Turkey and Stuffing Crepes #SundaySupper

We all look forward to Thanksgiving. It is the biggest foodie holiday of the year after all. I think most of us look forward to the leftovers almost as much as the big day itself. Turkey Sandwiches, Turkey Soup, Turkey Broth, and of course just reheating the goods and gobbling it down again.

But what about taking it a step or two further and making a whole new, different meal? The possibility list just expanded quite a bit didn't it?

Today's Sunday Supper is all about doing just that. Re-inventing your Thanksgiving leftovers.

One of my favorite things to do, and I've been doing this in various forms for years, is to use the turkey to fill crepes. It's such a simple, no fuss dinner that your family is sure to enjoy.

A quick note about the crepes: If you want to make them from scratch, go for it. Did I? Nooooo. Not that I haven't but to be honest, after spending the whole day in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, I don't usually have the drive to actually make crepes. I buy them from the market. Pre-made. They're found in the produce section of all places. I guess cuz they're known mostly for being filled with fruit. I happen to love them filled with yummy savory turkey and stuffing.

Turkey and Stuffing Crepes

Printable Version

2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup craisins
2 cups gravy, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups stuffing
10 crepes
1 cup cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon cranberry juice
chopped chives to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350'F. Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, craisins, and 3/4 cup of the gravy. Heat through, stirring occasionally for about 3 - 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Scoop 1/4 cup of the turkey mixture along the center of the crepe and top with 1/4 cup of the stuffing.

Very gently roll up the crepe, folding in the sides as you go and place into your prepared casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining crepes until you have prepared all 10.

Pour the remaining gravy over the top.

Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat up the cranberry sauce, adding the cranberry juice (or water) to thin out just a bit.

When the crepes are done baking, remove from oven. Gently remove the crepes from the pan with a long spatula to serve (if you're not careful, they will fall apart a bit). Pour the heated cranberry sauce over the top and garnish with chopped chives.

Doesn't get much easier than that, does it? It just a fancified turkey sandwich but it's elegant enough to serve for dinner.

I know there are more leftovers than just turkey and stuffing, so I think you need to check out what the rest of the Sunday Supper team has in store for you:


Breakfast:

• Cranberry Sauce Muffins by The Foodie Army Wife 
• Leftover Stuffing Breakfast Strata by Ruffles & Truffles 
• Sweet Potato Casserole Muffins by Magnolia Days 
• Turkey & Chorizo Breakfast Hash by Brunch with Joy 
• Italian Mashed Potato Pancakes by The Weekend Gourmet 
• Cranberry Sauce'd Corn Bread Muffins by Rhubarb and Honey 

Main Dish:

• Leftover Pie by Jane's Adventures in Dinner 
• Thanksgiving Leftover Waffles by Foxes Love Lemons 
• Stuffing Hash by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Turkey Pizza by Meal Diva 
• Turkey & Caramelized Onion Risotto by kimchi MOM 
• Turkey with Creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce by Casa de Crews 
• Moroccan Turkey Stew by What Smells So Good? 
• Peruvian Cilantro & Turkey Soup by The Little Ferraro Kitchen 
• Turkey & Butternut Squash Stew by Cooking Chat 
• Turkey Kreplach Soup by Panning the Globe 
• Turkey & Stuffing Crepes by Peaceful Cooking 
• Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad by NeighborFood 
• Herbed Turkey over Cornbread Waffles with Cranberry Sauce by girlichef 
• Creamy Peanut Gochujang Pasta by Wallflour Girl 
• Cranberry Sweet Potato Soup by Take A Bite Out of Boca 
• Turkey Enchilada Pasta Bake by Curious Cuisiniere 
• Turkey Orzo Risotto by Family Foodie 
• Turkey Croquettes by Cindy's Recipes and Writings 

Side Dishes:

• Cheesy Mashed Potato Croquettes by Noshing with the Nolands 
• Whipped Carrots with Sriracha Butter by Healthy Delicious 
• Cranberry-Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower Wings by Cupcakes & Kale Chips 
• Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes by Momma's Meals 
• Cheesy Jalapeño Potato Cakes by Bobbi's Cozy Kitchen 

Sandwiches:

• Cranberry & Turkey Sandwich by The Redhead Baker \
• Monte Cristo Sandwich by Nik Snacks 
• Hot Brown Turkey Sandwiches by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch 
• Sprouted Grain Turkey, Cranberry & Brie Panini by Amee's Savory Dish 
• Turkey Cranberry Flatbread by Peanut Butter and Peppers 

