Fall Is In the Air!

When I think of fall cooking, two things immediately come to mind: Crockpots and pumpkin. Today was one of those days. I made something in the crockpot and I made something pumpkin. Not together however. That will have to wait until breakfast tomorrow. Stay tuned on that one.

I love my crockpot. It is probably my most used kitchen appliance next to my coffee maker and microwave. As you can see from prior posts, it gets a LOT of use in this house. What could be easier than throwing ingredients in in the morning and turning it on? Jason giggles because I use it so much, but he clearly loves the results.

This is a recipe I normally wouldn't make. I am not sure what caught my eye about it. Probably the fact that I love Thai food and peanut butter. So I figured why not? I have never made anything Thai inspired so it was worth a shot.

The ingredients aren't that far out there either. I didn't have to buy fish sauce or chili paste. As a matter of fact, I had all the spices on hand. All it takes is some soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. Who doesn't have those things in their kitchen?

I will admit that I had to buy a few of the ingredients it calls for. I had regular peanut butter in the house, but Jason has been begging me to buy some chunky, so I obliged. I also had to buy the actual peanuts. Yes, I realize they are a garnish, but I wanted that extra crunch on top. Plus, I had to buy the turkey and the cilantro.

This was very very good. Not overwhelmingly peanut butter. I think that's probably due in part to the broth and soy sauce. Yes, you could taste the peanut butter, but you could also taste the other ingredients too. It was nice and spicy, just how we like things in this house.

I would recommend using either rice noodles or ramen (without the flavor packet) if you make this. I used just regular pasta, but I think rice noodles would be better. I didn't think about it at the time so I just bought thin spaghetti. Oh and my grocery store didn't have turkey tenderloins that weren't crazy marinated ones. So I just used turkey cutlets which were perfectly fine. You just dice the turkey up anyways.

Try this one, it's yummy! Fall is definitely in the air! Wait until you see my next post. That one DEFINITELY proves that fall is here.

Thai Turkey and Noodles

from: 365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes and More

1 package (about 1.5 pounds) turkey tenderloins, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into short, thin strips

1.25 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (not natural style)

12 ounces hot vermicelli pasta

3/4 cup peanuts or cashews, chopped

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Place turkey, bell pepper, 1 cup broth, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 3 hours.

Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth in small bowl until smooth. Turn slow cooker to high. Stir in green onions, peanut butter and cornstarch mixture. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and turkey is no longer pink in center. Stir well. Serve over vermicelli. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.