Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

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All right, I have a new favorite way to use up leftover smoked turkey…and leftover pretty much anything now, I imagine.  Jesse had smoked a big breast of turkey for my family Thanksgiving last weekend, and for days we danced around its leftovers, reheating only the side dishes, until we finally found an evening where we were both free, and in a delicious feat of teamwork, came up with this.

It was so incredible that I actually got angry when I discovered that he ate the last slice in the middle of the night (after real Thanksgiving, no less!  This man’s appetite is insane!), the one I was planning to bring for lunch on Black Friday…a very long day for me.  But it was so awesomely easy to make, he promised me we’d make more.

I used a lazy version of this pie crust recipe, and I say lazy because I don’t spend too much energy trying to keep the butter in pea-size chunks, I don’t refrigerate it for as long as I’m supposed to, and I don’t even own Saran Wrap.  But it always works out anyway, which deters me from ever trying any harder than that.  Basically, I took her ingredient ratios, mixed everything together, tried not to overwork it, and stuck it in the fridge for about half an hour while Jesse finished making the filling.

It still rolled out easily, molded to the pie pan perfectly, sealed tight around the filling and never broke, and sliced through easily when it was time to serve.  And it was even still pretty flaky!  Maybe not croissant-flaky, but flaky enough for me.

So then for the filling, we referenced this recipe from another one of my fave food blogs, but of course we
were starting with some pretty incredible home-smoked turkey which I think helped the cause.  It starts with a mirepoix — sauteeing diced carrots, onions, and celery in a healthy dose of butter, then after a few minutes, adding the turkey, which we had also chopped up pretty fine.

Here, instead of making a roux the traditional way, by melting butter, stirring in flour, and then thinning it with milk, you just sprinkle the flour right over this whole deal, which feels relievingly simple, and still left no clumps.  We mixed up some veggie bullion in a glass cup of hot water to make a quick-and-easy broth (I haven’t roasted a chicken in weeks so I didn’t have any homemade on hand), added that with a little wine, and then the 3/4 cup of half and half.  (Both being coffee drinkers, we always have a gigantic carton of this in the fridge, so I tend to use it in the place of whipping cream in most recipes.  It’s rich enough, believe me.)

We added some frozen peas for that traditional pot pie look, and fresh sage that we had in the fridge, let it all come to a boil, and sure enough, it thickened up just like it was supposed to.  And tasted so amazing, we could have hovered right there over the stove, eating it all with a wooden spoon.

But we restrained ourselves, and instead poured it into the pie pan, where I had already rolled out half the crust and pressed it into the bottom.  I rolled out the second half, laid it on top of the filling, and sealed all around the edges, making cute little pie ruffles (my glass pie pan has these imprints built in, so all you gotta do is press).  This baked for almost an hour at 400 degrees before the crust was brown enough for Jesse’s discerning eye, and barely lasted 24 hours before it was gone entirely.


This Week’s Groceries

* None!  Thanksgiving leftovers aaaaall weeeeek looooong.


Thai Pork Sausage Stuffing

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I’ve made this dish twice this week now.  The first time was last weekend, when my family came down to Portland and Jesse and I got to host our first Thanksgiving in the new house.

And the second was yesterday, one of the three true days off that I take off from work each year, when I got to wake up with my favorite person in the world, and spend a beautiful, crisp Thursday morning each cooking our own respective contributions to our gigantic Thanksgiving feast.  And I mean gigantic.  Seriously, look at this roster:

Appetizers
Dee: Veggie Pizza
Brush: Pickle chips
Caleb: Cheese Board
Andrew: Fondue?
Erika: Stuff Mushroom

The Culinary Explosion
Teran: Turkey, traditional stuffing, brown butter mashed potatoes
Tyler and Jesse: Ham
Dee: Field Roast
Crystal Valley: Squash ravioli
Lindsey: Thai pork sausage stuffing
Kate: Squash rice pilaf
Zack: Fresh Baked Bread Rolls
Andrew: Green Chili Cheese Corn Bake
Jesse Wilson: Green Chili Cheese Mashed Potatoes who aspires to be reincarnated as a turkey
Erika: Mac and Cheese
Carolyn: Roasted Root Veggie
Josh: Cranberry Sauce Salad
Biff: Brussel Sprouts in Cream Sauce
Claire: Sweet Potato Casserole
Kelly: Baked Leeks in Cream Sauce
Andrea: Green Bean Casserole

Yo, Sweetness is my weakness
Kate: Pumpkin Pie
Elizabeth Haus: Holiday Cheesecake
Andrea: Pecan Pie
Cloud: Sweet Potato Pie
Erika: ?