Condiments & Sauces:

• Cranberry Vinaigrette by Nosh My Way 
• Leftover White Wine Syrup by Food Lust People Love 
• DIY Yellow Mustard by The Texan New Yorker 

Dessert:

• Banana Cheesecake with Pecan Graham Cracker Crust by Desserts Required
• Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake 
• Gluten-Free Lemon Cake by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks 
• Spiced Cranberry Sauce Buckle by The Wimpy Vegetarian 

Cocktails & Drinks:

• Cranberry Orange Crush by The Messy Baker 
• Cranberry Bellini by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

 Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday!We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 p.m. ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtagand remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving

It works. Blueberries with your Thanksgiving feast. I swear! If you're not much of a cranberry fan, then go for the little blue dynamos! If you LOVE blueberries, then just do it! You get that slight tartness with a little sweet, of course, but blueberries also work in savory dishes.

I promise!

Until yesterday, I had no idea that blueberries were so versatile.

I attended A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving luncheon with Food Bloggers of Los Angeles, hosted by Erika of In Erika's Kitchen, sponsored by Blueberry Council and Rioja Wines.

Every dish had blueberries in it, from the appetizers to the main course and last but not least, the dessert. The courses were magnificently paired with 6 different Rioja Wine varieties.

One thing that stuck in my head, as I listened to the Little Blue Dynamos guys talk about blueberries, was the quality of produce that comes from Chile. For some reason I have always thought that imported produce wasn't as regulated as domestic. Well, Chile is an "export powerhouse" and in order to sustain that, they need to maintain a high level of quality and safety standards. Not just US standards but also Canadian, South Korean and European, just to name a few. What that means is the quality is just as good, if not better than what we get domestically. And since their harvesting time is opposite of ours (due to that south of the equator thing) we have the benefits of obtaining various fresh fruits during our winter months.

Our Rioja Wine representative had so much to say (and I realize even more, how little I know about wine). I thoroughly enjoyed each selection that was presented (I even won a bottle!). Here's a nice little tip: if you have a bottle of wine and the tannin is just a little too strong for you, place the bottle in the fridge for about 15 minutes or so and the flavor will soften and you'll have a nice smooth wine to enjoy.

If you follow me on Instagram (PeacefulCooking), twitter (ImStuffed) or facebook (Peaceful Cooking) you will have seen previews of the following amazingly delicious dishes on Sunday. All of which contained blueberries. Every single dish was fantastic. I'm going to share photos and links to the recipes since there are several, rather than make this post 2 miles longs (instead of just 1 mile).

First up we had.... 

Pre-feast nibbles:
Paired with Muga Blanco 2012

Mashed Potato Pops with Blueberry "Not Ketchup"
Printable Recipe

These little pop-in-your-mouth morsels were very good with that little crispy-crunch on the outside. But what made them beyond good, was the Blueberry "Not Ketchup"! Seriously people, you have to try it. It's not too sweet, very smooth with a slight tang. If it were socially acceptable, I would've been eating the dip with those skewers once the potato balls was gone. It's that good!

Pumpkin Soup Shooters with Dried Blueberry Dust
Printable Recipe

Light, subtle flavors, not too thick or heavy. Just enough to keep you from fainting due to starvation while waiting for the big meal! (you know how it is....you don't eat all day because you want to save your appetite) Adding the fun little dusting of blueberries gives this soup shooter that special festive touch.

First Course:
Paired with: Cune Rosado 2012

Butternut Squash Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Printable Recipe

Oh my goodness! This is one dish I wish I had taken more of. And a definite addition to my table this year! I'm not much of a salad person but when the flavors and textures blend so wonderfully, I just couldn't help myself. I love this salad. I'm not sure which ingredient won me over...of course the blueberries...but then the pepitas spoke to me....and then...I think the Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette started singing to me. Yes! That's what it was. (Nothing like a private serenade)

Side Dishes
Paired with: Cune Rosado 2012
Vina Herminia Tempranillo 2012
Torre  de Ona Finca San Martin 2010
Conde de Valdemar 2010

Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Dried Blueberries
Printable Recipe

Sweet potato fans...here's your chance to get out from under that sweet potato casserole! Healthy, quick and easy and look how beautiful that is. Talk about back to the basic with a new twist. Delish!!

Pulled Turkey Sliders with Blueberry Chutney
Printable Recipe

This is actually a great idea for turkey leftovers. Or maybe a little something to hold over those football fans until the feast is served. If you're an early Thanksgiving Feast eater...then how about a quick bite before you go to bed. Whatever you choose, it's gonna work. These are easy, delicious and fun to eat!

