Dinner redoux, Asian chicken

A while back ago I posted this recipe for mushroom chicken asian lettuce wraps. Tonight I wanted to make something with the same taste but with out the lettuce cup stuff so it was easier to pack left overs. So I made the same recipe but instead of shredding the chicken I basted it with a little extra Hoisin sauce and then when it was done cooking I buried it in the mushroom cabbage mixture. My husband loved it. I served it on rice and he thought it was terrific. It also made excellent left overs! I haven't posted much this month and it's because I can't always make new food. I make a lot of stuff my husband loves. He requests his old favorites. So I thought I would take a chance to make something old but redo it so I could still post on here for you.

Turkey spaghetti

1 package Jenny-o ground turkey
2 14 oz cans garlic basil diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
4 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic diced
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 package baby bellas sliced
2 packs button mushrooms sliced
2 tsp garlic powder
1 small pinch crushed red pepper flake
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat large dutch oven (or pot) over high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 mushrooms. Brown mushrooms. Add half of garlic and onions and reduce to medium. Cook until onions are translucent. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook over low heat for 1 hour stirring frequently. Over high heat add remaining olive oil and mushrooms to large skillet brown mushrooms and add remaining garlic and onions. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add turkey, salt, both peppers and garlic powder. Stir until turkey is nearly cooked. There will be no fat to drain so pour turkey and mushroom mixture straight into tomato sauce. Combine and add tomato paste. Cook for additional 15 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.

Basil citrus chicken

Tonight I was sitting in the kitchen annoyed with what to cook. The menu was originally going to be chicken tacos. I got home and said NO I DON'T WANT THAT. So I stared around my kitchen for a second and noticed I had some clementines heading towards DONZO land and remembered I had bought a new flavored olive oil, Spanish basil. I combined them and the smell was awesome. It reminded me to post about that very thing. How sometimes you don't need a recipe to cook. Sometimes you just need to look around and use what you've got. Whats on the edge of it's life? What have you been meaning to use but just haven't? Take those mix em up and see what happens. I was sick of vinegars so I used the citrus instead. I was sick of regular oil so I grabbed that flavored "I'll use this some day" oil and went to work.


1 Package boneless skinless chicken
3 tbsp basil olive oil
2 clementines (or one orange) juiced (reserve peels for marinade)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic finely chopped and pasted
1 pinch salt
2 pinch's black pepper


Combine all ingredients in large storage bag. Mix and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Place on grill on medium low for 15 minutes. Turn and finish cooking. I like to place the orange halves on the grill to scent the chicken also.