BLOGHUNGRY

Turkey-Apple Meatballs with Honey & Sage

Popmuse loves meatballs. As his kind and loving husband, I'm always looking for ways to reinvent and elevate meatballs. I just tried this recipe from Broke Ass Gourmet. They're are great with a side of sweet potatoes or butternut squash. They are good by themselves but amazing with a balsamic glaze (see below) or your favorite BBQ sauce.

Turkey-Apple Meatballs with Honey & Sage

Extra virgin olive oil for greasing baking sheet
1 lb ground turkey
1 large or 2 small tart apple(s), peeled and diced finely
1/4 medium onion, diced finely (about 1/4 cup diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly-beaten
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground sage
3/4 tsp each salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using hands, form mixture into meatballs by rounded tablespoonful and arrange on the oiled baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until meatballs are lightly-browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside.

Quick Balsamic Glaze

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
cracked black pepper

In a small pot or pan combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, place over high heat and boil until thickened. Cool slightly and spoon over the greens, sprinkle with the cracked black pepper and serve.

Bloghungry Burgers

Every food enthusisest should have their own spin on burger making. Mine is a flavorful suburban crowd pleaser. You can use any ground meat and it always comes out tasty. I prefer to make my burgers in a frying pan and finish them in the oven to melt some cheese and grilled onions on top. It also helps keep them warm until dinner time.

Bloghungry Burgers

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder

shredded cheese (for topping)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Using 2 forks, pull apart meat and mix all ingredients until well combined. Form into 4 equal patties. Make a hole thought the center of your patties with your finger to help them cook through in the center and reduce burger shrinkage once cooked. Heat frying pan to medium high. Cook patties 3-4 minutes per side. Place cooked patties on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Top patties with grilled onions and a handful of your favorite grated cheese. Heat in oven until cheese melts and keep them warm until ready to serve.

Grilled Onions (for burger topping)

1 large onion

1 tbsp butter

splash of red wine or beer (optional)

Thinly slice onion into rings. Melt butter in a frying pan. Toss in onion and saute until soft and slightly browned. Deglaze pan with a splash of beer or red wine.

Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches With Stuffing and Cranberry Relish

This recipe from Emeril Lagasse is just insane enough to be delicious. I plan on putting it to the test this weekend.

Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches With Stuffing and Cranberry Relish

5 tablespoons mayonnaise
8 thick slices French Batard bread (or other dense bread such as ciabatta or boule)
6 ounces Emmenthaler cheese, grated
10 ounces roast turkey breast, sliced
1/2 to 3/4 cup leftover Thanksgiving stuffing (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons cranberry sauce
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Sweet potato chips, for serving (optional)

Lay the bread on a work surface and spread a little over 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on 4 slices of bread.

Sprinkle the cheese on half of the bread slices, top with the turkey, and season with salt and pepper. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the stuffing over the turkey, if desired, then spread the cranberry sauce on the remaining 4 slices of bread. Close sandwiches, pressing each one tightly together. Brush both sides of the sandwich with some of the melted butter.

Heat a grill pan over medium-low heat and brush the pan with the remaining butter. Place the sandwich in the hot pan and grill for 5 to 8 minutes per side, pressing the top of the sandwich with another pan. The sandwich should be hot and the cheese should be melted. Continue this process until all the sandwiches are grilled.

Serve immediately, with sweet potato chips if desired.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese and Dill Pickles

Sloppy Joes got a bad rap in cafeterias. When made well they are sweet, savory, and satisfying. Add the heat of wing sauce with some blue cheese crumbles and diced dill pickles and you've got a sandwich that deserves your respect.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese and Pickles

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
2 carrots, chopped or grated
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup wing sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 large dill pickles, chopped

Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

Open-Faced Latke and Turkey Croque Madame on Challah

My journey to make the latke more exciting continues. People wept with joy when I served these this year. The mix of melted cheese, creamy bechemel, crispy fried latkes and deli turkey on toasted Challah is truly a reason to celebrate.

Open-Faced Latke and Turkey Croque Madame on Challah

4 large or 8 small latkes, fried
4 slices Challah bread
4 large eggs
8 slices deli Swiss cheese
8 slices deli turkey
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard

For Bechamel:
   
Place a small sauce pot over medium low heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter in it. Whisk in a rounded tablespoon of flour and cook 1 minute or so. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble then drop heat to low. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Dijon. When sauce coats back of a spoon, turn off heat.

For Sandwiches:

Preheat oven to broil. Heat 2 nonstick skillets over medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of butter in each. Add 2 slices bread to each pan and toast lightly on each side. Top each toasted bread with 1-2 latkes (depending on size), 2 slices of the turkey and 2 slices of cheese. Put all toasts with turkey and cheese on a cookie sheet in the oven for 1-3 minutes, watching them carefully to make sure they do not burn.

