Category: iron skillet cooking

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Easy Homemade biscuits

Homemade Biscuits
Homemade biscuits
Homemade biscuits
Homemade biscuits

This morning I woke up early. I decided I wanted to make breakfast for the two kiddos I still have at home. (How did this ever happen that I only have two kids at home?) When I had a house full of kids my biscuit making always started with 8 cups of flour!

We are packing to move and to go on a month long mission trip.  I have been trying to use our perishables before we go. Today I took a little extra time and carefully worked the butter into the flour mixture and it was well worth the effort. On busier days I confess I take the lazy way out and do a quick drop biscuit. These turned out so well that I think this will be my regular biscuit recipe for awhile for the small batch and they were really easy to make actually.

2 Cups of all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons of chilled butter

3/4 cup of milk

 

Preheat your oven 425°. Combine the dry ingredients and then cut the butter into small pieces and then work it into the flour until the butter pieces are pea size or smaller. I do this with my hands, you can use a pastry blender or two forks if you wish. After this is done quickly add the milk without over stirring and then knead for a few minutes until smooth (not too much). Then pat out the dough and cut out with a biscuit cutter. Mine is already packed so I used this small square Rubbermade container which is probably used for salad dressing. I placed each cut biscuit into my iron skillet. Placed the skillet in the hot oven for about 12 minutes or until done. These were very good with boysenberry jam.
While the biscuits were cooking I scrambled a few eggs. Just a simple breakfast but still really good. Even with only two kids at home I turned around and the skillet was empty.
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What Do You Do With Leftover Turkey?

What to do with leftover turkey.
What to do with leftover turkey. Turkey butternut squash soup!

What do you do with leftover turkey? Do you need some ideas?  In my area, a turkey was .59 cents a pound leading up to Thanksgiving. So why do I mention that? Because my family will be eating a lot of turkeys even after Thanksgiving Day. I thought it might be interesting and helpful to share what I have made with leftover turkey and maybe just maybe if I am lucky a few of you will share what you make. With 8 turkeys in the freezer, I might need some help!

Turkey Tacos/ Nachos ( no recipe) I just shredded turkey and seasoned it with taco seasoning. We had a nacho bar for dinner.

No-name Mexican casserole in my large iron skillet. I chopped leftover turkey, added some homemade salsa, black beans, kidney beans, white hominy, and topped it with cheese. I baked it in the oven until it was hot and bubbly. It made a quick and easy meal.

Turkey Stir-fry. I chopped onions, peppers, garlic, carrots, broccoli, and turkey for a stir-fry meal. I used a bit of hoisin sauce and soy sauce to flavor it. One of my kids cooked rice to go with it using bone broth instead of water! Yummy!

White Turkey and Sausage Chili.  I used a Publix recipe for this. You can find it at http://www.publix.com/aprons-recipes/white-turkey-and-sausage-chili

Turkey Wild Rice Soup I started making this soup several years ago. The recipe is from http://www.kitchenparade.com/2010/03/chicken-turkey-wild-rice-soup-recipe.php 

Turkey Broccoli Casserole. This is very similar to the freezer meal that most of my friends and  I have made for years called Chicken Broccoli Casserole. You may top the mixture with cheese and serve over rice or top it with a boxed stove top stuffing mix and bake until hot and bubbly. If you really need a recipe for this I will be happy to share it.

My creative husband also made Turkey Cakes similar to Salmon Patties.

Homemade Bone Broth is easy to make and has many health benefits. We make ours in the crock-pot by covering the turkey (or chicken) bones with water, we add some celery leaves or a stalk or two, some onion, carrot, and a Tablespoon or two of vinegar. We cook it on low for almost 24 hours. Take out the bones and strain it with cheesecloth or a fine mesh colander. Put it in jars and refrigerate.

Let me know what you make with leftover turkey!

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Asian Turkey Bowl

Asian Turkey Bowl

In 1981 my husband and I went on a mission trip to Singapore and Malaysia, with a group of students and faculty from Freed-Hardeman College. It was an amazing trip! I developed a great love for the Asian and the many Indian people we met as well as their food. I have cooked a lot through the years but I haven’t cooked a lot of Asian dishes. Lately, I have really been trying to develop my skills with Asian-influenced recipes. With the exception of stir fry and sweet and sour I have only enjoyed this type of food on date night with my husband! I do not have a wok either (YET) so I used my iron skillet for this one and it worked pretty well.

Ingredients:

1-2 teaspoons of dehydrated ginger (or fresh to taste)

1-2 Tablespoons of sesame oil

1 cup chopped green onions

1 ¼ lbs. ground turkey

4 Tablespoons chili sauce with garlic

4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 steam in bag frozen broccoli or fresh

1 cup of grains ( I used Organic Sprouted Blend of brown rice, quinoa, millet by Nature’s Earthly Choice) cooked as directed

Instructions:

Put the broccoli in the microwave to steam. Add the sesame oil to your skillet. Saute your onions 1 minute and add your turkey and cook until it is no longer pink. Add your ginger, hoisin sauce, chili sauce with garlic and cook a bit until the sauce thickens and then stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, broccoli and grains and serve. You may serve the turkey mixture on top of the grains if you prefer. I like mine mixed. Serve in bowls with more soy sauce! This is a quick and easy meal.

CREDIT: This recipe is my tweaked version of Publix recipe, Asian Turkey and Green Bean Saute.

