Thanksgiving Loaves

These are mini meatloaves that were inspired basically by these two entries: the former for the flavors/ingredients and the latter for the cook time and size. This had a strong thanksgiving taste and was way easier than cooking a turkey!

I combined 1 onion, diced with 1+ pound of dark ground turkey, about a cup to cup and a half of premade Pepperidge farm stuffing (the herb kind) and about half a jar of pre-made gravy. Add one egg and some S&P and moosh it all together and form into 5 loaves.

Meanwhile, I made this cranberry sauce and topped each loaf with a healthy dollop (hte rest I froze to use another time).

Bake the loaves on a greased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 450.

Serve topped with remainder of heated gravy. SO yummy!

Thanksgiving on a Bun

My friends and I had a small christmas party and it was pot luck. Since when the plans were made, I was in a thanksgiving mood, I decided to make mini turkey burgers with a thanksgiving twist - topped with gravy (from a jar) and cranberry sauce (homemade).

To make the burgers, i mixed 3 pounds (yeah we always like to have too much food I know!) of ground turkey meat with 1 onion, diced and about 2/3 a bag of Pepperidge farm herbed stuffing, dry. I formed it into smallish patties and put them on baking sheets. To save time since we have a long drive to get there, I just broiled the burgers on the sheets - maybe 3-4 minutes per side or until starting to look a little brown and crispy on top.

Served on store bought rolls sliced in half, with cranberry sauce underneath and gravy drizzled on top. YUM! Excellent leftover. I was really glad to see that the stuffing flavor (and smell mmmm) really did come through.

His and Hers Chili

So Ryan is a big Chili fan and me... eh. I thought I would try my hand at it and was inspired to make a chili that *I* might like... in other words... not at all spicy, healthy, and with less of an obvious tomato-chili taste. My bargain was, I would make a very spicy traditional chili for Ryan a few nights later when i was going to dinner with friends.




I absolutely LOVED my chili... and Ryan says that his was great too! Ill have to take his word for it; it was way too spicy for me to handle!

There are plenty of leftovers, serving sizes frozen - what a good dinner they will be later when the cold weather hits!


Pumpkin Turkey Chili



inspired by Whole Foods recipe






Besides adding a sweet nuttiness, pumpkin's ready source of Vitamin A boosts the nutrition content of this offbeat chili recipe. Garnish each portion with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons olive oil (eyeballed)
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (I used red since its what I had on hand)
2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed and minced (omitted)


1 Honey crisp apple - peeled, cored, diced (my addition)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey (used about 1.25 of white since its what they had)
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
1 cup water (I used 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup apple cider)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
I also added: cinnamon (a decent amt), a pinch of nutmeg and a touch of ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


kernals from 1 eat of putter and sugar corn (my addition)
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans, drained (I used the dark red variety)
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until tender (I added the apple at this point). Add turkey; cook until browned.
Add tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans (I added corn at this point), cover; stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Garnish with cheese and onion. SO good!




Kelly's Spicy Chili (inspired by Wm Sonoma Bride & Groom)





2T olive oil (or bacon fat)
2 medium onions, chopped (I just did 1)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3T chili powder
2T paprika
1T cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 pkg of ground beef
1 pkg of sausage (sweet or hot, Italian style)
2 cans of crushed tomatoes and their juices
1 can (14 oz) barbecued baked beans (Bush’s)
1 can (14 oz) red kidney beans
2 chipotle peppers, minced (from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce marked “hot”) – or more to taste ( we usually use 4-5) (i used about 1/2 the can -5+)
Kernals from 1 ear of corn (my addition)
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Sour cream
Cheese
Chipotles
Chopped onion
Tortilla chips
Directions:
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until tender, about 8 minutes. Add spices, and cook for one minute. Add ground turkey and turkey sausage, combine well with spices, and cook until browned and crumbled (it doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through). Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for one hour. Add more seasonings to taste, and enjoy!





I added extra of all the spices, and a little bit of cayenne, and a few chopped little hot peppers. Wanted to make SURE it was spicy!

Balsamic Turkey Breast

This is something I just threw together and it was good and a different twist on the usual chicken breast. I got a pair of turkey breasts at the store (they were huge, I couldnt finish mine) and grilled them on the stove, brushed with EVOO and sprinkled with Kosher salt and white pepper. I seared them and then covered and cooked until done. In another pan, I reduced the remaining Balsamic we had (about 1/2 to 1/3 cup) until thickened with some frambois liquor we had on hand (I was going to do berries but its a little late in the season now). I caramelized an onion sliced thinly and served the turkey topped with the onions and drizzled with the Balsamic reduction. Yum!