Dealing with left overs; Turkey and Broccoli Casserole

     This is my aunt Jean's recipe and I'm sure she'll be so impressed this is her introduction to the blog. She is an amazing cook and I have her pumpkin torte recipe but this is the one I'll share for now.

     I first had this probably thirty years ago and I still love it. It falls into the "quick and dirty" category and again uses canned soup. It also has my number one guilty pleasure in it, Cheez Whiz. I love the stuff, I know, it probably doesn't even fall into a food group but I don't care. I don't have a picture of her so it will have to wait until later.

Turkey with Broccoli and Cheddar Casserole

Ingredients

2-4 cups diced turkey

1 head broccoli

1 can cream of “whatever” soup, I use mushroom

½-1 cup shredded cheddar/ 3-4 tablespoons cheez whiz

1 cup bread crumbs, bread cubes, optional

Grating of fresh nutmeg, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and cut broccoli into florets.

In a medium sized casserole dish, combine turkey and broccoli. In a small bowl, combine soup and cheese, stir until well mixed. Pour over turkey mixture. Top with bread crumbs.

Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes, until broccoli is tender



     Hard as it is to believe, Cheez Whiz is perfect for this recipe. It is made to melt smooth without separating like real cheese can sometimes do leaving those puddles of oil on top of your cooking.

     For all the foodies who won't use canned soup refer to the hash brown recipe, just omit the chicken stock and add mushrooms to the celery and garlic. I'm not typing all of that over again. LOL

     Every time I make this people rave about it. I always feel a little guilty, " dirty" accepting the praise. LOL Okay, maybe not that guilty, I tell them no effort is too much for my friends, I guess the secret is out. Enjoy.

Lemon Curd

     When life gives you lemons................ Make lemon curd.

     I have had this recipe kicking around for a couple of years. I love lemon, the sharp sour taste is a perfect match to my sweet personality. : ) I've been on a quest to find the ultimate lemon square recipe, my aunt Jean has a great one. In my search, I found this recipe and it's a keeper.

My aunts Deb, Jean (in the red), Rita and my Mom

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

3 eggs

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained

1 tablespoon lemon zest

¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter cut in pieces

Directions

In a stainless steel bowl whisk together; eggs, sugar and lemon juice until well combined. Cook over a pot of boiling water, you’re making a double boiler, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of sour cream, 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk continuously so the mixture doesn’t curdle

When it is the consistency you want, remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and butter. Continue whisking another minute or two until the mixture is well combined and the butter has all melted and been incorporated. Place in a covered container. The covered container will prevent a skin forming over the curd as it cools. It will thicken to a consistency like pudding when fully cooled.

This will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

     I always use fresh lemon juice when I cook and always strain the pulp out, it's a habit from canning.

     Zest your lemons before you squeeze, it doesn't work the other way around. I've tried.

     Whisk continuously, really, otherwise you end up with a lumpy mess.The process is the same as if you were making hollandaise, or creme brulee.

               This is great just with toast or a muffin, as a filling for cupcakes or tarts and is my newest flavour for the thimble cookies. I also just found another name for those too, Dots. As always, happy baking and enjoy.