Turkey Cranberry Muffin Cups

This was a genius idea with using only what I had in the refrigerator at the time and it's comes at a perfect time to use up your turkey and Thanksgiving left-overs.

Turkey Cranberry Cups
adapted by me: Tina Hudgens
recipe found at Fantastic Family Favorites; originally from a Pampered Chef recipe

2 pkg refrigerated biscuits
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp Honey Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 cups cooked fresh turkey, chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 tbsp fresh parsley, snipped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries (we used fresh and it turned everything pink, dried would be better)
4 oz Swiss cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll biscuits, and roll out with a small rolling pin, then press each one into a muffin pan.

Combine mayo, mustard, pepper, turkey, celery, parsley, onion, cranberries, cheese, and nuts if desired. Mix well until combined. Spoon turkey mixture into each muffin cup.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes, until mixture is hot and biscuits are done.

Turkey Cranchiladas

There are so many fun things to do with Turkey left-overs. I found this amazing enchilada recipe that I am sharing with you today, make sure you book mark this, pin it or print it out to make after Thanksgiving or if you are a CRAZY cook like me, you might just be making a whole Turkey in the month of June. Summer Time at it's best and fresh Turkey sandwiches all week long! I LOVE IT! I hope I have inspired a few of you to make a Turkey this summer to enjoy! Turkey is NOT just for Thanksgiving.

Now nothing beats a good ole' fashion white bread turkey sandwich, but after a few days of those you might be looking for something better. Last year I made these Cranberry-Turkey Quesadillas or my all time favorite was a Turkey, Cranberry & Brie Pizza.

Sometimes throughout the year I like to randomly make a big 20 lb plus turkey just so I can get some of my favorite turkey left-over meals like these. Here is a new one to try.
 

Turkey Cranchiladas
adapted from recipe found at Pink Parsley, originally from Better Homes and Gardens

2 to 2 1/2 cups shredded turkey
2 cups fresh cranberry-pomegranate sauce (or 1 (16 oz) can)
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella & cheddar)
1/2 cup salsa + 1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
10-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, 1 cup of the cranberry sauce, sour cream, 3/4 cup shredded cheese, 1/2 cup salsa, green onions, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Spoon about 1/3 cup filling into each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam-side down in the baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining cranberry sauce and 1/4 cup salsa. Stir to combine and pour over the enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cups of shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Continue to bake until cheese is crisp and bubbly. Sprinkle with additional cilantro and scallions, and serve.

Upside-Down Roasted Turkey

Turkey is NOT just for Thanksgiving. We stocked up over the holidays and have a few Turkey's in the freezer (and we paid only $7 bucks for them). I just LOVE making them fresh for us to enjoy a great meal on a Sunday afternoon and lots of scrumptious fresh Turkey sandwiches all week long. Plus we enjoy  many other Turkey left-overs like Cranberry-Turkey Quesadillas, Turkey, Cranberry and Brie Pizza and a few new ones I will be sharing with you this week (watch tomorrow for a very different kind of Enchilada). Yah, I know it's June, but Turkey is in the house! YUMMY!

This I do have to say has been my BEST Turkey I ever made (to date). I tried a brand new recipe and I don't know if I will ever try another. This Turkey was not just moist the day we made it, but days later the Turkey left-overs were still moist and delicious. Now that is a perfect Turkey recipe in my world.

Roast Turkey
recipe found at Simply Recipes

1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs.*

Juice of a lemon

Salt and pepper

Olive oil or melted butter

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

Tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery

2 carrots

Parsley

Sprigs of fresh rosemary

Herb de Provence spice

Defrost the turkey according to the package directions. Then bring it to room temperature before cooking. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until you are ready to cook it.

Handle a raw turkey with the same amount of caution as when you handle raw chicken (I use gloves). Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver). Use the heart and gizzard for making stock (I use this recipe for Homemade Chicken or Turkey stock).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Lather the inside of the cavity with the juice of half a lemon. Take a small handful of salt and rub all over the inside of the turkey.

