How to diet fast 1 week

Sharon emailed me last week and said that she had a hankern for some Turkey Tetrazzini a la Slow Cooker. I didnt know that I had a hankern until I read her email and the recipes she linked for me to look at.
But I did. I seemed to have had a hankern. She sent links to Epicurious, AllRecipes, and Food Network.

After reading through the recipes, I wrote one of my own to work with the slow cooker. It worked, eventually. I at first didnt include enough pasta, so my tetrazzini was more like wallpaper paste than a creamy pasta dish. This was easily fixed, however, and the end result was a nice comforting meal we enjoyed on an unseasonably chilly night.

Thank you, Sharon!

The Ingredients.

1 (16-ounce package) dry spaghetti noodles (maybe divided. Please read the entire recipe and decide for yourself how youd like to proceed!) I used brown rice noodles from TJs.
1-2 pounds turkey breast tenders, cut in small chunks
5 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
1 (14.5-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, chunked
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups chicken broth (check for gluten!)
salt to taste at the table

The Directions.

Use a 5-6 quart slow cooker, and spray the inside well with cooking spray.

What I did: I initially used a half-package of spaghetti noodles, and broke them in half, and laid them on the bottom of the stoneware. I then layered the other ingredients on top, in the order I typed up above. But! after cooking on low for 3 hours, I noticed that the noodles pretty much disappeared, so I cooked the remainder of the package on the stovetop in heavily salted water (super-heavily salted, the top of the container fell off!) until barely al dente, then stirred the drained pasta into the slow cooker.

I then cooked on low for only one more hour, then clicked it to warm for another 3. The turkey was fully cooked, the noodles were perfect, but the onion that I didnt cut fine enough had still a bit of a crunch.

The Verdict.

So. My dilemma is in deciding if it would have been better to put the entire package of pasta into the machine and then layer the ingredients in and cook on low for 3-5 hours (not high!) or if it is better to leave all the pasta out, and just cook it on the stove, then mix it in.
Or, do what I did.
I just dont know.

I do know that this worked, but it certainly wasnt a very hands-off meal. And we ate it, even the leftovers for lunch the next day (the onion was soft by then!)

other pasta dishes that work well:

traditional lasagna
buffalo chicken lasagna
macaroni and cheese
ziti

I made the most delicious turkey stew over the weekend. Ive never actually had turkey stew, so I dont know if its the best that exists, but its definitely the best Ive ever had. And, since I used leftover food from Thanksgiving, it was free!

Im kind of bummed Adam took the leftovers to work to eat for lunch, because now Im forced to eat peanut butter on an apple-cinnamon rice cake. Again.

The Ingredients.
serves 8

There are two parts, here. The first part is to make broth with your leftover turkey carcass. If you dont have a carcass on hand, and would still like to make this soup, jump to the next step and use 8 cups of chicken broth and 2-3 cups chopped turkey.

for broth:
use a 6 quart slow cooker.

turkey carcass, or rib cage bone-sets from 2 turkey breasts
9 cups of water
2 tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon (read label carefully for msg and gluten, I used the Herb Ox brand)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (this takes the meat flavor out of the bones, and creates a beautiful color and flavor)
1 large onion, finely diced OR 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

cook on low overnight, or for about 8 hours. Unplug, and remove stoneware from cooking element. Uncover and let cool. When cool enough to "go fishing," remove all bones from broth, leaving meat inside the pot.

note: if your slow cooker releases a bunch of steam and condensation while cooking, put a layer of foil or parchment paper down over the top, then put the lid on so you dont lose your cooking liquid.

for stew, add the following:

2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato
1 (28-ounce) can diced or stewed Italian style tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 (15-ounce) can corn, and juice
4 cloves chopped garlic OR 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder

The Directions.

Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until sweet potatoes have reached desired tenderness and flavors have melded.

The Verdict.

We all really liked this a lot. The girls were slow to warm up because they thought the name "turkey stew" was weird and didnt like that the broth wasnt clear, but I didnt offer them anything else to eat. When they finally tasted it, they happily finished their bowls. Adam said he liked it even better than our normal turkey soup, which is pretty high praise, since that soup is fantastic. I really liked the deep color and the sweet potatoes in contrast to the tomato base. This did not have any spicy taste, just lots of flavor.

Happy Monday! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and emails about the new baby. Were all doing really well, and can definitely feel your warm wishes and love floating through cyberspace.

You all are fantastically amazing. Thank you.

The above picture doesnt look like much----its just a bowl full of shredded chicken. I felt like sharing, though, because sometimes I get questions on how to utilize the slow cooker for meal planning and for stocking the freezer, and thought this might be helpful.

While in the midst of my crazy nesting phase these past few weeks, my father-in-law reported that our local grocery store had a sale on chicken quarters for $0.57 a pound. Thats a fantastic price for around here, and I popped on down to pick up a bunch of packages.

Although I did process quite a bit of chicken (de-skinned, and broke into meal-sized portions for future slow-cooked meals!) for the freezer, I also cooked quite a bit so wed have already-cooked chicken ready to go for lunches, snacks, and dinners.

This is what I did:

The chicken quarters were bone-in thigh and leg pieces, and they did have skin. While the chicken was still fresh, I skinned a bunch and threw it into the largest slow cooker I have, which is 6.5 quarts. I was able to get 8 quarters in the pot. I also filled a 5 quart with 6 additional quarters.

