Category Archives: Meat/ Poultry

Boneless Leg of Lamb

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, ,

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Boneless Leg of Lamb is one of those “special” meals I make when I find lamb on sale and I have a little extra time to prepare dinner. I like to cook the lamb low and slow which means on relatively low heat and slow in the oven to ensure the lamb gets nice and tender.

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The last time I made boneless leg of lamb was for Easter. I wanted something other than the traditional ham we usually have each year and everyone seemed on board for a change of menu. That was my first hurdle. The second hurdle turned out to be browning the lamb. I idea was for me to brown the lamb in my dutch oven then saute the veggies in the same pot to infuse the flavor of the lamb into the veggies. Well, when I placed the lamb in the dutch oven the hot oil sloshed up onto my wrist and burned me. No worries. After I finished screaming and running cool water over the burn I finished browning the lamb and kept on cooking.

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Needless to say I was determined that my boneless leg of lamb would be a success since I had suffered for the “art” of cooking. I was not disappointed and neither was the family. Everyone enjoyed the meal and the celebration of renewed life as dictated by the day. I even added to our old family tradition by preparing lamb instead of ham. Next year I think we will have both!

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Boneless Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:
1 boneless leg of lamb
1 large onion sliced
1 pint mushrooms whole or sliced
1 bottle good beer
1 cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp thyme
smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat until slightly smoky.

Season lamb with all seasonings then gently place in hot oil. Brown leg of lamb on both sides. Remove from dutch oven and set aside. Add onions and mushrooms to dutch oven and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stir veggies and let them brown a little. Add beer and water to deglaze the pot. Return leg of lamb to the pot and place in the oven. Baste the lamb every 15 minutes for the first hour then every 30 minutes the next hour. Remove lamb the oven and dutch oven. Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice or shred lamb and enjoy.

Optional:
Make a light gravy with the broth from the lamb or use a jar of beef bistro jus.

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Chili Nachos

Appetizers, Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

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Get ready to get messy and grab a fork! I just made chili nachos and they were wonderful. I first made Tex-Mex chili using ground turkey instead of beef but feel free to use any meat you prefer to make chili. I liked the idea of a Tex-Mex chili because the flavors are bolder (in my opinion) than regular chili. Because I planned to use the chili as a topping for nachos I did not add all of the veggies I sometimes use in my chili. I kept this one simple by using only onions instead of adding various peppers and shredded carrots.

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Long ago I made all kinds of nacho dishes for the family usually when I was fixed for time to get dinner on the table. I would search the refrigerator for leftovers I could use as a topping for nachos that would not make my hubby and kids look at me like I had two heads.

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The idea of combining chili and nachos came to mind while watching a food show about restaurants and their specialties. There was one restaurant that served chili nachos but piled so much stuff on the nachos that you forgot there were nachos some where in the giant mound of food sitting on the table. I liked the concept but not all of the stuff!

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Chili Nachos are made to be messy as I said in the beginning. So, if nobody is looking, you can eat them with your fingers. Just let the juices and cheese drip down your fingers. If you aren’t into flavorful fingers, grab a fork and scoop up the chili and nachos without missing a drop. I personally like eating chili and nachos using both my fingers and a fork to make sure I don’t miss anything on my plate … or fingers!

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Chili Nachos

Ingredients:

Chili:
2 lbs ground turkey
1 15 oz can black beans (undrained)
1 15 oz can small white beans (undrained)
1 15 oz can small kidney beans (undrained)
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 pkg Tex Mex chili seasoning
½ onion diced
½ cup water
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp black pepper
½ tbsp Adobo seasoning
½ tbsp cilantro
½ tsp nutmeg
10 dashes hot sauce

Nachos/ Toppings:
1 bag Tostitos Nacho Chips
2 plum tomatoes seeded and sliced into strips
1 small pkg Velveeta cheese cubed1 small jar salsa (hot or mild)
1 small jar sliced jalapeno peppers
1 avocado sliced
½ cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup sliced olives

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Season turkey with salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce over medium high heat and drain. Add beans, remaining seasonings, hot sauce, fired roasted tomatoes and water to a large pot. Let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add browned turkey to the pot and stir. Simmer and additional 15 minutes.

Add cubed Velveeta cheese and ½ cup of salsa to a microwave safe bowl. Place in microwave for 2 minutes then stir to mix salsa and cheese. Microwave for an additional 1 ½ minutes until bubbly.

Layer an aluminum pie tin or an oven safe plate with nacho chips. Using a slotted spoon scoop chili over nachos then layer with Velveeta mixture. Add a little more chili, jalapeno peppers, fresh tomatoes, olives and shredded cheese. Place in oven until cheese melts. Top with sliced avocados.

