Phil's Favourite Turkey Chili

2 lbs ground turkey (I use turkey chunks from leftover turkey)

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

3 cloves garlic

2 Tbsl chili powder

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 16-ounce cans tomatoes, cut up (I use diced) (undrained)

1 cup water

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

1 15 1/2-ounce can red kidney beans

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Sautee onions and garlic if you wish. Throw all the ingredients, except cheese) in the slow cooker and abandon for 4-5 hours (that's my guess...I rarely time things). If the turkey isn't cooked before you start, cook it in a Dutch Oben until brown. Drain off the fat, if necessary.

You can also do this stove-top more quickly.

When it is done, serve into bowls and sprinkle cheese on top.

I like my chili with tortilla chips sometimes, too.

Crock Pot Morrocann Stew

Crock pot whether has come to Edmonton. Krista and I made this for her Mom's pot-luck birthday party on Sunday night and it was a real favourite.

Ingredients:
- two tablespoons of olive oil or ghee;
- 1 pound of Beef or Lamb, cut into cubes (I used round steak);
- 2 large onions, chopped;
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped;
- two bay leaves;
- spice mix made up of three heaping tablespoons cumin, 2 tablespoons chili powder or harissa paste (more to taste if you like), one heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon, tiny pinch of allspice, and a good bit of sea salt (approx. two tablespoon);
- 2 cup chopped carrots;
- 2 cups chopped potatoes;
- 1 half-cup of cashews;
- 1 cup of Medjool dates, chopped;
- three cups of beef or lamb stock;
- one cup Manschewitz wine.

Method:
- heat crock pot on medium, adding olive oil or ghee (crock pot is always covered);
- throughly coat cubed meet in spice mixture, let stand while doing next step;
- add in onions, garlic, and cashews, and dates, letting them cook on their own for about a half an hour;
- add in beef, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves - stir together with onion mixture already in the crockpot;
- cover with wine and stock, stir all together;
- cook on low/medium crock setting (not "warm" or "high") for eight hours, stirring ever couple of hours. You really need the slow, low-heat cooking. Shorter, higher-heat cooking will toughen the meat. The long-slow cook results in melt-in-your mouth deliciousness, "just like Grandma used to make."

Even better the next day!

Delicious Cheese, Bacon, Spinach, & Rice Dish

This one has evolved in our house over time. Here's the current version:

Ingredients:
- Jasmine Rice;
- sweet yellow onion, finely chopped;
- one clove of garlic;
- Spinach (we use frozen). I've also used fresh spinach from the garden, but it takes an astonishing amount considering how it cooks down;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- bacon, fried to almost crispy and chopped into smallish pieces;
- good quality cheese (we've used aged sharp cheddar, or also Oka).

Method:
- Cook the rice (we use our trusty rice cooker);
- saute the onion in butter until golden, add finely chopped garlic clove;
- cook the spinach according to package directions, add freshly ground black pepper;
- grate the cheese;
- mix togeher rich with the onion/garlic bits of golden deliciousness, incorporate the spinach and the bacon, stir all together;
- add in grated cheese, and stir it all up.

A great simple supper, or a side dish in a smaller portion.

Honey Baked Chicken

I just made this for Phil and he asked, "Why did I get married so late?" I think he liked it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place 3 lbs chicken in a casserole dish.
Mix:
2 tablespoons mustard
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup melted honey
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pour mixture over chicken.
Bake in oven for 1 1/4 hour, basting every 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender and nicely browned.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew IV

"Red wine and onion soup mix flavor this beef stew made with potatoes, carrots, and onions."

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup baby carrots
4 large potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups boiling water
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion
soup mix
3 tablespoons butter
3 onions, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

• Place meat in a large plastic bag. Combine 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt; pour into the bag with the meat, and shake to coat.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add stew meat, and cook until evenly browned on the outside. Transfer to a slow cooker along with the carrots, potatoes, parsley, and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together 2 cups of boiling water and dry soup mix; pour into the slow cooker.
• In the same skillet, melt butter and saute onions until softened; remove to the slow cooker. Pour red wine into the skillet, and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Remove from heat, and pour into the slow cooker.
• Cover, and cook on High for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to Low, and cook for 6 hours, or until meat is fork tender. In a small bowl or cup, mix together 2 tablespoons flour with 1/4 cup warm water. Stir into stew, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until thickened.

