Turkey Sloppy Joes

Turkey Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 onion, chopped
About 1/4-1/2 cup ketchup
About 2 Tbsp mustard
About 2 Tbsp brown sugar
About 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 small can tomato sauce

Directions:  Cook ground turkey through, drain and return meat back to skillet.  Add a couple of swirls of mustard, 3-4 really big squeezes of ketchup, 1 can tomto sauce, a couple dashes of worcestershire and a handful of brown sugar.  Mix together and let simmer 10-15 minutes.  As with all of my mom's recipes, there is nothing exact, everything is seasoned to taste.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I browned the turkey and cooked it with the onions.

#2 I added a couple swirls of mustard and 3-4 big squeezes of ketchup.

#3 I added 1 can of tomato sauce.

#4  Some brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and salt/pepper.

The Finished Product:

Review:

Once again, my mom's recipes are the best to me!  I love the tanginess of the mustard and I usually end up adding more mustard to my sandwich, as well.  As I said above, there is no set recipe.  If there is something you think might be missing, i.e. hot sauce, green peppers, dry mustard, just go ahead and add and taste.

I didn't eat my sloppy joe on a bun but rather with some iceberg lettuce as a wrap and it was yummy.  Of course, this sauce can be used fr ground beef or pork, as well.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Turkey Call Sandwich

Turkey Call Sandwich from Nibble Me This
6 slices of bacon
2 each turkey breast cutlets
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp garlic pepper
1/2 cup honey mustard
1 tomato, sliced
2 slices of Swiss cheese
1 loaf french bread

Directions:  Cook bacon to a crisp.  Pound cutlets to 1/4" thickness with a metal mallet.  Season with salt and garlic pepper.  Grill over a 350 degree fire (medium heat) for 2 minutes.  Flip and brush the top with honey mustard. 

Cook another 2 minutes.  Flip and brush with honey mustard.  Cook another minute and remove.

Top the sliced French bread with sliced grilled turkey and drizzle the honey mustard sauce.  Add a thin slice of tomato and kosher salt.  Add a couple pieces of crispy bacon and sliced swiss cheese. Add some mayonnaise to the top layer of French bread.  Put it all together in a panini press or make your own panini press by grilling it in a hot pan topped with a heated cast iron skillet.  Cook for 5-8 minutes.

Modifications:
-I did used turkey bacon instead of pork bacon.
-I did not have garlic pepper so I used garlic salt and ground pepper.
-I did not put mayonnaise on the sandwich.
-I used turkey breasts instead of cutlets.
-I used smoke gouda instead of swiss cheese.

This is what I started with:

This is how I did it:

#1 I seasoned both sides of the turkey breasts with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper.

#2 I cut thick slices of French bread.

#3 I put the turkey breasts onto a medium high grill and brushed Boar's Head Honey Mustard on each side each time I flipped them.

#4 Once they were cooked through, I pulled them off the grill.

#5 I sliced up the turkey breasts (they were huge) and laid them on a piece of French bread.

#6 I added some thin slices of tomatoes.

#7 Next, came a couple slices of smoke gouda.

#8 I put on a couple pices of crisp turkey bacon. 

#9 Then, I put some more honey mustard on the top slice of bread.

#10 Finally, I placed the sandwiches in a large cast iron skillet and topped it with another.  I left them in there for about 3 minutes and then I flipped it.

The Finished Product:

Review:

I got this recipe today from Chris at Nibble Me This and I immediately thought that this was something that Scott and I would really enjoy.  I also have never cooked turkey breasts and I wanted to check it out (I told you all that I am not a chef!). 

This sandwich was really, really good.  I am typically not a honey mustard fan but the Boar's Head Honey Mustard had a tang to it and wasn't overwhelmingly sweet.  The turkey with the bacon, honey mustard, tomatoes and toasted bread was such a great combination so I was really happy that I have enough for leftover tomorrow. 

I served this with one of Scott's brand new favorite items, Cheesy Cauliflower.

This sandwich was great!

Hope you enjoy.
April

Chicken and Vegetables in Foil

This recipe was adapted from Mennonite Girls Can Cook

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast per packet
Any vegetables that you have on hand (preferably fresh but canned will work)
Seasoning

Directions:  Use two sheets of tin foil per packet.  Spray the tin foil and place the chicken breast on of the sheets, add any vegetables.  Wrap each packet tightly.  Grill for 30-40 minutes turning frequently.

I didn't take pictures of what I started with because I was just going through my refrigerator and pantry looking for things that I thought would taste good.

