How To Brine a Turkey | Soy Brine

Nov

2012

I know all of you are getting ready for cooking this week. Here is a great recipe for a soy Turkey brine. If you haven’t cooked with a brine before, you are missing out! Easy and delish.

There are several different ways to brine. I prefer to use a Soy Brine. You can see more details on using a salt brine here.

Just follow these easy steps. (note, if you don’t have a fridge large enough, try using a cooler – just be sure to follow the temperature information here)

Here is what you will need:

2 gallons cold water
10 ounces of Kikkoman Natural Brewed Soy
1/2 cup Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tablesppons dried sage
2 tablespoons dried celery seed
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
16 -24 lb Turkey

The night before you are ready to roast, clean and rinse Turkey ( like you normally would).

1. In a large stock pot, mix water and all the ingredients except Turkey.

2. Place the turkey in the brine. (if you would like, you can use a Brining Bag – I prefer to just put it right in the pot)

3. Cover the turkey and place in refrigerator overnight or atleast 8 hours.

4. Remove your brine and rinse well. Follow your regular cooking instructions.

Need tips for roasting your turkey? Check them out here.

Filed Under: Cooking, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes Tagged With: tdeals

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Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

Mar

2012

A Recipe – Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Recipe

I cannot believe it is already March. Even though it’s still cold out, we are starting our baseball season. During baseball season, we have tournaments every weekend. This means we usually leave early in the morning and come home for a few hours for dinner – then back to the baseball fields. It is very easy to eat fast food during the spring tournaments so I really have to plan ahead so that we don’t fall into that trap.

I rely on my slow cooker a lot during tournament season. We really enjoy this one dish meal – it includes carbs, protein and veggies. We also try different vegetables – we have used green/red peppers, zucchini, squash and more. We also garnish with fresh parmesan or Romano cheese – which gives it an even richer taste.

Click here for the Entire Recipe.

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Fajita Seasoning Mix Recipe

Feb

2012

Fajita Seasoning Mix Recipe

One of our staple meals in Fajitas. They are a really simple meal – and most times we used left over meat for our fajitas. We have used chicken, steak and even turkey for our fajitas. For me, the secret to the fajita is in the seasoning. I use a simple mixture of spices, adapted from a recipe I found on food.com.

The next time you are thinking about making fajitas, try making your own seasoning. I promise you won’t go back to the prepackaged. Remember, it is incredibly forgiving- so try adding your own twist.

Fajita Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mix all ingredients together.

To use:

Coat your meat and vegetables lightly with olive oil - then coat with the dry mix to prepare for cooking. Tip: for your fajitas shells - dip them in water before you place them in the hot pan or grill, it acts like a steamer and keeps the shells soft. (don’t use this tip if you microwave, use the oven etc).

Filed Under: Beef, Cooking, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes Tagged With: recipe

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Cheesy Chicken Rotini Recipe | Quick & Easy Week Night Recipe

Nov

2011

Cheesy Chicken Rotini Recipe

I love to cook. I could spend hours in the kitchen each day. However, the reality is, I don’t have hours to spend cooking. Somedays, I am lucky if I have minutes!

I am always on the lookout for quick, easy recipes as options for the days I don’t have time. My family never notices the difference when I spend 2 hours cooking or a half hour. They really just appreciate that I took the time to cook at all.

Here is a quick and easy – but yummy recipe for those busy week nights. It is also a great recipe to let the kiddos get involved with. It is so simple, that you really cannot mess it up! If you have a picky kiddo, this is a perfect compromise on mac & cheese – getting your veggies in too!

Side note – I think it looked really pretty on my dishes too!

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Filed Under: Cooking, Main Dish, Pasta & Rice, Poultry, Recipes Tagged With: tdeals

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Recipe: Salsa Chicken Wraps

Feb

2011

So I love to find recipes and make my own little twist on them. My favorite source of recipes is All You Magazine. I don’t ever really follow recipes, but I love to get inspiration from these recipes. This was so incredibly easy to make and tasted delish. This one came from SparkPeople’s Chef Meg and is featured in the 2011 ALL YOU Health and Fitness Special Issue.

Here is my twist on her recipe:

2-3 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes with onions and peppers (be sure to drain excess liquid)
1/2 cup medium salsa (be sure to drain excess liquid)
Tortilla Wraps
Shredded Lettuce
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Cilantro to garnish

Put chicken,tomatoes, salsa, cumin and chili powder in crock pot. Stir. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred Chicken with fork, put chicken on tortilla wrap, sprinkle cheese, add sour cream to liking and garnish with cilantro.

