Hearty Turkey Soup

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Every year, I make the Turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. And every year, there are so many leftovers! (Better to have too much food than not enough, right?)

Instead of having the same thanksgiving meal on repeat until the leftovers are finished, this year, I decided to turn those leftovers into something slightly different. I made turkey soup!

If you think about it, pretty much all of your thanksgiving dinner elements can just be thrown into a pot with broth - carrots, potatoes, just throw them all in!

Usually, I need something to eat alongside my soup as I never really feel full with just soup alone - but not with this recipe! Both the Mister and I were full! (And he's never full after just one serving. Oh how I wish I had his metabolism.) This hearty turkey soup recipe truly eats like a meal!

   Hearty Turkey Soup
   

 

 

Makes: 6 servings<

Preptime: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cooked turkey meat (shredded or diced)

1/2 cup turkey drippings 

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup pasta noodles

2 celery stalks, chopped 

2 clove garlic, minced 

1/2 onion, diced

1 carrot, sliced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

salt and pepper to taste 

  

 

Instructions:

1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender (approximately 2-3 minutes). 
2. Add broth, vegetables, turkey and turkey drippings and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add pasta noodles and cook until desired tenderness. 
   

Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes

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You can feel the crispness in the air that is fall.

When the weather starts to change, I immediately want food that is warm and comforting.  And now that I don't have to worry as much about summer's typical revealing clothes, I automatically eat more desserts!

One of my favourite drinks for fall is, hands down, a chai tea latte.  To this day, I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would want a vegetable flavoured latte! I can't stand anything tasting like pumpkin - especially that artificial pumpkin flavouring. yuck!

Back in high school, a friend of mine first introduced me to her homemade chai tea, and I fell in love. I love all the warm spicy goodness that goes in to it - cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and my personal favourite, cinnamon, of course. It was only a matter of time before I combined this amazing concoction together to create the perfect dessert.

These cupcakes makes the perfect dessert to any fall or winter occasion. It’s all those warm fuzzy feelings captured in a cupcake.

   Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes
   

Makes: 18 cupcakes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup instant chai latte powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cupcake Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).
3. Add the chai powder, ginger, cinnamon, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Beat until smooth.
5. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups icing (powdered) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water, as needed
Icing Instructions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together all the ingredients until fluffy.
2. Spread on cooled cupcakes using a spatula or icing tip.

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Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

The Lifestyle RSS

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I have been keeping warm by making soups at home. And to suit the season, I decided the first soup of the fall season should be a butternut squash. 

I was never really a fan of soup - I only ate it when I was sick. But a little while ago, the Mister and I went out to dinner and I decided to try the restaurant's butternut squash soup.  I was hooked!

It's a flavourful, rich and hearty soup without any cream or dairy.

This recipe has just the right amount of heat- All the warm and cozy feelings of fall in your bowl.

   Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

Makes:6 servings

Preptime: 20 minutes

Cook time:40 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed, seeds removed

1 medium potato, peeled, cubed 

1 onion, chopped 

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 tbs oil (divided in half)

4 cups, chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp garlic powder, divided

1 tsp onion powder, divided 

1/2 tsp thyme

2 pinches cayenne pepper 

salt and pepper to taste 

  

 

Instructions:

1. preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. In a baking sheet or roasting pan, add your butternut squash, potato, oil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until soft.
3. In a large pot, on medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic, carrots and celery.  stir frequently until vegetables are softened. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder  and cayenne.  
4. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium. Simmer until the sauce reaches desired consistency. 
5. Add broth to the pot and roasted vegetables. With a hand blender, blend until everything is smooth. (Alternatively, place ingredients in a blender and puree.) 
6. Dish out the soup into 6 bowls and garnish with black pepper and cayenne.
   

 

Crispy Parmesan Chicken

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This recipe has quickly become one of our favourites.

I love this recipe because it is one of those hearty meals that doesn't really take too much time to make. It's full of flavour. And, well, Mr. Man was thoroughly impressed. 

And Mr. Man loves it because, well, it's simply delicious. (He doesn't ask for much really.)

I am always looking for ways to upgrade our dinners.  I love adding protein to them but after a while, it all seems the same. 

So I added this crispy parmesan chicken on this side instead.

I love the mix of the different textures - the soft comforting-ness of pasta and then this crisp, flavourful chicken. Opposites but yet, they go so well together. 

I try not to deep fry anything, ever. I can't seem to tolerate those foods.  But but because this chicken is shallow fried, it isn't overly oily and greasy. Just delicious and crispy.

The best thing about this recipe is that it's still full of flavour.

I've had a lot of breaded chickens that just taste like a bread-like crust.  That's where this is different. The panko crumbs gives this chicken an extra crunch. And all the seasonings gives this chicken so much flavour!  I could easily eat this breaded chicken alone and it will still be delicious. 

      Crispy Parmesan Chicken

 

Makes:2 servings

Preptime: 5 minutes

Cook time:10 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, butterflied

4 tbsp oil

1 cup japanese style panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 egg, beaten

 

Instructions:

1. In a shallow bowl or plate, evenly mix panko crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. Set aside 
2. Dip the chicken breast in the beaten egg. Ensure chicken is evenly coated.
3. Press the chicken breast into the panko crumb mixture on both sides and its evenly coated. 
4. In a skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil - enough to just cover the bottom of the pan - no more. Heat skillet on medium high heat. 
5. Shallow fry the chicken on both sides until golden and cooked through (approximately 5 minutes per side).