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Skillet Pizza Crusts

Skillet Pizza Crusts

In the early 1990’s I started making skillet pizza crusts. They became a favorite and a part of my “once a month cooking” recipes. This is a nice thing to do with a group or your family because you can talk and visit as you work together to chop the veggies or just make your own pizza. When I am ready to assemble I preheat the oven, chop some veggies, set out a jar of pizza or pasta sauce, and set out the pepperoni and cheese. You CAN make them all yourself if you wish but it is more fun to let each person make their own. Call the group in a few at a time to assemble their pizza just the way they like it.  If you have a large group you may want to use parchment paper on your baking sheet and write each person’s name on it so that their pizzas do not get mixed up. My baking sheets hold 4 on each one. I can usually bake on both racks. They each take 10-15 minutes to bake. I bake them until the cheese is melted.

Here is my recipe for Skillet Pizza Crusts. I usually get 10 individual crusts from each recipe.

3 packages or Tablespoons of yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

3/4 cup of water (105°-115°)

3 cups all-purpose flour ( I like to use a mixture of wheat and white)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of additional water

2 Tablespoons oil

cooking spray

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine the yeast mixture, flour, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn your dough to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and knead lightly. Divide your dough into small pieces. I usually just pinch off a small blob of dough (my grandma used to “pinch” biscuits as she called it). I roll these out one at a time and use a small saucer as a pattern to cut around. This will make the crusts a bit more uniform. They will still change shape a bit but no problem they taste great. I cook them on the stove in my iron skillet medium heat, 1-2 minutes on each side. When they slightly start to brown I flip them and cook the other side.  Cool on wire racks and then either freeze them or use them.

To assemble pizzas:

Preheat oven 350 °. Put the crusts on a baking sheet. Spread each crust with sauce. Put on toppings and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, usually 10-15 minutes.

Some of our favorite toppings:

Artichokes – canned, chopped

Green onions chopped

Mushrooms fresh or canned

Spinach fresh is best

Bell peppers – we especially like the colored ones

Pepperoni

Mozzarella cheese

You may wish to make your pizza a Hawaiian, veggie, or sausage or whatever your favorite may be.

If you have leftover crusts freeze them. They are great to use for tostadas, or just with melted cheese. Either way, they are economical to make and a lot of fun and they disappear rather quickly!

Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Cooking!

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Eggroll in a Bowl

My daughter-in-law Rachel has an adventurous spirit. She is a fitness coach, scuba diver, and she and her husband are building their own floating house! She loves to cook and is always searching and finding great recipes to cook and share.  Rachel recently shared with me how she makes Eggroll in a Bowl. This is a fast, 30 minutes or less, easy, healthy, and delicious recipe! I love Asian food and decided to try my hand at this too!

Eggroll in a Bowl

2  – 1 lb. packages raw cabbage slaw mix

1/2 bunch of green onions thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger or dehydrated ginger

2 lbs. of turkey sausage

8 cloves of garlic minced

2 Tablespoons of soy sauce (wheat free)

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

Balsamic vinegar (if desired)

Parmesan (if desired)

Cook the turkey sausage. Drain the turkey. While it is cooking mince your garlic and ginger and slice your onions. Heat your sesame oil in your skillet and cook your garlic, ginger, and onions 1-2 minutes add your cabbage and cook until it is wilted. Add your turkey to the rest and season with your soy sauce and a little balsamic vinegar if desired. Enjoy! This is how I make mine. Rachel tops hers with parmesan. This is making a regular appearance on my menu!

Let me know what you think!

Happy Cooking!

If you would like to know more about my sweet daughter-in-law Rachel Redding and her fitness coaching then check out www.purefitnessredd.homesteadcloud.com

“I believe in being healthy mentally, spiritually, and physically because when you focus on total body wellness you become the best and strongest YOU that you can be!” Rachel

 

 

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Gluten-free Cornbread

This cornbread is soft and tasty!

Gluten-free Cornbread

1 cup of corn meal

1 cup of Pamela’s gluten-free biscuit and scone mix ( I have also used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free baking mix)

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1 ¼ cups of milk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix the dry ingredients together first and then top it with the eggs, milk, and oil and stir it together until blended. Don’t overmix. Pour into a hot oiled iron skillet or an oiled 8-inch square baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until done. Makes about 9 large servings.

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My Chicken Curry Recipe

I used to make Chicken Curry in huge batches and freeze them. Lately, I haven’t been making it very much. When I did my menu plan this month I included this recipe. I no longer need the big batches. Yes, it is sad and happy. I miss having all my kids around the table. I am happy for them that they have their own adventures, though. Today my table only included 4 of us. We enjoyed a time of sharing what we are each working on and talking about complex math problems.

So here is my take on Chicken Curry! A big batch of 8-10 servings. Some to freeze for later or some to have for tomorrow’s lunch.

Chicken Curry

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green peppers

6 cups cooked chicken, chopped

2 Tablespoons of curry powder

salt to taste (1-1/2 teaspoons – 1 Tablespoon at my house)

1 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups  tomato sauce

4 cloves (not bulbs!) of garlic crushed or chopped finely

6-8 cups of cooked rice

Cook onion and green pepper in the oil until tender. Add the chicken. Sauté briefly. In a small bowl mix the salt and curry powder. Add tomato sauce and pour mixture over the chicken mixture. Mix. Heat a bit until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice.

Chicken Curry
Curry Chicken Skillet
Chicken Curry
Chicken Curry

Let me know what you think of this recipe. Please share your favorite curry recipe below or send me an email. I love to hear from you and I love to try new recipes.