Leftover Turkey

If you are looking for something to make with that leftover turkey, here is one of my favorite recipes.

Turkey Potpie

3 Cups Turkey Meat, chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped
1 11oz can Chicken Broth
1 pkg of Puff Pastry
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp Flour
1/4 cup Milk
1 tbsp Melted Butter
Cooking Spray
Salt
Pepper

   Add Oil to cast iron skillet, turn on Med Heat. Add celery and carrots and sautee for 5-10 Minutes. Put skillet on Med High Heat and add turket meat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until turkey is Warm. Add flour and continue to stir for 5 Minutes. There should be a good amount of brown bits at the bottom of the skillet. Add chicken broth and allow the liquid to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spray an 8 or 9 inch pan with cooking spray. The pan should have some depth to it. Line one layer of the Puff Pastry at the bottom of pan. You may have to work the pastry to make sure it covers the bottom and the sides of the pan. Pour chicken mixture into the pan and cover with the second pastry sheet. Brush the top with melted butter and put into preheated 370 degree oven until golden brown. You can add frozen peas to the mixture if you like, I am just not a fan of peas.

Finding Time.

  Oh my goodness! There just never seems to be enough time in the day or night for that matter to write my blog. I will try to make a better effort. Madison is finally getting the rest of her teeth. It seems as if she has had 6 teeth forever, but she sure can eat a chicken wing. I don't know how she manages to do that. Anyways, this makes for a lot of sleepless nights. She has started using the potty. I don't know if she quite understands whats going on because everytime I start clapping and singing the potty song, she looks at me as if I have 3 heads. Madison's vocabulary is also picking up. She says "mommy" quite often. A little too often if you ask me. I am still in amazement at how fast she is growing and developing. Some good and some bad. Today, I took her to the daycare at the gym. She normally has no problem with going but today she laid on the floor and threw a mini tantrum. I just don't have the patience for stuff like that so I just walked out and left her there crying. As soon as I closed the door, I stood there to listen and she stopped crying right away. I didn't know that drama queens developed this early in life.
   So, lately I have been really trying to amp up my workout routine and squeeze in an extra day. So far, so good. I am aiming to lose 20lbs to get back to the fine, sexy me. My weight has always been a struggle for me since I was a kid. My mother even jokes that I used to have to wear the clothes made for "husky" children. In college, my brother introduced me to the gym and weights and I liked the results. I used to be a hot mama back then. Now, I just look like a mama but I am getting back to that slowly but surely. There is this woman that goes to the gym around the same time I go and she has to be a professional weight lifter. Her body is bigger and more ripped than anyone at the gym, man or woman. She always carry around a gallon jug of some brown mixture. It looks like doo-doo water. As she walks through the gym, everyone stares at her. I swear I would take picture to show you guys, but I am afraid that if she caught me trying to get her pic, she would beat me up.
   A girlfriend of mine participates in marathons and everytime she runs one I tell myself that I will start running again, but I never do. In actually, I am a little scared of running in a competitive race. I think I am worried at the fact that people with be watching. I need to get over it because it is something that I really want to do.
   I am so happy the holidays are coming up. My cousins are coming up, so I am happy. This will be the first Thanksgiving I am spending with family in like 6 years. I think the menu will consist of turkey, greens, dressing, mac and cheese, oxtails, pound cake and some other kind of cake. I want to try baking something I never baked before. I am open to suggestions. I am going to brine a turkey this year, but this time I think I going to make my own brine. I haven't tried it, but here is the recipe I am planning on using.

Ingredients

Brine:

• 7 quarts water
• 1 quart apple cider
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large or 2 small carrots, diced
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 1 head garlic, cut in 1/2 equatorially
• 1/2 bunch fresh rosemary
• 1/2 bunch fresh sage
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 (12 to 14 pound) turkey, free range organic is great!

To brine the turkey: Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container. Add the turkey and let it brine in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Quality Time

   Today, I was able to spend a lot of time with Madison. My weeks are filled with the chaos of grocery shopping, school, and cleaning that I really don't just play with her. We went to the park, which is always a favorite activity of ours but this time, I let her walk. Bad idea! It tooks us 20 minutes to walk 3 blocks. Madison had to step on every single leaf, crack and rock we saw. When we arrived at the park, I played with her on the jungle gym and slides and helped her on all the little platforms and stairs that they had. I didn't realize how much energy was required for climbing. After 20 minutes, I was drained. The walk back took just as long as the walk to the park, but I enjoyed seeing her explore different things. It shows me how fast she is growing up and how much I need to cherish these moments.
   So, here is something most people don't know about me. I love to cook and I love trying different recipes. Everyday, I look on websites to try and find new recipes that I can add to my rotation. Last night I tried a new recipe that was oh so tasty and I would like to share it. It is a Barefoot Contessa meal. Bon Appetit!

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
• 3/4 pound linguine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 lemon, zest grated
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.