Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Turkey Bacon and Spinach

1 13.25 oz box elbow pasta
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic power
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup cheddar, diced or shredded
1/4 cup swiss, diced or shredded
1/4 cup havarti, diced or shredded
1/4 cup smoked gouda, diced or shredded
5 slices of Turkey bacon, diced.
1 cup frozen spinach, squeezed
cooking spray
1/4 shredded cheese.

Step 1

Preheat Oven 350. Boil Pasta in accordance with the package instructions. Drain and place it in a large bowl and cover. Beat the egg in a small bowl and reserve. Dry the pot used for the pasta, and place it over medium heat. Add the butter to the pot and melt. Once melted whisk or stir in the flour.  Continue whisking or stirring for 2 minutes. This is to cook out the rawness of the flour.  After two minutes, little by little, slowly whisk or stir in the half and half. Continue to whisk or stir constantly.  DO NOT allow the sauce to come to a boil. This sauce is commonly called a white sauce, but it's name is really a béchamel sauce.

Step 2

Stir in the next four ingredients. Once the seasonings are well combined, stir some of the sauce into the bowl with the egg a little at a time. The goal is to slowly raise the temperature of the egg so that it can be added to the sauce without scrabbling. This process is called tempering the eggs.  Add the egg sauce mixture to the large pot and combine well.




Step 3

Add the cheese to the sauce a cup at a time. Stir continuously until all the cheese is melted evenly.  Once the cheese is melted add the bacon, the spinach, and the pasta to the large pot and combine well. Apply cooking spray to a 11 x 13 pan. Pour the mixture into the pan.  Shake the pan to ensure even distribution and then sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes uncovered.

Quick Phở Gà (Chicken Pho)

4 quarts chicken broth or stock
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
2 star anise
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts  (2-3)
1 bunch scallions, green ends 1/4 inch slice
7 oz  of Pánh Phở (Phở rice noodles)
1 sliced Jalapeño or Serrano chili
1 cup bean sprouts

Serves 4-6
.


Step One:

Pour the chicken stock into a  6 quart pan, then mix in the cardamon. Add the star anise, and bring the stock to a boil. Add in onions, and reduce to a simmer. Lid the pot cook for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent.









Step Two:

Thinly shred the chicken breasts. Employing a food processors slicing blade makes easy work of this task.   Add the chicken to the stock and bring the stock to a boil.







Step Three:

Reduce to a simmer and after 5 minutes you may notice fat from the chicken rising to the top of the broth and clouding the soup. Employ a large spoon to remove the layer of fat. If you don't need to serve this immediately, then you can also refrigerate the soup and use a spoon and remove the fat solids that will rise to the top.  After the soup is clarified, add the green parts of the scallions.  Simmer for 20 minutes more and stir occasionally.


Step Four:

While the soup is simmering prepare the rice noodles in accordance with the instructions on the pack.  Once prepared place the noodles int he bows you intend to serve the soup.






Step Five:

Place the chili, mint and bean spouts on a plate and place the picked scallion in a bowl.  On the table also have sriracha, fish sauce, and hoisin sauce as condiments.  Ladle the soup over the noodles, garnish and enjoy.

Steamed Duck Dumplings

2 cups water

6oz duck breast finely diced

1/3 cup onion or spring onion finely diced

2 garlic clove, pressed

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

9 wonton wrappers

Step One:  

Place a vegetable steamer in to a 4-6 quart pot.  Add two cups of water, and bring the water to boil. Reduce to a simmer ,and lid the pot.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the duck and onions to the skillet. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, soy sauce, and pepper flakes.  Continue heating while stirring for 2 minutes. 

 Step Two:

Lay the wrappers on a cutting board and place 1/2 teaspoon of the duck filling onto each wrapper.   Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold into a triangle  sealing the sides by pressing the edges together.

Step Three: 

Increase the temperature under the pot to medium high heat to achieve a rolling boil. Add the dumplings to the vegetable steamer in small batches at a time. The goal is to steam them so that the dumplings do not stick to each other.  Steam the dumplings for  about 1 minute per batch. 