Blueberry Stuffin' Muffins
Printable Recipe

Baking stuffing in a muffin tin? YES!! Little individual servings and everyone gets the best of both worlds....the moist center and the crunchy top. I'm sure you've seen people add cranberries, apples, grapes..etc to their stuffing. Why not blueberries? This whole dish is ingenious! (and look how cute they'd be next to the Pulled Turkey Sliders above!)

Brussels Sprouts with Blueberry Balsamic Glaze
Printable Recipe

If you struggle to find that vegetable side dish that can stand up to the main course, look no further! Brussels sprouts are roasted in a blueberry balsamic glaze yet they maintain their cabbage like integrity that so many enjoy.

Main Course:
Paired with: Lan Edicion Limitada 2008 (my personal favorite of all the wines offered)

Boneless Roasted Turkey Breast with Blueberry Salsa
Printable Recipe

I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the turkey this was served with but we all know what that looks like. I went back for seconds and all that was left was a little of this salsa....and I was totally fine with that. The combination of blueberry, green apple, and red onions is phenomenal! If you're going to skip the gravy, for whatever reason, then this is the perfect compliment for your turkey.

Last but not least.....

Dessert
Paired with: Blueberry Mulled Cider
Printable Recipe
A lovely refreshing yet comforting cider to finish with. (I don't know why I failed to take a picture. Maybe I drank it before thinking about it)

Pumpkin Blueberry Triffle
Printable Recipe

What a way to end the day! This is truly a delightful dessert. It's not heavy, it's not too sweet. It doesn't make you groan at the end as if you ate so much and wished you hadn't. I should've brought some home though, because now as I'm looking at it, I really want some. It has all the right holiday spices and flavors rolled up in perfect harmony.

If you're looking to switch things up a bit, or introduce a new dish....maybe you have the privilege of enjoying more than one Thanksgiving dinner....the dishes above come highly recommended, by yours truly.

Thank you Blueberry Council and Rioja Wines for sponsoring such a lovely spread.

And Thank you again Erika for a wonderful afternoon, for your hospitality and your expertise in the kitchen!

Turkey-Quinoa Meatballs with Baby Bok Choy

My quest to cook healthy dishes, more often, begins here. Lovely, delicious meatballs with a nice little sauce that's surprisingly not overwhelming but adds a tiny bit of heat. The meatballs are delicate in nature (the difference between ground beef and ground turkey) and full of flavor.

The baby bok choy definitely took the back seat in this dish. Although this was my first time cooking the baby version of bok choy and it was fun, in a culinary sense. I mean....how can something this beautiful inside not be fun to have in the kitchen?

I found this recipe in The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites cookbook. And I did modify it a bit. Nothing major. Simple stuff like...using chicken broth instead of water, panko instead of breadcrumbs...quinoa instead of rice...coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. That sort of thing. The original recipe states that each serving (consisting of 3 meatballs, 2 bok choy halves, and 3 TB of sauce) is 251 calories. With the few changes I made, the calorie content didn't change. Chicken broth (according to the box) has 0 calories (am I the only one who's surprised by that?). Quinoa has the same amount of calories as the rice and coconut oil has as many calories as vegetable oil.

Want to dig a little deeper into the nutritional value of the changes I made? Who knows....maybe my version is a tiny bit healthier.

Quinoa has fewer carbs than rice, and more fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. The differences in those areas between quinoa and brown rice are not nearly as vast as it is with white rice. For more info on quinoa and detailed information about quinoa vs rice, this is a great site: Cookingquinoa.net/quinoa-vs-rice

As for coconut oil vs vegetable oil...I've done some minimal research and found contradicting information, debates, and claims that aren't proven yet. But...by simply looking at the labels, coconut oil is significantly lower in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. And it smells better. And...it has several uses other than cooking (kinda like how apple cider vinegar is multi-functional).

Tip: Fresh ginger. I store mine in the freezer. When a recipe calls for fresh ginger, I get out my microplane and zest away....frozen! It's quick and easy...and the ginger falls like snow. It defrosts almost instantly so there won't be a delay in using it for your recipes.

