turkey pot pie

In the midst of 16 degree weather and post-Thanksgiving leftovers, I scrounged up the perfect dish: Turkey Pot Pie! It's rich and warm and comforting and is packed full of nourishing vegetables and lean protein. 

I made mine in mini casserole dishes which turned out to be perfect serving sizes. Forgive my lack of exact measurements but I made this one up as I went so I'll be estimating how much of everything went into it! 

What You'll Need:
for the crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening 
dash of salt 
3-5 tbsp ice water 
for the filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup turkey, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small potato, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk (plus more as needed)
salt and pepper 

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350

In a food processor, combine four, shortening and salt. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse crumbly texture. Then add 1 tbsp of water at a time, mixing just until it comes together. Form dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. 

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add turkey, potato, carrot and celery and stir well. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are softened, adding more oil as necessary. Sprinkle flour over and stir to coat. Slowly add in broth and milk, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow mixture to come to a boil and thicken. 

Meanwhile, divide dough among four mini casserole dishes or roll out for your pie pan. Spray dish with cooking spray and press dough into shape. Fill each with turkey filling and top with more pie dough. 

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is browned. 

pie crust recipe adapted from here

Potato Broccoli Soup with Bacon and Parmesan

As per the usual, it seems that Texas can't decide what season it wants to be in. One day it is sunny and warm and lovely- the next it is windy and gross and super cold (in case you haven't noticed I have an obsession with using polysyndeton in every blog post). 

Well, for those yucky cold days, this soup is perfect to warm you up! It's chock full of veggies and even though you cook them in bacon grease, they're still vegetables ;) It's a tasty hybrid of broccoli cheese soup and baked potato soup. This recipe is also super easy to adapt for whatever you've got on hand! Add in shredded chicken or black beans for added protein. Add in peppers, corn, greens, or other veggies! Leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock for a completely vegetarian dish. Sub in your favorite dairy substitute for the cream for dairy free soup. So easy. So good. Comfort food at its best. 

What You'll Need:
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery 
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic. minced 
4 slices bacon
2 cup broccoli, chopped 
 2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream 
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
salt and pepper 

What To Do:
Cook bacon over med-high heat until crispy and maximum fat has been rendered. Set bacon aside. 

In the bacon drippings, cook the carrot, onion, and celery until the onion is translucent and carrot and celery are softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. 

Add potatoes and broccoli and stir to coat completely. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook for seven to ten more minutes or until potatoes have softened (add 1 tbsp of butter or olive oil if needed). 

Pour chicken broth over the veggies and stir well, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for twenty minutes. 

Place 1/2 of the soup in a blender and blend until completely smooth (in batches if necessary). Stir back into the pot. Add cream, crumbled bacon, and Parmesan and stir well. Allow the soup to thicken for a few minutes and then serve hot! Garnish with extra bacon and Parmesan.

original recipe 

Baked Potato Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Two of my favorites combined into one comfort food explosion. 

It was that good. 

What You'll Need:

(for one sandwich)

1/2 small potato

2 slices bacon

mild cheddar cheese

2 slices bread 

butter

canola oil

salt and pepper

1 tbsp sour cream plus more for dipping

chopped green onions (optional)

What To Do:

Cook bacon to desired crispiness. Meanwhile, slice potato into thin rounds and season with salt and pepper. With enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, cook potatoes over medium heat until browned and cooked through, about three minutes per side. Drain bacon and potatoes on paper towels and dab away excess oil. 

Butter the outside faces of your slices of bread and spread sour cream on the insides. Layer your sandwich with cheese, bacon and potatoes. Grill evenly on each side until the bread is toasted and brown and the cheese has melted. 

If you're having trouble getting the insides to cook without burning the bread, try this trick. Pour a couple of drops of water into the pan and quickly cover it with a lid, trapping steam inside. It will help to quickly melt your cheese! 

Slice diagonally, top with chopped green onions, and serve with sour cream. Enjoy! 

recipe from BS in the Kitchen 

Chicken Fried Steak and Creamy Gravy

This is definitely not going to fit into a New Year's diet.