And then I covered with lids and turned them on low for 7 hours. I did not add water, broth, or any seasoning. You certainly can if youd like, but I was interested in shredded, naked chicken.

When the time elapsed, I took the lid off and let the chicken cool quite a bit before I handled it. There was plenty of juice left in the pot---enough to make a soup base if you were so inclined, or for homemade chicken broth (put the bones back in the pot for the broth!)

I then dug through to separate the bones and the chicken. You can use the chicken in a meal right away that calls for already-cooked chicken, or you can freeze for later use.

coming up soon: sweet mustard roast


more staple ideas:

homemade chicken broth
homemade refried beans
making your own "canned" beans
cooking a whole chicken
rotisserie chicken
homemade cream of mushroom soup
meal planning with the slow cooker

Ive labeled the above photo so you know what it is --- its human food, I promise. I struggle with my food photography. Ive taken classes, and know that Im supposed to take the food out of the pot when its a bit under-done or when it has just finished cooking.

I own lighting and a backdrop. Im just now realizing that the little "wb" on my camera means white balance and what the different little symbols are supposed to do.

But I dont follow the rules Im supposed to follow, and more often than not, I plate the food for the family before realizing that I have broken all the guidelines and I have YET AGAIN produced an ugly looking plate of food.

Yeeps. Im sorry about that.

Instead, I can attest to the taste. This is a great citrus chicken -- the flavors are sweet but not candy-coated sweet, and the sauce isnt greasy. My three kids gobbled all of this up, and my husband took the leftovers to work for lunch the next day.

I used a 4-quart slow cooker because it was already out on the countertop. If youd like to use a larger pot, increase the quantities by 1/3.

Enjoy!

[updated. Thank you to Barbara G. for highlighting my photo in photoshop and sending it back for me to upload!!]

Citrus Glazed Chicken.
serves 4-6
 




The Verdict.
The whole family loved this dish, and Ive made it a few times TV-Dinner style to have ready to go in the freezer. The orange segments cook away and slightly disappear in the sauce, but give off great orange flavor and texture. If youd prefer a slightly sweeter version, you can certainly use canned mandarin oranges instead of the fresh.
I have a stash of chili sauce in the house because the store was running a special, but if youre wary of high-fructose (with good reason!) or want a homemade version, heres the recipe Ive used with great success:

HomeMade Chili Sauce

makes approximately 2 cups; store in airtight container in the fridge for 6 months

2 cups tomato sauce (not pasta sauce!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar (apple cider or white vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (just a pinch!)


Dont forget to check out all the great giveaways weve got going on! New giveaways are posted quite often, so keep checking!! :-)

I made my very first Matzo Ball Soup yesterday. In the crockpot.

I called my friend Jennifer and she talked me through how to make the broth and Matzo dough--shes not gluten free, but after a lot of googling and texting to confirm my hard-core journalistic researching I figured out what I should do.

AND IT WORKED.

[insert Crush voice from Finding Nemo] I SO TOTALLY ROCK.

This is a 2-day process, or at least a really, really full day process. First were going to make the homemade chicken broth/soup.

The Ingredients
serves 6-8

   

3 pounds bone-in chicken parts
2 onions, peeled, cut into quarters
6 cloves garlic, peeled with cloves intact
1 cup baby carrots
3 ribs celery, cut in large chunks, leaves okay
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon kosher salt
12 cups water
1 package gluten free matzo ball mix, or make your own (recipe below)

gluten free matzo balls
makes 8-10 or so

  
1/2 cup finely ground almond meal
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons dill
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Use a hand-held or stand mixer to blend the ingredients together to form a dough. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before using in soup.

The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker.  Place the chicken into your slow cooker. I used chicken quarters, and did try to take as much of the skin off as I can (because of my weird issues). Add vegetables and seasoning. Pour in a bunch of water (4 cups per pound of chicken)—be careful, your pot will be quite full. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Unplug the slow cooker, and let it sit for 3 hours, or until the meat is cool enough to handle.

Remove meat from pot, and discard the bones. Scoop out the vegetables and set aside. Some people prefer their matzo soup to be simply broth, some like chunks of meat and vegetables—it’s up to you. I decided to get rid of the onion and celery (the garlic kind of melted into a paste), but kept the chicken and carrots.  

Strain the broth through a cheesecloth or fine-mesh sieve to remove the peppercorns and extra bits. Return the broth to the slow cooker.

Plug the cooker back in and cook on high for 2 hours. While the broth is reheating, mix the matzo dough (if using packaged matzo, prepare according to the written instructions).

Homemade matzo dough.  Dont handle it too much; you want it light and fluffy

Once your soup is hot, drop rounded spoonfuls of matzo into your slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through and “bounces” in the broth when poked with a spoon.

the matzo balls bounce when you poke them with a spoon!

Serve and enjoy!

The Verdict
I must admit, since Ive never had this soup before, I dont have anything to compare it to. But we liked it. The five in my family ate every last smidgen in our bowls, and I packaged up a little tupperware to send home to my mom and grandma. I really liked the dill flavor. Everytime I cook with dill, Im reminded more and more that its such an under-utilized herb in my pantry. I hope you enjoy this soup--I look forward to making it again and again in the years to come.

Thank you to Jennifer, for holding my hand (AGAIN)!

other recipes you might like:
chicken and dumpling soup
apple dumplings
honey cake
sweet mustard roast 
I just Spent The Whole Day on Pinterest...

day 3 of Crocktober!