Turkey-Quinoa Meatballs with Baby Bok Choy
Printable Version

Meatballs:
2/3 cup fat free chicken broth
1/3 cup rinsed, uncooked quinoa
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1/4 cup panko breakcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste, I used less)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste, I used more)
2 large egg whites
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking Spray
Bok Choy:
6 baby bok choy
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 TB shredded fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
3 TB low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 TB dry sherry
2 tsp cornstarch

In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth and rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Combine the cooked quinoa with the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, green onions, salt, pepper, egg whites, and garlic.

Shape into meatballs (should make 18 balls).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray and cook the meatballs until brown on all sides (this should take about 5 minutes).

(clearing throat).....by the time I'm done, mine can no longer truly be called...meat"balls".

I always end up with 3 dimensional triangles.

Moving on....

Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut each baby bok choy lenghwise and rinse under cold water. Place in a steamer basket.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or other heavy pot, over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Place the steamer basket in the pot.

Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar and red pepper. Pour over the bok choy.

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium and steam for 20 minutes or until tender. (I think I over steamed mine...oops).

Remove the steaming basket with the bok choy, set aside and keep warm. Keep the liquid in there.

In a teeny tiny bowl, combine the sherry and cornstarch. Add it to the liquid in the pot, bring to a boil. Cook for a minute or until slightly thick.

Pour sauce over meatballs and serve with bok choy

Mexican Meatball Quesadilla (made with leftover meat)

These are not your typical meatballs. Not because they're flavored with a Mexican flair. And not because they were put inside a quesadilla. What makes them so unusual is that they are made from LEFTOVER meat.

Cooked meat from the night before that I had leftover.

This concept was brought to my attention as I was searching for a recipe to make of Chef Jacques Pepin's. Jacques Pepin is a world famous french Chef. He co-started in a series on PBS back in the day with Julia Child, called Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. This is just one of his many achievements.

This is the fifth and final recipe for my little Facebook challenge:

1. Tyler Florence's Chicken Francese

A quick and easy dinner, very similar to chicken piccata. Amazing flavor! 

2. Ann Burrell's Braised Chicken with Tomatillos and Jalapenos

Easy to make, with amazing results. This is one of my favorites out of this bunch.

3. Ina Garten's (altered a tiny bit) Apple Pear Pie in a Cast Iron Skillet

In this recipe, the pie crust stood out the most. I did enjoy the addition of orange with the fruit. 

4. Paula Dean's Lady and Sons Chicken Pot Pie

Quick and easy and oooh so rich. Really enjoyed the puff pastry lattice on this baby.

Leftover meat. I don't know about you, but I struggle with this often. I've done sandwiches and cold salads with it. There are soups and casseroles and a whole crud load of recipes out there to help us with leftover meat.

But have you ever made it into meatballs? This concept captured my attention in a big way. As I read Chef Jacques's recipe, and realized the versatility....a whole new leftover world opened up for me. Jacques used leftover beef and then added a tomato sauce. Beef isn't eaten all that often around here. Chicken reigns queen in my kitchen. A few ingredient swaps, all was in order.

I'm thinking....in the very near future, with Thanksgiving just days away....this is a great alternative for turkey leftovers.

Mexican Meatball Quesadilla (made with leftover chicken)
Inspired by Jacques Pepin's Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
Printable Version

12 oz leftover cooked Mexican flavored chicken (or your meat of choice)
3 TB flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup minced onions
1/4 cup jalapeno, minced (or any veggie that goes with your meat and theme: celery, mushroom, etc)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cumin (or any seasoning that goes with your theme; thyme, oregano, basil, etc)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
3 lg eggs
Vegetable oil to fry
Panko, bread crumbs, flour (optional, to coat meatballs)

For assembling quesadilla:
Tortillas (four or corn)
Cheddar cheese
Cilantro
Sour cream

Toss the meat into a food processor and process away... until finely chopped.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except for the oil and panko. Squish everything together with your hands. Come on...we're the cooks...we're allowed to have a little fun with our food. Get dirty. Form into about 16 meatballs. Flatten them a little. Why not...I mean, when I make ground beef meatballs, they always ended up flattened anything (unless I boil them but that's a horse of a different color). Gently roll the meatballs in panko, bread crumbs or flour is desired. I used a panko flour mixture.

Heat a skillet with about 1/4" of oil until hot (Jacques says..."...until shimmering"). Cook the meatballs on high heat until brown. Gently turn them over, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes.

Poof....done. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and get ready to serve them any way you desire.

They kinda resemble tiny patties. But honestly, what's the difference between a meatball and a patty? In my head...the shape and size.

By looking at the insides of that meatball, can you tell it was made with leftovers? Oh man...and is it good! Not the least bit dry. Full of flavor. The texture is just as it should be. Absolutely delicious!!


