Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 5-6 hours
Rest Time: 20 min

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2012)

As much as I love to cook, I have never made a Turkey before. I tried to help my mom one Thanksgiving when I was a young adult and it grossed me out so much, I became a vegetarian soon after. That lasted 7 years. I eat meat all the time now, but I still don't like dealing with things on the bone, let alone an entire bird.

I usually bring side dishes to family meals for Thanksgiving. When it is just the two of us I have done a boneless skinless turkey breast. But those never taste anything like Thanksgiving turkey to me. So this year when I saw this recipe on the America's Test Kitchen Feed, (recipe is behind the paywall now) I decided to at least try a real breast on the bone.

I wasn't sure what to expect – thinking the turkey would be steamed and I knew it wouldn't be as pretty as roasted turkey.

It was not pretty, that is true, but once carved, you only noticed that it didn't have skin. It was the most moist turkey I've ever had, and the gravy was delicious. I will definitely use this recipe again.

Part of what makes this recipe work is that you take off the skin and cook it in skillet first to render the fat and then you saute the vegetables in that fat to start your gravy. You sort of make the gravy in the beginning and cook the turkey on top of the gravy and vegetables and cooked skin. After you remove the turkey breast you strain the gravy and after some seasoning it tasted delicious.

If I had one complaint it is the gravy was a bit thin. It was pretty thick until I strained it and the thick stuff got stuck with the vegetables. I waited until the end to do that, so I didn't have time to thicken on the stove, but I will do that next time.

One breast ended up a little more cooked than the other side. I'm not sure why. It may have been leaning and touching the side of the slow cooker. It was still moist enough though and tasted good and will be used for some leftover recipes this weekend.

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Total Time: < 30 minutes 

Grade: A+ 

Make Again: Yes 

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2008)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2010

I love this recipe. I made it when the recipe first came out and knew I would make it again. I waited to blog about it until the second time, which didn't happen until this week. It won't be 3 years before I make this again.

This recipe is quite simple and very healthy. It has the feeling of Campbell's tomato soup, but probably tastes different. (It has been so long since I had that.) Basically it is canned whole tomatoes, some bread (which provides the creaminess without the cream) and onions, garlic and oil, plus some chicken broth. Using a blender makes it smooth. That is the only somewhat complicated step - transferring the soup between blender and pan.

I made a half recipe which only gave 3 servings. I had the leftovers tonight. I wished I had made a bigger batch. I think this would freeze well without any dairy in the recipe.

I'll post my simplified version here (full recipe amounts) because the recipe is so simple.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil 
• 1medium onion , chopped medium
• 3 medium garlic cloves , minced
• pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and ground black pepper

(They add brandy as a suggested optional ingredient. And chopped chives. I have not tried either.) 

1. Saute onion, garlic and pepper in 1 T of oil (they suggest 2T)  till softened.
2. Add tomatoes and crush with potato masher. Add brown sugar and bay leaf and bread. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until bread breaks down. 
3. Remove bay leaf and transfer half of soup to a blender. They suggest adding more oil now but I didn't and I don't think it needs it. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. 
4. Pour into bowl. Repeat with second batch. 
5. Rinse pot and return soup to reheat and add chicken broth. Season to taste. Add optional brandy and chives.

The original recipe can be found at the link if you subscribe. My version uses less oil and none of the extras. I still loved it, but you might prefer it their way.

Chicken Florentine (Light)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Grade: B+
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Light and Healthy 2010

It may not look all that appetizing, but this was pretty good. The sauce was very tasty. I wish it was quicker though. I could have done more prep while things were cooking, but when I have time I like to prep first because it is less stressful.

One annoying thing about this recipe is that is calls for 2T of heavy cream. When trying to cook lighter, that isn't an ingredient I'm going to use up a lot. I will have to try to figure out a way to use up the rest.

I only put spinach on half, because I was cooking for someone who doesn't like his spinach cooked. It was good though. The sauce mixed with the spinach is a good lighter sub for creamed spinach. 

Quick and Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Stock Prep Time: 23 minutes
Stock Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Soup Prep Time: 8 minutes (I prepped some with the stock)
Soup Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10) (Recipe at link)
Recipe Source: Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2009)

Note: This is on the TV show website, so click link above and print, if you would like the recipe. It will probably be available through this year only.