Submitted by: Rosie T. on AllRecipes.com

The Best Christmas Bird

Roast turkey... okay I've done this a couple of times and have developed a bit of a method.

If you can, get a fresh turkey from a turkey farmer. One of my old students used to raise free range turkeys near Sundre, Alberta. The flavour is much better and you don't have to go through the labour of thawing it, which can take up most of your holiday.

But finding a turkey farmer may not be easy wherever you are. So, assuming you've got a frozen bird, the most important thing is to make sure it is FULLY thawed. This takes either 1 day per 5 lbs (in the fridge) or 30 minutes per 1 lb in the sink with luke warm water. (Both take a long time). Make sure the bird's cavity is well cleaned out, including the 'giblets' sack.

After the bird is fully thawed, I do use a brine. Usually a cup of sugar, a cup of kosher sea salt, and about eight litres of water. Usually a large pot or cauldron will work...keep the bird in this over night in the fridge before cooking. (An industrial size cooler is handy).

When you are ready to cook, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Take the bird out of the brine and drain, pat dry with paper towels.

I use a local bakery's rye, raisin, and walnut bread for my stuffing... along with sweet vidalia onions. Use whatever stuffing you see fit... you may choose to make more separately after the bird is done with the juices.

I coat the bottom of the roaster with extra virgin olive oil and sliced spanish onions (in fairly thin rings), as well as sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Put the bird in the roaster on top of this base.

Optional decadence: Cover the whole surface of the bird (including drumsticks) with strips of thick-cut bacon. (It will not imbue a bacony flavour, but will keep the meat juicy and act as a self-basting feature).

Tent the whole roaster with aluminium foil, leaving at least an inch of space between the foil and the bacon-covered bird.

For cooking times, here are your guidelines: 8-12 pounds, 2 ¾ to 3 hours; 12-14 pounds, 3 to 3 ¾ hours; 14-18 pounds, 3 ¾ to 4 ¼ hours; 18-20 pounds: 4 ¼ to 4 ½ hours.

Take the bird out, (if you've used it) remove the bacon - or chop it up and mix it into your stuffing! (if you've used the bacon, after removing it, baste the turkey and put it into the oven for another 5 minutes just to give it that golden patina.

Let bird rest 15 minutes before carving.

Filipino Chicken

Krista and I read somewhere that you should never leave the grocery store without buying lemons and onions. Seems slightly curious to me, but we use lemons a lot for our "house drink," so it usually works for us.

Ingredients:
-4 Chicken boneless breasts cut into medium sized pieces
-1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
-1 cup of good quality soy sauce;
-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped up (still intact);
-sesame seeds (toasted) for garnish;

Directions:
-cut chicken breasts into pieces
-combined lemon juice, soy sauce, and smashed garlic cloves;
-place chicken into glass baking dish, pour over lemon/soy/garlic as a marinade, cover dish with plastic wrap;
-marinade 12 hours or even better overnight until time to cook;
-preheat oven to 325 degrees (relatively low heat) & remove plastic wrap;
-cook covered tightly sealed with foil for approximately 25-30 minutes, and check degree of doneness (okay if still a little pink at this stage);
- raise heat to 350 degrees, cook an additional 10-20 minutes (depends on the oven) uncovered until chicken is done (I usually baste chicken with sauce a few times during this time).
-Toss on toasted sesame seeds after finished in the oven.

I got this recipe from a lady that I used to work for who owns and runs the best European-styple artisan bakery in Edmonton, which is called Tree Stone Bakery. I will call her "Nancy," and she is a very serious lady. Serious about bread and, well, everything. And that is part of the reason I no longer work for her. There was an incident I will only now refer to as the "twist-tie fiasco." Anyway, one of the great things about Nancy is that she did know a lot about food, and gave me this awesome recipe which she said is sort of the normal homestyle chicken recipe in the Philipines. The lemon and soy make the chicken very tender.

Good served over jasmine rice.