In this method of cooking a turkey, we don't make the stuffing in the turkey because doing so adds too much to the cooking time. For flavor, put inside the turkey a half a yellow onion, peeled and quartered, a bunch of parsley, a couple of carrots, and some tops and bottoms of celery. You may need to cap the body cavity with some aluminum foil so that the stuff doesn't easily fall out. Close up the turkey cavity with either string (not nylon string!) or metal skewers.  The neck cavity can be stuffed with parsley too.

Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously all over the outside of the turkey.

Place turkey BREAST DOWN on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings. (yes, this is UPSIDE DOWN) This is the main difference. Cooking the turkey breast down means the skin over the breast will not get so brown. However, all of the juices from the cooking turkey will fall down into the breast while cooking. Add several sprigs of fresh (if possible)  rosemary and dried Herb de Provence spice to the outside of the turkey.

Put the turkey in the oven. Check the cooking directions on the turkey packaging. Gourmet turkeys often don't take as long to cook. For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.
 
If you want the breast to be browned as well, you can turn the bird over so that the breast is on top, and put it in a 500°F oven or under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, just enough to brown the breast. Note that if you do this, you will have a higher risk of overcooking the turkey breast. (I do NOT do this)

Start taking temperature readings with a meat thermometer, inserted deep into the thickest part of the turkey breast and thigh, an hour before the turkey should be done. You want a resulting temperature of 175°F for the dark meat (thighs and legs) and 165°F for the white meat (breast). The temperature of the bird will continue to rise once you take it out of the oven, so take it out when the temperature reading for the thigh is 170°F, and for the breast 160°F.

Once you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Turn the turkey breast side up to carve it.

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #82 (BBQ SAUCE or GRILL RECIPES) & Monterrey Turkey Pasta

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #82

(BBQ SAUCE & GRILL RECIPES)

Monterrey Turkey Pasta

What a unique way to use BBQ sauce!

This recipe is so easy to throw together on a busy weeknight, when time is limited and you want a hardy meal; hoepfully you have some fresh chicken or turkey stored in the freezer.

Monterrey Turkey (or Chicken) Pasta

adapted by me, but original idea found at Mommy's Menu

2 cups shredded turkey - precooked (or the original recipe calls for chicken)
1 box favorite pasta noodles (penne or macaroni work well)
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and jack cheese
6 to 12 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (check out my new oven method of cooking bacon)

I store shredded turkey and chicken in the freezer for easy recipes just like this. Cook the pasta to your liking.

Bacon in the oven. This is such an easy way to cook bacon. Lay out all the bacon onto parchment paper or foil on a cooking sheet. Cook the bacon at 400 degrees for about 17 minutes. This is a great way to make bacon for recipes, but it does change the texture a little for just eating it. We perfer skillet if we are just eating the bacon plain, but for recipes that call for bacon this method is perfect.

Once your turkey or chicken is ready, and your noodles and bacon are cooked you are ready to assemble. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Lay in the cooked noodles first, then the cooked turkey (or chicken), spread over the meat the BBQ sauce, bacon and top with the grated cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey. Serve and enjoy!

This week's theme is: BBQ SAUCE or GRILL RECIPES

Please only link recipes with our theme!

If you are a regular to THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky party, then link-up we're excited to see what you made this week. If you are new, please just follow our simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don't feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

Please Grab Our Button!!!

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This Week's Cravings Upcoming Linky "THEMES"

Here is a complete list of the past and what's coming up next on THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS!

May 28 - Share your favorite Cheeseburger Recipe

June 4 - Breakfast Breads (Donuts, Coffee Cakes, Muffins & More)

June 11 - MAN'ly Meals for Father's Day

Your hostess for this party are: Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Nicole from The Daily Dish and Kristi from Veggie Converter. We host this theme linky party every Monday (and the party stays open all week long)! We hope to inspire you to make something with our theme or get an old post notice by linking it up to the linky party below. 