 

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Moroccan Chicken

Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, ,

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A little spicy with a nice wave of heat, Moroccan chicken is an explosion of flavors in your mouth. It is a meal unto itself and is a great way to add some pizazz to chicken. Most folks have had chicken at some point in their life unless they are vegetarian. Because chicken is eaten so often at our house I have to come up with new and creative ways to prepare it for dinner.

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I was inspired to create a Moroccan chicken dish after watching a show about Moroccan foods. I was fascinated by the combination of seasonings the chefs used to to produce new flavors. Since I started blogging I have been more adventurous in trying new seasonings and combinations of foods. For this dish I stretched myself and crossed my fingers that I had not gone too far in throwing together seasonings I don’t usually use with chicken.

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I have to be honest. While the Moroccan chicken was simmering on the stove my youngest son came and asked me what was that smell. He told me it smelled good and bad at the same time. He couldn’t quite explained why but said it was unusual. Not a good sign I thought to myself then told him to be patient and wait until he tasted it before he judged it. I figured it was the combination of nutmeg, cinnamon and turmeric that may have thrown him off. I just kept my fingers crossed that I was not cooking a flop.

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Not to worry. Once they tasted it I saw nothing but smiles and happy faces. My hubby loved the various flavors and layers of heat. He could not pin point any one flavor he liked but enjoyed the combination of flavors. You know you have a hit when folks want to lick the plate to make sure they get every drop.

Moroccan Chicken

Ingredients:
8 – 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion sliced
1 can spicy diced tomatoes
2 stalks of celery sliced
4 tbsp frying olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup lite coconut milk
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Seasonings
½ tbsp cumin
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp turmeric
½ tbsp thyme
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper

Wash chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat frying pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken in batches and brown. Drain chicken on a paper towel and set aside.

Add onions to pan and saute until translucent. Pour off oil. Add can of diced tomatoes, garlic and 1 can of water. Add remaining seasonings then whisk in coconut milk. Add chicken to the pan and cover. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes then lower heat and let simmer 30 minutes more.

Serve over angel hair pasta or rice.

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Whiskey Glazed Ham

Meat/ Poultry, , ,

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I confess! I am a meat lover and I eat pork. Before my vegetarian brothers and sisters get up in arms, I want you to know I also love veggies. I sometimes create meals that are meatless but probably not as often as I should. Still, we have veggies with every meal and usually include a salad too. Don’t get me wrong. I am not feeling guilty because I eat meat but I just felt I needed to say that out loud. Of course if you have been following dmariedining.com it is obvious we are a meat eating family. However, my youngest son and I are really the only pork lovers in the household.

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Growing up we had pork quite a bit besides chicken. In my lifetime, I have probably eaten almost every part of pig from the snoot to the tail. Those of you with southern roots have probably done the same. Nothing goes to waste with southern cooks. Now that I am older and cook for myself there are parts of a pig you could not pay me enough to eat. Bacon, pork chops, ribs, sausage and ham are things I like to eat but I do limit how often we eat them.

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Last weekend I finally decided to fix the ham I have had in the freezer for a while. Because we do limit how much pork we eat I thought my family would eat it one night and then I would have to freeze the leftovers. What was I thinking? As soon as I took the ham out of the oven my son was asking if he could taste it. After cutting a few slices I looked away for a second and they were gone. When I asked him what happened to all of the slices his comment to me was “You knew what you were getting into when you cooked the ham”. Translation…. Mom you know I love ham so what did you expect!?!

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Needless to say the leftovers I thought I would have to freeze were gone in three days. Between my son and me I think we had ham for breakfast, lunch or dinner each day. At this point, I am all hammed out but I must say it was good while it lasted.

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Whiskey Glazed Ham

Ingredients:
1 12 lb ham
1 4 oz can slice pineapple (reserve juice)
1 cup 7 UP or ginger ale
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup whiskey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place ham in a large pot and fill ½ way with water. Boil for 1 ½ to 2 hours over medium high heat. (helps to remove salt) Save broth for another recipe.

Place ham in a roasting pan and pour 7 UP over the ham while hot. In a medium bowl mix together brown sugar, mustard, whiskey and juice from pineapple. Score the ham then dot with cloves and lay the pineapple slices around the ham (secure with toothpicks). Pour brown sugar mixture over ham. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes basting every 10 minutes. Allow the ham to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

 

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Butter Bean and Kale Soup with Smoked Turkey

Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, , , ,

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For me, eating soup is something you do all year round. Especially, during the winter months when the weather chills your bones and makes your teeth chatter kind of like today. I was up and out of the house early this morning and the thermometer was in the single digits. At that point, I knew I would make a hearty, healthy pot of butter bean and kale soup with smoked turkey.

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I am not sure of why I thought of this combination for the soup but since I love beans and I love kale I figured why not put the two together. Both the beans and the kale are very healthy and full of vitamins and minerals that help increase energy and help to fight against many diseases. Smoked turkey is also a healthier choice compared to beef and adds a ton of flavor.

