I love serving this flavorful soup as a light evening meal.  This recipe is versatile–you can use the wonton recipe to make fried wontons or the filling to make steamed dumplings or potstickers.

Wonton Soup
Yield: 4 servings

Wontons:
½ lb. ground pork
2 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Napa cabbage, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 ea garlic clove, minced
½ an egg, beaten
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp rice wine
¼ t salt

About 24 ea wonton wrappers

Soup:
1 Tbsp canola oil
¼ cup white onion, chopped
¼ cup leeks, chopped
1 ea garlic clove, minced
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 ea carrot, sliced
2 ea Napa cabbage leaves, chopped
3 ea green onions, sliced diagonally
1 slice of fresh ginger

Wonton directions: Combine first 10 ingredients for wonton filling in a bowl, reserving wrappers for later use. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes for flavors to come together. Place wonton wrappers on a plate under a damp paper towel to keep from drying. Take one wrapper, place a heaping teaspoon of wonton filling, moisten edges of the wrapper with a little water. Fold over to make a triangle, removing any air bubbles and sealing well with your fingers. Fold bottom part of filled triangle up one time and fold side corners over together, sealing with water to make a rosette. Repeat this process until you have made 24 wontons, or until the filling is completely used.

Soup directions: Heat oil in medium pot. Lightly cook onion, leeks and garlic over medium heat until fragrant (do not brown). Add chicken broth, water and salt and bring to a simmer (small bubbles). Add carrot, cabbage, green onions, ginger and prepared wontons into broth and simmer for 5 minutes (Do NOT boil or wontons will burst open). Remove slice of ginger and discard. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, if needed. To serve: ladle equal portions of wontons and vegetables into individual soup bowls. Top with broth. Serve soup while hot.

Wonton Soup is a post from: Rockin Chef

Beef Stroganoff

Yield: 4 servings

1 lb beef tenderloin, cut in thin, bite-sized strips
Salt & black pepper
Canola oil, as needed
½ ea onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
½ cup white wine
1 tsp butter
1 tsp flour
2 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp prepared mustard
1 ½ cups sour cream (more if desired)
¼ cup whipped cream cheese (optional)
12 oz fettucine, uncooked

Slice beef in bite-sized strips. Season with salt & pepper. Heat oil in large pan.  Brown the beef in batches (to avoid overcrowding). Remove and repeat with remaining beef. Remove from pan and set aside.  Add a bit more oil to pan and saute’ onion and mushrooms in pan juices. Remove and set aside.  Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce until almost dry.  Add butter and flour to pan and whisk to make a roux (paste). Whisk in beef broth and reduce until sauce starts to thicken. Add tomato paste and mustard. Reduce to desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt and a little sugar, if desired. Whisk in sour cream and cream cheese until well blended. Return mushrooms, beef and their liquid to the sauce. Reduce heat to very low flame and lightly simmer, about 15 minutes for flavors to come together.
While simmering the sauce, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Toss the cooked pasta with a small amount of Stroganoff. Plate pasta and generously spoon Stroganoff on top of each serving.

Beef Stroganoff is a post from: Rockin Chef

Nothing beats the aroma and taste of homemade stuffing.

Old-Fashioned Dressing for Stuffing
Yield: stuffs a 15-20 lb. turkey

1½ cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
1½ sticks of butter
3 T fresh sage, finely minced
a/n Poultry seasoning (or mixture of dried herbs: marjoram, rosemary, thyme)
a/n Salt
a/n Black Pepper
12 cups cubed bread (about 1½ large loaves)
1/2 cup chicken stock (or as needed)

Melt and lightly brown butter in large pot. Add celery and onion, cooking until onion is translucent. Add herbs and seasonings. Place bread cubes into large bowl and toss with aromatic butter mixture. Add chicken stock (about 1 T at a time) as needed to make dressing moist, but not soggy. Just before roasting turkey, stuff small portion into bird cavities. Bake remaining dressing covered in oven at 350F for about 40 minutes. Mix the cooked stuffing from bird into baked dressing.

Thanksgiving Stuffing is a post from: Rockin Chef

Rockin’ Chef Creamed Corn

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
1 lb frozen kernel corn
½ teaspoon salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 pinch white pepper
3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat and mix in flour, making a roux (paste). Whisk milk into the roux and cook for a few minutes on medium heat. Add cream, corn, salt, sugar and white pepper and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in parmesan just before serving. Enjoy!

Can make a day ahead and rewarm.

Creamed Corn is a post from: Rockin Chef

Creamy Herb Mashed Potatoes
Yield: 12-16 servings

12 potatoes, peeled, quartered
Salt, as needed
1 ea bay leaf
1 stick butter, cut in 1/8 pieces
½ cup milk (or more as needed—can use up to about ¾ cup)
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup gruyere cheese, shredded (optional)
White pepper

Place peeled and cut potatoes in large pot of cold water. Add 1 T salt and bay leaf. Cover pot and bring to boil over high heat. Once water starts to boil, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are pierced easily in the middle with a knife. Drain potatoes, remove bay leaf, add butter and use hand mixer or stand-up mixer on low speed to blend potatoes. While blending, slowly pour in the milk and cream. Add cheese, if using. Stir until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper as needed.

