Turkey Redux #Recipe Turkey a la King @PegCochran

Do you still have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas lurking in your freezer?  Raise your hand.  Ah, yes, I see quite a few of you do.  I still have the carcass and some meat to make turkey soup.  But there was enough left for another meal so I settled on this recipe for Turkey a la King from the NY Times.

Measurements in the recipe are theirs--I was a little loosey goosey with mine.  My chunk of white meat turkey yielded 2 cups not 1 1/2 cups turkey so I wasn't about to try to find another use for the 1/2 cup of meat.  Ditto the mushrooms.  We enjoyed this very much over noodles but you can put it over rice, biscuits or whatever suits your fancy.

And as a bonus, it's quick and easy to make!

6 TBL butter
2 TBL flour
1 3/4 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
2 TBL sherry
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish if you have some

 

Cubed cooked turkey

Sliced mushrooms

Melt four TBL butter over medium heat.  When it begins to foam, add flour and whisk until the mixture turns approximately the color of straw.  Slowly add a cup of stock and continue whisking (I found that a little more than cup made the sauce the perfect consistency so I didn't add the rest.)

 

Melt butter

Add flour

Cook until the color of straw

Keep the sauce warm.  Instructions have you add the cream later, I added it now and it was perfect.

Heat remaining 2 TBL butter.  Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft and have yielded their juice.  Add the turkey, warm sauce, cream (if you didn't add it to the sauce) and peas.  Stir occasionally until mixture is hot and peas are cooked.

 

Add mushrooms and cook until soft

Add turkey, sauce and peas

Stir in the sherry, adjust seasonings and serve sprinkled with parsley if desired.

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The USA Today bestselling author of Unholy Matrimony is back with a new Lucille Mystery! This time Lucille must track down the killer of a diet guru who had a lot more to lose than just a few extra pounds.

With her best friend Flo’s wedding approaching, Lucille is desperate to trim down and joins Weigh to Lose, a weight-loss program led by a clipboard-wielding harridan who’s as unattractively thin as she is shrill. When the bossy woman turns up dead with her throat slashed and a tasty-looking cannoli stuffed in her mouth, Lucille figures she got her just desserts.

But when the local police come up empty-handed, Lucille sinks her teeth into the mystery and narrows the list of suspects to a husband with a wandering eye, a sexy young Swedish au pair, and a gambler deep in debt to the wrong people. Until one of the suspects becomes the victim of another gruesome murder.

Afraid she’s bitten off more than she can chew and worried that she might be next on the killer’s list, Lucille puts her own neck on the line with a wild plan to trap the culprit and tip the scales of justice.

“If you want a very funny murder mystery, then this book is for you. I’ve never laughed so hard while reading before.” —Goodreads, on Unholy Matrimony, Book 2 in the USA Today bestselling Lucille Mystery Series

COMING JULY 31!

NYC 1938.  Featuring Elizabeth "Biz" Adams, debutante turned crime photographer! 

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Quick and Light Italian Wedding Soup #Recipe @PegCochran

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling even more stuffed than our Thanksgiving turkey!  So much great food!  If you want to enjoy a few light meals before the Christmas feasting begins, here's a great recipe for a warm and comforting dinner!  Leftovers freeze well or make a great lunch the next day.

I've taken this recipe from the site Girlversusdough.com with a slight adaptation.

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan and more for topping soup
2 tsps. minced garlic
1 egg
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper or several grinds of fresh pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes with juices
1 bunch kale, leaves coarsely chopped (I substituted baby spinach)
2/3 cup ditalini or elbow macaroni (Optional -- this was my addition)

Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, egg, salt and pepper until mixed.  Shape into smallish one inch balls.

Heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened.  Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. 

Cook, without stirring, for five minutes or until meatballs float to the surface. Add kale (or spinach) and stir gently.  Add small pasta if using.  Cook five to six minutes until greens are tender, meatballs are cooked through and pasta is al dente.

Serve sprinkled with more Parmesan.

Buon Appetito!

Coming next week  -- 

the further adventures of Lucille and Flo!

The USA Today bestselling author of Unholy Matrimony is back with a new Lucille Mystery! This time Lucille must track down the killer of a diet guru who had a lot more to lose than just a few extra pounds.

