Turkey Bean and Kale Soup

Did someone say they wanted to eat something healthy?

We've been enjoying this soup since Christmas and when it was gone I went right back to town to buy more dried beans.

If you cleaned up your turkey carcass after Christmas dinner by putting it in the freezer,

it is a good time now to pull it out and try a new soup.

This Turkey Soup is full of nutrition with a dose of goodness in every spoonful with dark leafy greens and beans.

I always keep dried beans in my pantry and Kale is readily available during the winter months.

• 1 turkey carcass
• 4 litres of water or about 1 gallon
• 1 500 gram bag of great northern beans (about 2 cups)
• 3 stalks celery - diced
• 1 large onion - diced
• 4 carrots - diced
• 1 large bunch of kale - torn into bite sized pieces  ( to make about 6 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

1. Put the turkey carcass in a large stock pot and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer several hours.  (If you have a very large turkey carcass you might want to double the amount of water and then reserve half of the stock for another soup.  Freeze it in a ice cream pail.
3. Put the dried beans in a large saucepan and cover with water that is several inches above the beans.
4. Bring to a boil.  Boil 2 minutes and turn off heat and let sit an hour.  Strain.
5. Turn off the heat and strain the soup into another large pot.  Let the bones cool and pick of the meat and return it to the stock.  Discard the bones.
6. Turn the heat back on and add the beans and seasonings.
7. Simmer for an hour and a half and then add the vegetables, and simmer an additional hour or until the beans are tender.
8. Taste the soup and if necessary add a chicken bouillon cube to bring the flavour to your liking.

Peppermint Cheesecake

Rhoda, my cheesecake lovin' sister gave this recipe to me.

It has just the right amount of peppermint, giving it a refreshingly cool taste.

This is a perfect make ahead dessert. Allowing it to sit for a day or two perfects the taste and texture.

Ingredients:

• 4-250 gram packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• green food colouring, add 1 drop at a time until you get a 'minty' colour
• 1 cup liquid egg whites, found near the egg cooler in your grocery store
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups Oreo crumbs

Method:

1. Place crumbs in a lightly greased 12"spring form pan. Pour melted butter over crumbs and press onto the bottom of the pan forming your base crust. Set aside.
2. Beat together cream cheese and sugar.
3. Add peppermint and food colouring and mix until incorporated and you have a light 'minty' coloured mixture.
4. Add liquid egg whites and beat just until blended. Do not over beat.
5. Pour cream cheese mixture over crumbs. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Do not over bake.
6. Allow to cool in pan for 3 hours before removing. Stores well, covered in refrigerator.
7. When ready to serve decorate with whipped cream and mint wafers. Serves 10-12.

This cheesecake can easily be halved and baked in a smaller spring form. Freezes well.

Pineapple Rolls

These pineapple rolls are a wonderful addition to any brunch. They also are delicious cut in half, spread with butter and grilled.

• 2 cups scalded milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 7 to 8 cups of flour
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice, which you just drained from the can
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To make the dough:

1. Scald milk, add sugar, butter, and salt. Cool to lukewarm and add eggs which have been whisked.
2. Mix in 4 cups of flour with yeast. Stir in remaining flour one cup at a time to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic.
3. Cover and let rise until doubled for 1 hour.

For filling:

1. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour till smooth.
2. Add crushed pineapple, pineapple juice, sugar, and salt.
3. Bring to boil and cook for over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat and cool.

Preparing Rolls:

1. When dough has risen, punch down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 24" x 12" rectangle.
2. Spread filling within 1/2" of edges. Roll up jelly roll style, starting with long edge, pinch seam to seal.
3. Cut into 16 pieces. Place close together in two 9" by 13" greased baking pans.
4. Bake in a 350º oven for 35 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans and cool.
5. While still warm drizzle with glaze.

Some of you have been asking about letting the pineapple rolls rise before baking. I don't but I'm sure it's okay if you do.
I will also add that you could stir in the flour a cup at a time. That way you don't use any more flour than necessary.

Mushroom and Cream Dilly Chicken

Our church has pastorates which are smaller than our church but bigger than a care group.  We meet twice a month, mid-week and when we get together we eat supper together to start our evening.  Most times it is a potluck and I thought it might be a good idea for us to start sharing some meal ideas for larger groups.