So yes, we were both pretty serious about cooking.  Jesse hopped out of bed at 8:00 a.m. to fire up the smoker, where he smoked a pineapple-clove-orange-whiskey glazed ham.

And I went to work on my Thai Pork Sausage Stuffing, round two.

This recipe was adapted from a recent issue of Sunset magazine, and it’s a nice, spicy spin on the regular traditional Thanksgiving stuffing.  It was disappointingly bland the first go-round, so here I’ve kicked it up a notch by tweaking a lot of the spices and adding stronger flavors.

It uses starchy, sticky rice in place of half the bread, and mixes flavors of ginger, cilantro, and lemongrass for a tangy kick.  The very first step is to soak 1 cup of this sticky rice in hot water for about an hour; get this going at the beginning, and it can soak while you prep everything else.

Meanwhile, into the food processor goes:

  • 2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass (inner stems only)
  • stems from 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 3 serrano chilis

Puree these ingredients together, then add 1 lb. pork sausage (I used some apple pork sausage from New Seasons), and 1 tsp salt.

Now you’ll want to chop up:

  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 1 tbsp garlic
  • 1 medium onion

Melt 2 tbsp butter in  a skillet, and sautee the above three ingredients until the onions are translucent.  Then add in the pork mixture from the food processor, and cook until it has a nice, sausage-y texture.

At the same time, cook the rice by steaming it over a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes.  A smallish strainer like this one is perfect for the job: drain the soaking rice by pouring it into this strainer, then heat up a few inches of water in the pot that the rice had been soaking in, letting it come to a full boil.  Rest the strainer full of rice on top of the pot, and place a bowl over top to keep the steam in.

Then, take a very large bowl and mix together the following:

  • Everything you were just cooking in the skillet
  • 3 cups chicken broth (I used Better Than Bullion, which has a very rich flavor)
  • 1 large sourdough baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes (if you can, try to remember to cut this up the night before so they’re a little stale)
  • 2 eggs, beaten together
  • leaves from 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • a few tablespoons of chopped basil
  • 4 green onions

Once everything has been thoroughly mixed, transfer it all to a 9×13 baking dish, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, covered with foil.  After 30 minutes, uncover and bake for a final 30 minutes with the foil off.


This Week’s Groceries

Safeway 11/14

  • Can of green chilis: $1.49
  • Beef broth: $0.99
  • Tomato paste: $0.59
  • Tomato sauce: $1.39
  • Chili beans: $1.39 — Can you guess what Jesse was making for dinner?
  • Chicken broth: $2.60
  • Frozen pizza: $4.99
  • Yellow onions: $0.28
  • Jalapeno pepper: $0.12
  • Pork sausage: $3.29

TOTAL: $17.03

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $147.39

 

New Seasons 11/16

  • Coconut oil: $6.99
  • Table salt: $0.99
  • Sushi rice: $2.72
  • Dozen eggs: $2.99
  • Half and half: $2.99
  • Cream cheese: $1.99
  • Lemongrass: $0.69
  • Fresh herbs: $1.52
  • Jalapeno: $0.95
  • Ground chicken: $3.97 — The first go-round of this dish, for my family, I used chicken instead of pork
  • Sourdough baguette: $3.99

TOTAL: $29.79

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $117.60

 

Portland Fruit Company 11/16

  • Chestnuts
  • Yellow Onion
  • Gallon milk
  • Rutabega
  • Parsnips
  • Turnips

TOTAL: $27.30

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $90.30

 

Grocery Outlet 11/20

  • Pineapple rings: $1.29
  • Frozen peas: $0.99
  • Half and half: $2.39
  • Ginger root: $1.49
  • Butter: $2.59
  • White vinegar: $1.49
  • Yellow onions: $1.49

