make ahead turkey gravy/gluten free

last year i was visiting my dear friend elsa. it was a couple of weeks before thanksgiving and she was making turkey gravy using turkey wings. after the gravy was made, she put it in the freezer...one less chore before serving up the turkey dinner. thinking this was a very smart idea i did the same when i got home. i just finished making this year's turkey gravy last night and i  measured the ingredients! i made it gluten free but the cornstarch can always be switched if a flour thickening is desired. 

i also included a link for my pumpkin cheesecake

http://the-jill-of-all-trades.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumpkin-cheesecake.html

ingredients for 8 cups of gravy

4 pounds turkey wings

2 cans turkey stock (chicken could be substituted)

4 cups water

1 large onion

celery tops

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup cornstarch or 1 cup flour

preheat oven to 450degrees

turkey wings, onion, celery tops and turkey broth

             place wings in a shallow baking pan in the 450 degree oven for 30 minutes or until brown

 remove wings to a stock pot and deglaze pan with a cup of the water. add the rest of the 4 cups of water, the 2 -14.5 ounces of turkey broth, chopped onion, celery tops and seasoning and simmer covered for 2 hours.

                                          drain  and strain the cooked broth into a saucepan.

the cooked turkey can be picked from the bones and used for another purpose

TO THICKEN THE GRAVY

 mix cornstarch with remaining 1 cup of water making sure there are no lumps. add this mixture to the  broth in the saucepan and turn on the heat. stir constantly until the gravy reaches a rolling boil. if the gravy is not thick enough, mix more cornstarch and water...remove from heat and add slowly ,stirring constantly till it is the right consistancy for you. if it is too thick, some broth can be added from the turkey when it is reheated on thansgiving.  the gravy is now ready to refrigerate or freeze


                            ready to enjoy! 

dilled green potatoes

this recipe is most certainly tried and true. 48+ years ago my hubby and i finished school, got married 2 weeks later and a month after that he was in the air force and we landed in Duluth, Minnesota for 2 wonderful years. i was a very inexperienced cook and this is one of the first recipes that one of the other wives shared. it is a great side dish for grilled or roasted meats. the best part is that it can be made a day ahead and refrigerated

idaho potatoes, fresh chives, frozen chopped spinach, Jerusalem artichoke flowers

ingredients 6 large potatoes, peeled and cooked
3/4 -1 cup of light cream
1/4 pound butter, softened
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons chopped chives
1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 package thawed and drained chopped spinach ( i squeeze it)


thawed and drained spinach and chopped chives

mash the potatoes with the butter and cream until they are fluffy.  add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

 place the mixture in a greased casserole( 1 1/2 quart )and either refrigerate or place in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

                                                                   serve and ENJOY!

note: i have made this recipe without the dill when i did not think it went with the rest of the meal...it was still good!

2 garlic scape recipes /pesto and potato salad

a basket of garlic scapes from the neighbor's garden

i hope that you still have some garlic scapes hanging around in the fridge or freezer. they still had them at the farmers market last week. meant to post this a week ago but we had a week-long celebration for my mother's 92nd birthday. her birthday is the 4th of july so i decided to create a red, white and blue potato salad

red, white and blue potato salad

before we get started on the recipes, let's get started by placing the scapes into a food processor and grind them till they are fine.

now we are ready to rock and roll/ fresh from the food processor

garlic scape pesto

ingredients
1 cup ground scapes
8 basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese
salt or not...i add it when i serve it with the pasta

place all the ingredients in the processor and blend till it is a paste

all the ingredients ready to process

remove from the bowl and place in 1 cup containers which is enough for 1 pound of pasta. i tripled the recipe and got these 5 containers. top each container with a little olive oil to keep the air from getting to it.
at this point, it can be used, stored the the frig or frozen for winter use.

when i serve it with pasta, i remove it from the frig and let it come to room temperature. just before the pasta is cooked, place about 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water in the serving bowl and stir in the pesto. it will then be easier to mix with the cooked pasta. i do this for all the pesto recipes that i use with pasta.


finished garlic scape pesto

my family always expects my potato salad to be served on the 4th. (that potato salad is in an earlier blog) we always have 16-30 people depending on the year. this year it was a mere 18 for the birthday party.

i wanted to try something different and i found these wonderful small potatoes and they were already a mixture of red, white and blue potatoes. what could be more perfect and in a 5 pound bag to boot! what follows is a very simple recipe and everyone seemed to enjoy it
red white and blue-garlic scape potato salad

5 pounds small potatoes(i used the three colors but red or yukon gold would do)
8 stalks celery, minced
1/2 cup garlic scapes, processed
1 bunch parsley, minced...FRESH ONLY
1cup good quality olive oil
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

clean and cook the potatoes.do not peel them. this is a skins -on -potato salad... boil for 17-20 minutes only. they will continue to cook as they cool. drain and let come to room temperature. cut into desired size. add the rest of the ingredients and gently mix. adjust seasonings and chill.