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.
This week's theme is: BBQ SAUCE or GRILL RECIPES
Please only link recipes with our theme!
This week's theme is: BBQ SAUCE or GRILL RECIPES 
Please only link recipes with our theme!

Cranberry-Turkey Quesadillas

Got Left-Overs? I hope so! I have a few recipes to share with you, so let's hope you saved some something from that amazing feast you had yesterday. If not, maybe the grocery store has some "cheap" Turkey's. I know I bought two extra ones and they are just waiting in my freezer and I only paid $10 bucks for! And you can bet I will be making them SOON! Fresh Turkey meat is way better than any lunch meat I have ever bought. I wouldn't be surprised if I add at least one or two more Turkey's in my freezer before this month is over.

This FUN quesadilla has been made everyday last year. After I made the Apple & Butter Turkey (a week early for my blog), I shared this recipe with my daughter and she has had it everyday since then. She LOVES it. I am sure there will be many more this coming week.

Cranberry-Turkey Quesadillas
adapted from Pillsbury Recipe Magazine - December 2005 

(makes one quesadilla)

1 flour tortillas
1/4 cup shredded cheese (use your favorite kind)
1/4 cup shredded Turkey meat (left-over fresh turkey works best)
2 tbsp cranberry sauce (we use our fresh recipe)
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat a skillet on the stove top with butter. Spread cranberry sauce on entire tortilla. Sprinkle shredded turkey, shredded cheese and parsley on half of the tortilla. Fold over and put into the skillet. Heat on both sides until tortilla becomes crispy and cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and Serve.

Turkey with Apples & Butter: Thanksgiving Feast 2011

Each day up to Thanksgiving I will be sharing with you recipes for a Thanksgiving Feast! This is new this year and the crazy thing is that in order to prepare these posts for you, my family and I have already enjoyed all of these foods. I have prepared two full Thanksgiving dinners this month (... and Thanksgiving hasn't even arrived). I guess this will make up the fact that I will not be home for Thanksgiving this year (and since I LOVE turkey sandwiches I needed my fix anyhow). And yes, turkey with white bread, so delicious! I have had so much fun experimenting and creating this 2011 Thanksgiving Feast.

Thanksgiving Feast

Turkey with Apples & Butter

Olive Garden Bread Sticks; Copycat Recipe

Pepper Jack Macaroni & Cheese

Crash Hot Potatoes from Pioneer Woman

Grandma's Baked Corn Casserole

Cranberry & Sausage Stuffing

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce from Pioneer Woman

Grandma's Pumpkin Bars

Turkey with Apples & Butter

adapted from friend, Carol Lee

1 Turkey

4 sticks of Butter

2 to 4 tbsp Herb de Provence

6 to 10 apples, green usually (but any juicy apple will work)

Thaw out and clean Turkey (remove the junk, and I discard it). Cut apples into slices (use a core/apple slicer). You can use all pieces of the apple and no need to peel. Begin stuffing apple and butter (I like to put on some gloves at this point), alternating everywhere. First I stuff into the back end, then separate the skin on the top from the meat and stuff with apples and butter. Then take about a stick of butter cut up into pieces and the rest of the apple slices and stuff into the cavity. I make sure it's all the way stuffed. Take about 1 stick of butter with Herb de Provence spice and rub together and then rub all over the outside of the Turkey. The apples let out so much juice and it makes the turkey so juicy, I just love making it this way and have never tried any other way.

I bake the Turkey according to the directions on the package, with the thermometer as my number one checking point. Each Turkey has it's own directions and hours for cooking, this is why I just follow the package and usually I do not have any problems. This Turkey took exactly the 3-1/2 hours it was scheduled to cook for.