TOTAL: $11.73

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $78.57

 

New Seasons 11/20

  • Sushi rice: $1.44
  • Anaheim pepper: $0.42
  • Serrano pepper: $0.18
  • Lemongrass: $0.72
  • Apple pork sausage: $6.17
  • Sourdough baguette: $2.99

TOTAL: $11.92

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $66.65

 

Fred Meyer 11/21

  • Brown sugar: $1.79
  • Pickling salt: $2.09
  • Lawry seasoned salt: $2.37
  • Meat tenderizer: $3.69
  • Cloves: $0.35
  • Ginger root: $0.45
  • Shallots: $0.57
  • Turkey breasts: $19.08

TOTAL: $30.39

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $36.26 — Not too shabby, after two full Thanksgivings!


Roasted Chicken with Grapes and Kalamata Olives

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Sorry guys, my bad.  I totally meant to post about this last week, and the week got away from me.  Between prepping for our big housewarming party last weekend, and wanting to clear my work schedule for a longtime friend who was coming to town, it never happened.  BUT, this meal was still delicious way back a week ago, and it will still be delicious when you try it out yourself.

Although probably 70% of the recipes on this blog are inspired by Deb’s Smitten Kitchen, this is the very first recipe I’ve tried out of her actual hard copy cookbook, which just came out, and which I got a signed copy of last Monday when Andrea and I stood in line for 2 hours after her talk at Powell’s.

It was about that time of the month for a roasted chicken anyway, and even though this made such fabulous leftovers that it prevented me from doing my usual rip-the-meat-of-the-bones-and-make-stock routine, we’re surviving on Better Than Bullion, and I’m sure we’ll have plenty of turkey bones left over after this weekend (yep, that’s right!  We’re hosting Early Faux Thanksgiving at the new house this year!), so I’m not sweating it.

It all starts with browning a variety of chicken pieces in a pan.  Well no, actually, it starts with me biking home from New Seasons with my hand rummaging behind me in my pannier, eating half a bag of “holiday grapes” (read: gigantic) before I even pulled in the driveway.  Then it continues with Jesse trying to show me how to butcher a raw chicken, using the best chef’s knife we have, which is so dull that it wouldn’t even cut through the skin.  For real.  Thank god for friends who listen, and who buy you the most awesome chef’s knife ever for a housewarming present.  The next time I make this meal, things will go differently.

Anyway, then you brown the chicken pieces in a pan.  I added some coconut oil first to get it going, but once they start cooking, there is more than enough chicken juices to keep things lubricated.

That looks gross.  This looks better.

So while you’re doing this, preheat the oven to 450.  I was working with a whole bird’s worth of chicken here, so it took me a few batches, but once it was all browned, I put them all back in the skillet, and dumped in 1 cup each of pitted kalamata olives and harvest grapes, and a whole sliced shallot.  I put the entire skillet in the oven and roasted for about 40 minutes.

Then comes the fun part.  I transferred all the goodies from inside the skillet to a serving platter with a slotted spoon, and then got to deglaze the pan.  I love deglazing the pan.  Basically, this is just adding half a cup of wine, some fresh rosemary, and a little bit of chicken broth to the cooking juices that remained, heating it up and letting it reduce and thicken, and then spooning it over the chicken and everything as a tasty sauce.  Oh, and on the side I made a pan of cornbread, and some sauteed brussels srpouts.  I’ve been eating it as leftovers ever since.


This Week’s Groceries

New Seasons 11/7

  • Lentils: $6.46
  • Cashew pieces: $10.77
  • Black beans: $3.01
  • Whole wheat couscous: $7.00
  • Farro: $6.59
  • Hazelnuts: $6.49 — I was doing some serious bulk aisle stocking up today!
  • Leeks: $0.65
  • Holiday grapes: $6.61
  • Fresh herbs: $0.57
  • Shallot: $1.20
  • Free range roasting chicken: $11.26
  • Kalamata olives: $5.09

TOTAL: $65.65

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $234.35

 