Roast Duck

1 5-pound duck dressed, giblets etc. removed
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

Step One:

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F. Wash the duck and pat it dry.  Prick the duck's skin all around with a  skewer or tines of a sharp fork being careful not to pierce the meat.  An alternative to pricking is a knife can be used to cut very small slits into the skin.  The reason either method is employed is to remove excesses fat from the duck to prevent the meat from tasting greasy. The duck must be cooked in a roasting pan with a rack. The rack is not optional as it can be with a chicken.




Step Two:

 Season the duck all over with the salt and pepper. Remove the top of the bulb of garlic to expose every clove. Place the cut bulb inside the duck.  Place the duck in a roasting pan with a rack.







Step Three:

Place the duck in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Cook the duck for approximately  25 minutes per pound.   After the first 50 minutes remove the pan from the oven and pour off excess fat.  Turn the duck over and return it to the oven.  Repeat this step ever 25 five minutes until the duck reaches 180 degrees F.





Step Four:

Once the duck reaches 180 degrees F, remove it from the oven. Remove the bulb of garlic,  and allow the duck to rest for 15 minutes.

Roasted Cornish Game Hens

Ingredients

2 1-pound Cornish Game Hens

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

½ onion rough, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed

½ teaspoon thyme

2 2-inch sprigs of rosemary

1 tablespoon olive oil*

*Optionally, additional oil or cooking spray may be used for basting

Step One:

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is preheating remove the game hens from the refrigerator. Wash the game hens. Remove any organs that may have been included with the game hens.  Reserve the organs if you intend to use them, for example in gravy, else discard them.  Pat the game hens down with a paper towel to dry and place them on to a clean cutting board.

Step Two:

In a medium sized bowl, add the onion, ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper and the remaining ingredients save for the rosemary and combine well.  In a small bowl combine the oil and the remaining salt and pepper.

Step Three:

Stuff each game hen with ½ of the onion mixture, and a rosemary sprig each.  Then rub each game hen all over with the oil mixture.  Place the game hens on a baking pan with a rack.

Step Four:

Place the game hens in the oven and roast them for 30 minutes. If basting with oil, then remove the game hens from the oven and baste them then return the game hens to the oven. Reduce the Oven temperature to 400 degrees F and continue roasting for another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature 175 to 180 degrees F.

Step Five:

Remove the game hens from the oven. Remove the stuffing, and drain any fluid that collected in the cavity.  Allow the game hens to rest for 15 minutes.  Half each game hen, and serve with desired accompaniments.

Turkey Sliders

Ingredients

Cooking spray
6 slider rolls

½ pound ground turkey

½ cup onions, minced

1 clove garlic, pressed

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 egg

¼ cup bread crumbs

Step One:

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly apply cooking spray to the skillet.  Split the sider rolls and place the cut side down in the skillet until evenly toasted.  Repeat this for each roll.

Step Two:

Mix the remaining above ingredients together in a bowl.  Form six 2” meatballs and then flatten the meatballs to a small burger patty shape.

Step Three:

Apply cooking spray to a non-stick skillet or griddle, and heat it over high-medium heat.     Add the sliders.  There should be a sizzle sound, and almost instant browning.

Step Four:

After five minutes flip the sliders over to cook the other side. Cook the sliders until it reaches doneness.   Place each slider on its own roll and dress it to your liking.

Black Eye Peas with Turkey Bacon and Chilies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup dry Black Eye Peas

10 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons oil divided

5 slices of thick turkey bacon cut in to 1/4" pieces

1 1/2 cups diced onion

1/4 cup diced hot chili peppers

1 tablespoon pressed garlic

1 teaspoon black pepper

Step One:
Pour the black eye peas into a colander and rinse. Dried beans can contain stones, and other debris.  Transfer the beans to a large pot and fill it with 6 cups cold water. Add salt and bring the water to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove  from the heat and cover for 3 hours.









Step Two:
Remove the turkey bacon from package and cut  it into 1/4" pieces. The bacon here is the thicker cut kind of turkey bacon. If your grocery only carries the thin kind, then you can use that, but you'll need 8 slices.  Thick cut pork bacon can be used as well. Another posibility here would be to use smoked poultry or meat products. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a 6-quart pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat and render the bacon. Remove it from the pan and reserve. Continue using the same pot for the next steps.












