Sweet & Savory - Terrific Turkey Pot Pie

Are you looking for some great ideas of what to do with that leftover turkey from holiday meals?  Well, here is one answer for you!  This turkey pot pie is sure to please your dinner guests.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 can cut green beans, drained
• 3 cups cooked turkey, diced
• 2 cups cooked rice (I used long grain brown rice)
• 1 cup mayo (or yogurt if you desire less calories)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp. freshly ground salt, optional
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• a few drops hot sauce (I prefer to use Cajun Sunshine)
• two pie crusts for a 9-10 inch pie plate (you can make your own or purchase those pre-fab jobs in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Saute onions and peppers in olive oil.
• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and mix thoroughly.
• Place bottom pie crust in pie plate.
• Spoon turkey mixture into pie plate.
• Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese on top.
• Place top pie crust over cheese and make 4-5 slits in crust.
• Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until top crust is golden brown.

HELPFUL HINTS & SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• This pie is delicious served with turkey gravy.
• Serve with rolls or garlic bread and salad.
• This pie freezes well if you desire to make it ahead, place in freezer, and bake at a later date.

Happy Holiday Dining!

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Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ Mexi-Chili Casserole

Savoring the last of the tomato crop from another successful season of gardening, I decided to garnish one of my long standing casserole recipes which dishes up a most delightful combination.  So, here goes:

STEP ONE:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Brown 1 pound of hamburger in skillet with one Tbsp. minced garlic, drain.
• Rinse and drain one 15. oz. can of red kidney beans in colander.

STEP TWO:

• Stir together in large bowl:
• Drained and rinsed red kidney beans
• Browned and drained hamburger and minced garlic
• one 15 oz. can of enchilada sauce (either mild or hot)
• one 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• one Tbsp. dehydrated minced onion
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup corn chips (I used the Chili Cheese Variety)
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (I used Cajun Sunshine)

STEP THREE:

• Pour mixture into a two quart casserole baking dish.
• Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese on top.
• Garnish with corn chips.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Place mixture inside tortillas and garnish with sour cream, diced green onions, guacamole, & fresh lime slices.
• Serve as a regular entree with rice and/or corn.

Happy Dining!

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Sweet & Savory Friday ~~~ Retro 50's Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 pork chops or thin loin chops
• 2 cups rice
• 3 3/4 cups water
• 1 - 4 oz. jar diced pimentos
• 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
• Seasoned pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Lightly brown pork chops and sprinkle with seasoned pepper, optional
• Place rice in bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking pan
• Heat water to boiling and pour in baking pan
• Add package of onion soup mix
• Add jar of diced pimentos
• Mix thoroughly
• Place pork chops on top
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Since I just harvested fresh tomatoes from my horse trough gardening receptacle yesterday, I sliced some of those to serve with the pork chop and rice casserole.

• No pork chop dish is complete without a little applesauce.  Pork chops and applesauce. That's sort of a tongue twister along the lines of Sufferin' Succotash!
• A nice summer salad is a tasty compliment with any dinner.

When I was a young girl being raised on Sage Creek Farms, I have fond memories of my sweet mother, Rita, preparing this dish which is a family favorite. A variation of it first appeared in some type of farming magazine in the 1950's; ergo, I have titled my blog post Retro 50's Casserole.  I just thought that wording would add a little extra pizzazz.  What say you?

Happy Dining & Retroing!

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Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ Zucchini Boats

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large zucchinis 
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 - 15 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes or use fresh tomatoes 
• 1 - 15 oz. can cut green beans, drained, or use fresh green beans
• 1 - 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup minute rice
• Grated cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Wash zucchinis and pat dry with paper towels.
• Brown hamburger, season to taste with salt and pepper (optional), drain and rinse.
• Return hamburger to skillet and add tomatoes and both kind of beans.
• Add 1 cup of water.
• Bring mixture to a boil and add 1/2 cup of minute rice.
• Cover and cook until rice is tender.
• Cut zucchinis in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
• Fill zucchinis with beef mixture.
• Place a small amount of water in bottom of baking pan before placing zucchinis inside to bake.
• Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Can be served with or without the outside zucchini skin.
• This is a great way to make use of zucchini that has grown too large if you normally prefer them in a smaller size.
• Very tasty with garlic or regular french bread.

I grew the zucchinis in my horse trough and my friend Bobbie contributed the recipe. Teamwork makes it happen!

For additional information on horse trough gardening, please check out Straight From The Horse's Trough in my Etsy shop.  Thanks!

Happy cooking & dining!

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Sweet & Savory Tuesday ~~ Zesty Cod Fillets

INGREDIENTS: 

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. diced garlic
• 2 - 6 oz. cod fillets
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• salt, optional

DIRECTIONS:

• Saute garlic in olive oil.
• Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper.
• Cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
• Pour one Tbsp. of the lime juice over fillets.
• Mix cumin and chili powder together and sprinkle 1/2 of mixture over fillets.
• Cook 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
• Flip fillets to other side and pour remaining lime juice over fillets.
• Sprinkle remaining cumin and chili powder mixture on top of fillets.
• Cook 2-3 minutes or until cod fillets flake easily.
• Serve over rice and with garnishes of your choice.  I used sliced tomatoes, red bell pepper slices, and sliced hard boil eggs dusted with hot Hungarian paprika.

Sometimes it's a great adventure and lots of fun to experiment with new spice combinations when preparing your entree, especially fish!

Happy dining, and if you happen to try this recipe, please comment on my blog page and let me know how you liked it or what garnishes you used to complete your entree. Thank you.

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Sweet & Savory Friday ~~ Lime Cod with Veggie Medley

STEP 1:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2  medium onions cut into 1/2 moons
• 11/2 cups celery sticks
• 11/2 cups small carrots
• 2 lime wedges
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

STEP 2:

DIRECTIONS:

• Place above listed ingredients in saucepan and cook in enough water until tender.

STEP 3:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cod fillets (6 oz. size approximately)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Crazy Jane's Mixed Up Salt, optional
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram 
• 2 lime slices 

STEP 4:

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat olive oil in fry pan over medium heat
• Sprinkle fillets with Crazy Jane's Mixed Up Salt & marjoram
• Cook 6-8 minutes on each side or until the cod fillets flake apart easily
• Do not overcook or cod will become rubbery
• Squeeze fresh lime slices over cooked cod

Serve with either cooked rice, noodles, or quinoa along with the cooked veggies.

Enjoy!

Happy Eating & Reading.

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