Turkey Soup

Well, the bug has finally made it to our house and we are all sick. I thought that making soup tonight would be the best idea. I just happen to have a turkey carcass in my freezer from Christmas so I think this is going to be the best time to break it out and make some awesome soup.

1 turkey carcass

3 medium onions, chopped

2 large carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 cup butter, cubed

1 cup flour

2 cups half and half cram

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

2 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken bouillon

3/4 tsp pepper

Place turkey carcass in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Remove carcass and then set aside 3 qt broth for soup. Remove the turkey from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In the same big pot melt the butter and saute the onions, carrots and celery until tender. Reduce heat and stir in flour until blended. Gradually add 1 qt of the broth and then bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the cream, rice, salt, boullion, pepper, remaining broth and the reserved turkey. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Servings: 6

Calories per serving:513

(I did substitute the half and half for whole milk because it isn't quite as much calories)

Hope this works to make our family better.

Blueberry Madness!! Part 2

So I went back and got four more pints of blueberries. I know I am crazy but I really do love blueberries. I decided to make some blueberry muffins and they turned out so good.

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

1 cup milk

2 TBSP butter, melted

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries (you can use frozen)

Topping:

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 TBSP butter softened

Preheat oven to 400 F. In your mixer combine egg, egg white, milk, butter, lemon peel and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients but don't over mix. Fold in berries. Coat your muffin tin with a cooking spray or line the muffin tin with paper liners and fill 2/3 full. Combine topping ingredients and then sprinkle over batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Yields 1 dozen.

Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories per serving: 166

I like this muffin tin it is a dark one but works awesome.

My Grandma used to make us these little muffins whenever we were at her house visiting. I loved them so much and always think of her when I eat little muffins.

Blueberry Madness!!

Right now at Sunflower Market they have Blueberries for $1.77 a pint. This is a REALLY good price and so I bought two pints (wish I had bought more, I might go back). I love having blueberries around just to snack on. They are low in calories and they are high in antioxidants. This morning I actually woke up before my husband went to work so I decided to make him a warm breakfast and made blueberry waffles. They were so super delicious! I do cheat and use a mix to start but it is totally worth it. Here's how I did it.

2 cups buttermilk pancake mix

2 TBSP oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1-2 cups water (I just add until it is thin enough for my taste)

Preheat waffle iron. I suggest using a belgium waffle maker because the blueberries cook better in the bigger holes. Then mix the ingredients together in a bowl and then pour into the iron and cook as directed.

I just wanted to share this with you guys especially the local people so they don't miss out in this amazing blueberry deal.

This waffle iron is like the one that we have and I really like it. It is easy to use and it is really inexpensive.

Buttermilk Syrup

Well, my little sister called me for this recipe today so I thought I would just put it on here to share with all of you. It is my favorite and I can't take credit for it since my friend discovered it.

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup karo syrup

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter first and then add all other ingredients. Boil for 7 minutes or until the peaks are a golden color. Take off immediately so you don't burn the syrup. Serve on EVERYTHING!!!

You really have to use a really LARGE pot otherwise the syrup can boil over and it will make a huge mess. I also recommend you use a spatula that can resist high temperatures.

I just wanted to put this out there...I LOVE TUPPERWARE! We have three of these containers and we use them for our syrup and they work beautifully.

Chicken and Rice Soup

I don't know about you, but when it is really cold and snowy like it was today I want SOUP!!! I found this new recipe and it looked awesome. It is a Crockpot meal but it is involved so you make sure that you time it right.

1 Large onion

4 stalks celery

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp sage

20 oz frozen peas

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces

5 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup rice

Chop the onion and celery. Add to a Crockpot and then add the rest of the ingredients, in order, except the rice. Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low setting and cook for an additional 8 hours. Take out the chicken after this and shred with forks and then add back into the Crockpot. Add the rice and cook another hour on the high setting.

Servings: 6

Calories per serving: 217

This soup is really delicious and very low calories.

Cousin's Stuffing

Well, this weekend I am off to St. George to visit with my husband's grandparents. When I talked to Grandma she said that she wanted to do a Turkey on Friday night. I thought this was really strange but then I thought about it more and decided that it was AWESOME!! I love turkey and I also love this new recipe that I got from Nate's cousins. It is a stuffing recipe but you don't use dried out bread you just used toasted bread. It is my favorite!! I have been trying to watch what I eat but I think that this Friday is going to be an exception...I am so EXCITED!!

Stuffing

1 stick butter

1 cup chopped onions

4 stalks celery

4 tsp sage

1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

16 slices toasted bread

1 1/2 lb sausage.

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the onions and celery and cook until veggies are softened. Brown the sausage. Add all the ingredients together except for the bread. After toasting the bread cut each slice into large chunks. Put into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Pour all the ingredients over top of the bread and put into the oven for 30-45 minutes.

My husband and I have a really ghetto toaster and I have had my eyes on a 4 slice toaster for a while. This one looks really nice and I like that it is big enough that you can put in a bagel.

Ham and Noodle Casserole

I had leftover ham in my freezer from New Years and found this recipe and thought it would be perfect to use it up. I really liked this recipe again because it was super easy but my daughter has this thing about meat where she doesn't eat it except for ham so when I can include it into her diet I try.

Ham and Noodle Casserole

6 ounces of linguine or fettuccine noodles

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables (10 oz)

1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

3 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp flour

1 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp salt

Cook the noodles until they are just before el dente (under cooked) because they will cook more in the oven and you don't want soggy noodles. Mix all of the other ingredients together in a bowl and then add the noodles and toss to coat the noodles in the mixture. Put into a 2 qt casserole dish that has been sprayed with a non stick cooking spray. Cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 F. Uncover and then cook an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serving size: 6 servings

calories per serving: 266 ( this all depends on if you use all of the low fat and non fat cottage cheese, sour cream and milk.)