Step Three:
Reduce the temperature to medium. Add one teaspoon of oil. Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and golden. Add in the chili peppers and cook until they too are soft stirring occasionally.

Step Four:
Add the garlic and the reserved bacon to the onion and chili mixture. Stir frequently for about 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Add the beans and 4 cups of water to the mixture and bring it to a boil.  Remove mixture from the heat. Pour the bean mixture into a slower cooker. Set the slow cooker to medium (or low depending on your model) and cook for 6 hours.

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken is one of the most versatile foods. It can be dressed up for formal affairs, yet it is never too stuffy, pardon the pun, for a simple social gathering. Although the general preparation is simple, there are several ways to veer into the land of, well, not so tasty chicken.  The primary culprit is dryness, followed by blandness, over seasoning to the point you lose any sense you're eating chicken, and lastly undercooking. This preparation seeks to solve all, but the last one. That is because doneness is measured by temperature, and not always time. Roughly a chicken's internal temperature should reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the chicken, baking temperature, and type of oven. Normally, however, a good rule of thumb for planning is about 20-25 minutes per pound.

When combatting dryness two things are essential: a moist stuffing, and resting. The stuffing here is designed to release moisture to enhance the chicken.  This is in contrast to bread and rice based stuffing that is designed to absorb moisture from the chicken. More important than the stuffing is the resting.  Once the chicken reaches doneness, take it out of the oven and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Avoid any picking, early slicing, or anything that will release moisture.  It may be difficult if you're hungry, but this will allow the meat to hold on to moisture. 

On to blandness and over seasoning, they really are different faces on the same coin. While neither one is ideal, the latter is very difficult, if not impossible, to fix after basking. Under seasoning is usually the result of a fear of over seasoning, however, fear be gone. Just remember salt is not your enemy, but it is to be respected. This preparation uses 1½ teaspoons of salt divided between the interior and the exterior.   Pepper and other seasonings may be added, but a good indicator is smell. A raw chicken should smell like chicken, even after it's seasoned. If it doesn't, then it will not taste like chicken.  A good tip is that prior to baking most excess seasonings can be rinsed off.

1 6 pound roasting hen

1 small onion

½  medium Golden Delicious apple

2 cloves of garlic

1½  teaspoon salt (divided)

2  teaspoon black pepper (divided)

2  teaspoons poultry seasoning (divided)

1  teaspoon paprika

2  teaspoons of olive oil.

Step One: Oven and Settings

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, if using a convection oven please consult your owners manual regarding convection oven conversion.

Step Two: The chicken

Remove the chicken from its packaging, and then remove the organ packet or the organs from the cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board.  Using poultry shears trim off any access skin and fat.

Step Three: Season and Stuff

Slice the apple in half. Reserve one half for another recipe. Core ½ of the apple and cut it into 1

inch cubes. Peel an onion, and chop into 1 inch pieces. Peel and smash the garlic. Transfer the apple, onion and garlic to a medium mixing bowl. Add a ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and poultry seasoning and combine well. Stuff the chicken with the mixture, completely filling the cavity.    Once the chicken is stuffed, season the outside of the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and paprika. 

Step Four: Bake

Transfer the seasoned and stuffed chicken to a baking dish preferably one with a rack to avoid the

chicken stewing in it's own juices. Place the chicken in the preheated oven and let it roast for 45 minutes. Using a basting brush, baste the chicken with olive oil. Repeat the basting every 30 minutes until the chicken is done.

Step Five: Rest

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes prior to trimming.

Turkey Burgers and Oven Roasted Potatoes Wedges

Turkey burgers are a healthier alternative to standard beef burgers.  Unfortunately, they can be dry, rubbery, and downright flavorless. This preparation results in juicy flavorful turkey burgers  that can stand up to the beefiest of beef burgers.  No burger, however, is complete without fries. The potato wedge preparation below is also a healthier alternative to traditional french fries, yet as tasty if not tastier.  

Four Servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1/4 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic minced or pressed

1 pound 93% lean/7% fat ground turkey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

Step One:  

Combine all ingredients very well in a large mixing bowl.