With her best friend Flo’s wedding approaching, Lucille is desperate to trim down and joins Weigh to Lose, a weight-loss program led by a clipboard-wielding harridan who’s as unattractively thin as she is shrill. When the bossy woman turns up dead with her throat slashed and a tasty-looking cannoli stuffed in her mouth, Lucille figures she got her just desserts.

But when the local police come up empty-handed, Lucille sinks her teeth into the mystery and narrows the list of suspects to a husband with a wandering eye, a sexy young Swedish au pair, and a gambler deep in debt to the wrong people. Until one of the suspects becomes the victim of another gruesome murder.

Afraid she’s bitten off more than she can chew and worried that she might be next on the killer’s list, Lucille puts her own neck on the line with a wild plan to trap the culprit and tip the scales of justice.

“If you want a very funny murder mystery, then this book is for you. I’ve never laughed so hard while reading before.” —Goodreads, on Unholy Matrimony, Book 2 in the USA Today bestselling Lucille Mystery Series

 

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The county fair is the highlight of the year for the small town of Lovett, Michigan—especially for food-and-lifestyle blogger Shelby McDonald, who writes as the Farmer’s Daughter. She’s submitting jams and jellies she’s created from the produce she grows at Love Blossom Farm in hopes of harvesting a blue ribbon.

But the townspeople get more than just the excitement of hayrides, tractor pulls, and cotton candy when Shelby’s neighbor and volunteer fireman, Jake Taylor, extricates the body of Zeke Barnstable instead of a dummy during a demonstration of the Jaws of Life. The fact that Jake and Zeke were known to be at odds plants suspicion in the minds of the police. As evidence against Jake grows, Shelby knows she has to plow through the clues to weed out the true killer and save her friend.

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Bailey's Irish Cream Cake #Recipe by @PegCochran

I know--St. Patrick's Day is over.  But it's always a good day to enjoy a cake made with Bailey's Irish Cream!  I made this to take to a St. Patrick's Day themed party.  I wasn't going to post it but it was such a hit that I wouldn't want you to miss out!

And it's easy!  Always a bonus.  The original recipe called for Frangelico liqueur as well as Bailey's but good luck finding that in your local grocery store.  Plus I didn't want to invest the money in it so...I fiddled with the directions and it still came out great!  Although this will put quite a dent in your bottle of Bailey's!  The original recipe called for putting Bailey's in the glaze as well but I thought that was a bit "de trops" as the French would say.  With all that alcohol you wouldn't dare light a match around this cake!  No birthday candles, please!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1/8 cup water
4 large eggs

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Approximately 1/4 cup milk or water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the first 7 ingredients--cake mix through eggs--and beat until well mixed--approximately three minutes.

Pour into a greased (I used PAM) bundt pan or a tube pan (I still don't have a bundt pan).

Bake 40 to 50 minutes until the proverbial toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from pan and place on a wire rack or your cake plate.  Mix powdered sugar and milk or water to form a thick glaze (you may need to play around with the proportions) and spoon over the cooled cake.

Okay, I forgot to take a picture of the glazed cake but it was awesome! And the glaze got all over my pants as I carried the cake to the party on my lap in the car.  But no matter, I was a STAR!  Everyone loved it!

Eat and enjoy!

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Coming in May!

 

Coming in September!

Do you like food, family and a mystery?  You'll love Lucille in A Room with a Pew!

Baked Eggs #Recipe @PegCochran

A friend introduced me to the concept of baking eggs.  They make a wonderful breakfast or brunch dish or even supper when you've over indulged and want something light.  Best of all, they're very easy to make!

Ingredients:
Eggs (as many as you need)
Butter
Optional items: ham, cheese, Parmesan, prosciutto

Generously butter an oven safe ramekin or gratin dish

 Add chopped ham or prosciutto

 Top with eggs (a double yolk--it's supposed to be lucky!)

 Top with a generous grating of cheese of your choice--in this case Parmesan.  Top with slivers of butter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired doneness.

                                                    Lucille's fourth adventure--out now!

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"Fun, fast-paced, light-hearted cozy to relax and enjoy reading. It's always a treat to chuckle at Lucille and Flo and the scrapes those two ladies get into trying to solve a mystery."