I rarely make homemade chicken noodle soup, because dealing with chicken parts grosses me out. This recipe is pretty simple though, and most of the stock flavor comes from using ground chicken. That is nice and easy. You do have to cut two chicken breasts (on the bone) in half and simmer them in the stock for 30 minutes which also provides some of the flavor (and the meat for the soup.) Cutting the breasts was the hardest part for me. (I'll skip the details on why, because I don't want this to be an unappetizing read!)

The recipe ends up taking about 2 hours from start to finish, but there is really only 35-40 minutes of hands on time, so it is not a lot of work.

The soup was really, really good. The man in my life, who just really doesn't care that much about food (much to my dismay) said after his first bite "Wow, this is good." To elicit that response means it really was good. The broth was very flavorful and potatoes and carrots were perfectly cooked, along with the chicken. I used a frozen thicker Egg Noodle. Mrs Reames (I think.) It was my first time with them, and I think I would use them again, because they are more substantial. I didn't have parsley, so I added some peas at the last moment for a bit of green. I would definitely do that again. I also cut the chicken instead of tearing it, because I hate tearing the chicken.

Next time I make this, I might try doing the stock the day before and letting everything cool down first, so that removing the fat is easier (and you can get more of it.)

I'm not going to make this an A+ recipe yet, but it may get upgraded if after my second attempt I still like it as much.

Enchiladas Verdes

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Assemble Time: 10 minutes
Cook: Time: 20 minutes

Grade: C- (only because I don't like Tomatillos)

Make Again: No

Recipe: Amercia's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 9)
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2008)


I've always made or ordered a red sauce when I've had enchiladas, so I wasn't sure if I would like this one.  Well, I didn't like it. 

The recipe itself is good.  Although somewhat time consuming, the work was fairly easy (other than peeling the roasted poblanos.)  I was cleaning my kitchen all along, and I enjoyed making these.  But I just don't like the green sauce.  I used the canned tomatillos, and maybe fresh would have been better, but I will stick to the red sauce version in the future.  

The chick part of the recipe was very delicious though, and I used the leftover broth to make Mexican rice which I will report on next.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2007)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 9)

No, that picture doesn't have that much to do with my soup. But I couldn't get a good pic and I have to talk about mushrooms, so I thought of this one (taken at Acadia in Maine). I don't like mushrooms. I like the flavor, but I don't like their sliminess. Sometimes, when they are mixed in with things they are are ok, if cut fairly small. This recipe says that the mushrooms are important for contributing to the meaty flavor of the broth, and allows the soup to be prepared quickly.

So, I didn't want to skip them. I tried using less, and also did something dumb. The recipe called for cutting the mushrooms in quarters, but I chopped them really small, hoping they would disappear more into the soup. All that did was make the mushrooms harder to pick out, because I did find them rather unappetizing.

Other than that though, the soup was delicious. The broth was delicious. The meat was delicious. But I had to pick through every spoonful to remove mushrooms. That was not fun. I also should mention I didn't feel like the celery added that much.

I did not add the optional potatoes (since they weren't listed as an ingredient, and I forgot them.) I wish I had. The soup wasn't quite hearty enough for me. In the end, I scooped up all the meat and carrots (picking out the mushrooms) and some broth for leftovers. Then I strained the remaining broth and froze it for later. [Update: I have used the broth again. I basically cooked the meat in the soy sauce, added chopped carrots and potato (slightly precooked in microwave), then added the defrosted broth. I cooked this about 20 minutes then added some frozen peas. This was delicious and mushroom free!

But if I make again, I have a mushroom issue to deal with. I'm not quite sure how I would handle it. Definitely not cut them up tiny though.

Chicken with Asparagus and Parmesan

Total Time: 35 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

This is an alternative to the Spinach and Feta version that I tried last week and just thought was OK. Well, I realized I had made a few mistakes with that one, and that I could use less lemon in this version.

So, I tried this version and liked it more. I remembered to toast the orzo first, used Penzey's Chicken Base (a new ingredient for me that I like, as an alternative to Chicken Broth which is expensive.) I also used just about 1/2 T of lemon juice in the recipe and no zest, which was a lot less, but just right for me. I think it added a tiny note, but didn't overpower the flavor of the parmesan and asparagus.

I also remembered to prep most of the ingredients before starting, so this recipe took less time than the Spinach version. I have a habit of trying to prep while things are cooking. Sometimes that saves time, but sometimes it makes things worse and stresses me out. Plus I make mistakes, like forgetting to toast the orzo!