But, hey, at least it's homemade and not a processed food?

I enjoy chicken fried steak every now and then 

because it's a homey comfort food. 

Plus the gravy is one of the first things my mom 

taught me how to make and that's pretty special. 

You Will Need:
(serves 4)

4 cube steaks 

1 cup flour

2 eggs

canola oil

garlic powder

salt 

pepper 

1 1/2 cups milk 

1 cup flour

What To Do:

Heat a small layer of canola oil on medium heat. Season your cube steaks as desired- we sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Whisk together eggs in a shallow bowl. Combine flour with seasonings in a separate shallow bowl. 

Dredge each steak in the egg wash, then the flour mixture and repeat. Place steaks in oil and fry for 3-5 minutes on each side. Place cooked steaks on paper towels to drain. 

Return remaining oil to medium heat. Add flour 2 tbsp at a time until you have formed a roux and absorbed all of the oil.  Add milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring to combine between each addition, until you have reached your desired consistency. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve hot over steaks and mashed potatoes.

Serve with a salad so you don't feel like such a heifer! 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This would be perfect alongside a sandwich with leftover turkey, 

or in a bread bowl as a whole meal. 

It has a great textured, flavorful quality that is chock full of warm goodness! 

I left the broccoli pretty big and didn't blend it too much 

and it had a very hearty consistency.

For my bread bowl, I bought some scratch made kaiser rolls 

from the bakery. Cut a hole in the top and dig out the insides. 

I served center bread pieces with olive oil and spices as an appetizer! 

This recipe is also easy to adjust. I didn't have whole milk or 

half and half so I subbed in 2% milk and heavy cream. I'm not sure 

how much cheese I actually added.. i just shredded 

a whole block and threw it in!

You could also add in carrots or bacon bits to add color and flavor!

What You Need:

1 small Onion, Diced

1 stick Butter

1/3 cup Flour

4 cups Whole Milk

2 cups Half-and-half

4 heads Broccoli Cut Into Florets

1 pinch Nutmeg

3 cups Grated Cheese (mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Jack, Etc.)

Small Dash Of Salt (more If Needed)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Splash Of Chicken Broth If Needed For Thinning

What To Do:

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, then sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute or so, then pour in milk and half-and-half. Add nutmeg, then add broccoli, a small dash of salt, and plenty of black pepper.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Stir in cheese and allow to melt. Taste seasonings and adjust if needed. Then either serve as is, or mash it with a potato masher to break up the broccoli a bit, or transfer to a blender in two batches and puree completely. (If you puree it in a blender, return it to the heat and allow to heat up. Splash in chicken broth if needed for thinning.)

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Besides baked potato soup, this is my favorite warm-you-up meal soup! 

What's your favorite warm-you-up soup?

Perfect Pot Roast

My favorite favorite favorite comfort food is pot roast. 

My restaurant reviews are often based on their quality of pot roast.

I even love pot roast-like entrees such as beef tips or carne guisada.

I don't know what it is, there's just something about the savory, 

filling, warm, falling-apart-tender meat that makes everything feel like home.

I love this method because it's super easy to put together on my way out the door if I know there will be little prep time that night. 

And, sometimes, it's totally okay to use a gravy packet. 

You'll need:

1 3 lb center cut chuck roast

1 can french onion soup

2 packets brown gravy mix

1 small onion

carrots

3 red potatoes 

Rinse and pat dry your roast. Salt and pepper both sides generously. On medium heat, brown both sides. Roughly chop potatoes and onion. Put veggies in the bottom of the crock pot. Put browned roast on top. Pour in the soup and gravy mix, and add enough water to cover everything. Mix it up so nothing's clumpy. Cook on low for 6-10 hours, the longer the better! I like to add the carrots for the last hour so that they're still a little crunchy. I had baby carrots on hand, so that's what I used.

To make a brown gravy to top the roast, take 1 cup of the liquid from the crock pot and add two tablespoons of flour over medium heat. Whisk these together. Continue adding flour and liquid until you've achieved the desired consistency.

