A Taste of Turkey Day
Posted: November 27, 2013 Filed under: meat, sauces & gravy | Tags: comfort food, food, gravy, Holiday, recipes, thanksgiving, turkey, turkey breast 3 Comments
thank-full
You know what I’m thankful for? It’s a short list, but a significant one.
My friends. My family. My cat.
Good TV. Bad horror movies.
Chocolate chip cookies and multigrain Scoops.
Beach days and carefree nights.
And, meals like this one.
I know everyone has their own Thanksgiving traditions, filled with comforting side dishes, weird classics (canned cranberries anyone?) and favorite desserts. And that’s what’s so great about this holiday. That no matter what’s on your plate, there’s always something to be thankful for.
Plus, it’s the one day of the year that you get to openly stuff your face without any judgement.
Also don’t think for a minute that you have to make a giant 23 lb turkey to enjoy the splendors of Thanksgiving. By all means, go for the big bird if you’re feeding an army of hungry family and friends. But if it’s just a handful of folks, go for a turkey breast. You’ll get all of the goodness with less fuss. A simple rub like this puts a different spin on your typical turkey day feast.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Sage & Cayenne Rubbed Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy
1 3.5 to 4 lb bone-in turkey breast
1 1/2 teaspoon of sage
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
1 cup of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
Salt & pepper
Rinse the turkey breast with water and then lightly pat dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, combine the sage, cayenne, salt, cumin and paprika. Gently rub the spices all over the turkey breast and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. (Or, if you have the time: Place in the fridge uncovered overnight. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before roasting.)
Heat your oven to 350º.
Place the turkey breast skin-side up in a roasting pan with a wire rack. Add the broth to the pan plus 1 cup of water. Roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155º to 160º degrees. Occasionally baste the turkey with pan juices to keep it moist. When fully cooked, transfer to a platter or cutting board and let stand 20 minutes before carving.
While the turkey breast is resting, make the gravy. Pour the pan juices through a strainer and discard any solids. In a small skillet, heat the butter over low heat. When melted and bubbling, stir in the flour and let cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of the reserved pan juices, and continue cooking over low heat until the gravy thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Carve the turkey breast into large slices, top with pan gravy, and eat.
So Fresh, So Spicy
Posted: May 22, 2012 Filed under: meat, sauces & gravy | Tags: dressing, food, meat, Mexican, recipes, salad, turkey 5 Comments
tacos, in salad form
I’ve got a question to ask everyone: can a salad be fresh and spicy? (Yeah, I said salad. I do eat them on occasion.) The answer is … yes. I love tacos, but why should they only be eaten in shell or tortilla form? A warm spoonful of spicy taco meat sitting on top of fresh, cold lettuce creates a pretty tasty experience. And it’s guaranteed to transform a rainy Monday night into a Flavor Fiesta. Since every salad needs a proper dressing, I mixed up a cilantro-lime vinaigrette using red wine vinegar, fresh herbs, lime juice and zest. It contrasted really well with the spicy meat, and added even more freshness to the fiesta.
Spicy Turkey Taco Salad
For the salad:
– 1 white onion, diced
– 1 jalapeno, finely diced
– 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
– 1 tablespoon of chili powder
– 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
– 1 ¼ lb of lean ground turkey
– Worcestershire sauce
– Jalapeno hot sauce
– Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming spice (optional)
– 1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
– ½ of a red onion, sliced
– Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
– Salsa
– Olive oil
– Whole wheat tortilla chips, for garnish
For the vinaigrette:
– 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
– 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
– 3 tablespoons of olive oil
– 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
– 1 teaspoon of lime zest
– 1 tablespoon of lime juice
In a large skillet, heat some olive over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin seeds and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and cook until turkey is browned and cooked through. Add about ½ cup of water and a more than a few dashes of jalapeno hot sauce and simmer uncovered, until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with a sprinkle of Arizona Dreaming spice.
tasty turkey taco meat
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Whisk together (or place everything in a jar and shake) the cilantro, red wine vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, lime zest and lime juice.
To assemble the salad, layer lettuce and red onion on a plate. Top with a large spoonful of ground turkey, a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of salsa. Drizzle lightly with the cilantro-lime vinaigrette and garnish with tortilla chips.
The spicy turkey mixture would also be great in your favorite taco shells or tortillas.