This Chicken in the sauce is economical as far as a meat dish goes. 

• 4 kilograms / 8 pounds  boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
• 1 pound of frozen peeled large shrimp with tails on (optional)
• 4 - 6 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 1 48 ounce can mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup dry onion soup mix
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup freeze dried dill weed
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
• 1/2 cup sherry or chicken stock

1. Arrange the chicken thighs or breasts in the bottom of a large roasting pan.
2. Sprinkle the sliced mushrooms over the chicken
3. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken.  Cover.
4. Bake in a 350 oven for 2 hours. Add the frozen shrimp and continue to bake an additional hour uncovered.
5. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Note about cooking time.  I know this sounds like a very long time to bake the dish but it takes a long time just to get the sauce to a simmering point.  The chicken is not browned before putting the dish together so do not try to adjust the time.  If you break this recipe in half or even less adjust the cooking time.  If I was making enough for one family, I would still bake the dish for at least one hour and maybe even 1.5 hours.

This chicken served over hot rice or pasta or mashed potatoes with a salad and rolls  will serve 30 - 35 people. 

Bread for the Journey

Hebrews 12:11 NIV

" No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have trained by it."

The last few months I have been intent on de-cluttering our home and as a new year is upon us I am even more eager to get it done. The stuff falls into different categories, to keep, give away, or throw away. It's encouraging as I go along because as each area gets de-cluttered I feel a new zeal for life.
As important as this is to me I believe that it is even more important to de-clutter emotionally and spiritually as well. When we get rid of the baggage that we carry around in all areas of our life we will become more excited and energized to be able to follow God's will for us.
We need to simplify life from inside out and when we do this we will have more time for studying the Bible and for prayer.
I pray for a closer walk with our Heavenly Father and less distractions to keep us from His Word.

The 'frost on the window' in the photo above is a beautiful work of art by God.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Left overs are being used up at our house this week. We are eating a little less and adding a few more salads to our meals.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked rice
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup each, onion, celery, red pepper, carrots, chopped fine
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups left over chicken or turkey

Method:

1. Melt butter. Saute vegetables until crispy tender.
2. Add soup and stock. Stir to combine and simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Stir in cooked rice and meat. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased casserole dish and bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Serves 4.

Chicken Ala King

These little bread cups filled with left over turkey or chicken bathed in a flavourful sauce brings me back to my mom's kitchen. Back in the day when there was still regular Sunday evening church services my parents would often invite a group of their friends or new comers over for a light lunch after the service. During the afternoon mom would put our her best dishes and get things ready. Chicken Ala King is one of the things she would serve. along with veggies and dip, pickles and of course something sweet.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup celery, thinly diced
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream (or milk)
• 1/2 tin cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken or turkey, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 8 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed

Method:

1. Melt butter. Add onions and celery, and saute until translucent.
2. Sprinkle with flour and stir to absorb butter.
3. Add chicken stock, cream and soup. Stir well and let simmer 5 minutes.
4. Add meat and peas. Simmer another 15 minutes.
5. While the sauce is simmering, cut crusts off bread and press slices into muffin tin forming little bread cups.
6. Toast in 400º oven for 8-19 minutes. When toasted, remove to plate and fill with sauce. Serve immediately. Yields 4 servings.

Great Northern Beans with Sausage and Pork Chops

This time of year. . .I love to enjoy the fragrance of a slow cooker meal getting better and better as the day goes along.  You'll need to start this dish the day before by soaking your beans.  Great Northern beans are a good choice for this dish as they won't be as prone to fall apart during a long cooking period. 

• 1 pound or one 500 gram bag Great Northern Beans (rinsed and soaked overnight in a 6 cup measuring cup filled to the top with cold water)
• 2 pounds or about 1 kilogram fast fry boneless pork chops
• salt and pepper to season
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 heaping tablespoon bottled minced garlic.  ..or about 6 cloves minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, with the juice
• 1 ring kielbasa or farmer sausage cut into bite-sized pieces  (optional. . you could cut both amounts of meat in half if you prefer less meat)
• 1/3 cup pot barley
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon summer savoury
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 can tomato paste  (added after the beans are cooked through)
• handful fresh parsley  .about 1/2 cup chopped