I can't tell you how excited I am about the results of these meatballs. Seriously....I might make a roast just so I can have some leftovers to give the beef version a try.

After popping a few in my mouth and savoring the success, I wrapped them in a tortilla, smothered with cheese, quickly cooked in a hot buttered skillet until cheese is melted, garnished with cilantro and sour cream.

How would you serve your meatballs? In a tomato sauce, bbq sauce, alfredo......?

Turkey Cupcakes or Meatloaf Muffins?

What does a food blogger, obsessed with baking and cooking person do when the kitchen is out of commission?

She goes insane.

Thank God it was temporary. (both the out of commission kitchen and the insanity)

My sink had a leak. Well, more like a gush. A pipe under the sink separated and instead of going out to the main drain and off to the water plant, all that water just ended up on the floor. Did I mention that I had a kitchen full of dirty dishes when this happened? This was Friday night and the plumber didn't consider it an emergency (ya, I know it's not a toilet....but it's my SINK!! I can't cook without the use of my sink, don't you understand? This is what my weekends are all about.....what am I going to do?) and wasn't coming out until Monday.

No cooking. No baking. No playing in the kitchen. No playing with my food. Which leads to said temporary insanity.

So I went to Trader Joes (and Santoro's Subs, and Steve's Charbroil Burgers, and Starbucks) for some food. One of the items that caught my eye in the freezer section was a box of ground turkey patties, topped with spinach and mashed potatoes. It looked really good so I bought it. I haven't re-heated cooked them yet and probably won't at this point (I'll leave them for the kids....I'm not much into spinach. So why did I get them? Good photography on the box.) but they left such an impression on my little semi-culinary mind.

I came home today from work and what did I find? A fixed sink and almost all of the dishes had been clean!! Omg...Sir Sportsalot made up for some of other things that happened over the weekend that I won't go into....yep...he does dishes. (more than I do, if you want to know the truth)

Woooo Hooooo.....I started doing the happy dance!! Defrosted some ground turkey, poured myself a glass of chardonnay and started on my own version of Trader Joe's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins.

It's really simple. I'm not giving out recipes here....just a few links and a really awesome idea on what to do with some already existing recipes.

Mix up a batch of turkey meatloaf....or what ever you're favorite recipe is for meatloak....beef, turkey...whatever. I basically used the same recipe for Turkey Meatballs

Preheat your oven to 375', and grease 12 muffins tins. Divide the turkey mixture  evenly among the tins. Sprinkle with some extra seasoning; black pepper and paprika

 

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

Get some Pesto. I had picked up a bunch of basil at the store yesterday so I made some fresh Garlic and Basil Pesto.

Make your favorite mashed potatoes. And start layering, and garnishing.

This is some seriously good stuff. It's like comfort food on another level....all in one bite.

And the veggie on the side? I peeled a zucchini with a wide potato peeler and did a quick saute in some butter, olive oil and garlic....with a little dash of black pepper.

Don't you just love playing in the kitchen? Especially when you've been deprived for 3 days!!!

Btw, I happen to have cupcakes on the brain. In a big way. You see...there's this really cool event happening here in Los Angeles on November 20 called Cupcake Camp LA and I'm going to be there. It's a charity event and I'm bringing cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. 100 or more to be exact, more or less. Yep, I've signed up as an amateur baker participant and am so very excited!

The event is sponsored by BakeSpace.com. If you're going to be in the area and you like cupcakes, or you like supporting non profits, then stop on by and say hello!

This is my entry this week into the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop....what isn't more yum for the soul than comfort made fun

Cheeseburger Meatloaf Sandwich

Seems like an awful lot of work for a cheeseburger doesn't it? But it wasn't intended to be a cheeseburger. And technically it's not. It's a meatloaf sandwich the day after I made a meatloaf. Only the meatloaf was more like a cheeseburger. It's called Cheeseburger Meatloaf. I got the recipe from my sister. Who got it from a friend who probably got it from a magazine.

Anyways, I'm not a huge meatloaf fan. Meatloaf is ok I guess. It's just doesn't do much for me. I can't even consider it comfort food.

And then there's the meatloaf sandwich......

Have you seen peoples eyes light up when thats mentioned? I'm beginning to wonder if people make meatloaf just so they can have a sandwich the next day.

But...what makes THIS particular meatloaf (for some reason my fingers keep typing "meatloaD" and I have to delete and fix. Is there a message in that habitual type-o?). Where was I? Oh...ya, what makes this particular sandwich special is that the bread is from the HBin5 Bread Braid...

