tHe BiRd

I had planned on brining my turkey using this recipe from the food network, But when I read Trader Joe's flyer I learned their fresh, never frozen turkeys come brined! Yeah! one less step. So now I will stuff it with aromatics from this recipe also found on the food network (Thanks Kim!). And, Yes, I don't shove my bird full of stuffing. I believe it doesn't cook evenly therefore not safe to eat...

I'm so excited to cook tHe BiRd!

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

courtesy of  "The Essential Mormon Cookbook" by Julie Badger Jensen

3/4 cup butter

2 1/2 cups thin pretzel sticks

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese

1 (8-oz) tub Cool Whip

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 large package raspberry flavored gelatin

2 (10-oz) packages frozen raspberries or strawberries, undrained slightly thawed

1 (151/4-oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained

Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Break pretzels in half and pat evenly into the pan. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and cool.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, Cool Whip, and sugar. Dab on top of pretzels and spread to edges of pan. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Bring water to a boil. Completely dissolve gelatin in boiling water and cool in refrigerator until syrupy. Add slightly thawed raspberries and crushed pineapple and stir. Pour carefully over top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate overnight or several hours until firm. Makes 12 servings.

Chicken Stew with Biscuits

courtesy of Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten

This is the perfect soup for a cold winter night. I think of this as a quick version of a chicken pot pie. Use biscuits instead of going to all the work of making pie crust. They are the perfect combination with the soup.

FOR THE STEW 

3 whole chicken breasts, cooked

3 Tbsp olive oil 

Kosher salt and pepper

5 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 stick unsalted butter  

2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)  

3/4 cup flour

2 cups diced carrots (4 carrots), 

blanch for 2 min 

1 pkg frozen peas (2 cups) 

1 1/2 cup small whole onions

1/2 cup fresh parsley

FOR THE BISCUITS 

2 cups flour 

1 stick unsalted butter, diced 

1 Tbsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp sugar 

1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash 

Preheat oven 375. 

Place chicken breasts (skin on, bone in) on a sheet pan and rub 

them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast 

for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool 

enough to handle, then remove the meat form the bones and dis- 

card the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. Yield 4-6 cups of 

cubed chicken. 

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock dissolving the bullion. 

In a large pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium- 

low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook 

over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken 

stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute., stir- 

ring, until thick. Add 2 tsp salt, 

Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix 

well. Place the stew in a 10x13 rectangular baking dish. Place the 

baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 

minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, 

salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle 

attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is 

the size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. 

Mix in the parsley. 

Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, 

roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 

round cutter. 

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of 

the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the 

oven. Bake for another 20-30 min, until the biscuits are brown and 

the stew is bubbly.

Chicken Noodle Soup

 I learned this wonderful recipe from my Mother. She grew up on a cattle ranch in a tiny farming town in Idaho. Near the Grand Tetons! The amazing thing about her way of making this soup is the broth. You don't have to add any chicken bullion or other flavoring. Amazing! Home made noodles are a must! A couple of things I added to the recipe are roasting the chicken with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper prior to adding it to the soup and adding fresh parsley at the very end. Yummy. Those tips I learned from Ina Garten.

Home Made Noodles 

2 eggs 

1 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup half and half

Flour 

Mix eggs, salt, pepper and half and half. Add flour 1 cup at a time continue mixing. (I do this by hand not w/beaters or not in a mixer) Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll dough out to less than 1/4-inch thick in a rectangle shape. Rub flour on both sides. Cut dough in thin strips making long and skinny noodles. Tip: I rub flour on both sides of the dough after I have it rolled out in a 

skinny noodles. (I roll my dough up like if you were making cinnamon rolls and then cut) Let noodles dry for 15-20 min. Add to soup at a rapid boil to 

avoid dough clumping up. 

Chicken Noodle Soup 

1 whole chicken (see below)

2 + quarts chicken stock (see below to make your own)   

2 cup celery, diced 

2 cups carrots, diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley

For moist, well seasoned chicken. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Throw insides away. Place on cookie sheet lined with foil. Rub each side of chicken with butter or olive oil inside and out. Generously sprinkle with kosher salt & pepper inside & out. (must use Kosher salt!) Roast 35-40 min on 400 until cooked through. Pull chicken off and dice. Place chicken carcass in crock pot and cover with water. Cook on low for at least 4 hrs. Poor stock/liquid into a pot by using a strainer to catch the chicken bones. Continue with directions below to make soup. Pull more chicken off bones and add to soup. Throw away carcass and any bones.

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot and add the celery, carrots. Bring to a rapid boil and add noodles. Simmer for about 10 minutes until noodles are cooked through. Add the chicken and parsley. And serve.