Serve with mashed potatoes! 

Baked Potato Soup

This recipe is comforting and warm and yummy.

It's perfect for a cool evening in (because it hasn't really gotten cold yet)

whether you're watching a movie in a fort 

or as a soup course during a dinner party 

This makes a lot of food, so if you don't like leftovers or are cooking for a small family, I'd half it!

You can also save a lot of time by baking your potatoes ahead of time (or microwaving them I suppose.. but then it's actually microwaved potato soup and that doesn't sound nearly as good.)

You Will Need:
4 russet potatoes
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
6 cups 2% milk
2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup green onions, chopped
1/3-½ cup sour cream (light if you prefer)

For topping:
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions
Bacon pieces

I used three potatoes because mine were MONSTER sized. 

What To Do:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork.  Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.  Scoop the insides of the potatoes into food processor (or blender if you don't have a food processor... but just fyi, it doesn't work as well), discarding the peels.  Pulse until the pieces are broken into small chunks. 

(obviously, try to make the biggest mess you can)

(If you don't have a food processor, add some milk to the potatoes 

so they'll blend in a blender easier!)

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter.  Add ¼ cup of flour to the pot and whisk into the butter.  Cook, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and the rest of the flour.  Cook until thick and bubbling, about 6-8 minutes.  Mix in the potato chunks.  Whisk in the salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.  Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and sour cream.

Serve immediately.  Garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon as desired.

This soup can get pretty thick so have some water, milk, or broth on hand to dilute it as needed, especially if you keep some for leftovers.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Taco Soup

Taco soup is one of those meals that has so many advantages.

It's super easy to customize to include your favorite ingredients. 

It's a quick meal to throw together. 

It makes enough to feed a crowd.

The leftovers (almost) taste better than the original.

AND it's perfect for warming you up on a cool, rainy day!

That's exactly what I did a couple weeks ago.

I'd been working in the cupcake trailer through an on-again/off-again rainstorm. 

The bottom half of my jeans were soaked and I was ready for a good warm meal.

Thankfully most of these ingredients are staples in the freezer and pantry so it's a snap to throw together! Here's what I use:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 sweet onion

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1/4 cup diced cilantro

colby jack cheese

sour cream

avocado 

flour tortillas

Instructions:

Brown ground beef with diced onions. Drain and return to stove. 

Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn, beans, and 1 can full of water. Add 1/4 cup diced cilantro. Simmer on the stove at medium heat for about fifteen minutes or until heated through. 

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced avocado, and serve with warm tortillas. 

You can also add all of your hot ingredients to the crock pot in the morning and let it warm all day! 

Hungry Monday- Red's Porch

Stay tuned this week for a fun giveaway! 

But, back to our Hungry Monday feature for now!

Awesome view, great location, delicious food, friendly service, fun decor

What more do you need?

Red's Porch is located near the intersection of South Lamar and Hwy 290. It's kinda difficult to see from the road, but you can't miss their big sign!

At the end of their driveway, you'll see why it's called Red's Porch. 

There is indoor dining, but the draw is the giant porch with the fantastic view. I went for lunch during August and with the shade from the porch and the hard working fans outside, we weren't hot at all! 

There's also a funky lounge area at the entrance if you're waiting for a table.

So the location and set up are great, but the food is the reason I'd go back.

I ordered the pot roast (ok, so I order pot roast everywhere I go) and it was melt-in-your-mouth tender with a savory gravy and smashed potatoes. I like it when potatoes actually taste like potatoes so that was a definite plus. I also got the spinach casserole which was a mess of spinach and garlic and cheese. Intensely flavorful, but I believe I may try something new next time. I also sampled the chicken fried steak and macaroni and cheese, which were both superbly done. 

(personal photo)

At lunch time, there was no wait and our server was very helpful and friendly. There was a pretty decent lunch menu, but I ordered from the dinner menu and took half home with me. 

Check out more info on their website

http://redsporch.com/

(Unless otherwise noted, all photos from the Red's Porch website)