Recipes

Grandma Defriez asked if I would post the recipe I used for our Thanksgiving dressing/stuffing. It is pretty delicious. I have used it for two years now and will probably continue to use it. I found it on Our Best Bites. I love their blog! I have used several of their recipes and they all turn out pretty good. I like their blog because it tells you step by step how to mix things up and why you need to do it that order. Basically, this blog has taught me a lot about cooking. I will add a couple more recipes that I use all the time. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Thanksgiving Dressing

Recipe by Our Best Bites

(I use Jimmy Dean sausage and I don't add the pecans or cranberries, but I'm sure it would be good exactly how the recipe is written.)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage (in this recipe, I prefer hot, but if you’re worried about spice or want to control the heat, use mild and then season with a hot sauce like Tabasco to taste)

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. sliced mushrooms

1 grated Granny Smith apple (use your food processor if you have one; your knuckles will thank you)

1 16-oz. package cubed stuffing or dressing (I like Pepperidge Farms; for this recipe, I try to stay away from Stove Top because the flavor is so overwhelming)

2 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. chopped pecans, toasted

1/2+ c. dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350Instructions:

Heat a very large skillet to medium heat, remove casings, and crumble Italian sausage in the pan. As it starts to brown, stir in onions, celery, and garlic. As the sausage cooks, break up larger pieces–part of the awesomeness of this dressing are the little sausage bits in every bite.

As the onions begin to turn translucent, stir in mushrooms and apple. I grate it because I love the tart flavor of the apple, but I don’t like chunks of soggy apple in savory dishes like this. Icky, icky, icky.

When mushrooms are tender, sprinkle dressing mix over the sausage mix and then add chicken broth. Continue stirring as the dressing mix absorbs the liquid. Add in pecans and cranberries (if desired). When the liquid has been incorporated and the mixture is fully mixed, transfer to a 9×13 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. If you’d like to make this 1-2 days ahead of time, cover it after you place it in the 9×13 pan, and then bake it straight from the fridge.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Note: This recipe makes a very large batch of chili (about 4 quarts).  It freezes beautifully, so I like to make the recipe and then freeze half for another night.  You can certainly halve the recipe as well, which I recommend if you have a small slow cooker.

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced (any color)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1-2 jalapenos, minced
20 ounces ground turkey breast
8 ounces mushrooms, minced (about 2 heaping cups)
2 teaspoons cumin
2  teaspoons kosher salt
½  teaspoons pepper
1  teaspoon oregano
1  teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2  teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes*
1 28 ounce can tomatoes (not drained)
2 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
32 ounces beef broth (one box/carton)
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (make sure you’re not using pumpkin pie filling :)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

*”Sweet potatoes” and “yams” are often sold interchangeably depending on what part of the country you live in.  Just buy whichever one is orange :)

optional: sour cream, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro or green onion, and fresh lime juice for serving

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and add onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapenos.  Saute for about 5 minutes, until veggies are tender and fragrant.  Add to slow cooker.

In same skillet, heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil.  Add turkey and mushrooms and stir to combine.  Sprinkle in cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder and smoked paprika.  (note: the meat will taste very seasoned when done.  Keep in mind these seasonings are not to flavor just the meat, they will season the entire pot of chili, so they are intentionally strong!)  Add turkey mixture to slow cooker.

Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, broth, pumpkin, cinnamon, and cocoa powder to slow cooker and stir til combine.  Place lid on pot and cook for  4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 on low.   Slow-cookers vary greatly in temperature and cooking times, but really, the important thing to note is if the sweet potatoes are tender.

When done, turn off heat and let chili sit with lid off for 10-15 minutes to thicken.  Season with additional salt to taste before serving.  If desired, serve with sour cream, sliced avocados, and a small squirt of fresh lime juice, and any other toppings desired.

Yields: About 4 quarts (16 cups)

Nutritional Information (per 1 cup plain chili): calories: 160, protein: 14 grams, carb: 25 grams, fat 1.5 grams.  Add 2 tablespoons light sour cream and 2 slices avocado for an additional 80 calories.

Spicy Honey Chicken

 Recipe by Our Best Bites

(I use chicken tenderloins and I cook it in a skillet on the stove)

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I’m tellin’
ya right now it’s better with thighs.

 2 t vegetable oil

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces.Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don’t have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.