Italian Chicken and Bean Soup

NOTE:  Southern Sundays will continue next week!

Baby it's cold outside....

Not really, once again it's warm in So. California.  The weather is up and down.  Very unusual this late in the year.  But I'm pretending that it's cold...I'm craving soup.  A nice hearty, meaty, Italian flavored soup!

This soup is that and more.  Full of flavors that you love about Italian cooking.  Such a great dish to make on the weekend or during the week if you want as it doesn't take long to make.  I was very pleased with the outcome, seeking for the right pairing of ingredients to make this tasty.  And it is!

Serve with a crusty Italian bread, such as ciabatta, and a salad of bitter greens, such as arugula, and you are good to go.

Enjoy a nice pot of homemade soup!

NOTE:  Southern Sundays will continue next week!

Italian Chicken and Bean Soup

serves 4

3 center cut bacon slices, chopped

1 large boneless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, partially drained

1 T dried oregano

1/4 t black pepper

2 cups water

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup uncooked orzo

1 (15-oz) can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 T white wine vinegar

1/4 t salt

Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat 7 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set bacon aside.

Add chicken to drippings in pan; saute 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add tomato, oregano, and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return bacon and chicken to pan. Stir in 2 cups water and broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Add orzo, and cook for 9 minutes or until al dente. Add beans; cook 2 minutes or until heated. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, vinegar, and salt.

Turkey Leftover Recipes and Ideas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

One filled with family, friends, and love.  And lots of leftovers!
So you may be thinking what am I going to do with all this left over turkey?

I have some great ideas for you.  Some of them I've made, and a few that I found that I want to try myself and wanted to share them with you too, so you can try them as well.

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister Sue's house in Tennessee.  We had quite a bit of leftovers, turkey among them.  We decided to make Enchiladas substituting the chicken for turkey.  It was a secret though.  We didn't think that everyone would actually want to eat turkey enchiladas.  So we made them, ate them, and no one knew...until after.  A couple of groans, but everyone actually like them.  I thought they were great.  Turkey is a meat that when mixed with other items it looses it's distinctive flavor.  And this is one of those dishes.  Here's a pic of Sue's enchiladas (lookin' good Sue!).  You can take your favorite enchilada recipe and just use turkey, or try mine in the link below.  They rock!

Beth's Favorite Enchiladas

Soup is always a great way to use leftover turkey.  This one with wild rice is really easy to make and very hearty.  Great for the fall weather.  You can find the link to the recipe below in the title name.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Tetrazzini is a nice Italian casserole and has been adapted to utilize leftover turkey.  A wonderful dish to try, full of flavor the whole family will love.  I made the turkey version of this dish  but never did post it.  So here it is!

Turkey Tetrazzini

serves 4

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 to 3 tablespoons dry sherry, if desired
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt margarine in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; stir in half-and-half, sherry, 1/4 cup parsley, salt, nutmeg and pepper.

Add cooked spaghetti and turkey to mushroom mixture; stir gently to mix. Spoon mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Cover; bake at 350°F. for 45 to 55 minutes or until thoroughly heated, removing foil during last 10 minutes of baking time. Sprinkle with parsley.


Lastly I saw this on the food network channel the other day and thought "what a great idea".  It's for a turkey sandwich on a stuffing patty, using most of your Turkey day ingredients.  Wonderful!

Open Faced Turkey Stuffing Patty with Gravy and Cranberry Sauce

Recipe courtesy Jeffrey Mauro

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 2 hr 0 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

·         4 slices bacon

·         2 cups Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing, recipe follows

·         Canola oil, if needed

·         12 fresh sage leaves

·         8 ounces leftover turkey meat

·         1 cup leftover turkey gravy, heated through

·         1/2 cup Simple Cranberry Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Cook the bacon in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until extra crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined-plate to drain and reserve the fat in the skillet.

Meanwhile pack a 1 cup dry measure tightly with a 1/2 cup of the Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing. Dump the stuffing onto a baking sheet and press down into a 4-inch-wide-cake, using a flat spatula. Repeat until you have 4 patties.

Heat the reserved bacon fat in the skillet over medium heat. Carefully lay 2 patties in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Transfer the patties to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 patties.

Add oil to the skillet if needed. Add the sage and fry, about 30 seconds. Transfer the sage to a paper-towel-lined-plate using a slotted spoon.

Divide the turkey meat onto each patty and pour gravy over top. Crumble 1 crispy bacon slice over the turkey. Dollop with the Simple Cranberry Sauce and garnish with the sage.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Pancakes with a Blackberry Compote

What to do with leftover blackberries?

I had some leftover from my Red Leaf Salad with Blackberries and Blue Cheese dish the other night.  Not wanting to freeze them, (my freezer is full...seriously!) I decided to make a compote with some of them.  

Breakfast is a favorite meal of mine for the weekend, and I decided to make my favorite pancakes and top them with a warm blackberry compote.  Yum!

A compote is a mixture of whole fruit that is cooked with water, sugar, and in this case lemon juice to break down the fruit and create a nice syrup.  Chunks of whole fruit will remain in the mixture adding texture.  So delishhh!  You can use this over the pancakes I have here, or over pound cake, how about some ice cream!

See how yummy these look.  Enjoy your breakfast!

Kitchen tip:  Freeze any leftover pancakes.  You can heat them in the microwave or toaster during the week for a quick breakfast or use them as a base for a snack. 

You can find the pancake recipe here just omit the fruit topping ingredients: Strawberry Banana Pancakes  

Blackberry Compote

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Combine 1 cup of the blackberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the blackberries and cook for 8 minutes more, stirring frequently. Serve warm.