Turkey Stock...

Don't throw away the turkey carcass!!! One of the best things in the world is home-made turkey stock...

1 large turkey carcass
2 large onions, rough-chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and rough-chopped
3 large stalks celery, rough-chopped
3 bay leaves
15 cracked peppercorns
6 cloves garlic, cracked
6 fresh parsley fronds and stems
1 4" length of fresh rosemary

Take a LARGE stock-pot or, if you have one, the jam cooker.

Place all ingredients into pot

Fill just to top off ingredients with COLD water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer

Let simmer at least 8 hours.

Cool and strain into containers.

Use now, or freeze for use later. GREAT for cooking rice, potatoes, veggies, bases for soups, stews and gravies... practically ANYTHING

***Tip: Did you know that freezing stock into ice cubes can make measuring easy? 4-6 ice cubes equals 1 cup! Just freeze the stock into trays, then dump into ziplock bags for easy measuring.

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 lbs yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 head garlic, roasted
1 tsp garlic powder
1 stick butter
2/3 c milk
salt
pepper

To roast garlic:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Place topped head of garlic into a large square of tin foil.

Add 2 Tbsp olive oil, sprinkling of pepper sprinkling of salt.

Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hr, or until garlic is tender and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and unwrap completely.

To cook potatoes:
In a 12 qt stock pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil.

Gently place all potatoes into pot and turn heat down to medium-high.

Let cook about 14 minutes, or until yellow potatoes are very tender.

Drain, and place potatoes back into the pot.

Place on extremely low heat (or if an electric stove, turn off heat just prior to draining and don't turn back on).

Stir lightly while potatoes steam dry for a few minutes.

Add butter, garlic, and milk.

Mash completely together, adding pepper and salt for taste.

A meme...

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari (even though I'm allergic, I've had it)
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin It’s a texture thing…
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Apparently, there's not much that I won't try... LOL. I guess going to culinary school helped a lot with that, if only because I got the chance to try a lot of things that aren't in the mainstream, and/or that aren't considered "tasty"... I tried them anyway - where else would I have had the opportunity otherwise? I've even eaten chicken feet (phoenix claws)... They were darned tasty.

~M

Tasty Thai Fried Chicken

12 chicken legs, thawed, skin on

marinade:
1/2 c honey mustard
1/2 c sweet chili sauce
2 eggs, beaten

4 c panko bread crumbs (for breading)

vegetable oil for frying

Kosher salt for seasoning

1. Place legs into large ziplock baggie
2. Cover with marinade
3. Let rest in fridge for at least 4 hrs
4. Heat oil to 350 degrees F.
5. Heat oven to 324 degrees F.
6. Remove legs from the baggie and dredge completely in panko
7. Gently place into fully heated oil until golden brown, turning half-way through if necessary
8. Place on cooling rack set above a jelly roll pan
9. Repeat all steps until chicken is all fried
10. Place chicken into oven
11. Cover with aluminum foil
12. Bake for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Hungarian Goulash with Pearl Barley

This is a great way to use up your zucchini… It's great the first day, and even better the second. I happen to like it served with Italian cheese blend on top.

Serves about 12-14 people

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 pkgs quartered mushrooms
2 cans (6 oz ea) tomato paste
2 cans (12 oz ea) diced tomatoes
4 cups water
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 lb beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ lb ground turkey, browned
½ lb ground pork, browned
2 cups uncooked pearl barley
3 cups chopped zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a large, thick-bottomed stockpot.

Sauté onions until glassy, then add garlic and mushrooms.

Cook until mushrooms are tender

Add tomato paste, let sauté, and stir completely into mix.

Add canned tomatoes and seasonings.

Add the water and meat.

Stir to combine, and add the pearl barley.

Stir again, and cover for about 15 minutes on low.

Add zucchini, stir, and cover for another 5-7 minutes.

Serve.

Zucchini Bread

Heaven knows, I'm a cook... I don't bake. In fact, practically everything I stick in the oven normally either under- or over-cooks, and usually in about half the time that the recipe calls for.

Imagine my surprise and delight to be zucchini-ditched AND find a recipe on All Recipes.Com that worked for me!! So, without further adieu, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

3 Eggs
1 c vegetable oil
2 c sugar
2 c grated zucchini
3 c all purpose flour
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 325.

Grease and flour two 8x4 pans

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Add oil and sugar, then add zucchini and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients thoroughly, then fold gently into the wet mix until just barely combined.

Divide mix between the two pans.

Bake 60-70 mins or until done.

Mediterranean pasta salad

3 cups orzo pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts (with marinade)
1 cup kalamata olives
3 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 oz feta cheese
2 Tbsp lemon zest
salt
pepper

Mix all ingredients together and let sit covered in fridge about 4 hrs. Serve chilled.