Turkey meat sauce

I will admit that jarred sauce is so convenient. After a long day at work the last thing you want to do is make sauce, but if you make this sauce ahead of time not only will you have great tasting sauce, but you will also know what has gone into it.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I love to read the labels on jarred foods. I am always impressed by how many ingredients are in jarred and canned foods that I would never use. I guess that's the price that you pay for convenience. I wish I could express to you all how wonderful this recipe is, the only way that you will have a real appreciation for it, is if you try it.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1.5lbs of ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
a few steams of fresh parsley
2 (28-ounce) cans whole Italian plum tomatoes, with their juices


In a large saucepan saute the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat until soft and lightly golden, about 4 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add ground turkey let cook until brown.

Drain fat and then add the tomato paste, salt, hot sauce, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, and basil, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, crushing with your spoon in the pan.

Stir to combine well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over any pasta of choice and enjoy! This can also be made in the crock-pot.

Mongolian Beef with Veggies over White Rice

OMG! Last night I made the most amazing Mongolian Beef Thanks to Joelen. For some reason I was craving some Asian food, and being that my husband is Chinese he is always ready. But let's face it... the only time my husband gets "real" Chinese food is when we go to my in-laws for the weekend. However this recipe was so good that you would have thought my mother-in-law had been in town. I did make a few minor changes to Joelen's recipe below you will find the link to her blog so you can see the original recipe. I hope that you try this recipe. Either this one or the original recipe I promise you wouldn't be disappointed with either recipe! It was so good that we only had a little bit left over =(

This recipe is so easy and so fast to make it should only take 30 minutes from start to finish.

Adapted from http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/07/chinese-flair-farewell.html

FYI The picture does not have broccoli in it because it was so tasty that we finished it all before I was able to take the picture.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1.5 Lbs of beef sliced thin (I like to use New York strip steaks but you can use any cut. Also put beef in freezer for about 30 minutes, that way the meat will be firmer and easier to cut into thin slices)
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
2 tablespoons of cornstarch (I actually omitted this because I forgot)
1 med onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 a pepper pepper chopped
1.5 cup of broccoli
1/4 cup oyster sauce plus an extra tablespoon for later
1/4 cup soy sauce plus an extra tablespoon for later
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (we like spicy)
1/2 teaspoon of sriracha hot chili sauce (again we like spicy, this can be found in the Asian section at your local store or in any Asian market.)

Season beef with a little salt and pepper. Add garlic powder, onion powder, the extra tablespoon of oyster sauce, and extra tablespoon soy sauce. Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes.

At this point you might want to start your pot of rice while the beef is marinating because believe it or not the rice will take longer time to cook than the beef.

Sprinkle corn starch over and set aside (I forgot to do this step)

In a hot pan saute garlic, onion, and red pepper in oil until softened

Add meat and add broccoli florets until beef brown.

Mix oyster sauce and soy sauce together and add to pan to coat everything.

Remove from heat, and but over a bed of white rice.

Mashed Red Potatoes

So last night I made a turkey breast for dinner and you can't have turkey without having mashed potatoes to go with it. What I love about this side is that it is easy and everyone in my home loves it. I wish that everything that I made was this simple and this easy to put together. Take my word for it, this recipe is sure to please anyone.

I hope that if you do try this recipe that you come back and let me know how it came out good or bad I would love to hear from you. Enjoy!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1-1 1/2lb of red potatoes cut into quarters (leave the skin on for extra fiber)
stockpot with water
salt to season the water
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk (I use 2%)(You might need to add extra milk.)

Put potatoes into water with salt and let cook until they are fork tender. Once the potatoes are fully cooked strain water from pot. Transfer potatoes back into the pot add, ground pepper, garlic powder, butter, and milk.

Using a potato masher, and mash everything together until everything is combined together. Taste and add any additional seasonings to your own liking.

Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter

For Thanksgiving I used this recipe to make my turkey and it was amazing. I have never had a bird that was so tasty and yet so moist. My husband loved it so much that we had been begging that I make it again. This week whole turkey breasts were on sale at the grocery store so I decided that I would pick one up and fulfill his request. Needless to say he was a very happy camper when he got home and smelled the turkey baking in the oven.

