Apricot Glazed Turkey Breast

This is a recipe I've adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend in Alaska. Originally she used an entire packet french onion soup mix, and a can of cranberry sauce with whole berries in it. She would simply mix those two items together and pour over a turkey breast in the crock pot, cooking on low for 3-4 hrs. That recipe is good too, but the sauce mixture seemed to overpower the flavor of the turkey to me. She was excited about sharing a recipe that her family loved and was extremely simple to make. I get that, but it just wasn't to our family's taste. The good thing is I did get this idea from it. I did mine in the oven this time due to the fact that my crock-pot is now in appliance heaven and I haven't replaced it yet. (RIP little black crock, we had a good run!) Normally I would cook this in the crock pot, but I like the versatility of this amazingly simple recipe.

This dish is extremely time efficient and only uses 3 ingredients. One pre-cooked turkey breast (approx 3-4 pounds), one packet onion soup mix, and one small jar apricot jam. Apricots are fresh and plenty here in the Northwest and we preserve our own jams & jellies each summer, that's what I used here. You can use your favorite apricot jam from your local grocer.

I like onion soup mix, but it can be pretty overpowering when using it while combining flavors. So for this recipe, I only use half of the packet onion soup mix and half of the jar of apricot jam. Place onion soup mix and apricot jam in a small bowl and stir until well blended.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place turkey breast and 1/2 C water in baking dish. Glaze turkey breast with apricot/onion soup mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour following label directions on the turkey. 

When it's done baking, let sit for 5 minutes for juices to settle before slicing. The house smells wonderful and the turkey is so juicy with the perfect blend of flavors. We usually serve this with some baked sweet potatoes and some sort of steamed vegetable, such as green beans. 

The juice actually makes a really good gravy that brings the sweet potatoes to a whole new level. Simply use approx 1C of the turkey's juices,  2T cornstarch, and 1/2 C milk; mix continually using whisk while mixture simmers until thickened. It will be sweeter than the traditional turkey gravy, but it's a perfect compliment to the turkey meat and sweet potatoes, if you choose to have them as a side dish. 

Happy Feasting -- Jenn

The Bavarian Village - Leavenworth WA

Willkommen

Welcome to one of our family's favorite vacation spots. Nestled among apple orchards on the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state, is a magical little village called Leavenworth. Known as the Bavarian Village, the Christmas Village, and the Little German Town, it's the perfect place to feel like you're on an expensive European vacation right here in the Northwest.

A view of Front Street, Leavenworth, WA.

The air smells of a luscious blend of pine covered mountains, sausages with sauerkraut, and fresh baked gingerbread. In this village you are likely to see lederhosen, beer steins, horse drawn carriages, and during the holiday season Father Christmas strolls the streets with his woodland elves. (Yes I said elves!)

A Bavarian building with painted murals of local wildlife.

It's a magical place for kids and adults alike. Spring is celebrated with a parade and costumed Bavarian dancers lace ribbons around a May Day Pole erected in the center of town. Summer brings hundreds of hanging flower baskets and window boxes overflowing with showy blooms showcasing Bavarian architectural details on the buildings. World class golf, inner tubing a lazy river, eating homemade goodies at umbrella shaded tables, shopping for art in the park, wine tastings, or drinking local micro-brews from ice cold beer steins are among some of the fun activities you can do in the Summer here. 

The entire town of Leavenworth has Bavarian architecture.

In Autumn while the town celebrates the Autumn Leaf Festival and people literally dance in the streets for Oktoberfest, the surrounding hills become a vibrant mix of red, orange and gold. It's one of the best times of the year to join a local wine tasting tour. Not only can you hire a car & driver to take you on a tour of the best valley views, but it's harvest time, and many of the local wineries feature specialty farm-to-table dinners created by local chefs. 

Flower baskets in front of Kris Kringl, a shop dedicated to all things Christmas.

In the Winter people from far and wide travel to this snowy wonderland to watch the Tree Lighting Ceremony. The entire town sparkles with Christmas lights. Leavenworth's streets becomes a place where Father Christmas and his elves greet visitors, street vendors sell hot cider, roasted nuts, fresh kettle corn, handmade wooden toys, and ornaments, and fire barrels are warm gathering spots for those enjoying the holiday atmosphere. The sloped lawn in the center of town, now blanketed with snow, becomes a sledding hill for kids of all ages, and many families take advantage of the well groomed cross country skiing trails that run through town or the nearby ski resorts. 

The sign for the Gingerbread Factory.

Our family has had a long love affair with the little town of Leavenworth. It's the backdrop for many happy memories; hot summer days floating the lazy river, watching salmon jump the fish ladder at the Icicle River Dam, picking out apples at roadside farm stands for fresh apple cider with my grandparents, autumn leaves falling in the park while my cousins and I did the chicken dance to accordion music during Oktoberfest, making gingerbread houses at the Gingerbread Factory, gathering perfect pine cones in the surrounding mountains, and my favorite memory; sledding at night. While sledding with my cousins on the town sledding hill, the Christmas lights set the snow aglow while big snowflakes fell. It made me feel like I was in a life-sized snow globe. After thoroughly freezing ourselves sledding for hours, my family and I would gather around a  fire barrel sipping on hot apple cider or hot cocoa. 

