Mexican Turkey Stew

I made this up last night for my kids and one of their friends, and they all loved it... they even asked for seconds! It's a fairly thick stew, definitely something you could eat with a fork, so if your kids like something closer to soup, this may not be for them.

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (or use roasted turkey cut into small pieces, about 2 cups)

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles

1 cup corn

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1. In large sauce pan, brown the turkey and break it into little chunks as it cooks. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add oil and saute onions until soft. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Put turkey back in pot and add tomatoes, black beans, corn, green chilis and spices.
4. Heat to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with corn bread on the side and grated cheese on top. (Some of us also added some Hot Giardiniera and it tasted wonderful).

Chicken Barley Chili

We had this last night and all loved it. It's great on a cold and blustery night.

3 can low sodium chicken broth

1 cup salsa

1 cup barley

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 can black beans

1 cup frozen corn

2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces

1. Combine broth, salsa, barley, chili powder, cumin and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
2. Add chicken and heat through.
3. This is great as is, but it's also wonderful served with grated cheddar, avocado and tortillas.

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry Stew

I had this at a book group a few weeks ago and loved it. It's a beautiful orange color, very flavorful and super hearty. I wasn't sure how my kids would react, but was excited to give it a try. Gavin liked it and Meriel just ate the couscous. Oh well, at least one of them had a decent serving!

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1 chopped onion

1-2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces

1 Tbs. minced garlic

2 cups sweet potato chunks

1 cup chopped carrots or parsnips

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 can chicken broth

1/4 cup golden raisins or chopped dried plums

2 tsp. curry

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. red pepper

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large stew pot. Once softened, remove from pan and set aside. Saute chicken is same pan until no longer pink. Add back onion and garlic.
2. Add sweet potato, carrots, chickpeas, raisins, lemon juice, chicken broth, raisins and spices.
3. Simmer for around one hour.
4. Serve over couscous or rice with a dollop of plain yogurt and a handful of nuts.

Chocolate Ice Cream

This is the best chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten in my entire life... and that's not hyperbole. It's so smooth, so creamy, so chocolatey -- you'll feel like you've gone to chocolate heaven. The recipe is from "The New Best Recipe" cookbook.

8 oz high-quality bittersweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in microwave at 50% power. Set aside to cool.
2. Position a strainer over a medium bowl set in a larger bowl containing ice water.
3. Heat the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until steam appears and the milk is warm, about 5 minutes.
4. While the milk is heating, beat the yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until pale yellow. Add the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated.
5. Whisk half the warm milk mixture into the beaten yolks, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
6. Whisk the milk-yolk mixture into the warm milk in the sauce pan. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until steam appears and the mixture is slightly thickened. Do not boil, or the eggs will curdle.
7. Immediately strain the custard into the bowl set in the ice bath. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla, cover and refrigerate until it's cooled to 40 degrees or lower -- at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
8. Pour custard into the ice cream machine and churn for up to 1/2 an hour. (Longer and you risk getting flecks of butter in your ice cream.) It should resemble soft-serve ice cream. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until firm, around 2 hours.

Whole Wheat Crepes

Meriel LOVES crepes for breakfast, so I've come up with a recipe that makes three crepes -- just the right amount for one person. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you want to make more.

1 egg

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

6 Tbs. milk

1/2 tsp. sugar

pinch salt

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Melt a little butter in a non-stick pan and pour in 1/3 of batter.
3. Fry until starting to brown and flip over.
4. Meriel likes them with a little sugar and lemon juice, but they're also good with jam, peanut butter, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, or sliced fruit. Just put on what you like and roll the up.

Gateaux aux Poires (Pear Cake)

This recipe came from my friend Cindy. I made it last night for book group and everyone seemed to really like it. The quantities below are a little different from the ones she gave me as I needed to make a larger amount for all the gals in my book group. If you want to original, let me know. Cindy counseled that it's really important to not delete the rum -- she's made it without and said it was really bland. It's really a perfect dessert for a fall evening.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup vanilla yogurt

2 Tbs. Rum

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 lb. pears

1 Tbsp. soft butter

1 Tbs. sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1. Mix together flour, sugar, eggs, yogurt, rum and oil.
2. Spread half of butter on the bottom of a pie plate or tart pan.
3. Cover bottom of pie plate with peeled and cored pear slices.
4. Cover with dough and spread bits of the remaining butter on top. Bake at 400 degrees F, for 25-35 minutes, until it starts to brown around the edges and the middle looks kind of spongy -- it should be firm.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the sugar/nutmeg blend.