Once again Tyler Florence's recipe was a huge hit in our home. Link to the recipe on food network is below.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/maple-roasted-turkey-with-sage-butter-recipe/index.html

TO INSURE THAT YOU GET A MOIST TURKEY, I SUGGEST THAT YOU BRINE YOUR TURKEY AT LEAST OVER NIGHT IF POSSIBLE BRINE IT FOR 24 HOURS.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: This recipe is meant for a 10-12lb turkey

1 stick OF unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 bunch fresh sage, finely chopped
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh turkey
8 strips bacon
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Put the butter and sage in a mixing bowl and mash until the sage is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and slip the remaining seasoned butter under, massaging the breast meat as you go.

Shingle the bacon strips over the breast so it's totally covered. Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, cover the turkey with aluminium foil, and place in the oven. (I do not cover the turkey until the last 1hour of baking, so that they turkey can get that nice golden crispy skin.)

FYI: You will notice that the bacon will begin to become very dark almost to the point where it looks very, very, over done...don't worry about it, because it will be disregarded later.

In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup with 2 tablespoons of hot water to thin. Depending on the size of your turkey roasting times will vary the key is to roast your turkey 15 minutes for every lb.

As your turkey is baking you should be basting the turkey with the maple glaze every 30 minutes. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F.

The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife. When done take the turkey out of the oven and put the roasting pan on the stove top. Transfer the turkey to a serving tray to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

All that is let to do is enjoy your yummy meal.

Chocolate Chunk Macaroons

My husband is a macaroon lover and always wants to buy the ones in the store because he states that I don't make them enough. Little does he know that my original macaroon recipe takes so freaking long, thus the reason that I only make them around the holidays. Yesterday I found a recipe in Portuguese cooking magazine and in reading the recipe I noticed that it was less steps and a lot less time in the kitchen,so I decided that I would try out the recipe and I am glad I did.

The Macaroons came out amazing and I can't wait to make them again. This recipe is great when you are craving some sweet coconut and do not have a lot of time to bake.

FYI Unsweetened shredded coconut is available in health food stores, like wholefoods and trader joes. You can use sweetened shredded coconut just reduce the sugar in the recipe from 3/4 cup to one full tablespoon.

Recipe was taken from Martha Stewart's cookbook

Recipe yields about one and a half dozen Macaroons

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
3/4 cup of sugar (I use a little less than that)
2 1/2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate.
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use the good stuff, it makes a difference)
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine sugar, coconut, egg whites, vanilla, salt and chocolate. Using your hands mix well until everything is combined together.

Take 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture to form loose haystacks. Place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart from each other.

Bake until golden brown about 15-20 minutes make sure to rotate the sheet halfway through the baking process

Let cool on wire rack.

Cookies can be store in an airtight container at room temp. for 3 days. They also freeze well.

Stuffed Shells with Turkey and Veggies

I wanted to do something different for dinner, something that was tasty but also something where I also incorporate as many veggies as possible. So you might wonder how the how it came out and all I can say is that out of 18 stuffed shells I only had 4 left over. I will for sure continue to make this for the family. This recipe freezes well.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 box jumbo pasta shells (I like to use whole wheat pasta)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 finely chopped carrot
1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add veggies and the garlic and cook until they are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry over White Rice

We eat a lot of chicken in this house, not only because it is healthier than red meat, but also because we like the fact that chicken can be made in many different ways. On average we have chicken at least 2-3 a week. So I am always trying to change things up a little. It has been a while since we had some stir fry so last night I decided that it would be perfect for dinner.

Not only is it an easy meal but it's also fast to make on nights that you get home late.

What you will need

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced against the grain
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced (I ran out last night but it was still good)
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch (to thicken up sauce)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (if you want it to be spicy...this can be omitted)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
About 1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I use water)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups broccoli,
1 medium onion slices thin
1 red bell pepper
1 cup of snow peas
1 large carrot sliced


Directions

Toss the chicken with about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the sesame oil in a bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with the 1/3 cup broth or water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add all the veggies and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the veggies to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve over a bed of white rice.