The Finished Product:

Review:

This dish was so good and so simple.  I didn't have to the grocery store and buy a thing.  I had the chicken breasts and then I just looked in my pantry and refrigerator and added what I had.  I wish I would have had broccolli or green beans, snap peas or something grean. 

I seasoned the chicken with just some poultry seasoning and put everything in the foil with some olive oil and salt and pepper.  It tasted almost like a chicken roast and the chicken was really moist.

After making it once, I keep thinking of other ways to make this kind of dish:  hamburger patties with mushrooms and onions, chicken with onions, mushrooms and some spaghetti sauce, steaks with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, etc., etc., etc.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Sloppy Genies served with Johnny Corn Cakes

Sloppy Genies from the Schnuck's Test Kitchens
1Tbsp canola oil
4 green onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 package (16 oz) fresh ground turkey
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onions, drained
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup coarsely chopped resh cilantro leaves

Directions:  In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add green onions, garlic and bell pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add ground turkey and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until turkey loses its pink color throughout, breaking up turkey with side of spoon.  Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, salt and Tobasco.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until most liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve over corn cakes.

Modifications:
-You can use either ground turkey, beef or pork.
-I did not add the Tabasco sauce.
-I used the entire bunch of green onions, stems and all.

Here's what I started with:  (forgot to picture the Worcestershire)

Here's how I did it:

#1 I put the ground turkey on to cook with the green onions, garlic and green pepper.

#2 Once the ground turkey was fully cooked, I opened and drained the can of tomatoes with garlic and onion and added it to the mix. 

#3 I added the Worcestershire and salt.  Then, I let it simmer until the liquid was evaporated.

#4 Meanwhile, I coarsely chopped some cilantro.

#5 Once the liquid was mostly gone, I tossed the cilantro in the pan.

The Finished Product:  (served with Johnny Corn Cakes--1 box of Jiffy corn meal mix with 1 can of whole kernal corn, drained, added.  Follow box instructions).

Review:

I found this recipe while grocey shopping at Schnuck's.  They were doing one of their tasting demonstrations and I thought it was really interesting.  I wouldn't expect to combine the tanginess of the meat mixture with the sweetness of the corn cake.  It reminded me of a Tex-Mex meal.

You could very easily makes this a spicier dish by adding jalapenos or maybe instead of the can of tomatoes add chipotles in adobe sauce.  I think this meat mixture would also work really well as a nacho topping or even fajitas.

Unfortunately, I was the only one who was really crazy about this meal.  Scott couldn't quite get into the texture of the corn bread along with the meat.  I will say that it could have a tendancy to be a little dry.  He said that he thought it was good and definitely worth trying because it was different but it just wasn't one of his favorite meals.  I, on the other hand, really liked it.

Hope you enjoy!

April

***(3 Stars)--This dish was ok.  (only because I was the only one who really liked it)

Pizza Pasta

Pizza Pasta from Our Krazy Kitchen
Makes 1 9x13 pan.

1 lb bow tie pasta
1/2-1 lb ground sausage
1-1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce
1/2 package Canadian Bacon or 1/4 lb cooked and diced ham.
1/4 lb sliced pepperoni
3 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb grated mozzarella cheese
*optional: onions, mushrooms & olives

Directions: Cook Pasta until al-dente. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside. Cook and drain sausage (add and cook onions with sausage if desired) Pour a small amount of sauce to lightly coat the bottom of a 9 x13 pan.

Layer ingredients:
1st layer: cover bottom with a layer of pasta, cover with sauce, mozzarella, 1 Tbs. Parmesan and top with sausage (can add sliced olives)

2nd layer: cover 1st layer with pasta

Then cover with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella, 1 Tbs. Parmesan and top with ham. (can add sliced mushrooms).

Cover 2nd layer with the remaining pasta.
Cover with sauce, mozzarella, 1 tablespoon Parmesan and cover the top with pepperoni
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Take cover off and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cover and freeze 2nd one.

Modifications:
-I used 93/7 ground beef instead of sausage.
-I used turkey pepperoni and no ham.
-I used 1 can of mushroom slices.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and I put the noodles on to boil until al dente.

#2 I browned the hamburger meat and added onion and green pepper.

#3 Once the hamburger meat was cooked, I opened up a can of mushrooms and added them.

#4 I lightly coated the bottom of  9x13 baking dish with pasta sauce.

#5 I put down a layer of noodles, followed by sauce, meat mixture and cheese.  I repeated until all ingredients were gone.