I cut up the chicken and stirred the pieces into the orzo. I prefered this, because it allowed the chicken to get more flavor. I skipped the oil drizzle at the end. It didn't need it.

Chicken with Orzo Spinach and Feta

Total Time: 40 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

This was in the Cooking for Two chapter (or something like that). It was fine, but not my favorite. I thought the lemon flavor was too strong (even though I used a little less than called for) and it covered up other flavors. I might make again if I have the ingredients handy, just because it was a nice one pan meal that wasn't too complicated to make.

Update: I realized later that I forgot to toast the Orzo first and instead added it with the broth. Also, I used Vegetable broth since I didn't have Chicken on hand. Both these things probably affected the flavor, so my review is possibly not fair. If I make again, I will use less lemon.

Spicy Pasta Bake with Chorizo

Total Time: 28 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes (modified)

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2008)

I did modify this recipe a bit to make lighter (less sausage, cream, broth and cheese) and it was still very rich and good. I used a larger can of tomatoes and would do that again. I think I would even skip the cheese and baking, because there is enough flavor from the spicy tomatoes and chorizo, and I don't want a quick and easy dish like this to be so rich.

There was more sauce than I needed, so I think this is what I would do in the future:

4 oz horizo sausage , halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 onion , chopped fine
4 garlic cloves , minced
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can Petite Diced tomatoes with chilies
1/4 cup heavy cream
12 ounces penne pasta
Salt and pepper


~ Saute onion and sausage. Add garlic saute until fragrant. Add broth, tomatoes, water, cream, Penne and 1/2 t. salt and pepper each. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until pasta is tender.

Hearty Tuscan Bean Soup

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 60 + 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2008)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 9)

This was good, but takes a while to make. I think if I make again I will use canned beans. I actually probably overcooked my beans, because they were taking too long, so I upped the heat and then they got a bit mushy. But I love kale in soups and this very flavorful. It was my first time using pancetta in a recipe and I liked it. Although I think bacon would be good too.

For a quicker version though Everyday Food has a good recipe too. Maybe not as perfect, but tasty regardless.

Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time: 40 minutes (35+5)
Simmer Time: 20-25 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

This was good, but I don't know that I liked it better than the Cook's Country Version which is similar but uses beer instead of wine. I used ground beef instead of lamb, and it works fine, IMO.

Chicken Divan Pasta

Total Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Me - inspired by Cook's Country Modern Chicken Divan

I tried changing up the Modern Chicken Divan recipe from Cook's Country to make it a little more appealing to me. I had really liked the flavor of the sauce, and I love chicken and broccoli, so I wanted to find a way to make it really work for me. My goals were:

1) quicker. I don't care if I mess up another pot, if I can make something faster.
2) lighter (don't want to use a full cup of cream in a weeknight dish). However, this is still not a truly "light" dish
3) some sort of carbs included in the recipe, like pasta
4) using more reasonable ingredient amounts (I hate it when a recipe calls for strange amounts of chicken broth - like 2.5 cups of broth, meaning I had to open a 2nd can).


So here is my version:

Chicken Divan Pasta

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds broccoli , florets cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T. vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
2 T. flour
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 c. heavy cream
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, and sliced into bite size pieces, about 1/4" thick
1/2 c. dry vermouth (or sherry)
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
salt and ground black pepper
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 oz pasta (I like Gemilli or Bow-tie)

1. Bring large stockpot of water to boil while starting to prep ingredients

2. When water boils, add 1 T. salt and broccoli. Cook for 1-2 minutes until bright green and starting to get tender. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

3. Bring water to boil again and add pasta. Cook until just al dente and drain. Set aside.

4. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12" pan (or a dutch oven, if you have 2nd large pan not being used for the pasta) over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add onion and cook for a minute or two until softened.

5. Add flour and stir for a minute.

6. Add broth and cream, scraping up bits from bottom of pan. Stir until sauce is not lumpy from flour, about a minute or two.

7. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to sauce. Stir to break up pieces. Cook for a 3-4 minutes until chicken is cooked through (time will depend on size of your pieces.) When cooked, removed chicken from sauce with a slotted spoon, and place in a clean bowl.

8. Add vermouth and Worcestershire sauce to the sauce and simmer until slightly reduced, 2-3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.