I hope these recipes will inspire you to try something new {and cheap} for dinner. For more inspiration, you can check out 25 recipes for the slow cooker.

P.S. I still owe you a post on the Chicken and Broccoli. I have to make it again to get the recipe down — one of the downsides of a pinch here and there is not being able to put a recipe on paper without making it.

Filed Under: Cooking, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Slow Cooker

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Recipe: Chicken Penne Pasta

Feb

2011

I found the new Philadelphia Cooking Cream and decided to use the $1.50/1 Coupon to get it cheap. I made this Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe. I put together this dish with what we had in the fridge and changed up the recipe a bit from the box. The Cooking Cream is kinda a cheat – instead of making a cream sauce – it made it super fast and almost impossible to screw up. {Note, I did say impossible, I am sure my sister could find a way. Love Ya Sis!}

1 Box of Penne Pasta
2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Large Green Pepper (chopped)
1/2 container of Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 can of Chicken Broth
Container of Philadelphia Cooking Cream
8-12 Fresh Basil strips to taste
1 clove fresh minced Garlic
Italian Seasoning to Taste
Pinch of Black Pepper

Pound out chicken until roughly a 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips. Grill or pan cook chicken. While chicken is cooking, cook pasta according to package.

Once chicken is cooked, add green peppers and cooked chicken in a pan big enough to hold pasta. Pour half of the chicken broth into pan. Add garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes until peppers are soft.

Drain pasta. Add pasta to chicken & peppers. Mix in Philadelphia Cooking Cream until creamy consistency and then add tomatoes. (use remaining chicken broth if needed to thin mixture) Add basil and seasonings. Cook and mix 3-5 minutes on medium heat and Serve immediately.

Filed Under: Cooking, Main Dish, Pasta & Rice, Poultry, Recipes Tagged With: Hot Deals

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Jan

2010

By: Mrs. MoneySaver

www.mrsmoneysaver.com

This fabulous Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe, sans the Tortillas looks just delish.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 – 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes (about 58 oz total)
2 – 14.5 oz cans of corn (frozen works well too!)
2 – 15 oz cans of black beans
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cumin (or to taste)
1 teaspoon dried bay, chopped bay leaves (you can substitute whole leaves if that’s what you have on hand)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
Juice from one lime

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.

2. Saute onion for 2 minutes, then add garlic. Saute for additional minute.

3. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, broth, bay leaves, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and cilantro. Bring to a boil.

4. Add raw chicken and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook for approx. 30 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. As chicken breast sizes vary, so will cooking times.

5. After chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

6. Shred chicken and place back in pot.

7. Add lime juice.

Filed Under: 365 in 365, Cooking, Poultry, Recipes, Soups, Stews & Chilies

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Terrific Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe

Jan

2010

This is the final recipe from the Brined Turkey.

Ingredients

2 lbs turkey, cooked and cut to bite size
1 lbs sliced mushrooms
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Kikkoman Pearl Original Soymilk
10 oz Spaghetti – do not use the entire 16oz box
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella
Salt & Pepper

1. Melt butter in hot pan.

2. Stir in flour; cooking until it starts to bubble.

3. Gradually add chicken stock, stirring until sauce thickens and then add soymilk an, salt pepper and cheeses.

4. Stir in mushrooms. Coat mushrooms with mixture.

5. Add Turkey to mixture and slow simmer on low. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on package, simmer mixture while cooking pasta.

6. Drain pasta and mix turkey mixture in a non stick baking dish.

7. Bake at 450 degrees until heated through and cheese has melted.

Filed Under: 365 in 365, Cooking, Main Dish, Pasta & Rice, Poultry, Recipes Tagged With: turkey recipe

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Turkey Corn Noodle Soup Recipe

Jan

2010

Today’s recipe is still using the leftovers from my brined turkey.

This is a Turkey Corn Noodle soup. The recipe is very forgiving and is great to use up leftovers. It is super easy and can be made quickly.

Ingredients:

1 bag of wide egg noodles (I used whole grain for this particular batch)
1 can of corn (I used 2 small cans)
2 stalks of celery
1/2 small red onion
3 cups of water
32 oz of turkey or chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon of parsley
2 cups cooked turkey (chopped or shredded)
salt and pepper to taste

2. Chop celery and onion.

3. Shred or chop up turkey. I prefer mine in bigger chunks, this way when it cooks in the broth, it doesn’t become thin strings of meat.

4. In large pot combine all ingredients except for the noodles and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Cook egg noodles in separate pot according to package. Once cooked, add egg noodles to the soup. Stir well. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve immediately. (If you notice that your broth has boiled down, you can always add more broth to the soup depending on what consistency you like it)