Turkey a la King

Turkey a la King
over Toasted Oatmeal Bread
(File Photo)

What's for dinner???  Oh, it's become a tradition!  Every year over the Thanksgiving Weekend I make Turkey a la King for dinner using the remaining pieces of roasted Turkey.  Forget making a pie crust & preparing a deep dish or a Turkey pot pie.  A lot of cooking has been going on & this is a quick, nutritious, colorful & yummy dinner.  A creamy sauce that's filled with tender chunks of roasted Turkey & cooked veggies served over toasted bread.  Easy is good & in this case, easy also tastes delicious!

And, an added plus is that I usually have enough roasted Turkey remaining to make a triple batch.  You know what that means!  After the a la King cools, the extra servings are packed into Ziploc Freezer containers & placed in the freezer. 

Oh, this dinner freezes very well.  I usually place a container in the fridge the night before serving again.  It will defrost & only need reheating.  When reheating, add a little more Milk.  The sauce will be smooth & creamy when stirred and served over toasted bread!  

The recipe below is for 1 batch.

Turkey a la King
      Serves 2 - 3 Adults

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Margarine/ Butter (I use unsalted.)
1/3 Cup Flour
1 Cup Chicken/ Turkey Broth
     (I use College Inn Light & Fat Free Chicken Broth.)
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Turkey chunks (cooked), cut up, more if desired
2 Cups cooked Carrots & Peas (or Mixed Vegetables)

*******
 Sliced Bread, Toasted- 1 or 2 slices/ person

Method:

1.  Melt Margarine/ Butter in large skillet/ large pot.
2.  Remove skillet from Medium heat and slowly stir in Flour.  
3.  Return to heat and slowly add in Chicken Broth & Milk while slowly stirring constantly.
4.  Continue stirring over heat until sauce is thick and bubbly. 
5.  Add cooked Turkey chunks.
6.  Add in cooked vegetables.
7.  Stir and heat mixture for 1 - 2 Minutes.
8.  Serve over toasted Bread.

What a great reminder of Thanksgiving whenever we enjoy portions that are just waiting in our freezer!  This has also become a comfort food on a cold night!  There's been a chill in the air today.  Winter will soon be here.    

Enjoy!
Yummy!

         

~The Mayflower's Journey~

 

I wish you all

a Happy Thanksgiving Day 

& Weekend!!!

As you are enjoying this weekend, history & the voyage of the Mayflower may be of interest.  Here is a Post I wrote in November of 2012.

"The Journey of the Pilgrims"   

Happy Reading! 

Enjoy!

Apple Crisp with Craisins & Raisins

Apple Crisp
with Craisins & Raisins
(File Photo)

There's a dessert change going on here for Thanksgiving Day dinner!  A treat with Apples & dried Cranberries are perfect for this time of year.  The Cortland Apples have been purchased!  Usually my rolling pin & pastry sheet are used the day before Thanksgiving.  Well, I've been cutting back on baking desserts for the past few months, so this year Apple Crisp with Craisins & Raisins will be baked today.  The yummy crustless dessert with slices of sweet apples along with Craisins & Raisins.  It also has a toasted oat topping that begs for a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Oh, yum!

My fave apple to use here is a crispy Cortland.  In the early part of Autumn, I use McIntosh Apples.  Once the Cortlands are harvested, I use this type until they are no longer available.  Then during the winter months, Empire Apples makes great tasting Apple Crisp!

Today is baking day!  The recipe below I've posted before.  It's been a family fave for so many years.  This dessert tastes so much better when it is baked one day & served the next.  It seasons very well with the toasted oat topping.    

Apple Crisp with Craisins & Raisins

Oven Temperature: 375°F
Time: 45 - 50 Minutes    

Ingredients:
6 - 7 peeled sliced large apples (I have Cortland.)
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/3 Cup + 1 Tablespoon softened Butter or Margarine
1/4 Cup Craisins
1/4 Cup Raisins

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F.
2.  Spray PAM in 8" x 8" (or 9"x 9") glass baking pan/ dish.
3.  Rinse apples under cold running water & dry.
4.  Peel & slice apples.
5.  Place peeled/ sliced apples in pan/ dish. 
6.  Add Craisins & Raisins and mix in.
7.  Thoroughly mix remaining ingredients together in small bowl.
8.  Sprinkle over apples. 
9.  Bake 45- 50 Minutes or until apples are tender.
10.  Serve warm or chilled with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. 
11.   When cool, cover & refrigerate any leftovers.

Will you also be baking an Apple Crisp?

Enjoy!
Yummy!

        

~Butternut Squash Pancakes~

Butternut Squash Pancakes
Just need Maple Syrup!

1 Cup Butternut Squash?  - Yes
Olive Oil for baking & sauteing?  - Yes
4 Eggs- (I use only the Egg Whites)?  - Yes
2 and 1/2 Cups Soy Milk?  - Yes

After that quick check of the needed ingredients, I was ready to make Butternut Squash Pancakes for breakfast last Saturday morning.  Two mixing bowls & my handy whisk were placed on the counter.  It was pancake time!