Mashed Potatoes is a post from: Rockin Chef

Turkey Gravy
Yield: 1½ pints

3 cups pan juices from roast turkey, strained and fat reserved (can use chicken broth if more liquid is needed)
1 ½ T reserved fat
1 ½ T flour
Sugar, as needed (optional)
Salt, as needed (optional)
Water, as needed (optional)

Separate fat from pan juices. Heat a sauce pan, add 1½ T of reserved fat and whisk in 1½ T flour to form a paste (roux). Slowly whisk in pan juices and simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Taste sauce. Adjust seasoning with sugar or salt, if needed. If sauce is too thick, may thin with water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Reheat just before serving.

Turkey Gravy is a post from: Rockin Chef

Roast Turkey
Serves 12-15

2 T flour
Large Oven Bag
Large Roasting Pan
1 ea onion, coarsely chopped
5 ea carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 ea celery sticks, peeled and coarsely chopped
15 lb. turkey, defrosted, washed, neck and giblets removed
Salt
½ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon 2 T of flour into oven bag. Sit bag in roasting pan. Place rough cut onion, carrots and celery into bag to make an organic “rack” for turkey to lay on. Wash turkey out very well, removing neck and giblets from both cavities. Salt cavities. Stuff dressing into cavities (see Thanksgiving Dressing/Stuffing Recipe) filling only ½ to ¾ full. “Truss” bird by crossing and tucking legs in the skin fat near the leg ends, no string necessary. Rub salt over entire turkey. Place turkey inside of floured oven bag. Rub ½ cup (1 stick) of melted butter all over turkey. Tie oven bag with nylon tie and cut small slit in bag, per bag directions. Place turkey in oven and cook until done (about 3-3 ½ hours). Remove turkey from oven and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Open bag, extract stuffing and set aside. Carefully remove turkey from bag and let rest on a large platter, reserving liquid for gravy. Carve just before serving.

Thanksgiving Turkey is a post from: Rockin Chef

Thanksgiving Preparation Schedule

First week of November:
Make guest list.
Plan Thanksgiving menu.
Make grocery list.
Send invitations.
Plan/purchase decorations, candles, place cards, firewood, matches, etc.
Pre-order turkey, if buying fresh.

Two weeks before Thanksgiving:
Determine headcount.
Go shopping for non-perishable ingredients.
Prepare your Thanksgiving Day music playlist.

One week before Thanksgiving:
Finalize headcount.
Buy frozen turkey.
Start defrosting turkey in refrigerator no later than the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Prepare cranberry sauce and store in air-tight container in refrigerator.
Go shopping for fresh/perishable ingredients.

Two days before Thanksgiving:
Prepare vegetable side dishes and store in refrigerator.
Prepare dough for homemade dinner rolls and freeze.

Day before Thanksgiving:
Prepare ingredients for stuffing, store in refrigerator overnight.
Prepare any other side dishes, store as appropriate.
Make desserts, store as appropriate.
Stage serving dishes and serving utensils.
Decorate and set table.

Thanksgiving morning:
Crank up your Thanksgiving soundtrack.
Prepare and place turkey in oven 4 or 5 hours prior to serving time (depending on the size of your bird). Set your timer!
Chill beverages. Don’t forget the ice!
Prepare/assemble appetizers.

One hour before serving:
While turkey is resting, cook stuffing and gravy.
Warm other side dishes.
Bake dinner rolls. Bring out the butter!
Set out appetizers, drinks and ice.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Preparation Schedule is a post from: Rockin Chef

SEARING 101
What’s it mean to sear? To brown food quickly by placing it in very high heat, either in a skillet, broiler or hot oven. The object of searing meat is to seal in the juices.

Seared Steak
Serves 4

2 ea Ribeye steaks, boneless (about 1 inch thick)
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic clove, sliced in half
Salt & Black Pepper
1 or 2 tablespoons Canola oil

Season steaks with a few sprinkles of Worcestershire sauce on both sides. Rub garlic over the surface of the meat. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Let sit for about 30 minutes.

Heat small amount of oil in skillet on high heat. Make sure it’s hot! Place meat in pan—you want to hear it sizzle. Don’t move it. Let it cook in pan for about 5-7 minutes, or until a nice brown “crust” forms. Turn steak over. Let cook an additional 5-7 minutes or until it reaches the desired doneness. (Cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees for medium rare; 155 degrees for medium). Remove meat from pan and let rest for about 5 minutes. Slice it up and serve over mixed green salad tossed in a Lemon Vinaigrette (see below). Enjoy!

Lemon Vinaigrette
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 ea garlic clove, minced
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil

Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl or blender. Wisk or blend in the oil in a slow steady stream until emulsified (slightly thickened and well blended).

Seared Steak is a post from: Rockin Chef

Pico de Gallo
Serves 2

½ medium onion, finely diced
1 ea jalapeno, finely diced
2 ea tomatoes, finely diced
1 ea lime
Salt, as needed
1 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely minced (optional)

Combine diced onion, jalapeno and tomatoes in medium sized non-reactive bowl. Squeeze juice from lime into the mixture. Season with salt to taste. Mix in fresh cilantro, if desired.

Pico De Gallo (Fresh Salsa) is a post from: Rockin Chef