I hadn't tried this recipe and it was a hit at my house. My daughter LOVES noodles and my husband didn't mind the dill taste. Definitely a big hit in the Savage home.

I like the glass casserole dishes (I got a bunch when I got married) because you can see when your dish is done but also they seem to cook better in the oven. I have to admit too that I like the way it looks, I am not all about presentation but I like to show off my dish sometimes.

HHmmmm...... Now what to have for dinner tonight?

Crockpot Steak

I really like to use my Crock pot, especially on Sunday when I don't really feel like cooking. I hadn't tried this recipe but it turned out so amazing!! I just used some steaks that I had in our freezer, not anything special, you can use any meat you have hanging around with this recipe. It was super super good.

1 1/2 pounds of steak

1 medium onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 medium green pepper, but into 1 inch chunks

3 medium potatoes

1 sweet potato

1 can of beef broth (I just used water and it turned out fine)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

dash crush red pepper flakes ( I don't usually put this in because I don't really like spicy foods but this time I did and I really liked the little kick it gave them meal)

2 TBSP corn starch

2 TBSP water

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown beef on both sides. Place all the veggies in a Crock pot and top with the beef.

Combine the broth, Worcestershire sauce, dill, thyme, pepper and red pepper flakes; pour over the beef. Cover and cook on high for 3/4 hours or until the meat reaches desired doneness and the vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove the beef and keep warm

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook about 30 minutes longer until slightly thickened. Return been to the slow cooker; heat through.

Serving size: 6 servings

Calories per serving: 305

I am definitely a meat and potatoes kind of girl and this was an amazing meal. I was worried about the dill taste but it was fantastic. It was so easy to prepare too. I love the no hassle meals on Sunday!!!

Tonight I am going to try doing a Ham and Noodle Casserole. I haven't tried this one before either so I hope it turns out. WISH ME LUCK!

This is the Crockpot that I have and I love it. It is the perfect size. It seems to be extremely cheap right now so click on the link and it will take you to where you can purchase it through amazon.

Pumpkin Pancakes for Sunday Breakfast

I am super in love with this recipe. I love that there is pumpkin in them so I can count that as a vegetable for my daughter. I am sneaky it is true.

Pumpkin Pancakes

8 eggs, separated

1 stick of melted butter, slightly cooled

1 1/2 cups pumpkin, one 15-ounce can

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg, ginger and cloves

After separating the eggs whip the whites until they form soft peaks. I like to do this in my Kitchenaid. It makes my life so much easier. Then you set that aside and use your second bowl. Mis the butter, pumpkin, sugar and vanilla in your second Kitchenaid bowl. Add the egg yolks here (if you don't want to add them you don't have to they just make the pancakes a little more moist but they do add more calories and cholesterol). Mix the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and then add to the wet mixture. Then add the seasonings. Cook on a skillet.

Makes 48 pancakes (I usually make the whole batch and save them for the rest of the week)

Serving size:4 pancakes

Calories per serving: 280

We were so excited to make these pancakes because for Christmas my husband got a new pancake dispenser. We eat pancakes a lot and it was something he has wanted for a long time. I really liked using it too because there was definitely less mess in the end. It is pretty cool and we purchased ours through amazon. Check out this link and you can order it through me and you don't have to look for it.

http://www.everydaykitchenaid.com/whats-for-dinner-tonight-wheat-pancackes/

Crockpot Curry Chicken

I LOVE using my Crockpot for meals. I prepare the meal at lunch time and then I don't have to worry about it again until it is dinner time. This recipe doesn't use any dishes except the Crockpot so it is not as much clean up afterwards and if you are anything like me you loathe clean up after a big meal. It is also really low in calories and lately I have been watching our calorie intake to help take off the holiday weight. Hope you like it! ENJOY!!

5 pieces of chicken thighs, skinned

8 oz of chunky salsa

1 TBSP curry powder

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

Place your chicken in the crockpot. Mix the salsa, curry and onions together and then pour over the chicken. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 10 hours. After it is done remove the chicken and keep warm. Add the sour cream to the sauce that is left over an serve over the chicken. Serve it all on a bed or rice or steamed vegetables.

This is a great dish to introduce someone to THAI food. I really don't like curry that much but this one have a very mild taste to it and you just can't get enough of it.

Chicken Enchiladas

I have been wanting to switch over to a less expensive blog to let all of you know what I am doing in the kitchen. Here is my first recipe for this year. It is super easy and my husband LOVES it.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cups sour cream

1 large can of chicken

8 tortilla shells

1/2 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the soup and the sour cream. Take out 1/4 cup and put into another bowl for the sauce. Add the chicken next (I usually take a fork to it so that it isn't in big chunks). Spray a 9x13 pan with pam so the enchiladas don't stick to the bottom. In each tortilla shell put a couple of TBSP of the mixture and roll them up. Place into the pan and then repeat until all of the tortilla shells are used up.

In the other bowl that we have the reserved sour cream and soup pour in the milk and whisk it. It should be fairly thick but not too thick that you can't pour it over the enchiladas. Add the salt and pepper to taste. (I like to add about 1/2 cup of salsa or green chillies to this to make it spicier). Sprinkle the cheese over top and then cover with tin foil. Put it into the oven for 20 minutes and then take off the tin foil and put it into the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is nice and melty.

I love this meal and how simple it is. That is what's for dinner tonight!! ENJOY!