Grocery Outlet 11/7

  • Oatmeal cookies: $0.99
  • Gamesa: $1.49 — WTF is this??  In case you haven’t noticed, I started having Jesse save his receipts…
  • Brussels sprouts: $3.49
  • Whole milk: $1.99

TOTAL: $7.96

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $226.39

 

Fred Meyer 11/10

  • Spearmint: $1.99
  • Butternut squash: $3.18
  • Penne pasta: $2.79
  • Limes: $4.25 — Yes, this is a lot of limes.  Our signature cocktail for the housewarming party revolved around a homemade key lime syrup
  • Avocado: $0.88 — for a veggie sandwich I made on Dave’s Killer Bread, to present to a famished friend when she got off the bus from Vancouver
  • Garlic: $0.34
  • Apple fritter: $0.69 — for Jesse, who was feverishly finishing the paint job in the dining room when I got home, with T minus five hours to go until the party started
  • Pears: $3.87
  • Panko breadcrumbs: $3.69
  • Sherry vinegar: $2.69
  • Red onion: $0.73

TOTAL: 31.96

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $194.43

 

Portland Fruit Company 11/12

  • Kale
  • Yellow onion
  • Fresh dill
  • Cucumbers
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Roma tomatoes
  • Red cabbage

TOTAL: $11.31

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $183.12

 

Grocery Outlet 11/13

  • Strawberry yogurt: $1.49
  • Half and half: $2.39
  • 2 cans artichoke hearts: $4.58
  • Cottage cheese: $2.39
  • Mozzarella/Parmesan cheese blend: $1.99
  • Goat cheese crumbles: $2.99 — to make Smitten Kitchen’s butternut squash salad, which was a huge hit at the party.
  • 2 blue brie wedges: $5.98
  • 2 bottles Santa Cruz sparkling orange juice: $3.58

TOTAL: $18.70

REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $164.42

 


Greek Chicken & Vegetable Ragout

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First crock pot meal of the fall!  I spotted this recipe in a crock pot roundup awhile back and decided this week was the perfect time to give it a try.  Winningly simple, as a crock pot recipe needs to be to make it into my book, this was as easy as chopping up some veggies, throwing boneless skinless chicken thighs into the ceramic bowl, adding some spices, and leaving it to do its work.

First, some baby red potatoes.


These got thrown in the post with some sliced carrots and a tub of homemade chicken broth.


And almost two pounds of boneless skinless chicken.

What else goes in here?  Just half a cup of white wine, 4 cloves of pressed garlic, and a teaspoon of salt.


Our slow cooker is reeeeeally slow, so this actually cooked on our kitchen counter for a good seven hours on Wednesday while we were both at work, and was done just in time for me to come home to find Jesse putting the finishing touches on his Halloween costume (he was a shadow) and to pull off these final steps:

* Adding 1 can of artichoke hearts to the stew and giving it a stir

* Removing most of the chicken and veggies from the broth and thickening this broth up with a mixture of these ingredients, whisked together separately:

  • 1 egg and 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • dill
  • fresh ground pepper

* Letting this sauce thicken up for a few minutes in the bowl of the crock pot, and then pouring it over the chicken and veggies as a  rich lemony dressing.


I opted out of the Halloween festivities for a much-needed night at home in my pajamas, passing out candy to trick-or-treaters for the first time in my new house (and the first time in 5 years that I haven’t lived in a hidden basement apartment!), and catching up on a host of near-finished knitting projects that have been clamoring for attention.



This Week’s Groceries

Fred Meyer 10/31
  • Carrots: $0.97
  • Parsley: $0.99
  • Chicken thighs: $6.63
  • Ground pork: $1.97
  • Cottage cheese: $2.49
  • Yogurt: $2.55
  • Artichoke hearts: $2.75
  • Ricotta cheese: $2.69
  • Yellow onions: $1.29
  • Dave’s Killer Bread: $4.99 — As someone who baked her own bread for 3+ years, trust me, this does feel ridiculous.
  • Box of satsumas: $4.48
  • Pie crusts: $3.57
  • Large eggs: $4.19
  • Whole grain mustard: $2.29
  • 1% milk: $2.99
TOTAL: $45.93
REMAINING FOR THE MONTH: $64.86