Thanksgiving in a bite...

This time if the year is culinary heaven for anyone who even remotely likes food. :) It also begs for experimentation and creativity at its height. On that note, I created a fun way to use up some of those Thanksgiving leftovers, or just put a fun twist on your holiday taste palette.


Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze


Meatballs:


2 lb. ground turkey
1 large egg
1/2 bag of your favorite stuffing mix (I used sage and onion)
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. ground sage
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper


Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Once al ingredients are mixed, pull off sections of the mixture and form into balls. Place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with cranberry glaze. Makes 30 large meatballs, and about 60 small meatballs.


Cranberry Glaze:


1 lb. fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. garlic salt
dash of ground sage
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. flour


In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Place on stovetop on high heat, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, reduce heat to low, and simmer until cranberries are tender (about 30-45 minutes. When cranberries are tender, stir in flour, being careful to avoid lumps. This will thicken the mixture. Serve immediately.


These meatballs can be eaten by themselves or atop mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes. Bon appetite! 

Whole Wheat Strawberry Cottage Cheese Scones

It has been a while. :) Through the craziness of life, I'm still finding time to cook. It is my creative outlet. I've especially loved cooking with my husband and little boy lately. I just do not always have time to post my recipes. 

I got this basic recipe from a very sweet couple that own the B&B where Scott and I stayed on our honeymoon. They gave us the cookbook as a gift. I improvised the recipe quite a bit, and this is what I came up with. Bon appetite!

Scone Recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/3 cup sugar, plus more for topping

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream (I just used milk)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries

1/2 cup cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Place dry ingredients into a food processor, and pulse to mix. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients, and whisk. Remove butter from refrigerator and add to dry ingredients. Pulse until the butter is completely cut through. The mixture will resemble course meal. Pour dry ingredients over wet ingredients and add strawberries. Mix until a ball forms. Spoon or drop balls of dough onto a baking sheet. Brush with butter and top with sugar. Bake 20 minutes or until scones are golden brown.

I did not use a food processor for this recipe. A fork or pastry knife works great! It's all about preference. :)

20 Minute Egg Souffle

I made a souffle for breakfast this morning. It was the first I had made, possibly the first I had ever eaten (not usually big on eggs). While it didn't "rise" as much as I would have liked, it was still fluffy and pretty tasty if I do say so myself. It had a satisfying savory flavor with just a hint of sweetness. It also made the perfect amount for 2 servings. Unfortunately I do not have a picture to show you, but that aside, here's what I did:

What you'll need:
2 eggs (calculate about 1 egg per person, or more for a more generous serving)
about 1/3 - 1/2 milk
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp. sugar

How it works:
Preheat oven to 400. Whisk together eggs, milk and cheese. Pour into baking dish or 2 individual souffle cups (Mine did stick a little bit, so you may want to lightly oil or flour the bottom and sides of the dish). Sprinkle with cracker crumbs and sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.  Super easy dish that can be made on a busy morning...ours was busy this morning, and this worked perfectly! Bon appetite!

My Take on Middle Eastern

• Baked Coconut Curried Chicken 
• Seasoned Rice
• Garbanzo Beans
• Roasted Asparagus
• Homemade Pita Bread
• Mint Yogurt

Which recipe would you like first? :)

Dessert "Nachos"

Necessity is the mother of invention. While dessert is not a necessity, we do like to have it frequently around here! :) This came about after a moment of creativity, and being about to cook uninterrupted.

What you'll need:


2 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. butter (roughly)
sliced strawberries
1/8 - 1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup cinnamon (roughly)
a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
shredded coconut for garnish

Directions: 

1. Cut each tortilla into quarters so that you have 8 triangles. Mix cinnamon and sugar so that you have a homogenous mixture.