Brine a Turkey from GUEST BLOGGER: Adventures in dinner

A homemade Turkey, the PERFECT recipe for Thanksgiving! I will be in Oregon this year on Thanksgiving but you can bet I will be making a Turkey sometime this month in my own home. I have so many recipes I want to make with left-over Turkey that I just must make one at home.... I will be trying out a Turkey Cranberry Pizza and a Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla. I can't wait.

Today I have another guest blogger Jane from Adventures in Dinner, check out this delicious Turkey she made. WELCOME Jane!! 

Blog: Adventures in Dinner

TAKE IT AWAY:

Thanks so much to Tina for not only having such a fab blog but inviting me over to visit. (You are so welcome, I am glad you are here!)

I’m a newish, older mom (41 year old mom-under two kiddo) and started my blog on maternity leave when I was faced with a lot of non-adult time.  Great time but not something that I was used to. 

You see, I talk for a living.

I teach grade eight, English at a large highschool and my entire working life has been spent surrounded by adults or near adults so I started to write about what I knew.  Food.  In my former life I trained as a chef and even though I’m not working in the industry I still love food.  Thus “Adventuresindinner”.

So onto the food. 

Do you remember incredibly dry turkeys when you were a kid? 

I swear my mom would take a perfectly great bird, cook it for the entire day and serve it when it was practically falling off the bone and dry as the desert.

I committed a few crimes against perfectly innocent birds myself until I learned to brine my turkey.  I do this the day before we’re going to eat it and the bird soaks in the brine as it defrosts.  Two jobs done with one very little bit of effort.

Brining leads to VERY moist meat and a gravy that is out of this world.

Here’s my favourite version which makes for a fantastic turkey but also a really great chicken or even pheasant.

Simply take a large pot and add;

2 T. of herbes de provence, 3 T. honey, 3 cardamon pods (lightly crushed), 
The rind and juice of two oranges, 1 tsp. crushed chilli flakes and 2 ½ cups of cider vinegar.
Realize that you picked a container that is too small for your bird and transfer everything to your biggest bowl.  Rub the brine into the bird and top with enough cold water to cover.

Let sit overnight in the fridge.
Get your big, roasting pan ready.
Drain your bird and stuff.  I like a simply stuffing of:  bread cubes, melted butter and raisins.

Bake in a 330 degree oven until the juices run clear when you pierce the meatiest part of your poultry. Have your little one try to snag the stuffing while you take a decent photo.

Take a mediocre photo and just go and enjoy a tasty dinner. J

Brine a Turkey

from Adventures in dinner

2 tbsp of herb de provence

3 tbsp honey

2 cardamon pods (lightly crushed)

2 oranges, rind and juice

1 tsp crushed chili flakes

2-1/2 cups cider vinegar

Simply take a large pot and add; herb de provence, honey and cardamon pods. Take the rind and juice of two oranges, crushed chilli flakes and cider vinegar. Rub the brine into the bird and top with enough cold water to cover. Let sit overnight in the fridge.

Get your big, roasting pan ready. Drain your bird and stuff.  I like a simply stuffing of:  bread cubes, melted butter and raisins. Bake in a 330 degree oven until the juices run clear when you pierce the meatiest part of your poultry. (I usually just follow the hours & directions on the bird for the number of hours to cook)

Thanks again Jane! I think I will need to make two Turkey's this month, so I can try out this recipe!

Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie

First I want to share and point everyone in the direction of my Recipe Index, even though my blog is still fairly new, I now have over 160 recipes archived to help you find all kinds of inspiration! Take a look and make something new today!

No one can resist the fresh taste of a Homemade Pot Pie. This pie is no difference, left-over chicken, left-over turkey or buy a fresh Rotisserie Chicken any kind of meat is just perfect for a Homemade Pot Pie. We even use this crust for my grandma's Hamburger Pie recipe and it tastes out-of-this world!

Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie
by Tina Hudgens

1 cup Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup Cream of Chicken Soup (or Cream of Mushroom for Turkey Pot Pie)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp pepper

Mix all together with a whisk.

2 cups frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 cup frozen peas (if they aren't included already in your mixed veggies)
2 cups diced potatoes (frozen hash brown potatoes work perfect)
24 oz diced cooked chicken (from a can chicken, left over turkey, a grocery store rotisserie chicken, it all works)

Add all the above ingredients to the soup mixture and stir well. Add this entire mixture into your favorite store bought pie crust. (use the frozen pre-made pie crust, use the Pillsbury roll out if you want a top and bottom or make your own homemade pie crust) Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Easy Homemade Pie Crust

from my Mother-in-Law Charlotte 

2 cups flour
1 cup Butter Flavor Shortening
1/2 cup COLD water
pinch of salt

This recipe will make enough for a top and bottom pie crust for a normal size pie tin.

Mix flour, shortening and salt with a pastry knife (or a fork if you don't have one). Once it's all mixed together then add COLD water and continue mixing. Cut into half and roll out one at a time onto a flour surface. Roll until you get your desired shape (ie: round for a pie tin).

This pie recipe works great for this Hamburger Pie, Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie and also is wonderful for dessert pies too!

I LOVE Linky Parties, (CLICK TO SEE ALL PARTIES), and it's Thursday, almost time for the weekend. Today, we will link to these wonderful linky parties, check them out and join in! Cooking Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Prairie Story Recipe Swap, GCC Recipe Swap, Strut Your Stuff, Thrilling Thursday, What's Cooking Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Transformation Thursday and Hunk of Meat Mondays

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #16 (Sweet Potatoes & Favorite Potatoes) and Shepherds Pie

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #16

The Theme is: "Sweet" Potatoes & Favorite Potato Recipes



Happy Valentine's Day to one and all! I hope you find your day as SWEET as can be and surround yourself with people you LOVE! Today our theme for THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS is SWEET potatoes or any favorite potato recipe.

If you are looking for a last minute fun dessert to create for your loved ones, these are quick and taste so delicious. I made this for my girls after-party for their Junior Winter-Formal dance this weekend (all of the kids loved them, plus I saved a few for our Valentine's Dinner tomorrow night). We are going to enjoy a homemade dinner at home. I am very excited about shopping tomorrow and coming home to make my family a special meal filled with LOVE and just a few of their favorite things.




Red Velvet Call Balls (click here for recipe)

The potato recipe I am sharing for today is Shepherd's Pie. This is a new recipe to my family and it was more then perfect. I was actually quite surprised, it wasn't really from a recipe at all, except for it was from a ton of different recipes all put together that I was reading when trying to find a Shepherd's Pie using left-overs. I am SUPER DUPER late in posting this (as we made this with our left over Turkey at Christmas time). But this recipe would be GREAT with left-over chicken too and I just happened to have ONE more Turkey in my freezer that needs cooked. I think I will be pulling that out this week and posting a few more Turkey recipes in the middle of February. Why not? Turkey is delish any time of year! I am going to also make this recipe again and try to make it GLUTEN-FREE. 

Shepherd's Pie

1 tbsp butter

2 carrots, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 to 1 cup left-over gravy

2 cups diced left-over Turkey (or chicken)

1/2 to 1 cup broth (chicken or turkey)

1 tbsp parsley

2 cups left-over mashed potatoes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Heat the 1 tbsp of butter in skillet and saute the carrots, celery and onion until soft.  Add in the gravy, broth and parsley; heat through. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper if desired. Pour into 9x13 Pam sprayed baking dish. Heat up the left over mashed potatoes slightly or you will have a hard time spreading them on top the casserole. I use my wonderful scooper's that I love so much (see photo to the right). I LOVE these things and use them for everything. 

