Cream of Broccoli Soup

Recipe from A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur

The name of this soup may not sound appealing, but for some reason it was appealing enough for me to try it. Even looking at the ingredient list, I wasn't too optimistic, but I must say I LOVED this soup. My picky husband and 3-year old devoured it too! We will definitely be making it again.

4 c. chicken broth
3 c. broccoli, chopped (1 large bunch)
1/2 c. diced onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash ground pepper
1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. diced ham
1/2 c. heavy cream

Combine broth, broccoli, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in saucepan over high heat. Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, transfer half of mixture to a blender and blend until nearly a puree. Pour back into saucepan over medium low heat. Add flour and whisk until lumps are dissolved. Add diced ham and cream. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until soup reaches desired thickness.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entree.

Chicken Chowder Soup

Another recipe from Sarah Parks. So good!

3 c shredded chicken breast (I like to do broccoli instead of chicken)
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 c diced potato
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion
2 bouillon cubes
¾ c butter
¾ c flour
1 quart half & half
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Boil chicken with the 3 bouillon cubes (if using broccoli, add towards the end, cook long enough to make soft). Take cooked chicken out of water, shred, and set aside.

Boil the potatoes in chicken water until almost cooked, add celery and onion. Cook until tender. Drain the vegetables from water, saving the water (stock). Set vegetables and water aside separately.

In soup pot combine the 2 chicken bouillon cubes with the butter. Melt the butter and dissolve/smash the bouillon cubes. Add flour and cook for 3-5 minutes on a medium low heat and thicken it to a light brown paste.

Add half & half, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a light boil then add chicken and vegetables and thin to desired consistency with soup stock from above.

Superman Turkey

This is my absolute favorite turkey, hands down. It got the name "superman turkey" because of a cooking method I use to have a perfectly crispy skin but a moist bird, that involves making an aluminum foil "shield" for the turkey to wear. It will make you laugh, just warning you now. Your turkey will look like a little knight or a superhero of some sort. And let's face it, it's way more fun to eat a cute turkey in a costume than it is to eat some plain, boring poultry with no sense of humor.

Moving on.....

First step: you want to brine your turkey. The high amount of salt will allow your turkey to absorb the liquid and flavor, making a juicy flavorful bird.
Brine:
1 c salt
1/2 c brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1T whole black peppercorns
1/2 T allspice berries
1/2 T candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

Combine all brine ingredients except ice water in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until completely chilled. Early on the day of cooking (or late the night before), combine the brine and the ice water in a clean (do I really need to say that?) 5 gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey breast side down in the brine. Cover and set in a cool area for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, halfway through brining.

As I've stated before, I don't stuff my turkey, I use aromatics. Here's my favorite blend:
1 red apple, sliced into wedges
1/2 onion, sliced into wedges
1 cinnamon stick
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
1c water

Okay, on to cooking:
A few minutes before roasting, heat your oven to 500 (yes, 500) degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and water in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. Remove turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a wide low pan, and pat dry with paper towels. Add the steeped aromatics to the cavity, along with rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings back (pull them up and out, then tuck the tips behind the shoulders like he's just lounging. He'll look super cute and relaxed). Coat liberally with canola or other neutral oil (NOT olive oil, as it has a lower temperature tolerance. It will smoke you out of your house. I recommend canola or peanut oil).

Roast your turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover the breast with a double layer of aluminum foil (get a large square and fold it in half into a triangle. Place it on the breast, point down, flat side on the top toward neck. Pinch a section of it to make a handle to make it easier to remove). Insert a probe into the thickest part of the breast and return it to the oven, reducing oven temp to 350. Set the thermometer alarm to 161 (yes, 161) degrees. A 12 pound bird should require 2 - 2 1/2 hours. (15 - 20 min. per pound). Let the turkey rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes before carving.

*If you want to skip the brine (some people do), I recommend mixing some softened butter and some sage leaves and slipping it between the skin and the meat of the turkey, all over the bird. That way you'll at least get some flavor in there.

Chicken Pot Pie

It's all about comfort food right now, right? :) One thing I've learned through the years of cooking on my own (and from working at Viking!) is that you should always read through a recipe fully and prep before getting started on the "cooking" part, and that goes for this recipe. It really is easy, but you just need to realize that the chicken, potatoes and veggies need to be cooked first.

So, without further ado...

Sauté:
½ cup chopped onion
6 TBSP. margarine

Add and stir until thickened:
½ cup flour
1 tsp. each, or to taste: salt, garlic powder
½ tsp. Pepper
3 cups chicken broth

Add and put in 13x9 pan:
3 cups cubed chicken
3 medium potatoes, cooked and diced
10 oz. pkg. Peas & Carrots, cooked and drained

Make Bisquick biscuits (roll and cut)-or buy the tube of biscuits, place on top of mixture. Bake at 375* until bubbly and biscuits are done.