ENJOY!

deviled eggs

super bowl sunday gathering and i brought smoked salmon and deviled eggs...lots of deviled eggs and they were gone in a heartbeat and everyone wanted to know my 'secret'. years ago my friend marg maurer told me that she used chopped sweet pickle in her eggs. i tried it and loved the combination of sweet with a bite and have done that ever since with one small change. i switched to sweet pickle relish which is a little easier.

 i boiled 14 eggs for this batch and for the first time ever, measured the ingredients. they measurements will    vary depending on the size of the eggs and also the number of eggs  but if the proportions are close it should work

ingredients:
1 cup light mayo
2 heaping tablespoons dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped and drained pickle relish
1 teaspoon creole seasoning

boil, chill and peel the eggs and cut in half.( i put them in ice water immediately after they are hard boiled to stop the cooking time. it also makes them easier to peel.) place the yolks in a bowl and crumble with a fork. add mayo, mustard, relish and seasoning and blend.

i place the relish on paper towels to get rid of the excess moisture. i even chop it on the paper towels. scrap it off with the chopping knife.

i filled the eggs with a pastry bag because they were 'going out' otherwise i just fill using 2 spoons. add a sprinkle of cajun seasoning and enjoy!

wild rice salad

a really great choice for the gluten free crowd and it is a favorite of our family. it keeps well after it is made so it can be made a day ahead.  serves 10-12   great leftover!

tomato salad and wild rice salad

wild rice salad

1 cup wild rice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups boiling water

2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup good quality olive oil

1 large bunch arugula, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup feta cheese ,crumbled
1/2 pine nuts, toasted

rinse the wild rice in cold water and place in the boiling water. simmer till done which will be approximately 40 minutes.
cook the white rice in the chicken stock according to the instructions on the rice package
mix the cooked rice and add the lemon juice and olive oil
allow rice to cool
add remaining ingredients and chill.

easy tomato salad
cut up desired amount of tomatoes( i used plum tomatoes in the picture). add a couple cloves of chopped garlic, good quality olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar (i use white), a few sliced basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste. have some good bread on hand to dip in the juice! do not refrigerate. it should be made ahead for the most flavor. sit it on the counter and give it an occasional stir
enjoy!

lemon pesto at sue's request

everyone that grows basil has a pesto recipe. i make the 'regular' one but here is one with less calories and it is great with fish. one of my favorite summer and fall meals is lemon pesto and sliced tomatoes. i always make enough so that there is some for the  freezer. in the winter, it is 'green gold', an expression i learned from my dear friend nick

lemon pesto (1 cup per 1 pound of pasta)

3 cups basil leaves, packed down
6-8 cloves of fresh garlic (no substitutions on the garlic )
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cups toasted pine nuts, see note below

if you have a food processor, drop the garlic in as the processor is running. if not, you will have to put it through a garlic press or mince it fine.
place all the ingredients in the food processor or blender and pulverize!! thank goodness for our modern kitchen tools.

toasting pine nuts is an option. i do it in my cast iron skillet but they can be done in a toaster oven, oven, ect.  i think that toasting them brings out more flavor. watch them closely as they burn if you turn away. this i know  ;(

cook the pasta and just before it is done, take 1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water and pour it in your serving bowl . mix with the pesto. stir and add the pasta and mix. serve a little extra cheese and pine nuts on the side.  enjoy!

a dish to pass

i have belonged to the same monthly bridge group for 43 years. we start off the season by sharing a meal to catch up after our summer hiatus. each brings a 'dish to pass' and we have a feast. my contribution was:

shrimp and pasta salad

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and de veined ( the already cooked ones will work)
1 pound pasta, ( i used mini fusilli but anything will do)
1 pound petite peas
4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup light ranch dressing
1/2 cup my club sauce (unless you have canned the recipe on this blog, you will have to substitute. use commercial chili sauce or the oriental sweet chili. start with 1/4 cup and add more after tasting. my sauce has a real bite to it so you might want to add red pepper or my personal favorite...tony chachere's creole seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

cook the pasta till it is just underdone, drain and rinse in very cold water, drain well
add lemon juice and olive oil and let it soak in while you mince the celery
add the celery,shrimp and then the dressing and chili sauce and mix well
place the frozen peas in a colander and rinse with hot water till they turn bright green. drain well and add to the mix

refrigerate for several hours. this can even be made a day ahead. if the salad looks dry, add more ranch dressing

enjoy!!