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If you are looking for something unique and flavorful to fix the next time you want a hearty soup, try making a butter bean and kale soup. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how good butter beans and kale are together.

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Butter Bean and Kale Soup with Smoked Turkey

Ingredients:
3 cans butter beans undrained
3 cups fresh kale
4 cups water
2 smoked turkey legs
1 tbsp roasted garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp salt
½ tbsp black pepper
½ tsp Adobo
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook turkey in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water for 30 minutes. Strain 4 cups of broth into a large pot (may need to add a little more water). Add butter beans, kale, roasted garlic and sea to the broth. Stir and let simmer over medium heat for 25 – 30 minutes until kale is done.

Optional: If using dried butter beans prepare according to package and use the turkey broth as the liquid for cooking. Add other ingredients half way through the cooking process for the beans.

May also cook smoked turkey on the stove for 1 to 1 ½ hours until turkey is tender.

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Open Faced Taco

Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , ,

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An Open Faced Taco came to mind when I was looking for something to do with the extra tortillas I had on hand. I usually roll up the tortillas and make enchiladas but I had a taste for tacos not enchiladas. Instead of making a basic folded soft taco I imagined I could make an open faced taco similar to an open faced sandwich.

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Just like an open faced sandwich my open faced taco can be eaten with either a knife and fork or with your fingers. Depending on the meal, I like the idea of eating with my fingers to catch all the wonderful bits and pieces that try to escape my mouth. Fried chicken, open faced tacos or pizza. All of them are finger licking good but for now open faced tacos are at the top of my list.

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Open Faced Taco

Ingredients:
4-6 tortillas
1 lb ground turkey or beef (optional: shredded chicken)
1 avocado sliced
1 14 oz can black beans drained
1 cup shredded lettuce
½ cup Mexican cheese or pepper jack cheese
½ cup fresh salsa
¼ cup red onion finely sliced
¼ cup taco sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup sliced black olives
½ cup water
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Adobo
1 1 oz pkg taco seasoning
Heat vegetable oil in a non- stick frying pan on medium heat. Lightly brown tortillas on each side. Drain on paper towels. Pour out oil from the pan. Reduce heat to low melt butter. Add black beans, red onion, ½ tbsp salt and ½ cup water. Warm the beans for 3 – 5 minutes then gently mash the beans. Turn off heat.

Brown ground turkey on medium high heat in a large frying pan. Drain off any grease. Reduce heat to medium low. Add seasonings along with ½ cup water and taco seasoning. Stir to mix well. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

Assemble Taco:
Taco
Spread a spoonful of black beans on bottom of taco
Meat
Taco Sauce
Black Olives
Lettuce
Fresh Salsa
Cheese

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Mom’s Fried Chicken

Meat/ Poultry, ,

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My mother makes the best crispy fried chicken I have ever eaten. Unlike most people she doesn’t just dip her chicken in flour. Instead, she taught me how to prepare the chicken by making a batter to coat the chicken which makes it nice and crispy.

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It took me a few years to perfect my fried chicken but I knew I had hit my mark when at a family picnic my mom told me my fried chicken tasted as good as hers. That was one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive. My mom is known for her cooking. Besides cooking being her profession my mom just loves to cook. I cannot remember ever having a bad meal growing up unless you count the occasional frozen TV dinners.

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Since I started cooking on my own I have not resorted to fixing a frozen TV dinner for myself or my family. But my son will let me know if a meal does not quite measure up. Thankfully, he loves my fried chicken and says it’s as good as Mom Mom’s.

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Mom’s Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
4-6 drumsticks
1 pkg chicken wings or wingettes
2 cups vegetable oil
½ cup flour
½ cup water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp Adobo seasoning
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
4 – 6 dashes hot sauce

Heat oil to 360 degrees (should be very hot slightly smoking) in a dutch oven.

In a large bowl add chicken, seasonings and hot sauce. Mix to coat chicken. Sprinkle flour over chicken. Gradually add ½ of the water and mix the chicken. Add more water as needed until a thin paste is formed on the chicken.

Slowly add chicken a 5- 6 pieces a time. Do not over crowd the pot. Turn the chicken after 8 – 10 minutes and cook thoroughly. Drain on paper towels

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Turkey Bean Burritos

Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , ,

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Mmmm… I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how good my Turkey Bean Burritos were on the first try. Like I have said on other occasions, keep it simple and stick to the basics. Since tortillas have become a staple in my pantry I thought I would try a few new recipes using tortillas. I had made chicken enchiladas and figured burritos would not be to much of a stretch to make.

