Turkey Taquitos

Last night was a super easy dinner night.  I took out the bag of leftover turkey, some corn tortillas, and a box of Spanish Style Rice A Roni (shhh... don't tell I used a box).  I started the rice first according to the directions and then got another pan on the stove and poured vegetable oil in the bottom, about a 1/2 inch is enough.  Turn the burner to a high medium.  Then I started to roll a little turkey into the tortillas.  It only takes a little bit, if you use too much meat the tortillas will rip and break apart.  When the oil is hot (you can test by dropping a piece of meat or tortilla in it.  If its hot enough it will sizzle rapidly.) use two sets of tongs to place the taquitos into the oil with the "seam" down.  Line a plate with paper towel.  You may need to turn the taquitos to cook the other side depending on how much oil you poured.  When taquitos are crispy, use tongs to remove from the oil.  Tilt over the pan and let any excess oil drain out then set on paper towel and soak up extra oil. 
Set the table with sour cream, salsa or hot sauce and the rice.  Enjoy!

The Perfect Pie Crust

This recipe comes directly from my very most favorite cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond.  Pie crust is something that really intimidated me, I had never tried it before and I probably never would have had I not bought this book.  I decided to try it and it acctually worked out wonderfully.  It's not too dry but is flakey.  It was quite simple to make and I love the fact that this one recipe makes 3 crusts and you can easily freeze the extras for a super fast and easy pot pie next time.

Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Egg
• 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Turkey Pot Pie

Okay, the first pot pie recipe I ever tried to make was The Pioneer Woman's pot pie.  Yes, I do like her... I really really do! ALOT!  I've never tried a recipe I didn't love of hers.  So this is very close to her recipe, though it does have a few variations.  I will be making this in single serving pie tins this time. But the recipe is perfect for a 9" pie dish or an 8x8 baking dish. 
Before you get too carried away with the pot pie... what will you do for a crust?  You have a couple options, I guess you could buy an already made crust in the freezer section of your supermarket or  you could make an amazing crust that you could really be proud of.  And here is how... The Perfect Pie Crust (click on this link).

You will need:

• 3 celery stalks, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)    
• 3 medium carrots, peeled & diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
• 2-3 cups fully cooked turkey, shredded or cut into bitesized pieces (I like more than less)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• Perfect Pie Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute your diced celery, carrots, onion, & peas until they start turning translucent.  This should take just a few minutes.
3. Add the turkey and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture evenly and stir to combine.  Cook for a few minutes stirring gently.
4. Pour in chicken broth stirring constantly, add the bouillon cube. This will make a gravy.
5. Stir in cream and reduce your heat to low.  Allow the cream to thcken your mixture for 4-5 minutes.  Season with Thyme, Salt, & Pepper.  Remove from heat and make sure it is adequately seasoned especcially with salt.
6. Now pour into a pie dish.
7. Roll out the crust about an inch larger than the pie dish.  Place ontop of chicken, tuck excess dough underneath, and press into dish along the edges a little. 
8. Cut slits into crust to vent while baking.  I like to make hearts or other shapes.
9.   Remove from oven when crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. 
10. Let stand for ten minutes and serve.

Note: Double this recipe to make two seperate pies. Line two pie dishes with plastic wrap, 2 layers puts me at ease.  Assemble pies as usual.  Instead of baking, freeze.  When pie is completely frozen remove pies from dishes with help from the plastic wrap.  Wrap pies with more plastic wrap and place in seperate gallon freezer bag and freeze for another day. Don't forget to use a marker and write the contents of the bag and the date on the bag. 

Thanksgiving Leftovers...

I play soccer on an indoor women's league, we had a game tonight and I hadn't planned anything for dinner...  we got home and my husband went strait to the fridge and threw together a meal with only Thanksgiving leftovers in literally about two minutes... I hadn't even gotten my shoes, socks, or sweat shirt off yet and it was in the oven.  But the real neat thing about this, it was SO delicious!.

He got out a pie tin, put about 2 Tablespoons of butter in first, then covered the bottom with turkey pieces, covered the turkey with mashed potatoes, then crumbled stuffing (dressing) on top of that, and finally poured  gravy over the top.  He then put it in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes or until warmed through.