9. Whisk lemon juice and yolks in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the sauce. Remove pan from heat, and add yolks mixture into the sauce, whisking immediately. Whisk in butter.

10. Add broccoli and chicken back to the sauce. (If you are using a 12" skillet or saute pan, you might want to combine everything in pot you cooked the broccoli and pasta in instead, for more room.) Stir carefully to combine everything and reheat briefly.

11. Optional - place in ovenproof dish, add a little more parmesan to the top and broil for a few minutes (put dish in middle of oven, not at the top.)

Low-Fat Meaty Lasagna

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes (sauce)
Assemble Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 25-30 minutes
Rest Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2007)

This was better (and easier) than I thought it would be. Lasagna can be a pain, but the sauce was not that hard to put together. I did use less mushrooms (about half) because they only had baby portabella at the store and they were kind of expensive. Plus I don't love mushrooms. But the method of chopping them up in the food processor was easy, and made them very easy to take and fit into the sauce nicely.

I did not cook my sauce enough and it was a little bit watery. Next time I'll let it go longer. The bechamel sauce on top was very easy and tasted pretty good. Overall, I am pretty happy with this recipe. It was much easier to put together than most lasagnas, because it doesn't have ricotta or cheese. I love the Barilla no cook noodles too - they end up tasting almost like fresh pasta, so this is a nice dish and one I would serve to others. They would be surprised it was light. (I think a little over 350 calories per serving.)

Update: I froze 6 servings of this as leftovers, and have been eating them almost weekly since I made this. The reheated lasagna has been very, very good. There is sometimes a slight bit of separation in the cheese sauce, and maybe a tiny bit of grease that seeps out, but it is pretty minor and everything really tastes great still. I like that the Barilla noodles don't get so thick and waterlogged liked some other pastas do when saved for leftovers.

Black Bean Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes (beans)
Cook Time: 75 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes (soup)
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2005)

I make this soup fairly often, because it is easy (although it does take a while) and very flavorful. Today, I forgot to add the salt to the beans while cooking, which was a shame, but adding it later helped. I find the beans cooked with the ham very delicous and usually think I would happy just eating the beans - but I always make the soup.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Rest Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

This is really very good, but a little bit heavy with all the cream. I would like to try using a little less cream next time, which I think would probably work. But it makes a large amount, so this recipe would work well for a large family meal. I included the crusts on the bread topping because I dind't want to waste them, and I think that was fine.

Sausage and Kale Soup

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes (plus some during prep time)

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2004)

This is pretty easy. Much of the flavor comes from the broth and sausage. I never tried kale before Everyday Foods introduced it to me in some easy recipes like this. It is a good healthy ingredient, so I like this recipe.

Dirty Rice

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

This was good and since I have some other recipes that only call for 8 oz of ground pork (like this does) I will probably use this to use up the rest of the pork. I skipped the chicken livers, and don't think I missed them!

Skillet Tuna Casserole

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2005)

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was very tasty, but I am reluctant to use this recipe a lot just because it uses a lot of heavy cream (why it was so tasty, of course!) It was good and very easy. I replaced the mushrooms with some roasted red peppers, and that is a great sub. But I will use regular peppers instead of roasted, because the charred bits were unappetizing.

Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup

Total Time: 26 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was very delicious and super quick. The one thing I would change is to skip brining some ingredients to a boil in a separate saucepan. I believe it would be just fine to have this recipe take a few minutes longer than 30 minutes, and have one less pot to clean.

I used very old saffron, so I wonder if it could just do without. I wondered about the ground ginger in it, but it all tasted very good and I will probably make this again for a quick and healthy dinner.

Skillet Sopa Seca

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This is good and similar to a Cover & Bake recipe for Sopa Seca that I reviewed earlier, although is finished a little faster. In a way prefer being able to finish in the oven, but this one is done faster.

I MUST REMEMEBER to stop using my skillet and use my Dutch oven instead. I am having a lot of trouble with these 30-minute skillet suppers fitting in my pan and it is making cooking a little bit stressful and messy. I am using the asked for 12", but perhaps mine is a bit small.

I used half the amount of called for chorizo, because that was all I had, and I think I would always do it this way, because the chorizo has a strong flavor. I used the cured kind, not the crumbly kind that is easier to find at the store.

I also substituted cheddar for the jack cheese, and kindney beans for the black beans because that was what I had on hand. It was a clean out the fridge and pantry dish for me today.