Reusing the 2 skillets for the eggs, Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in each skillet over medium low heat. When butter melts add 2 large eggs to each skillet, keeping the whites separate from each other. Cook each egg sunny side up. Turn egg over and cook about 3 minutes. The egg white should be cooked but the yolk should be runny.

Place 1 fried egg atop each toasted/melted sandwich. Top with a couple healthy spoonfuls of the bechamel. Serve sandwich immediately.

Food For Parents: Mini Turkey Meatballs Over Spinach and Garlic

These are pretty amazing. We eat meatballs at least once a week in my house. We change them up with different ingredients and serve them with veggies to keep them interesting and on the healthy side. Turkey is my favorite ground meat to use. It's taste is lighter and it's healthier than beef or sausage mixes. We usually eat these on a bed of sauteed spinach and garlic, but you could also have them over pasta, polenta, or a with a side of veggies. You could make these in advance. Just put them in a oven safe dish and reheat them in the oven until heated though.

Mini Turkey Meatballs

1 small onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
26 ounces store-bought marinara sauce

Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, basil, Parmesan, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Using 2 forks, mix in the turkey until combined. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Lay meatballs on a large plate or baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Spinach with Garlic

3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons water
16 oz bag of frozen chopped spinach
2 teaspoona salt and pepper

In a medium-large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a 2-3 minutes. Add spinach, water, salt and pepper, cover and steam until heated through.

Homemade Turkey Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes aren't just for cafeterias anymore. This recipe from Tyler Florence is tangy and savory in a more adult way. He tops his with a butternut squash coleslaw with honey goat cheese dressing, but I got lazy and skipped that part. You can also sub ground beef, chicken, or pork.

Homemade Turkey Sloppy Joes

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
salt and pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
12 large rolls or buns

Set a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add ground turkey, season well with salt and pepper and brown well all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon - about 7 to 10 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste. Finish with a splash of red wine vinegar and season it once more before serving on rolls.

Basting Is Over

Alton Brown says basting is for suckers and I have to agree. It takes all the heat from your oven every time you open it and the juices just run off the skin of the turkey anyway. However, Martha Stewart covers her turkeys in butter and wine soaked cheese cloth which seems to be a more effective and will also shield the bird from over-browning. I’m going to try it this year.

1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
Cheesecloth

Melt butter, add wine, and mix well. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Soak cheesecloth in the butter and wine mixture. Remove the cheesecloth and spread it evenly over the breast and halfway down the sides of the turkey. Remove cheesecloth for last hour of roasting time.

Thaw your Turkey ASAP

When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator, there are several variables to take into account. You have to plan ahead to make sure you aren’t cooking a frozen turkey. Allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F.

Refrigerator Thawing Times
(Whole turkey)
12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days
Foods defrosted in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, but there may be some loss of quality.

Cold Water Thawing
Allow about 30 minutes per pound when thawing a turkey in cold water. Be sure the turkey is in leak-proof packaging. Tissues can absorb water like a sponge, resulting in a watery product. Submerge the turkey in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed.

Cold Water Thawing Times
8 to 12 pounds...........4 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds...........6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds.........8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds.......10 to 12 hours

Turkeys thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately because conditions were not temperature controlled.

Best Turkey Brine Ever

If you have never brined your turkey before, this is the year to start. For a holiday where your turkey is the star you need to make sure it is moist and full of flavor. The only way to do that is to brine. Think of it as a marinade for your bird. This is my favorite brine because it is so easy and flavorful. Get a large pot or good sized bucket for the turkey and brine. I've even heard of people lining containers with thick plastic trash bags full of brine. Just make sure you have plenty of room in your fridge for your turkey to soak.

Bay and Lemon Brined Turkey

1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey

For the brine:
2 gallons water
1 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
2 lemons, sliced in 1/2
4 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
Small handful cloves

Combine all brine ingredients in a container or pot large enough to hold the turkey. Make sure all the sugar and salt have been fully dissolved. Add the turkey and refrigerate about 6 hours or overnight. Martha Stewart brines turkeys for up to 24 hours so don't sweat it if you like to sleep in.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove turkey from brine and transfer to a roasting pan with a rack. Stuff turkey with the lemon halves, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks used in the brine. Cook turkey for about 3 1/2 hours, basting every 40 minutes or so. If any part of the turkey gets too brown towards the end of cooking, shield with pieces of tin foil or butter-soaked cheesecloth. When the turkey is done, juices should run clear from the breast and the legs should pull away from the bird easily. Remove from the heat and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.