The night before I had saved 1 Cup of the mashed veggie when we enjoyed it at dinner.  I had dreams of pancakes that are packed with flavor & are also so light.  Pancakes that are made using a vegetable!  I am just totally hooked on the flavor of Butternut Squash.  Are you, too?  If you are, make these next weekend!     

Butternut Squash Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour- I use King Arthur Bread Flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Ginger
3/4 teaspoon Salt

4 Egg Whites- beaten
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil for baking & sauteing
1 Cup cooked/ mashed/ cooled Butternut Squash
2 and 1/2 Cups Soy Milk


Method:

1. Place all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Stir until well combined.
2. Separate Egg Whites from Yolks & place Egg Whites in another bowl.  
3. Whisk Egg Whites until frothy- 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add Olive Oil to foamy Egg Whites & whisk until combined.
5. Add Butternut Squash to Egg Whites/ Olive Oil.  Combine.
6. Now, add in Soy Milk & combine.
7. Add this liquid mixture to dry mixture.  Fold into dry ingredients until combined.
8. Heat griddle.
9. For each pancake place about 1/4 Cup batter on griddle.  
10. After pancake gets a little brown, flip over to cook other side.
11. Serve with maple Syrup!

Butter or Margarine is not needed for these light yummy pancakes, because the Olive Oil for sauteing & baking gives the pancake a great taste.

Butternut Squash Pancakes are a great breakfast in the autumn.  Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Ginger are tasted with every bite.  They also freeze very well, so your family can enjoy a hearty delicious breakfast on a weekday morning.

If you find 1 Cup of Butternut Squash remaining in the vegetable dish after enjoying your Thanksgiving Dinner, save it!  Surprise your family with these pancakes on Thanksgiving Weekend!  They are so good!    

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

Veterans Day!

"The Homecoming G.I."
Norman Rockwell
THE SATURDAY  EVENING POST Cover
(May 25, 1945)

Thank you to all Veterans who have served and protected our country!

Butternut Squash Bread

Butternut Squash Bread
flavored with Cinnamon & Nutmeg

Every Fall a bushel of Butternut Squash is purchased from Meadowbrook Farm in East Longmeadow.  Sometimes a Mum or two is also purchased.  That depends on if our perennial Mums in our garden have sprouted again this year.  Usually they do.  However, this past year had been different.  A warm day in early Spring followed by cold weather stunned the Hydrangea.  The cold snap also had effects on the Forsythia Bushes in my area.  They never flowered.  This year only one Mum in the back perennial garden sprouted & it was time for a little autumn color!  During our visit to Meadowbrook Farm a few weeks ago Butternut Squash & Mums were purchased.

Meadowbrook Farm

Preparing & freezing this mashed orange vegetable is a tradition with me.  We freeze our supply to enjoy all winter.  This habit began with my family.  (Click here for Freezing Butternut Squash Instructions.)  Our garden had a great spot to grow these vegetables that grow on vines.  Canning & freezing veggies was all part of summer back then.  Now, I purchase them at the bountiful area roadside stands. 

The last 3 Butternuts in the bushel were prepped 2 days ago.  1 Cup was saved out & stored in the fridge for a special bread- Butternut Squash Bread.  I was reminded of it whenever I opened the fridge door.  Yesterday was the day to bake the bread!  It's delicious!  Cinnamon & a bit of Nutmeg give it a great flavor.  Egg Whites are used rather than Whole Eggs.  Quite often I bake 2 breads & place one in the freezer after cooling.  At Thanksgiving, we enjoy Butternut Squash Bread rather than Pumpkin Bread!

Butternut Squash Bread

Oven:  350°F         Time:  55 Minutes 

Ingredients: 
1 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1  Cup Sugar

4 Egg Whites (= total of 2 Whole Eggs)
3/4 Cup Olive Oil for sauteing & baking
1 Cup Butternut Squash, cooked/ mashed/ cooled- defrosted if frozen
PAM

Method: 

1.  Spray 1 large bread pan with PAM. 
2.  Preheat oven to 350°F.
3.  Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl.
4.  In smaller bowl, beat Egg Whites until frothy.
5.  Mix in Olive Oil.
6.  Add mashed Butternut Squash to Egg Whites/Olive Oil & stir.
7.  Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and stir until combined.
8.  Pour batter into bread pan.
9.  Bake at 350°F for 55 Minutes or until toothpick/ cake tester comes out clean when inserted    in middle of loaf.
10.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 Minutes.
11.  Then remove from pan & continue cooling.
12.   Later, place on plate & cut into slices.

If you can wait until the next day before sampling this yummy Butternut Squash Bread, the flavors combine even more.  However, we never can wait, so we always enjoy the first slice later in that day.

Have you baked a Butternut Squash Bread?

Enjoy!
Yummy!