I’m not a big recipe-sharing person online, but today is one of those days… In a little while, I’m giving a Skype historical fiction writing workshop for a school in Vermont, and later I have a virtual author visit with 2nd graders in Ohio. I’m on deadline for a new book that I’ll be working on, and the kids have after-school activities that will have them eating dinner at all hours. It’s a Busy-Day Crockpot Turkey Stew kind of day.
This is one of my go-to recipes when I’m busy at home or heading out of town for an author visit in the morning and want to have dinner ready for the family later on. It’s hearty and super-quick — about ten minutes prep time — and makes a big batch.
I know a lot of my blog readers are also busy writers, teachers, librarians, and moms, so I thought I’d share. The directions are simple:
THROW ALL OF THESE THINGS INTO YOUR BIG CROCK POT:
5 or 6 turkey breast cutlets, cut into chunks
2 packages of potato gnocchi (I use this kind…but you can use whatever you like)
64 ounces of chicken broth (I use two of these, but again…whatever)
A bunch of chopped garlic (2 tablespoons or more if you love garlic)
About a cup of chopped onions
Half a package of frozen corn
Half a package of frozen peas
Half a package of those matchsticks-cut carrots
A couple good handfuls of dried cranberries
Give it all a good stir. It will look kind of like this…
Set your crock pot for 7.5 – 8 hours on low. Go write your books or teach your students or whatever else you need to do. The starch in the gnocchi will make a lovely, thick stew while you’re off doing interesting things. Serve it with some salad and a crusty loaf of bread, and dinner’s good to go. This is my big, mom’s-probably-out-of-town-for-two-days batch. If you have a smaller crock pot or don’t want leftovers, just split everything on the ingredients list in half.