Turkey in a Crockpot

My kids were a little confused when I bought a turkey last week. Who said we can only eat turkey in November? I love turkey and I saw this recipe where you cook the turkey in a crockpot! Even better! It was so easy, and the turkey just falls off the bone, so you don't have to spend the time carving and cutting it up. This turkey you can shred up and put on a salad or a sandwich or eat it the traditional thanksgiving way. I couldn't find a 6 pd turkey, or one small enough for my crockpot so I cut off the drumsticks and wings of a 12 pd bird before I put it in my crockpot .

Time: 5 min. prep + 8-9 hours cooking
Yield: 12 servings
Recipe from Jaimie Cooks It up

***NOTE: Make sure you buy a turkey breast small enough to fit in your crock pot.***  

1 (5-6 pound) turkey breast
1/2 C orange juice
1 (14 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
1 (1 ounce) package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
salt and pepper

1. Make sure your turkey is completely thawed. I let mine hang out in the fridge for a couple of days after I purchase it frozen. Set it on a pan, so you don't have juices running all over when you open up the bag. Cut a hole in the top of the bag and remove the packaging. Some turkey breasts come with a gravy pouch inside, be sure to remove it if yours happens to come with one. 
2. Place the old bird in the crock pot. 
3. Pour yourself 1/2 cup of orange juice. Add one can whole berry Cranberry sauce and one package Lipton Onion Soup mix. 
4. Mix the ingredients together and pour them over the top of the bird. 
5. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the top. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8-9 hours,
or until a meat thermometer stuck into the center of the bird reads 180 degrees. You can see I got mine a bit past 180. Don't like, turn me into the poultry police or anything, ok? It still turned out wonderful, juicy and moist. 
6. Remove the turkey breast to a plate and cover it with tin foil. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then carve it (or shred it) up and enjoy.


GRAVY:1. Pour the juices from the crock pot through a strainer and into a medium sized sauce pan. 2. Mix 4 T of cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water. 3. Bring the juices to a boil and add the cornstarch/water mixture a little bit at a time, stirring constantly until you reach the consistency you want. You may not need all of the cornstarch/water. 4. Add about half of a can of cream of mushroom soup. Stir it well and let the soup heat through. 

Cherry Cheesecake in a Jar

This week is teachers week at our school. I've been very fortunate that my kids have such amazing teachers.  Last night we made these cheesecake's in jar for their teachers and the school nurses.  I was suppose to attach a cute thank you note on the ribbon, but totally forgot to do it. 

Cherry Cheesecake in a Jar

Time: about 45 minutes

Yield: 7 half pint jars

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

1 C graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 a sleeve worth)

1 T sugar

2 T melted butter

1  8 oz package cream cheese (I added two 8oz cream cheese, I thought it was a little too sweet and I wanted it to taste more cheesecake like.

1  14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 t lemon juice (bottled is fine)

1  21 oz  can cherry pie filling

cool whip or redi whip

7 half pint jars

7 lids and rings

paper for the thank you cards

ribbon

little flowers

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was craving peanut butter and chocolate a few weeks ago so I went to my favorite food blog" Jaimie Cooks It Up" and found the recipe for these cookies! Delish!
I cook all my cookies on stoneware, it makes them cook evenly and extra soft. 

Time: 1 1/2 hours 
Yield: 60 cookies
Recipe from a former neighbor Krista Robinson 
 
1 C butter softened
1 C peanut butter (I use chunky)
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1  12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips
1  12 oz bag milk chocolate chips
  