1. Drain your beans and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Preheat a large fry pan over medium-high heat. .do  not use non-stick unless it is all you have.  You want to brown the meat and non-stick does not do this easily.  Spray your pan with cooking spray and add the oil. 
3. Sprinkle your chops with salt and pepper and begin to brown them. Don't crowd the pan. .or they'll just poach instead of fry.  As they brown, flip them over and brown the other side and then transfer them to the slow cooker.  Repeat until all the chops have browned.
4. Add the onion to the pan and stir while it starts to turn translucent add the garlic and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add this to the pot and then add the rest of the ingredient (except the tomato paste)
6. Add the tomato paste once the beans are cooked through.
7. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low 10 - 12  hours or high 6-8 hours.  The best idea is to make it a day ahead and then reheat it the following day.  The flavors will continue to get better.

Use spoons or forks, your choice. ..but be sure to serve with crusty buns.

Bread for the Journey

Fight the Good Fight...
I’ve been reading off and on a devotional by John Piper called Taste and See -Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life - 140 Meditations. I’m sharing part of Meditation 50 (How Can Elsie Run? How to Run and Box when You are over 80) I’ve highlighted in bold print parts that really spoke to me…

…”Are running and boxing only for the fit and hardy?
The answer is that we all must run, whether old or young, whether sick or healthy. And this is possible for the sick and senile because the race is run with the heart, not the legs, and the fight is fought with the heart, not the fists. It is a race and a fight not against other athletes, but against unbelief. It is possible for the aged and weak to win this fight because the fight is a fight against lost hope, not against lost health.
Here’s the biblical evidence for this. In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul says to Timothy: “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession” The fight is a “fight of faith.” It is not a fight to get out of bed, but to rest in God.
It is not a fight to keep all the powers of youth, but to trust in the power of God. The race is run against temptations that would make us doubt God’s goodness. It is a fight to stay satisfied in God through broken hips and lost sight and failed memory. The race can and may be run flat on your back. In fact, it may be run and fought better by the paralyzed than by the able and seemingly self-sufficient.
…Finishing the race means not giving up the hope of the gospel. It is a race against hopelessness, not against flawlessness.
When we cheer on the diseased or aging runners who run their final laps in hospital beds, what we are really saying is, “Do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35) The finish line is crossed in the end, not by a burst of human energy, but by collapsing into the arms of God. And let us not forget: In the Christian race, we do not finish alone. We finish together. It is part of the rules. “Encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called Today, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13)”

I find this very encouraging and I hope it will encourage someone out there who is having a hard time running. Keep the faith. Keep looking ahead to the Hope we have in Christ. Keep acknowledging God’s goodness to you every day. Blessings on you…

Wassail ( Hot Spiced Tea)

On behalf of our MGCC team,
I wish very one of you dear readers and followers of our blog

a VERY blessed Happy New Year!

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My friend in the deep south has a family tradition of drinking 'Wassail' on Christmas Day. I think we might call it Hot Punch.

I remember in the early 80's we were at a meeting one winter evening where the hostess made a hot spiced fruit punch . It was the first time I had had anything like it and I still remember the taste of the first surprise sip!

This Wassail is just like it! I love it ! and when it is cooking the smell in the house is delightful!

I know Christmas is past ... but I think this hot spiced tea would be lovely for New Year's too -- or any winter day!

So, here is the Wassail recipe courtesy of my friend Tammie!

Ingredients

• 1/2 gal. unsweetened tea (I used 8 cups of boiling water and 9 Orange Pekoe tea bags)
• 46 oz. of Pineapple juice
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 24 whole Cloves
• 24 whole allspice (or 3 tsp of ground allspice)
• 1 tin of frozen orange juice (12oz/355ml)
• 1 tin of frozen lemonade (12 oz/355 ml)
• 2 cups sugar ( I found this a little too sweet - I think 1 1/2 cups is lots)
• 5 cups water

Method

1. Bring the first 5 ingredients to a boil in a huge soup pot (larger than a 5 quart size)
2. Boil for 15 minutes
3. then add the sugar and frozen juices
4. Add 5 cups of water to make a total of 5 quarts wassail.
5. Heat until hot. Serve .... can be kept warm in a slow cooker for a party.

200 cal. per 8 oz serving with significant Vitamin C .

**Note -- Don't forget to make your New Year's fritters ! Click on the picture at the top right side bar for the regular recipe or find my GF recipe here.

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