2. Place 1 Tbsp. butter in a warm skillet until it melts and coats the bottom of the skillet (do not let it burn or bubble). Place 4 tortilla triangles in the skillet at a time and coat both sides with butter. Cover heavily with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Cook on low heat for about 3 minutes or until the edges start to curl. Remove from skillet and place on hard surface (a plate works great) to let cook and harden. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

3. While the tortillas are cooking, prepare the toppings. Mix together the sour cream, honey and a dash of cinnamon. Slice the strawberries.

4. Once the tortilla chips have cooled and hardened, place the on the bottom of a bowl or plate. Top with strawberries, sour cream mixture and chocolate chips. Garnish with coconut.

Makes 2 generous servings. Bon appetite!

Coconut Curry Chicken Over Seasoned Rice

Believe it or not, I just threw this meal together at the last minute. I worked all day and got home later than planned, so I was looking for something fast with simple ingredients. A creative streak hit me on the way home, and a basic plan formed. I had never really tried cooking with curry, let alone making a whole meal based on it, but it sounded good, and it was something different. I decided to give it a whirl. This meal took less than 30 minutes to prepare, and passed the yummy test (my husband liked it!). :) Needless to say, I plan on making it again in the near future!

This recipe makes enough for 2 servings. You can adjust as needed by using about 1 chicken breast per person, and adjusting the rest of the ingredients accordingly.

Ingredients:

Rice:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/4 cup water
1 tsp. olive oil
1 chicken bouillon cube 
1 tsp. coriander

Directions: Place all ingredients in a saucepan on high heat until the mixture begins to boil. When boiling is reached, turn the heat to low and simmer until rice is fluffy (about 30 minutes). While rice is cooking, prepare the chicken.
 
Chicken: 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup milk
2 cloves garlic
5 tsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sage
dash of coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Place the chicken in warm skillet and drizzle with olive oil. Add the orange juice, milk, coconut, garlic, curry powder, sage and coriander. The liquids will make a sauce and form a coating for the dry ingredients. Make sure to stir so that everything is evenly coated. Cook in skillet on medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste. 

I served this dish with sauteed herbed green beans, and red grapes. Warm and comforting, yet light and refreshing. :) Bon appetite!

Homemade Granola

The end of the month is always a slightly challenging time to come up with new and unique recipes. With food prices continuing to rise, we have usually depleted or come close to depleting our grocery budget for the month by these last few days. However, I am nearly always up for a good challenge, and it always encourages and amazes me to see how God provides...and He ALWAYS does! Our Heavenly Father is faithful, even when we are not. Even when we fail to trust, He provides for our every need, and in doing so bring so much glory to Himself. How awesome it is to have a Father that loves His children unconditionally!

The past few days I was struggling to come up with breakfast foods. We were out of milk and bread, so no cereal or toast (although, I experimented with some flour to make some yummy cinnamon bread. I would post the recipes, but most of the work was done in a bread machine...so I kind of feel like I cheated. ;-P). But we did have a large container of oats. Granola was the first thing that came to mind. I had never made homemade granola before, but decided to give it a try. I made a small amount, because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Scott raved on and on about it, and snacked on it for quite some time yesterday - my sign that it was a success! I am definitely making it again! All in all, it I'm pretty sure it is cheaper than buying it pre-made, and it was fun and EASY to make! Here is my recipe:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 dash of cinnamon

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix together dry ingredients. Add butter, and stir to coat. Pour into baking pan or on to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. Stir in the pan. Bake again for about 7 minutes or until desired doneness is achieved. Granola will be soft in the oven, but will harden as it cools. Keep in mind that, if left on the pan, it will continue to "bake for about 5-10 minutes AFTER you remove it from the oven. This may affect how early you remove it.

This would also be a great recipe for granola bars. To make the bars, I would recommend NOT stirring the granola after 7 minutes, but rather baking it for 10 minutes straight, then cutting it into bars immediately upon removing it from the oven.

It is great eaten alone as a snack, or I served it over plain yogurt with fresh strawberries. Bon appetite!