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Burritos like tacos are part of the “Tex-Mex” cuisine which is a culinary tradition of both Southwestern USA and Northern Mexico. Depending on if you are in the US or in Mexico the fillings you find in Burritos are different. In the US we tend to add a lot of ingredients to Burritos such as rice, beans, lettuce, cheese and avocado. In Mexico Burritos can be much simpler filled with only meat and refried beans.

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I like the US version of Burritos so I fill mine up with several ingredients. Be careful not to over fill them or you will never be able to roll up the Burritos. Depending on your audience you can make every Burrito different based on their tastes.

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However you decide to fill up your Burritos, have fun with it and make it your own.

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Turkey Bean Burritos

Ingredients:
6 – 8 tortillas
1 lb ground turkey
1 14 oz can refried beans
1 10 oz black beans rinsed
1 packet taco seasoning
1 jar taco sauce
½ cup water
½ cup fresh salsa
½ cup Mexican cheese or pepper jack cheese
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp Adobo seasoning
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cumin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Warm refried beans in a small sauce pan stirring occasionally. Brown turkey. Pour off excess fat. Season meat with salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, cinnamon and worcestershire sauce. Add water and taco seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat.

Spread refried beans on a tortilla. Add 2 – 3 tbsp of meat on one end of the tortilla. Top with black beans, salsa and cheese. Fold sides of the tortilla towards the middle. Roll the end of the tortilla forward and tuck in the sides. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle taco sauce over the tortilla and top with a sprinkle of cheese. Bake for 10 15 minutes until the cheese melts.

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Chicken Quinoa Soup with Napa Cabbage

Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , ,

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Light, bright soups are fun to make and wonderful to eat. I recently wanted to make a light chicken soup to take away the chill on a cold winter day. I didn’t want to use pasta and thought Quinoa would be a great substitute for noodles.

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Quinoa has a unique texture and is easy to use in recipes. I have made salads using Quinoa and even created a Spinach Quinoa Cake that was delicious (check it out at dmariedining.com). Adding Quinoa to the chicken soup definitely kept it light and adding Napa Cabbage helped kick up the flavor and nutritional value.

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Next time you have a desire for a quick tasty soup or just want to use the leftover chicken in the frig think about making a nice Chicken and Quinoa Soup with Napa Cabbage.

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Chicken and Quinoa Soup with Napa Cabbage

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken pre-cooked
2 cups Napa cabbage shredded
4 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups Quinoa rinsed
1 bay leaf
½ cup baby carrots thinly sliced
½ cup slice celery
¼ cup red peppers thinly sliced into strips
¼ cup red onion chopped
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp seasoned salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp Adobo seasoning
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp parsley
½ tsp cilantro
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook Quinoa according to package. Set aside.

Place chicken in a small bowl and season with seasoned salt and onion powder. Set aside.

Add chicken broth, onions, peppers, celery, carrots, bay leaf and seasonings to a large pot on medium high heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium then stir in chicken, Quinoa and cabbage. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with crackers.

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Grandma Dee’s Chicken and Dumplings

Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, , , ,

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Chicken and Dumplings is the ultimate grandma comfort food. If made like my grandmother use to make it, it is packed with chunks of meat, sweet vegetables, potatoes and plenty of dumplings. The dumplings are my favorite part. I love almost anything made with dumplings whether it is a main course or a sweet treat like cobbler.

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Now that I am a grandma, I thought I should come up with my own chicken and dumplings recipe that my grand kids would love. Since I prefer quick and easy to long and difficult I used preformed dumplings along with fresh veggies and chicken to shorten the prep and cooking time.

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The end result was a dish I was proud to call “Grandma Dee’s Chicken and Dumplings”.

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Grandma Dee’s Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots peeled, sliced
1 small onion chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped (optional)
1 box frozen peas
1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
5 cups water
½ box Anne’s frozen dumplings
½ tsp poultry seasoning
½ Adobo seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 bay leaf

In a large pot add water, chicken, 1 stalk of celery, 2 tbsp onions and seasonings. Cook at medium high temperature until chicken is tender and cooked all the way through. Remove chicken. Chop chicken into big chunks and set aside.

Strain broth then add broth back to the pot. Add carrots, remaining onions, celery, jalapeno pepper and a little more salt. Cook for 10 minutes then add peas and dumplings. Cook for another 8 minutes gently stirring the dumplings.

In a small bowl add cream of chicken soup and ½ cup of the hot broth. Whisk them together then add to the pot along with the chicken. Reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes to heat chicken and soup mixture.

To prepare in a crock pot:
Add chicken, water, celery, onions, carrots, jalapeno pepper and seasonings to a crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hour. Add carrots and dumplings. Gently stir in the dumplings and cook an additional 15 minutes. In a small bowl add cream of chicken soup and ½ cup of the hot broth. Add mixture and peas to the crock pot. Reduce to low heat and cook for 10 more minutes.

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