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This post also linked to: Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, It's a Blog Party Delicious Dishes, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, mmmonday, Homemaker Monday , Mouthwatering Monday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Foodie Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Fun with Food Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Fab Friday, Feature Yourself Friday , Hodgepodge Friday and Get Your Craft On

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Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

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Please only link recipes with this theme!
This week's theme is: "SWEET" Potatoes & Favorite Potatoes

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

1. Please stick to the THEME and only link up recipes that go with our theme for the week. 

2. Add our button and/or a DIRECT link back to this post, inside of your post (not just on a wall of linky parties, this doesn't allow YOUR readers to come back to the linky party and see all the fun recipes! Which this is the intent of a linky party in the first place).

3. Also we'd love for you to hop around and visit the other link-ups! After all it's a BLOG PARTY and it's not fun for everyone linking up if you don't hop around and say Hello!!!


PLEASE follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder to add it, before we delete your post! THANKS A MILLION!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

January 10 - Pizza - Pizza - Pizza

January 17 - Pies (Dessert or Dinner)

January 24 - Soup

January 31 - Potluck Item for Super Bowl Sunday

February 7 - Valentine's Cookie & Treats

February 14 - Sweet Potatoes & Other Favorite Potato Recipes

This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around

and read some GREAT recipes!

Cheeseburger Casserole (GLUTEN-FREE)

This one is a WINNER! We scored with this recipe (thank you, thank you The Gluten-Free Homemaker). It was so amazing and it's GLUTEN-FREE and my daughter was thrilled, it reminded her of all those delicious flavors (it was just like eating a cheeseburger)! We even tried the cheese in the recipe and it didn't bother her. But, I just found out that package shredded cheese (which is all I ever buy) contains gluten, so when I am thinking she may have some problems with dairy too in addition to gluten, I may be wrong. For this recipe I graded my own cheese and it didn't bother her one bit. I am hoping the waiting game will be over soon and we will know exactly what she is diagnosed with (celiac, allergy, intolerance, or whatever), we are starting our appointments with a GI doctor this week. Wish us luck, we just want to know so we can fix our diet and move on.

Cheeseburger Casserole

original recipe from The Gluten-Free Homemaker

1 lb hamburger meat & 1 lb turkey meat

1 medium onion (we use a little less)

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 lb bag of diced hashbrowns

In a skillet saute onions and hamburger/turkey meat. Once meat is cooked; combine all ingredients, except the hashbrowns. Spread into a 8x8 baking dish. Layer the top with the hashbrowns covering the whole surface. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Thrilling Thursdays, Try New Adventures, Full Plate Thursday, Home and Family Friday, Inspiration Friday

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #12 (PIES) and Hamburger Pie

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #12

Pies (Dessert or Dinner)

National Pie Day is the 23rd : National Pie Day is a special day that is set aside by the American Pie Counsel to bake and cook all of your favorite pies. On this day, you are also encouraged to bake a few new pie recipes. And most importantly, it's a day to eat pies!

I decided to bake my grandmothers Hamburger Pie for this Pie Day so that I could share it with all of you! This is a recipe that I do not ever remember having as a kid, but when I was an adult my mom shared this recipe with me and it's one of her favorites. And it is now one of my kids favorites too! It's funny I shared this recipe with my mother-in-law and one of my adult nieces and now this is one of their favorites recipes too. I think they have made this recipe more times then me.

When I made this pie for my mother-in-law in a store bought crust, she quickly taught me how to make homemade crust and BOY what a difference. Now, I wouldn't make it any other way. There is nothing like a homemade crust to complete a delicious pie.

Hamburger Pie

from my Grandma Betty 

1 lb ground beef/turkey (we use 1/2 and 1/2)
1 small onion, diced

1 tbsp Garlic Salt (used my new SPIKE Garlic Seasoning today)
1 can Cream of Mushroom
3 thick slices of Velveeta Cheese, cut into chunks
2 Pie Crusts (see recipe below)

Brown onion in tbsp of butter, then add ground beef. Cook til just about done, not all the way done; drain. The add soup, seasoning, and cheese, mix until cheese melts. First lay one pie crust into the bottom of the pan, then pour in meat mixture, lay another pie crust on top and seal the edges. Put a few fork marks in the top and bake at 350 for approx. 45 minutes.