Corned Beef 'n Cabbage

Who says that you have to celebrate holidays on the exact day? We waited a few days to "celebrate" St. Patrick's Day. But it was well worth the wait! This meal was by far one of the best traditional St. Patrick's Day meals I have ever had! Probably second best. First place goes to an amazing Irish stew that my husband made while we were dating. :) I, by nature, m not a meat and potatoes person, but this corned beef was soooo incredibly succulent, it almost made me want to convert! :) The best part about this meal is that it was effortlessly easy.

1. To start off, I soaked the meat in a pan of water in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to cooking it. This is to remove some of the salt. You can do this up to 3 days, but make sure you change the water each day.

2. When you are ready to cook the brisket, place it in a baking dish, fat side up. This will allow all the juices an flavor from the fat to soak into the meat, making it more moist. Fill the dish about 1/2 with water. I used the little seasoning packet that comes with corned beef to sprinkle on top. I also added about 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to the top of the meat to create a glaze of sorts.

3. Chop cabbage any way you so desire, and add it to the dish with the meat, making sure to coat it with water.  Sprinkle both meat and cabbage with about 1-2 teaspoons rosemary and 1-2 teaspoons savory (how much you use depends on the size of your meat). Bake at 225 for 6-8 hours, turning the cabbage occasionally so that it does not burn. You may have to add more water occasionally also, as it cooks down.

4. About 1 hour before serving, pierce whole potatoes with a knife and add them to the dish. Turn the oven to 350 and bake for 1 hour.

I served this rye bread with herb butter and a side of peas. If anyone would like, I can also post my recipe for the peas, as they turned delicious as well! Bon appetite!

Homemade Pizza

I am going to give you the recipe for the crust and how to best bake the pizzas. The pizzas themselves can be topped with the cheese and toppings of your choice to make it just the way you like it! That's why I love this recipe sooo much! The crust is by far the best crust I have ever eaten, and I am one of the biggest crust snobs you will ever meet. :) For the sauce I use whatever pasta sauce I have in the cupboard. I have even used alfredo sauce or BBQ sauce for variation. Once again, I want to thank my mom for the crust recipe! Bon appetite!

 Pizza Crust

2 /14 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
5 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
all purpose flour

Directions: Place sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and stir until sugar/salt mixture is dissolved. Add the yeast and whisk until yeast is moistened. Let the yeast "proof" (about 5-10 minutes). You will see bubble form on the top of the mixture. Add oil, honey, wheat flour, and flour. Stir until you can no longer stir with a spoon. Begin to knead the dough, continually adding flour. Knead until the dough is firm, and form a large ball. Let rise for at least 30 minutes.

To bake: Move the oven racks to the bottom and third from bottom slots. Preheat the oven to 400. Divide the dough into 4 balls. From the middle, spread the balls out over each pizza pan, until pan is covered or until desire thickness is achieved (keep in mind that the dough will rise even more upon baking). Place the un-topped crusts in the oven, two at a time - one on each shelf. Bake for 5 minutes, then switch shelves. Bake for another 5 minutes. Top the pizzas. Repeat the baking instructions, or continue baking until cheese is melted.


  

A walk down memory lane...

My apologies for the lack of posts recently. This week has been a little crazy (in a good way) in the Spilker household. Busy days and short nights. Ah, such is life, right? Updates to follow, I promise. :)

Tonight, I am making pizza for dinner. Growing up, it was a family tradition to have homemade pizza every Friday night. My mom made the crust, and sometimes even the sauce from scratch. We always looked forward to it, because it was better than any restaurant pizza we could get! Tonight, I will be using her recipe. It brings back lots of good memories. I hope everyone is having a great Friday. Yay for the weekend!

Garlic Cheddar Biscuit! mmmm!

Easy recipe for the day!

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits


2 1/2 cups all purpose baking mix (think Bisquick)
1 cup milk
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp. garlic salt (or to taste)
unsalted butter

Directions: Preheat oven to 450. Prepare biscuit mix according to package instructions. Add cheese and garlic salt, and mix in. Drop by spoonfuls on to ungreased baking sheet. top each biscuit with a thin "slice" of butter. Bake 8-10 minutes. Biscuits will be soft and "gooey".

This a super easy comfort food that pairs well with soup, and take less than 15 minute to prepare - start to finish. It can also be altered by adding whatever cheese you prefer. I made them last night to serve with lobster bisque, and they were a huge hit! Bon appetite! :)

Concerning fish & chips...

Ok, so the title is a bit deceiving. The two were not served together. My wonderful husband has cooked dinner for me two nights in a row, leaving me to sit back, relax, and enjoy some pretty awesome food! Tonight he fixed colby/jack stuffed burgers on flash fried whole wheat buns. Amazing to say the least. I had the privilege of concocting some home made french fries to go along with the burgers. Here's how that went:

2 medium sized potatoes, cut into thin strips
1 Tbsp. butter
enough vegetable oil (or the oil of your choosing) to cover the bottom of your skillet
a dash of olive oil

Directions:
Place the oils (including butter) in skillet and turn the heat to med/high. Add the potatoes. Season with your favorite seasonings, and cook until golden brown or desired crispness. Serve directly out of skillet.

I also promised you the recipe for the tuna tacos from Friday. Here it is:

2-3 cans chunk tuna in water
whole wheat tortillas
shredded cabbage
1/2 tomato, diced
1/ cup onion, diced
1 avocado, sliced (or guacamole)
tarter sauce (optional)
sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions: 
Season the tuna with the lemon juice, then build your own tacos!! :) I served these with steamed corn, fresh fruit salad and cottage cheese. Very yummy, and easy recipe! Bon appetite!

Tuna Tacos

Great weather calls for some great, fresh food. Friday was a perfect example of this. It felt like a late spring day to me. I was craving something light and fresh. :) This is what I came up with. Recipe to follow.

Italian Chili

Last night's dinner was a slow cooker meal. Because I was gone most of the day, and dinner was in shifts, I needed something that could be ready when I got home and that would still be good and hot when everyone else got to it. Chili was my first thought, but rather than just make traditional chili, I decided to mix things up a bit. Not knowing if such a thing existed, I decided to create an Italian chili (I found out later that such a thing does exist, and appears in several forms). I didn't have a recipe, but I did have a pound of ground turkey, some beans and leftover pasta sauce, so I decided to wing it. It actually turned out really well, and my husband asked me to repeat it! :) Below is my recipe. It should be noted that I never measure anything or follow an exact recipe, so all my "measurements" are approximate. But, I view cooking as an art, and my ingredients as my paint and palette...it is my belief that experimentation is a must when it comes to cooking. It is part of the fun in the process. Bon appetite!


1 lb. ground turkey
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn (just for fun...corn is not really Italian)
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes*
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup pasta sauce (optional...I just had some I needed to use)
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp. dry rosemary
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. anise
1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes.
1 tsp. brown sugar
a dash of chili powder
a dash of garlic salt
Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Directions: First, don't freak out when you see the list of ingredients. About half are spices and seasonings. If you don't have all the herbs or seasonings, you can always substitute Italian sausage for the turkey, becauseI basically just seasoned my meat to mimic Italian sausage. Ok, step #

1. Place olive oil skillet to coat the bottom. Add the turkey, butter, vinegar and garlic salt. Cook on medium to high heat, string occasionally as you break up the turkey. Cook until turkey is cooked through.

2. Once the turkey is fully cooked, transfer to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, stirring after each is added to spread flavors evenly. Let simmer on low heat for 6-8 hours. Serve over polenta, pasta, or with crusty Italian bread (my choice). Garnish with cheese. Serves 2 generously or 4 smaller portions.

*If you wanted a lighter version, you could use fresh tomatoes rather than canned. I was going for more of a savory flavor.

Dinner Talk

I created this blog to share my enjoyment of food and cooking with anyone who shares my love. "Culina" is Latin for "kitchen" which is my favorite room in the house. I invite you to my kitchen. Each day I will post at least one recipe from a meal that I created. I invite your input, ideas, recipes, and thoughts. Bon Appetite!