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Orange Marmalade Salad Dressing #Recipe @Peg Cochran

Like many people, you have probably vowed to eat more leafy greens in the new year.  They're so good for you, right?  And salads are a great way of getting your daily dose.  But sometimes you get tired of the same old, same old.  This dressing is a delicious twist on the usual vinegar and oil.  Frankly, I'm a bit of a salad dressing snob having grown up with homemade vinaigrette, so I'm not a huge fan of bottled dressing.  Things can get a little dull after while, but this dressing really perks things up.

I like to add dried cherries or cranberries to the salad along with mandarin oranges or clementine sections, both of which pair nicely with this dressing.  If you don't have a nut allergy, a handful of chopped pecans would also taste good. 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 TBLS orange marmalade
2 TBLS balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
pepper to taste

Shake in a closed jar or whisk in a bowl until blended. Any leftover dressing can be saved for another day. 

Gather your ingredients

Measure your ingredients and put in a bowl or jar

Whisk ingredients until emulsified and well combined

I added sliced onions (red onions are especially good), dried cherries and clementines.

Bon Appetit!

 Lucille is BACK!  Out Now -- A Room with a Pew

One reviewer said: "I love this series. The characters to me are so real that I feel that I might know some of them...It's always a joy to visit with Lucille, her family and friends. This series gives 

you a laugh on practically every page."

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 Coming May 2016, #2 in my Cranberry Cove Series

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Now available as an audio book. #1 in my Cranberry Cove Series

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Clean Sweep Week at MLK! Pear Tart #Recipe @PegCochran

Ah, the New Year. Ah, the fridge and pantry, cluttered with leftovers, food gifts we don’t quite know how to use, and impulse buys that leave us scratching our heads, wondering what on earth we’d planned to do with them. It’s Clean Sweep week on the blog, as we share our attempts to use up a few of those odd bits and ingredients. We hope we inspire you to make good use of a few of the curious finds in your cabinets.  

We have a plethora of pears at our house all ripening faster than we can eat them.  This delicious bounty is thanks to lovely gifts from Harry & David this Christmas.  I needed to do something with the ones that were a hair past ripe and on their way to rotten.  I couldn't bear to see them go to waste.

I thought a pear tart might be the answer.  Unfortunately most recipes called for ground almonds and orange marmalade and I didn't have any almonds.  I'd already made two trips to the grocery store--the first time I realized, as I pulled into a parking place, that I'd forgotten my purse.  I know--what woman forgets her purse??!!  So it was back home again and then back to the store.  All this to say I was NOT going out again.

All the recipes that didn't require almonds called for apricot preserves, and I didn't have any apricot preserves.  So I took a few liberties and combined some recipes to make a tart without almonds but with orange marmalade.

Here are the results:

Pate Brisee (Short Crust Dough)
Recipe compliments of Lydie Marshall's Chez Nous

This is one of my favorite dough recipes--always so easy to work with.

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick)
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Cut butter into small pieces and put in freezer for five minutes.  Combine butter, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Process for ten seconds.  Add water (2 tablespoons if it's humid and three if it's dry weather) and process around 10 seconds until mixture looks like cornmeal.

Dump mixture out onto counter and with the heel of your hand, use a sliding motion to incorporate the butter and flour the rest of the way.  Form a disc and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for fifteen minutes.

Roll dough into a circle and place in tart pan.  Roll rolling pin over the top to cut off extra dough.

Fill tart shell with pears.  Mine were so overripe that it wasn't possible to make the pretty circles you see on tarts in fancy bakeries.

Heat 1/2 cup orange marmalade and brush over top of tart.

Ready for the oven.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place tart on lower rack and reduce heat to 400 degrees.  (Be sure to put a cookie sheet under your tart pan for easy removal from oven.)

 Breathe in delicious smells! Certainly better than letting the pears go to waste.

Warm tart would be delicious topped with ice cream or whipped cream but see my note about not going back to the store!

Lucille and Flo are back in the fourth Lucille Series book -- A Room with a Pew

A reviewer said:  "I love this series. The characters to me are so real that I feel that I might know some of them...In addition to their sleuthing to find Louis' killer, Lucille has to deal with her husband's diet to get his cholesterol under control. Also Lucille is trying the Mediterranean diet, and her thoughts about this are just too, too funny.  It's always a joy to visit with Lucille, her family and friends.  This series gives you a laugh on practically every page."

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Coming May 2016 - Berry the Hatchet

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Available now as an audio book - Berried Secrets

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