Easy Homemade Pie Crust

from my Mother-in-Law Charlotte 

2 cups flour
1 cup Butter Flavor Shortening
1/2 cup COLD water
pinch of salt

This recipe will make enough for a top and bottom pie crust for a normal size pie tin.

Mix flour, shortening and salt with a pastry knife (or a fork if you don't have one). Once it's all mixed together then add COLD water and continue mixing. Cut into half and roll out one at a time onto a flour surface. Roll until you get your desired shape (ie: round for a pie tin).

This pie recipe works great for this Hamburger Pie, Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie and also is wonderful for dessert pies too!

This post also linked to: Made for you Monday, Market Yourself Monday, Making the World Cuter, Homemaker Monday, Tuesdays at the Table, Recipe Swap Thursday, Show & Tell

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This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around and read

other Pie recipes, some dessert and some dinner !

Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

Everyone is invited, if you don’t have a blog, then please post your recipe HERE in the comments for others to see.

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This week's theme

PIES- PIES - PIES

This is your chance to share your FAVORITE PIE RECIPE, I am NOT a great pie maker, so I hope that all of you share some really cool recipes for me to try!!!

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

1. Please stick to the THEME and only link up recipes that go with our theme for the week. 

2. Add our button and/or a DIRECT link back to this post, inside of your post (not just on a wall of linky parties, this is rude and doesn't allow YOUR readers to come back to the linky party and see all the fun recipes! Which this is the intent of a linky party in the first place).

3. Also we'd love for you to hop around and visit the other link-ups! After all it's a BLOG PARTY and it's not fun for everyone linking up if you don't hop around and say Hello!!!


PLEASE follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder to add it, before we delete your post! THANKS A MILLION!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

December 27 - Favorite New Years Recipes

January 3 - GET HEALTHY Recipes

January 10 - Pizza - Pizza - Pizza

January 17 - Pies (Dessert or Dinner)

January 24 - Soup

This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around

and read some GREAT Pie recipes!

GUEST POSTING AT EKAT'S KITCHEN: Spaghetti w/Turkey Meat Sauce

I am guest posting today over at Ekat's Kitchen

I am sharing this wonderful recipe with her readers,

so please click on over to her site and get my recipe for Spaghetti w/Turkey Meat Sauce.

Turkey, Brie and Apple Grilled Sandwich

We arrived home from camping with crates of apples after a fun weekend of Apple Picking. I was searching for all the apple recipes I had. I pulled this one out and made the family a nice lunch! It was delicious!

Turkey, Brie and Apple Grilled Sandwich

adapted from blogger recipe She Wears Many Hats on Tasty Kitchen

4 slices Sandwich Bread; we used fresh wheat (and would use different next time)

butter (to butter the bread)

2 tsp Mayonnaise

1 Slice Brie Cheese (rind Removed)

1 whole Apple Of Choice (make It A Crispy And Tasty Choice!)

2 slices Turkey Breast, Or More To Taste

2 pinches Salt And Pepper, to taste

We made these sandwiches just like a grill cheese. Butter the outside of bread or use mayo. Cut the brie into thin slices. Place one layer of brie slices on one piece of the bread and the turkey on the other side. Top the layer of brie with a layer of apple slices. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Place the sandwich in the pan, wait til the side is done and flip. Again, you’ll want the cheese to melt and sandwich to warm but be careful to watch for burning.

Enjoy!

Also posted at Tempt my Tummy Tuesday!

Grill Cheese Breakfast Sandwich



TGIF...Enjoy this Friday Post... Recipe Only!!!

Post Also Shared @ FOODIE FRIDAY and Life as a Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap