, adding the rest of the stuffing on top.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Uncover for the last 15 mins.

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Thanksgiving!!!

Hey everyone! It's been a little quiet on here lately, but the holidays are coming up and I KNOW mostly everyone will be baking or cooking SOMETHING!! SOOOO, put up your favorite holiday recipe. Let's keep it just meals and side dishes etc. We'll do a dessert/cookie week closer to December. Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the fall weather! We'll keep this topic open until the Saturday after Thanksgiving (11-27). Can't wait to see what's in store!

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Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe is an amalgam of two recipes that I found (here and here). I wanted a vegetarian version, hence the rice and beans (for protein and some extra calories).The combination of the slightly sweet squash and the salty/spicy filling is just right.

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash


2 medium acorn squash
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
1 15-oz can tomatoes and green chiles (i.e. Rotel)
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or muenster)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Cut squash in half horizontally, and scoop out seeds (you can toss them or save them for roasting). Place squash in a 9x13 dish, cut-side up. Place 1 piece of butter into each of the squash halves. Add 1 cup of water in to the bottom of the pan before covering with foil (the steam from the water will help keep the squash moist). Bake until the squash is tender, about 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika and cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes w/green chiles, beans, rice, and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the tomatoes are broken down, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. When the squash are tender, reduce oven temperature to 325F. Fill the squash halves with the beans/rice mixture. Top with cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

ENJOY!!

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Taco Soup

 

 This is one of my favorite soups! You can even do it in the crockpot.

1 lb ground beef
2 cups salsa
2 soup cans water
1 (15 oz) can corn
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
2 (14 oz) cans tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can tomato soup
1 (15 oz) cans pinto beans
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder

Brown beef and drain grease.  Ad remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to slow boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Suggested toppings: fritos, cheese, avacado, sour cream, olives.  Enjoy!

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

In preparing for our "Fiesta Friday" which is a family tradition at our house I realized I was out of taco seasoning so I whipped some up real quick. I thought I would share the recipe. I found it online a while ago. I realize that if you coupon you can often get taco season for pennies or even free, but once you try homemade seasoning you will never again buy it from the store. I usually make about 6 months worth at a time and it only costs me about $2.50-$3. But the best part about this recipe is that you can make any amount that you want/need.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:

1 part chili powder

1 part ground cumin

1 part garlic powder

1 part onion powder

1/4-1/2 part crushed red pepper

Directions:

Mix all spices together and store in an air tight container.

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1 hour homemade bread

I found this wonderful recipe for my beehives to make for the sacrament bread and I must say it turned out quite delicious! Here's the website with a step by step video.

http://www.lafujimama.com/2009/09/simple-one-hour-homemade-bread/

And here are the instructions

Makes 2 loafs

5 1/4 cup white bread flour

2-4 TBS sugar

1 1/2 TSP salt

1 1/2 TBS (rounded) saf-instant yeast

1 1/2 TBS oil

2 cups hot water

1. Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Mix for one minute then check the consistancy of the dough. The dough should be very sticky, if it is too dry add more water (but not too much)

2. Mix for 5 minutes. Do not add any more flour after the dough has finished mixing

3. Spray kneading surface with cooking spray and lay dough out onto surface. Knead dough briefly until it has a smooth even consistency (This will only take several turns of the dough to accomplish)

4. Divide the dough into 2 pieces (or more if you want smaller loafs) and shape loafs into desired shape and place on greased baking sheets. Cover with a large dish towel and let raise for 25 minutes.

5. While loafs are raising, set oven to 350. When loafs are ready to go in the oven, use a sharp knife (you can lightly spray it with cooking oil to prevent dragging) to make several slashes in the top. Make each cut about 1/4 inch deep at a 30 degree angle. Bake loafs for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTES:

Why bread flour? In short, bread flour helps make the bread loftier and chewier

Why saf-instant yeast? It is a high potency fast acting yeast that can be added directly to your dry ingredients without it having to be put in a starter first

Why slash the loafs? First, for a beautiful visual appearance, and second the scoring allows the dough to expand quickly during baking so it reaches it's maximum volume. It also prevents a 'blow out' if bubbles appear under the crust and then burst.

This was SOO easy, and SOO good, and you don't even have to have a breadmaker!

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from my awesome sister (thanks Amanda) and it is so simple yet so delicious! All you need is...

1 can pumpkin (it don't matter which size, personal prefrence on how 'pumpkiny' you want them)

1 spice cake mix

1 bag chocolate chips

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. They are SUPER goey and moist, so I add just a little flour to make them less sticky, but that's just me. They're always a big hit at our house (as you can tell by the half eaten picture I have above).

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