Step Two:  

Form four equal sized patties from the mixture. As an alternative, a ring mold can be employed to form  restaurant style patties.

Step Three:  

Oil a non-stick pan and bring to medium hight heat. Place the burgers into the pan and cook for ten minutes and then flip the burger over and cook until the inside temperature is 170 degrees F. 

Step Four: 

Remove the burgers from the pan and let them rest on a paper towel for five minutes. 

Step Five: 

Bun the burger and don with fixings. 

Oven Roasted Potatoes Wedges

3 medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

Step One: 

Preheat oven 425 degrees F. 

Sept Two:

Cut potatoes in wedges by cutting the potato in half longways, then half again, and then so there

are four longways pieces or quarters. Cut each quarter in half longways at a 45 degree angle to form a wedge.   Repeat for the other potatoes and add them to a large mixing bowl. Add pressed garlic, pepper, salt (or seasoning salt), and olive oil to the bowl and mix completely.

Step Three:

Place wedges on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake  for 10 minutes. A good tip is to arrange the potatoes with the skins facing one direction. Turn the wedges over and bake for another ten minutes. 

Caribbean Curried Chicken

Curried Chicken is by far one of the most accessible and easily found Caribbean foods. Like all curries, it's highly regionalized, there can be multiple curries found along the entire archipelago.  Essentially it is a spiced stew consisting of meat or poultry, a starch such as pumpkin or potato, coconut milk, spicy peppers, and a curry spice blend, which will usually contain allspice.

Ingredients 

2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 medium potatoes, pealed and cubed*

3 tablespoons curry powder**

½  teaspoon nutmeg

½  teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water

½ cup coconut milk

1 Scotch Bonnet or habanero chili pepper, slit in half lengthwise

Notes:

*Do not use russet potatoes, use white, or Yukon Gold

**Do not use Madras Curry powder, and if Jamaican Curry powder is used, omit allspice and nutmeg

 

Step One: Chicken Prep

Cut chicken into two inch pieces. The skin and rib bones can be removed, but this is optional. Combine the chicken, onion, garlic, lime juice, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Mix the ingredients together.  Transfer the chicken to a tight-lidded container and refrigerate for two hours.

Step Two: Potatoes

Peal and cut the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. Steam the potatoes for ten minutes until tender, but still firm.

Step Three: Curry Gravy

Mix the curry powder, nutmeg and allspice together in a small bowl and set aside.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 6 quart pot over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering.  Stirring very

quickly, add the curry powder mixture to the oil. Continue to stir rapidly for about 1 minute. Immediately add the chicken mixture, potatoes, water, coconut milk, and the chili pepper.

 

Step Four: Simmer and Serve

Stir the mixture and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until the chicken is fully cooked and the gravy is the desired thickness. Serve over white rice and enjoy. 

Turkey Swedish Meatballs

Few dishes compare to the rich and savoriness of  Swedish Meatballs.  An almost surefire crowd pleaser, swedish meatballs may be served as a main course or hors d'oeuvres.  The ingredients are commonly found at most supermarkets. There are seasoning packets for the gravy and pre made meatballs, however, this preparation is a very simple one pot dish. 

Ingredients 

1 Pack (usually 1.33 pounds) 93/7 Ground Turkey

1/2 cup brea crumbs or panko breadcrumbs

1 whole Egg

1 minced or pressed garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons butter or margarine 

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup fat free half-and-half

1 teaspoon diced fresh parsley

Step 1: Making Meatballs

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Mix the ingredients together.  Form 3/4-inch round meatballs.  Heat oil in a large lidded non-stick pan and once the oil is hot  brown the meatballs on all sides for roughly 5 minutes. Once browned reduce the heat to medium low; lid the pan and cook the meat balls until they are done. 

Step 2:  The Gravy 

Removed the meat balls from the pan and reserve. Drain off excess fat, but take care not to

remove the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Add the butter and broth. Stir them together until the butter melts.  Add the flour a bit at a time stirring very fast to avoid lumps.  The sauce will thicken and brown.  At the point of thickening stir in the half-and-half.

Step 3: Finishing

Add the meatballs back to the pan and combine with the gravy until all meatballs are coated.  Remove from heat and garnish with parsley.