One of the things I like the best about Leavenworth is that it's a place where people go to be happy and every day is a celebration. That's how life really should be. I hope you have the opportunity to make some memories in this unique little town. Below I've attached links to some of our favorite spots as well as the City of Leavenworth and visitors borough help you plan your vacation in the Christmas Village.

The Gingerbread Factory

Kris Kringl - The Christmas Shop
The Gingerbread Factory
The Wood Shop & Hat Shop
The Leavenworth Taffy Shop
A Book For All Seasons
The Cheesemonger's Shop
The Soup Cellar
The Baren Haus Restaurant
Cafe Verona

The City of Leavenworth Official Site
Visit Leavenworth Site

BBQ Chicken Chop Salad

Trying to eat healthy can be a challenge for someone who grew up believing a meal consisted of some version of meat, potatoes, bread and cheese. It shocks me that I could go an entire day without eating one fresh fruit or vegetable. That being said, I have never considered sitting down to a green salad a viable meal. I always felt unsatisfied or hungry too soon after eating. This was becoming a big problem. I want to teach the kids what healthy is from a young age so they don't struggle with weight and other health issues that accompany an unhealthy diet. How could I teach them if I couldn't follow through with healthy eating myself? I'm a firm believer in leading by example, so I had to figure out a way to make salads heartier and more filling without compromising the nutrient value. 

How did I do that? Well....truth be told, I went out to eat. I started to pay attention to the ingredients in the restaurant salads I loved and noticed there's a big difference between a "green salad" and what I call a "meal salad". A green salad is a simple salad consisting of some form of lettuce, maybe a bit of onion, celery, cucumber or tomato, topped off with a crouton and whatever dressing suits your mood. A meal salad usually has some meat, beans, nuts, cheese, or pasta added to the basic green salad make it more substantial. The little light bulb in my head went off, and I got creative in the kitchen!

This BBQ Chicken salad is a winning result of that kitchen creativity. 

For this salad I used some leftover grilled chicken breasts coated in BBQ sauce from a gathering with friends the night before. In the past I have made this by simply baking two chicken breasts in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cooked through, and coating them with our favorite low sugar bottled BBQ sauce.

• Take two heads crisp romaine lettuce, rinse and dry with paper towels; chop into bite sized pieces and put into large salad bowl. 
• Chop two green onion, one celery stick, half a cucumber (peeled), and half of a sweet red or orange pepper; add to chopped romaine lettuce; gently toss.
• Cut chilled BBQ chicken breasts into cubes and add to salad mixture.
• Add 1/4 cup diced or shredded cheddar cheese.
• Cut approximately 10-12 canned baby corn and 10-12 grape tomatoes into halves and sprinkle over salad mixture. 
• Top with your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing to serve.

If your family is trying to green up your mealtime, this is a great way to start. Adding foods like BBQ chicken and baby corn make this a popular dish with the kids. Mine love this salad! 

Enjoy! -- Jenn

Jeff's Super Simple Peach Cobbler

My previous job at the Humane Society could be stressful to say the least. Our amazing staff saw the best and, unfortunately, the worst of human behavior toward defenseless animals. The ups and downs of daily life at the shelter made us a tight knit family, working together for the greater good. As a way to unwind we would often have pot-lucks or BBQs. Lets just say we appreciated a day of grazing on good grub, and we all had our own signature dishes.

My co-worker, Jeff, was known for this amazingly simple peach cobbler. With big flavor and only 3 ingredients I normally have on hand in the pantry, this is a great go-to recipe when we're looking for something sweet, gooey, and warm for dessert. Making this dish also reminds me of the good times and laughter shared with co-workers that became family. I miss them and wish them the best in their efforts to build a much needed new shelter.

INGREDIENTS:

2 - 15 oz cans sliced peaches in light syrup (do not drain)

1 box Yellow Cake Mix

1 sick butter (1/2 cup) melted

Pour the 2 cans of peaches (including juice) into a 13x9x2 in baking dish. I personally prefer more peaches so I add an extra 15 oz can of peaches, drained. It's important to drain the additional peaches if you add them because the additional liquid will make the crust soggy. (I learned this the hard way.) 

Evenly sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the peaches, trying to make it as level as you can. (see above photo) It's OK if some peaches are peeking through.

As seen in the above 2 photos, evenly drizzle melted butter over yellow cake mix. Not all of the cake mix will be saturated.

Place in oven pre-heated at 350 degrees, and bake for 35 min or until evenly browned and bubbly. Let sit for 10 minutes for juices to thicken, before serving.

I highly recommend serving this tasty treat with your favorite french vanilla ice cream to bring the flavor to the next level. Dig in! This is guaranteed to be one of your family's most requested, super simple recipes. 

Columbia River Mom supports the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. If you're interested in finding out more information about this fantastic organization or would like to support their efforts to build a desperately needed new shelter, please visit their website:

 www.wenatcheehumane.org

Thank you!  -- Jenn