HBin5 is an online bread club thats baking its way through the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. If you'd like to find out more info on how this works, visit Michelle's blog (she's our fearless leader) over at Big Black Dog

On to the meatloaf. I used ground turkey. My sister used ground beef

1 lb ground meat (beef...turkey...)
1 onion, diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder to taste or just use a seasoning salt

Mix it all together and form it into a loaf in a grease loaf pan

Bake in a preheated 375' oven for about an hour, or until done. During the last 15 minutes, pour some ketchup over the top. Oh and there will most likely be some fat floating around the edges there....ya, go ahead and carefully pour as much of that fat out as you can before you add the ketchup.

After that last remaining 15 minutes, you end up with a...well.....a loaf of meat.

Hmm...it looks pretty good though. But, no matter how you slice it

It's still Meatloaf. But I have to say it was tasty. You could taste the cheese flavor in there...and it was moist. What else are you suppose to say about meatloaf?

So.....the next day I made the dough for Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil. I didn't want a whole loaf of it though...so I grabbed a handful of dough and divided it into 4 equal parts and baked little mini loaves

Once they cooled, I decided they were the perfect size and shape for meatloaf sammies

So I dressed it up....melted more cheese on the meatloaf slice....added some avocado and had a very nice, very flavorful, very good for you (well, except for the mayo) Cheeseburger Meatloaf Sandwich

Printable Version: Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Turkey and Barley Soup, Stew?

Nooo...don't say it. I refuse to use that "combined term".

Sorry...it bugs me.

Lets just call this a thick soup. Cuz that's how I like my soup. Lots of stuff. I like the balance between broth and "stuff" to be a little more equal in volume.

And yes, this is the last of my turkey. I think after I made the soup (from my ooooh so good Turkey Stock) there was only enough turkey left to make 1 more sandwich. Go ahead....call it a sammy if it makes you feel better.

So I started off with a nice sized pot of stock

Funny thing about Turkey Stock...when it cools, it gels. Chicken stock doesn't. I guess turkey just likes to do it's own thing. It's a common occurrence and is considered to be a very good thing. As soon as you start heating it up, it will thin out right away.

And I do have a lot of this stuff so I divided into zip lock baggies and stuck it in the freezer.

Now back to my soup. I'll was going to try and give you amounts as we go along but it's such a personal thing. You add what you like and how much you want depending on you're own personal taste. So just use this as a guide line, no need to "stay within the lines" here.....feel free to go off roading. I think my soups are different each time I  make them. It all depends on what I have in the veggie drawer and what I'm in the mood for.

This time, besides the turkey (about a cup or more) and barley (about 1/2 cup dry barley) I added an onion, celery, carrot, a handful of green beans, a leek, a rutabaga and couple of mushrooms.

I always include barley and rutabaga's in my turkey soups. I love the flavors....I love the earthiness that the barley brings, and I just love rutabaga's...no other explanation.

Now, lemme show you a cool little trick I saw the other day on the Food Network. I think I was watching Michael Chiarello. Rinse your leek, slice it up and toss it into a bowl of cold water.

Let it float around while you chop and dice the rest of your veggies. Once that's all done, strain the leeks out of the water and look what's left behind!

Do you see the dirt in the bottom of that bowl? Yep.....leeks are a messy, dirty little veggy. And such a pain to wash. I just love this easy little trick. Now I'm not even worried about any possible dirt that may have been left behind that I had to pretend not to be thinking of cuz what I don't know won't hurt me. Now I can quit playing mind games with yourself. Woooo hooooo!!

Sooo, your stock is heating up. You should bring it to a boil. Then add your chopped veggies and barley....

and let it all simmer until everything is cooked through and the barley is cooked, about.....I dunno....45 minutes?

While that was cooking, I decided that a big pot of turkey soup needs a nice fresh sink-your-teeth-into-it type of bread.

I made a loaf from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. Oh man....I love that book. It really does have wonderfully easy bread that is incredibly satisfying and yummy.

This was one of those loaves with the semi tough crust and the soft pillowy insides. mmmmm

Well...by now the soup is done. Oh I forgot...normally I taste the stock and see if I need to add any seasonings to it.

I forgot. I think the bread had me distracted.

But it's ok. It didn't need anything. I have to tell ya, this is the first time ever that I did not have to season up the stock (or broth) for my soup. It was good to go.

And it went....right into our little tummies.