On Such a Winter's Day

Ground Turkey Pot Pie in Cast Iron Skillet

Someone made dual snow people on the pier.  I sat for a minute resisting the urge to kick them but since there was a child snow person, I felt guilty.  I examined them, took a few pictures and left.  I wondered if kicking down snowmen was a normal reaction to such a lovely surprise.

For Christmas, I made dough for two pie crusts and froze one for later.  Today was later.  This buttery flaky crust was even better atop ground turkey gravy and vegetables.  

Carrots

Potatoes (chopped and parboiled)

Celery

Onions

peas

Ground Turkey

Stock with turkey drippings

flour

Salt and Pepper

Worcestershire sauce

Mustard

Cooking oil

Preheat oven to 400.  In a cast iron pan, cook the ground turkey with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, salt pepper in fat of choice.  Add small chopped onions, carrots, celery, and potato.  Cook until tender and fond develops on bottom of pan. Add two tablespoons of flour and cook until the raw taste is gone.  Add stock to thicken and a small dollop of mustard, stirring all together and scraping bottom of pan.  Test for seasoning before covering with the pie crust.  Cover with egg wash, make a couple of slits in crust and bake on 400 for 35 - 40 minutes.   

The homemade pie crust made this deliciously buttery and comforting.  This will appeal to those who prefer not to add cream or half and half.  Instead, use the flour to thicken and stock to flavor.  I still craved the bottom crust, which you could add, but this way makes it a very doable recipe for a weeknight meal. 

Morning breakfast tacos

This, the first real snow of the year

Backyard view

When The World is Cold

Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Turkey Necks

When it's awfully cold outside and there is nothing to be done about it, a slow-cooked pot of beans act as slow-simmering love in the house.  The best part is the ease of concocting these magical creations.  Sprigs of parsley, green onions, celery, carrots, jalapeno, stock, soaked beans and a turkey neck added to the vessel and 6 hours later a delicious hearty soup appears.  I took out the bones and shredded any meat, then mashed up the beans a bit in the pot to create the desired consistency.  

One bowl of this keeps you warm for hours.  This is great for lunch box meals and for freezing half for a lazy day. 

And the Sky is a Hazy Shade of Winter

Chef John's One Pan Beef Stroganoff

This stroganoff would have been on point, had I the correct curly egg noodles.  The only downside of having fancy corner markets is that may only carry the healthier, less tasty version of common staples.  This can be an upside as well because we tend to make better choices. In this case,the noodle shouldn't overtake the meat sauce.  They should be able to absorb flavors (but not all of of the sauce, as these did) and provide a balance of textures.  So, although this was great tasting, and God knows I love me a noodle, this type was too thick and wide.  Isn't it funny when you take the time to do something correctly and with your best efforts, it still fails.  That's about how life has been going lately.

Ryan Hall Y'all's Nader Beans!  With weather being big news, you've most likely latched on to a favorite channel or meteorologist.  Ryan Hall is my choice.  A baby-faced Southerner with a positive outlook on crappy weather. Actually, the coffee beans are really good too that he sells on his site.  I bought them to support the rescue efforts done by this man and his compadres out of Kentucky and was quite surprised how good the coffee tasted.  Money has never been too appealing, and I'm hard pressed to find a long list of things I want but really good coffee in the morning, one cup, would be a nice little luxury to enjoy each day.

A puffy omelet made with American Cheese.  

As with any omelet, you could go many ways in regards to toppings or fillings with the puffy variety.  But since the egg taste is mellowed by all the whipping, the sharp tang of the American Cheese is a nice partner.  Its reminiscent of a diner omelet. 

I Want You At the Moment I Feel Blue

Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Green Beans

We're in it now, snow storms, bitter cold temps, and hearty stews.  Nothing quite says winter like a vat of root vegetables in thick broth.  Chicken thighs with russet and Yukon gold potatoes gave this mixed medley it's moxie.  At the end, a little yogurt slurry to add some body and a package of frozen green beans.   

I remember watching in judgement years ago as Semi-homemade host Sandra Lee would bring out all the store bought packets and cans to add to her dishes.  But once in a while, I will add a 1/2 a packet of Ranch mix as I did here to the yogurt, as well as some chicken bouillon.  You have to watch your salt content with these shortcuts but within reason, they are great ideas, as are frozen vegetables.  

Try to Understand,... He's a Magic Man

This week, inspiration snuck in the back door to my subconscious and started kick boxing my piss poor attitude. Its winter, GET OVER IT! It said like a true New Yorker. So I did. I'm over it. I am embracing winter and vow not to complain again until the bitter end when you just have to honestly.

My focus is back to cooking. I began with a fantasy of eating a deep rich sauce...it was chicken cacciatore, Hunter's chicken. I could taste the sauce in my mind. I needed to make it reality. My intention was to work off a real recipe and try to follow it as much as I could. I'm doing okay with that, but I just can't seem to help myself. I gotta do what I feel inside. What works for me is to read through all the top recipes first and then do a mash-up version of all of them.

Some of the great recipes used bell peppers, some mushrooms. Why not have both? The more vegetables in a dish the better. The roasted vegetables burst with aromas. All the ingredients feel so rustic. I do feel like a hunter.





After roasting the bell peppers, roma tomatoes, red onions and bella mushrooms you sear the chicken and then make the sauce of red wine, chicken broth and canned whole tomatoes. The wine picks up the bits and pieces on the bottom of the pan, reduces down and becomes very full-bodied. Then the chicken and added garlic braises in that amazing broth for 45 minutes only to come out and join forces with those vegetables along with fresh basil, rosemary and capers. Holy Good Lord this is something out of Lydia's Italian kitchen! I couldn't figure my way out of a paper sack this week and yet I made this??? Unbelievable.





This dish is the perfect winter warmer. Braised meats are consoling and soothing. Winter is something to celebrate! Winter is male for sure. I'd say he's kinda magical. He says 'You don't have to love me yet, let's get high awhile'. Then you relax and start to get it. The holing up, the quiet on the streets, the time to just chill your ass out and just be for a couple of months without that big 'ole sun making you feel inadequate because you're not out in the park enjoying yourself or throwing some stupid ball around. The bitter cold sort of making your apartment feel like a birds nest. It's revitalizing and its like this dish and old man winter.







The part where I let my hick show is I didn't have any freshly made pasta so I had to serve it over elbow macaroni. You can take the girl out the trailer park....

Winter Wipe Out

This week will not be one that I will probably remember in the long term. January in general is a month I just sort of get through each year. If January were a color, it would probably be white. If it were a day of the week it would be Monday, obviously. Everyone must feel that a bit. You get through the holidays and then its just full-on winter with no marker in time to look forward to unless you're one of those freaks that likes Valentine's Day or something.

It could be a good month. I mean the whole future lies ahead. January is the start of a brand new year. But to me, all I see is white blank nothing. Its not necessarily bad but that's why I just get through it because I don't know what to do with all that blank space.

This week I also lacked a bit of inspiration in my cooking. Let's just say we had a lot of left over pork and no great sides.

Thank goodness P had the thought to bring home a basic frozen pizza from his Trader Joe's run. It was like Charlie Brown's little xmas tree. I had to sort of dress the little feller up. I added some ham and pineapple, a little cheddar and ricotta. The crust was great though. The salad was just seasoned tomatoes, green apples, arugula and chick peas but I made the vinaigrette with some of the pineapple juice and that really brightened the flavors. I love green apple in salads.

Next week I'll make some good stuff. I already have a couple of dishes in mind.

January is not so bad when you think about it. White as pure as the driven snow.