Friday, November 26, 2010

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I made this one for Thanksgiving and it was just amazing! Really good. We all decided we liked it better without the caramel sauce, actually.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

From Simply Recipes.

Lasagna

Lasagna

I made this one for my friends last week and it was quite the hit. I will probably tweak it a little more to make it "my own" the next time I try it, but it turned out to be really yummie.

I like things kinda spicy, I think I will sneak in a can of El Pato spicy tomato sauce next time I make this. And I would use two eggs to hold the ricotta cheese together a little better. That's all I plan to change for next time.

Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

The day after Thanksgiving always finds loads of "how to use leftovers" recipes. Today is no different. I subscribe to several cooking newsletters and blogs and my inbox was completely full today.

This one looks particularly good. AND since I have cream and wild rice on hand, I do believe I will give this one a try in short order!

From Cook's Country web site and magazine.

Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Serves 6 to 8
Leftover turkey wings, thighs, or drumsticks can be used in place of the carcass.

Turkey Broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
2 onions , chopped
1 celery rib , chopped
1 smoked turkey or chicken , chopped into 4 pieces (see note)
3 cups white wine 
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

Soup
1 cup wild rice 
2 carrots , peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1 cup heavy cream 
3 cups chopped cooked turkey 
Salt and pepper 
1. For the turkey broth: Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onions, celery, and turkey carcass until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and chicken broth and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Strain broth, discarding solids.
2. For the soup: Wipe out Dutch oven and toast rice over medium heat until rice begins to pop, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in turkey broth, carrots, thyme, and baking soda and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 1 hour.
3. Whisk flour and cream in bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk flour mixture into soup. Add turkey and simmer until soup is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Catching Up

My poor neglected blog. Hopefully I can keep up a little better now that I am (almost) all moved back to RC and settled in.

I have been cooking for my friends, since they have been kind enough to let me stay with them. Since I am not working yet (but hopefully will be starting next Monday or Tuesday), I have had plenty of time on my hands. It's been quite fun to experiment!