fresh marinara sauce

i know that i said no more tomato pictures but they are so beautiful

we make marinara sauce all year with canned tomatoes but it never compares to the flavor when the tomatoes are fresh and vine ripened.  the portions are not critical and the amount of garlic depends on the diner. we like alot of fresh garlic and no, not the stuff in the jar.

marinara sauce

1/3 cup good quality olive oil

1 large onion,chopped

5 cloves of garlic or more, peeled and minced

 3 pounds of peeled tomatoes, cut in pieces

large bunch of parsley,chopped

1/2 cup chopped basil

salt to taste

fresh ground pepper

cayenne pepper if you like a bite

heat oil in sauce pan and add onion and garlic and cook till soft. add tomatoes and stir until they begin to simmer. simmer on low temperature until sauce reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. this will take about 1 1/2 hours but it really depends on the amount of juice in the tomatoes.( i use plum tomatoes which have more meat and less juice,) add minced parsley and basil  when cooking is complete.

serve over your favorite pasta with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

enjoy!

oven dried tomatoes

about 25 years ago, i was featured in a local paper. one of the recipes that i included was oven dried tomatoes. they were a fairly new item in the store at that time and very expensive so i fooled around with drying them in the oven. i have since purchased a dryer but still prefer the oven method for tomatoes.

heirloom black cherry

 oven dried tomatoes

this is a basic technique
select the amount you would like to dry.
preheat oven to 400 degrees
slice tomatoes and de-seed if they are larger than cherry tomatoes
line cookie sheets with foil and spray lightly or rub olive oil so that the tomatoes so not stick
place the tomatoes skin side down and sprinkle with salt
place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 200 degrees

this picture is a little darker than they really are

this stage of the drying process will take 12-18 hours depending on the type and size of the tomato. it is worth the wait. when the tomatoes resemble prunes but still retain their color, they are done.

i keep them in a jar  immersed in olive oil simply because i like to use the flavored oil in salads and cooking. they can be stored in plastic bags also.

2 large trays of cherry tomatoes yielded about 4 cups of dried tomatoes

potato salad

we are having a family dinner today and i am taking potato salad. now i realize everyone has a recipe for this side dish but i am including my take on it because this is my most requested recipe. my mother always made a cooked mayonnaise on the stove so i doctored Hellman's mayo with a pennsylvania dutch twist. this recipe will serve a crowd...today there will be 12 of us
potato salad

5 pounds of potatoes (cooked in skins,cooled,peeled and diced)
1 large bunch green onions
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped parsley

remember: potatoes are still cooking as they cool. after boiling 20 minutes, stick a fork into them . if there is no resistance, they are done. while the potatoes are cooling, chop the other ingedients.

cut potatoes into a dice and place in a large container with other chopped ingredients
measure
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
pour over potaoes and mix 

the olive oil and vinegar will soak into the potatoes. set aside and make the dressing.

dressing:
1 heaping cup hellman's light mayonaisse
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper

mix ingredients and pour over potaoes and mix throughly

taste and adjust salt

enjoy!

pickled eggs

growing up in central pennsylvania, we went on lots of picnics and never without a jar of pickled eggs. at family gatherings someone always brought a jar of pickled eggs and beets. i have them in the fridge most of the time. i was telling a friend that i had started this blog and she requested this recipe. so kary, this is for you.

pickled eggs

2 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled and placed in a large jar or covered crock (i use an old gallon mayo jar)

3 cans small or medium whole beets (now 15 oz)
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon peppercorns

place beets and beet juice in a saucepan along with the vinegar,sugar,peppercorns and salt and heat till sugar melts
pour over eggs

if the eggs are not covered, add just enough water to do the trick

let them sit on the counter till cooled and place in the refrigerator and forget about them for 2 or 3 days

slice and enjoy!

the pickled eggs will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

my mother always made them with equal parts sugar and vinegar but aunt ruth made them with more vinegar. there is no rule, play with the recipe and ENJOY!