You Turkey, Burger
Posted: April 16, 2012 Filed under: meat, sides & soups | Tags: burgers, food, grilled, recipes, side dishes, turkey 4 Comments
i'm very thankful for this turkey burger
It really felt like spring this weekend, even a little summer-like. So naturally that got me thinking of grilling … and my sad, neglected and propane-less grill, collecting dust and cobwebs in my backyard. Thankfully, I have a grill pan that’s just as good, if not better. And what’s one of the best things to grill on a warm day? Burgers! But didn’t want to do just any ordinary burger since this was my first official burger of the grilling season. So I switched it up and used ground turkey. Now, I know what you’re thinking: turkey burgers? Aren’t those usually dry and bland? Yes – unless you use the right ingredients to make them moist and flavorful. Topping the burgers with a spicy, lime cole slaw helped punch up the flavor a lot too. The slaw also makes a really great side dish. (Looking for another totally not-bland turkey burger? Head on over to Sweet Caroline’s Cooking for her goat cheese stuffed recipe.)
Savory Turkey Burgers with Spicy-Lime Slaw
For the burgers:
– 1.25 lb of extra lean ground turkey
– ½ of a red onion, diced
– ½ of a jalapeno, diced
– 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
– 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
– 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
– 1 ½ teaspoons Montreal Chicken seasoning
– Salt and pepper
– Olive oil
– 4 knotty rolls
– Herbed mayo (see note below)
For the slaw:
– 1 cup of shredded carrots
– 1 cup of shredded red cabbage
– 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
– 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
– 1/3 cup of lime juice
– 1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise
– Jalapeno hot sauce
– Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, add the carrots, red cabbage, jalapeno and red pepper. Next add the lime juice and mayo, and jalapeno hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
In a small skillet, heat a little bit of oil over medium heat. Add the red onions, jalapeno and garlic, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Montreal Chicken seasoning and cooked veggies. Form mixture into 4 large meatballs, place on a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes. When ready to cook, heat your grill or grill pan on medium-high heat and lightly oil. Remove the meatballs from the fridge, gently flatten and season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers about 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Lightly toast the rolls and then spread herbed mayo on the bottom half. Add the burger, top with a mound of slaw and the other half of the roll. Then, eat.
you'll gobble, gobble it right up
To make an easy herbed mayo, mix together 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of Montreal Chicken seasoning and a splash of lime juice.
Leftover Turkey (But Not Forgotten)
Posted: November 28, 2011 Filed under: meat | Tags: food, Holidays, recipes, turkey 4 Comments
thanksgiving turkey, take 2
Even with a house full of family and a group hobby we like to call “eating,” my fridge was still incredibly stocked 3 days after Thanksgiving. So to make good use of all the leftovers, I decided to throw everything into a nice pot pie.
I used the little bit of leftover white meat turkey I had, plus the dark meat from two legs and one wing. We ate all of the veggies we had on Turkey Day, so I added some frozen ones. The sweet potatoes were the same maple roasted ones I made a few weeks ago, and I used some leftover gravy for the pot pie filling. I could have made my own pie crust, but that unopened package of Pillsbury crescent rolls caught my eye. (Don’t judge folks – it’s called using all of your resources!) After it was baked, I even mixed in some of the leftover sausage dressing (not stuffing) that I had. It was like Thanksgiving all over again.
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
– ¼ of a white onion, diced
– 3 to 4 cups of leftover roasted turkey, cut into small chunks
– 2 tablespoons of flour
– 1 cup of leftover gravy
– ½ cup of milk
– 2 cups of leftover cooked veggies (or frozen mixed veggies)
– ½ cup of leftover roasted sweet potatoes
– 1 tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls
– Poultry seasoning
– Salt & pepper
– Butter
– Olive oil
– Two large ramekins (or 1 good-sized baking dish)
Heat your oven to 350º.
In a large skillet, cook the diced onion in some oil and butter on medium heat until soft. Add the turkey, season to taste with poultry seasoning, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. (This is really just to heat up the already-cooked turkey.) Stir in the flour and cook until it disappears. Add 1 cup of gravy and ¼ cup of milk and cook for a few minutes, until sauce thickens. Add 2 cups of veggies, season with salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes. When fully heated, take off of the heat and stir in the sweet potatoes and another tablespoon of butter.
Divide the turkey filling between the two ramekins. Carefully unroll the tube of crescent rolls. Put 3 triangle pieces of roll on top of each ramekin, making sure the pieces overlap and that the entire ramekin is covered. Using a knife, poke several holes in the top and then sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each pot pie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is puffed and golden. Make sure to keep an eye on them – as they can easily burn. Let them cool a few minutes, then eat. Serve with additional gravy, and leftover dressing … or any other turkey day leftovers you might have. Finish the meal with any leftover pie or Turkey Day treats you have.
egg me on 