HOT TURKEY SANDWICH

 

A COMPLETE INDEX TO ALL OF OUR RECIPES CAN BE FOUND  HERE . 

Wow!!!  Has it been that long????? I am afraid it has been a while. 

So, what have I been up to???

The usual. Ham Radio, Cooking, Gardening, Woodworking, and other stuff.

I finally got the urge to cook something new and that is todays subject.

(Kinda in a hurry on this post. We have a CAT 5 Hurricane headed up our driveway.)

The boss (as in wife) and I was watching Diners Drive Inns & Dives

and we saw an interesting way of cooking Turkey.

We thought we would give it a try.

When I was a lad, we used to go to the Five and Dime

and have lunch. One of my favorites was the Hot Turkey Sandwich.

Hot and flavorful Turkey on top of bread with smashed up taters and gravy. yum yum yum. 

So, let's go into the kitchen and start creating.

What set this recipe apart is that you BOIL the turkey. 

Start with some Onions and Carrots. 

Add some Celery.

Put it all in a large pot. 

Place your Turkey on top. (We used a Turkey Breast.)

Place the Turkey Breast (take it out of the package) on top of the veggies and add some Bell's Seasoning

And some Salt and Pepper

Add water.

Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer. Cook for 1- 1 1/2 hours. Or until the breast temp is 180 degrees.

When it is done, remove from the pot and place it on a cookie sheet and cover with foil.

If you like cooked carrots, like I do, then remove them from the pot. They are right tastey......

Now you can strain the broth into a large bowl and set aside. You can also throw out the veggies. 

Now let's make the gravy.

Using a large saucepan, add a stick of butter and melt it. When melted, add some Wondra Flour. (I used about 2/3 Cup.) Start stirring to make your rough.

When it is nice and combined, start adding the strained broth one scoop at a time. Keep adding until you get the right consistency. 

Add some Turkey base 

and a bit more Bells Seasoning. I also added a bit of premade broth to augment the broth that I made.

Not you can carve up the turkey. 

On the DDD episode they put it back into the broth to heat up. (Not the gravy, the BROTH) We did not do that as I thought the hot gravy would do the trick. It did.

Serve with a side salad and mashed up taters. (And some of the cooked carrots for me.)

Looks just like the Five and Dime version. I never though you could BOIL a Turkey. Usually, we roast them in the oven, then make gravy out of the drippings. This worked out better than expected.

It tasted great and brought back a memory or two. We could have made stuffing, but we opted for the more 50's version.

And I am glad we did.

Only one issue. We had a TON of gravy left over. We had leftovers the next night, and STILL had more gravy.

I'll show you what I did with it NEXT TIME on Around the Kitchen.

God speed Mother Nature

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Welcome back to Around the Kitchen. Today another savory treat from Natashia's Kitchen.

I love to make her dishes, as they are easy to make and are tasty!
Today's recipe does not come from her cookbook. 

Get the Cook Book !!
But from her web site:  It's a Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is such a simple and quick recipe, perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken breast tossed with tender pasta in a creamy Cajun garlic sauce, ready in 30 minutes.

A complete index to all of our recipes can be found HERE

Let's get to it.

Prep Time: 10minutes mins

Cook Time: 20minutes mins

Total Time: 30minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 6 servings

• 8 oz linguine pasta
  
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning, divided, (or added to taste depending on the brand you use*)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2/3 cup diced tomatoes (these came from our garden)
• 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped, to serve (also from the garden)

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 TBL salt.

• 
   Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
• 
   Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water then drain, cover, and keep warm.
• 
  
  
  Cut your chicken sideways into 2 pieces
• 
• Place plastic wrap o top of the chicken slice and pound the chicken breasts so that they are even in thickness and season all over with 1½ Tbsp Cajun seasoning.
  
  
  In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. 
• 
  Once hot, add the chicken and sear on both sides. 
• 
  
  Turn heat down to low and sauté until cooked through and 165˚F on an instant read thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into thin strips, and cover to keep warm.

In the same skillet over medium heat, sauté the butter and garlic for 30-60 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant

Add the diced tomatoes and sauté another 2 minutes

Add in the heavy whipping cream, add some Cajun seasoning to taste. Add the parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer. 

Add the sliced chicken and cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until combined and the pasta and the chicken are warmed through.

• 
  
  
  Add warm reserved pasta water if desired to thin the sauce. (I did not need to do this step) Serve with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

A couple of notes from Natashia

*Avoid using cast iron or copper pans anytime you are making a creamy sauce with an acidic product like tomato, or it will react and make the sauce grainy. 

*If you are using a Cajun seasoning that has a high salt content, start with half of the seasoning and add more to taste. 
480 calories / 34 g carbs / 18 g protein / 31 g fat
This recipe was G R E A T!!  But be careful, it will fill you up in no time. We had PLENTY of leftovers.
One note of caution: This recipe FLIES by in a flash. Make sure you have ALL of your ingredients ready ahead of time. You'll thank me later.

See you next time on Around The Kichen

God Speed, Mother Nature