Foodie365

The first time I ever roasted a turkey dinner for my boyfriend (years ago) I forgot to add liquid to the dressing before stuffing the turkey. Much to my dismay when the turkey was done cooking the stuffing was inedible. Thankfully my boyfriend didn’t howl with laughter and I can laugh about it now. (It’s at times like those that I can’t believe I’m related to my mother who is a terrific cook. Here’s her turkey stuffing recipe.)

Let’s face it, sometimes there’s just not enough dressing (a.k.a. turkey stuffing) left over from the holiday cooking. That happened at my house this Thanksgiving so I thought I’d try to use already seasoned prepackaged bread cubes to see if I could whip up quick but tasty stuffing. It’s taken me three times experimenting with packages bread cubes but I finally have a recipe I’ll definitely make again. Warning: I use butter and lots of it in this recipe. Butter makes it better!

Easy Peasy Turkey Stuffing

1 large onion (about 1 lb.), diced
4 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise then diced
1 cube butter (yep, the whole 1/4 pound of butter.)
1 t. black fresh ground pepper
1 1/2, 14.5 oz cans Swanson 100% Natural Chicken Broth (reserve the remaining broth until you make sure you don;t need more liquid)
1 14 oz. package Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing (bread cubes), I’ve used white & wheat and just white bread cubes
optional: 1 Granny Smith apple, diced into 1/2″ or smaller cubes

In a large pot melt butter on medium while dicing onion and celery. Add onions, celery and pepper (and apple if you’re including it) to pot and sauté until onions are clear (about 5 minutes). Stir frequently so the butter doesn’t burn. Add chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil. Turn heat off and add bread cubes. Mix stuffing thoroughly to distribute the vegetables/apple throughout the mix. If the dressing doesn’t look like it’s sticking together enough to form a ball of stuffing then there’s not enough liquid. (Yes, I’ve finally learned the secret to great stuffing is the liquid you add. The better the broth-the better the stuffing.)

If you’re in a hurry you can serve the stuffing right away. If you have a bit more time you can form the stuffing into serving size balls, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees (F) for a few minutes until golden brown… or, you can put the stuffing in a casserole baking dish and bake it until the top is golden brown. Cover stuffing with foil if you need to leave the stuffing in the oven to keep warm after the heat has been turned off.

Hope you enjoy!

A friend turned me on to this combo and I love it for a light meal. The key is to use really good (hearty) bread. I use Ezekial bread from Whole Foods Market. Would probably be good on an onion or “everything” bagel also.

2 slices hearty bread, toasted medium
4-6 T crumbled Feta cheese
4 slices tomato (or enough to cover 2 pieces of toast)
Pepper to taste

Sprinkle Feta cheese on toast, cover each slice with 2 slices of tomato (or one slice if you have a really big tomato). Grind pepper on top. Serve.

I love Mexican food. I always have. My mom says she craved tacos when she was pregnant with me so I like to think my taste-buds were trained before I was even born. Since I’m not crazy about rolling all the little enchiladas individually I decided to try to make a sort of enchilada casserole in the slow cooker and this is what I came up with. After I made it the first time it occurred to me that adding black beans would be pretty tasty also. If you want to make it without meat you probably could use crumbled veggie burgers.

Slow Cooker Layered Enchiladas

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef (or fried & crumbled veggie burgers)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4.5 oz can chopped green chiles (I use hot)
1 can corn, drained
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 (or 2) cans (10 oz) enchilada sauce (red is better)
10 corn tortillas (6 inch)
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (12 oz)
1 pkg taco seasoning
can of black beans, rinsed & drained (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro or green onions (for garnish) – optional

In a skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, 2/3 can sliced olives, and chiles (also black beans if you want to include them). Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom of slow cooker. Place 4 corn tortillas over sauce, overlapping and breaking in half as necessary to make an even layer. Top with 1/3 of beef mixture, spreading evenly. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layering twice (or twice if using less tortillas) using tortillas, beef mixture, enchilada sauce and cheese in each layer. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 3 hours. Turn off heat and let stand about 20 minutes before serving. (The longer it stands the easier to scoop out of the pot.) Sprinkle individual servings with remaining olive slices and green onions or cilantro if desired.

Note: depending on if you want it juicier you may need to add more than 1 can of enchilada sauce when you add the black beans.

Note: I think if you wanted to cook this in an oven you probably should cook it about 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Note: I tried using only 7 corn tortillas (what was already in the fridge) but found that you really need 10 because they help soak up the liquid.

Photo credits: Tammi Hitchcock (updated photo 7/17/11)

Great for salad, celery sticks, hot wings, and good crusty bread. Probably lasts a few days in the fridge but we’ve never had leftovers so I don’t know for sure.

Bleu Cheese Dressing

1/2 c Mayonnaise
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c bleu cheese crumbles
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t salt
few drops Tabasco Sauce

Blend together and serve.

Photo credits: froboy