#6 I put one final layer of cheese and then laid out pepperoni on top.

#7 I covered it with tin foil and baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  I took the tin foil off and baked another 10 minutes.

The Final Product:

Review:

The first thing the kids said when I put this dish on the table was "Wow".  They thought that it looked so good with the pepperoni all lined up on top.

This dish was really good.  The kids ate 2 helpings each.  I used whole grain pasta and even Scott couldn't tell the difference.  The taste of the green peppers, onions and mushrooms really did give the taste of pizza. 

This dish was so easy and you could add any topping that you have on a normal pizza--Canadian bacon, sauage, pineapple, black olives, the list could go on and on.

Bottom line, this dish was great!

Hope you enjoy!

April

*****(5 Stars)--This dish was fantastic!

Tuna and White Bean Salad

Tuna and White Bean Salad from Our Krazy Kitchen
2 (6-ounce) cans dark meat tuna, packed in olive oil (I just had tuna in water, so I drained it and added a couple tablespoons olive oil to the salad)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:  In a large bowl, add the tuna with its olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Using a fork, break up the tuna into bite-size pieces, then gently toss in the beans and onions. Drizzle with the red wine vinegar and season with more salt and pepper, if needed, to taste. Transfer the salad to plates and serve.

I served this on top of a 50/50 mixed green salad.

Modifications: 
-I didn't have any cannellini beans so I just used white beans.
-I was out of red wine vinegar so I used a combination of apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar.

Here's what I started with:

The Finished Product:

Review:

This was a great, easy, healthy lunchtime meal.  You could eat this as a sandwich or as part of a salad.  You could also add a wide variety of vegetables to this meal.

I really liked the texture that the beans added and the vinegar gave it a nice tanginess.  Overall, I really enjoyed this meal.  I think next time, though, I would cut the recipe in half because the kids would have no part of it. 

I Will Return

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.  I will return.  Things are just very, very busy right now.

Look for pizza pasta next week.  Yummy.

Changes to Menus/Shopping Lists

Hey Everybody~
  I have decided to change the way that I post menus and shopping lists.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized that our summers and summer nights, especially, are just going to be too packed for me to sit down, search for recipes, type everything up and then not actually make the food the next week.
  I am going to start putting the shopping lists just at the top of each individual recipe instead of a week's worth of recipes. 

Hope you guys are having a fantastic summer and please if you have a recipe that you think I should try, send it to me!

April

Cheesy Cauliflower

heesy Cauliflower by Rachel Ray
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 whole cauliflower
1/3 cup, about 3 ounces, Boursin or other garlic and herb soft cheese

Directions:  Add chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, to a deep pot. Trim away greens and stems from the base of cauliflower. Cut away the core with a sharp paring knife. Set cored head into pot with broth. Cover pot and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook cauliflower, covered, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and mash the cauliflower. Let some liquid cook off as you smash the cheeses into the cauliflower. As the mixture thickens, turn off heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in chives and transfer cauliflower to as serving dish.

Modifications:
-I did put in the chives or the nutmeg.
-I used beef stock instead of chicken stock because that's what I had.

This is what I started with:

This is how I did it:

#1 I put the olive oil and the beef stock in a pan and turned it on to boil.

#2 I trimmed all of the extra leaves.

#3 Then I put the cauliflower in the pan and covered it.  Once it started to boil, I turned it down and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

#4 I opened the Boursin cheese.

#5 Once the cauliflower was really soft, I cut out the rest of the center core of the cauliflower.

#6 I mashed up the cauliflower and then added the Boursin cheese.

#7 I let the cauliflower and cheese continue to simmer until more of the liquid evaporated.

The Finished Product:

Review:

I saw this on Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Recipes and it looked so good.  I have never had Boursin cheese before and let me tell you, I could have eaten the whole round circle by myself.  It was absolutely delicious.  It was garlicky and salty.  It would be perfect spread on some crackers for a party.

The cheesy cauliflower was a little bit runnier than I thought it would be but it still had a great flavor.  I just used a slotted spoon when serving it. 

I thought it was kind of difficult to mash the cauliflower up because the entire core was not cut away when I followed Rachel's directions.  I think that the nex time I would just go ahead and cut all of the flowerettes off of the core and boil those.  I think they would cook faster and it would be much easier to mash.

Hope you enjoy!

April

****(4 Stars)--This dish was good. There wasn't a whole lot that we would do differently. We will have it again.