Turkey Meatloaf Florentine

Original Recipe HERE

 

No one in my family screams for joy when I say we're having meatloaf, so I very rarely serve it.  I thought this turkey version might be a little lighter and different enough to win them over.  I even made it in the muffin tin so that we each had cute little individual ones...sometimes, with kids, presentation is everything.  They all said they liked it that night, but the next day they changed their tune.  I guess it's not a do-again, but I liked it enough to hang onto hope that someday they'll come around.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion

2 cups baby spinach, packed and then chopped

1 pound lean ground turkey [my package was 1.3 pounds]

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs [I used Italian seasoned]

3/4 cup ketchup, divided

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

salt, pepper, and other seasonings, to taste

1 to 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a 9x5" loaf pan.

(2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until tender.

(3) Add spinach; cover skillet and stir occasionally until wilted.

(4) In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup ketchup, Worcestershire, and seasonings.

(5) Add spinach mixture to turkey mixture.  Stir until well combined.

(6) Press turkey mixture into loaf pan.

(7) In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar.  Spread evenly over turkey mixture.

(8) Bake 45-55 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads at least 165 degrees.

(9) Allow meatloaf to sit and cool for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Slow Cooker Saucy Baked Beans with Sausage

Original Recipe: Better Homes & Gardens Simple Slow Cooker Recipes.

 

This recipe was a hit with every family member, so there was only one serving left over for lunch the next day.  The great thing about it is how easy it would be to increase its volume: another can of beans, some extra sausage, another squirt of ketchup, chopped red or green pepper and onion, and so on.  I'm sure it could be prepared on the stovetop, but I needed a fix-it-and-forget-it meal that day, so the slow cooker was my method of choice.

 

I served it with barley I cooked on the side.  It was too saucy to eat as-is; I think it needs something like rice or barley to bulk it up.

 

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) Great Northern beans, drained & rinsed

2 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans or small red beans, drained & rinsed

12 oz cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/4" slices

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons prepared mustard

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

 

Directions

(1) In a 3.5-, 4-, or 5.5-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients.

(2) Cover; cook on low 5-6 hours or high 2.5-3 hours.

 

Kid Participation:

* dump all ingredients into slow cooker

* push slow cooker buttons (yay, allowed to play with appliances for once!)

Tangy Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

 

I had bought some meatballs with the assumption that I'd make a sauce and serve it all over rice. Which is exactly what I did.  This was super easy, and 90% of the dinner was eaten in one sitting, leaving me very little for lunch the next day.  Success comes back to bite me.

 

I put in the half-cup of vinegar that the original recipe called for, and the sauce had a bit too much "bite" or sourness to it.  I will reduce the amount next time (reflected below) and/or return to the original full cup of brown sugar.  I prefer my barbecue-type sauces to be sweeter.

 

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz) ketchup

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped [optional]
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mustard [I used dijon]

1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar [I used cider vinegar]

pre-cooked meatballs, fresh or frozen

 

Directions

(1) Add all ingredients to large sauce pan; stir to combine.

(2) Add meatballs; stir to coat.

(3) Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

 

Kid Participation: None.

 

Slow Cooker Honey-Sauced Chicken

Original Recipe HERE

This is a pretty standard teriyaki-like chicken dish, but I'll never pass up a throw-everything-in-the-slow cooker-and-voila! recipe.  Everyone happily ate this.

I served it over brown rice with roasted cauliflower on the side, but next time I'll roast broccoli or asparagus instead and toss everything together for serving.

Ingredients

3 to 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup chopped onion or 1/16 cup onion flakes)  [I used flakes]

1/8 cup ketchup

1 Tablespoons vegetable oil [I used grape seed]

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

(1) Put chicken in slow cooker.

(2) Whisk together all other ingredients.  Pour over chicken, flipping chicken once to coat.

(3) Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours.

(4) Cut, shred, or dice chicken.  Return to slow cooker; toss with sauce.

Kid Participation: None.

Cranberry Chicken Bake

This is a recipe from my mother that I enjoyed as a kid, so I was hoping my kids would like it, too. The copious amount of ketchup made me optimistic they'd fall in love, but the mere presence of onions and the tartnesss of the cranberries were potential dealbreakers. *J* ate most of his bowl but declared himself "none" (done) before his plate was clear. He didn't eat his green beans with mountains of powdered cheese, either, so I guess he just wasn't feeling food in general. *N* had three full servings, so *J* will face it again and we'll see if tonight was a fluke.

I served this over brown rice this time, but I've also done it with garlic mashed potatoes.
 

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ - 1 cup chopped onion [to taste]

1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 cup ketchup

1 ½ cups fresh cranberries [can use frozen or craisins]

½ teaspoon freshly grated orange peel or 1 teaspoon orange juice [optional]

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease 9x13" baking dish.

1) Sprinkle both sides of each breast with salt and pepper (optional: cut each breast in half to speed up cooking time).

2) In small amount of olive oil, sautee chicken in pan on medium-high heat in until slightly browned.  Remove from pan and put in baking dish.

3) Add remaining olive oil to pan.  Sautee onion until crisp tender.

4) Add ketchup, brown sugar, and orange to onion.  Heat, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved.  Stir in cranberries until coated.

5) Pour sauce over chicken.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and cranberries begin to burst.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation: None...sorry, kiddos.

Honey Garlic Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

I can't stay away from cocktail meatballs at any party, so I'm always happy to try a new recipe in the comfort of my own home.  Where I can eat as many as I want (in the name of quality control, of course) and no one will judge me.  These are versatile in that they can be made smaller and served in a crock pot as an appetizer, or they can be served as a main dish over rice or pasta.  I also liked that the meat mixture could be made ahead of time and just kept in the fridge - because working with raw meat around curious little ones with grabby hands makes me nervous.

Ingredients for Meatballs

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef [or turkey]

¼ cup shredded parmesan

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons dried parsley

¼ cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¾ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

thinly sliced green onions [optional]

sesame seeds, toasted [optional]

rice or pasta [optional]

Ingredients for Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup ketchup

½ cup honey

¼ cup soy sauce

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400°.

2) Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

3) Prepare a broiler pan by coating with cooking spray [or line a baking sheet with foil and grease it]. Shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.

4) Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done. Drain the grease and set them aside.

5) While meatballs cook, melt butter in saucepan and saute garlic until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6) Add ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer five minutes.

7) Add meatballs to the sauce. Return to a boil and simmer uncovered until sauce glazes meatballs.

8) If serving over rice or pasta, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes: None!

Kid Participation

* Measure dry ingredients for meatballs

* Practice eating with toothpicks