1. Be sure that your butter is soft. I usually let mine sit out on the counter for about 2 hours before I start. Beat the butter and peanut butter in your stand mixer (or with hand held beaters) for about 3 minutes. You want it to be VERY well combined. 
2. Add the sugar and eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is a bit frothy.
3. While you let the mixer do it's work combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix for about 1 minute. 
5. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until combined. Aren't these two colors of chocolate beautiful? You can see now why I wanted to eat them for Sunday Dinner. You want to eat them too...don't deny it. Your secret is safe with me.
6. I place them on a large cookie sheet 3 wide and 5 long. I round them into balls that are about 1 1/2 inches. When I put them on the sheet I smash them down just a bit. 
7. One of the most important tricks to  great cookie baking is the length and the temperature they are cooked. I have a convection oven which I truly adore. I baked these puppies  for 6 1/2 minutes at 330 degrees. If I were using a regular oven I would bake them for 8 minutes at 350. The trick is........DO NOT OVERBAKE THEM. I take them out of the oven just after they start to crack, and then let them finish cooking on the sheet as it cools down. The convection oven makes them ever so slightly crispy on the outside, and fabulously chewy on the inside. Again....you see the reason I made them for Sunday Dinner. 

Shepards Pie

  On Sunday I had some ground meat sitting out defrosting, but had no idea how I was going to use it. Went online and found a recipe for Shepards Pie by Rachel Ray. It had a lot of good reviews and I had all the ingredients. I really enjoyed it, my boys picked out the carrots and onions but ate the rest! 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Buttermilk Pancakes

These were delicious! 

I doubled this recipe and got 15 pancakes measuring each pancake with 1/4 cup.
16.5 carbs per pancake

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up

1 C flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 T sugar

2 T butter, melted (do not, at this time, or any other time in your life consider using margarine)

1 C + 2 T buttermilk (no substitutions please)

1 egg, beaten

Breakfast Crostatas

INGREDIENTS:

1

can Pillsbury® refrigerated crusty French loaf

1 1/2

teaspoons McCormick® Basil Leaves

1/2

teaspoon McCormick® Rosemary Leaves, crushed

1 1/2

cups diced ham or Canadian bacon

1 1/2

cups (6 oz) shredded Gouda cheese or Cheddar cheese

4

LAND O LAKES® Eggs

Dash salt, if desired

Dash McCormick® Ground Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Carefully unroll loaf of dough onto cookie sheet; cut in half lengthwise and crosswise to form 4 squares. Sprinkle dough squares with basil and rosemary. Top dough squares evenly with ham and cheese. Make small well in center of ham and cheese on each square.
• To form crostatas, fold edges of dough up 1 inch over filling, making pleats and pressing dough firmly. Carefully crack open each egg and drop into well in each crostata. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until bottoms of crostatas are golden brown and egg whites and yolks are firm, not runny.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

I made this salad for lunch today. I absolutely loved it! 

 The dressing is delicious, it's sweet, tangy and has a beautiful color to it.

I made my dressing in the blender, it's really smooth and creamy.
I couldn't find raspberry vinegar at my store, so I used pomegranate vinegar and it tasted wonderful. 

Spinach Strawberry Salad

By Monica              Servings: serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 oz (approx 6 cups) baby spinach leaves
• 1 pint (approx. 16 medium-size) fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered or sliced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons raspberry poppy seed dressing*
• 1/2 cup candied pecan pieces**

Directions

In large bowl, toss spinach, strawberries, onion, and cheese with dressing. Sprinkle candy pecan pieces on top just before serving (so they remain crisp).

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup grated/minced onion (half of a small onion)
• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar (for recipe, go to www.TheYummyLife.com/recipes/142); may substitute white wine vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions

3 EASY WAYS TO MIX THE DRESSING:
--In a blender or food processor. Mince the onion. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, & salt to the blender or food processor and mix until combined. With the blender/food processor running, add the oils in a thin stream through the hole in the top. Blend until well mixed. Add poppy seeds and pulse just until mixed.
--In a bowl. Whisk together vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, minced onion, and poppy seeds until well combined. Continue whisking while adding the oils in a thin stream. Keep whisking until well combined.
--In a jar. Add everything except the 2 oils to the jar. Cover and shake to combine. Add 2 oils and shake vigorously until well combined.

If too thick, may be thinned by whisking in water a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Dressing will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

SERVING SUGGESTION:
--Toss dressing with your choice of salad greens. Use approx. 1 tablespoon of dressing per 2 cups of greens.