Autumn Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

 

I changed the name of this recipe (am I allowed to do that?) because I didn't make them in the crockpot, and I associate the dominant flavors of apple and cranberry with fall.  I got 17 meatballs out of this, if I'm remembering correctly.  I thought I'd be able to calculate that after dinner, but all the kids surprised me by eating a second helping, and I lost track.  So these were a success.

 

I added the breadcrumbs because I was worried there wasn't enough to bind them together.  I knew the egg would help with that, but I wasn't sure about the cheese.  Good thing I didn't put my confidence in the cheddar, since it melted completely, and a lot of it was left on the parchment paper.

 

I wasn't sure how to serve these...some sort of cranberry sauce would've been nice, but I didn't have fresh cranberries to make a simple stovetop concoction with.  So we defaulted to ketchup.  Don't judge.

 

Ingredients

1-1/3 lbs ground turkey

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs or panko

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled & shredded

1/2 to 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

(2) In a medium bowl, mix together egg, salt, pepper, onion powder, and breadcrumbs.

(3) Stir in apple, cheddar, and cranberries.

(4) Add turkey.  Mix until well combined.

(5) Using 2 tablespoon portions, roll meat mixture into balls.  Place on parchment paper (spacing can be tight since they shrink slightly).

(6) Bake about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

 

Kid Participation: None.

BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

 

These meatballs were awesome, especially served with the corn salad that is suggested.  Like, I could've eaten it every night for a week.  *N* ate both, *J* ate the meatballs, and *P* ate the corn.  Hope they get used to it, because I want to make it again ASAP.  It is even worth me using my bare hands to form the meatballs, which is a task I abhor.  Like, it's enough to make me seriously consider going full vegetarian.  Except then I couldn't eat the resulting meatballs, which would be a shame.

 

I doubted how tasty these could be because they seemed sort of plain and didn't have a sauce pairing, but they exceeded expectations.  I realized too late that I didn't have any panko, so regular Italian breadcrumbs were used this time.  It was somewhat tricky to make sure that the ingredients were combined well, without any clumps of the breadcrumb mixture scattered throughout.  I probably need to find a better order in which to incorporate the ingredients.

 

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey [my package was 1.3 lbs]

1/4 cup panko

1 or 2 scallions, minced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne

2 teaspoons brown sugar

5 Tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided

 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and spray lightly with cooking spray (I used parchment and didn't spray it).

2) In a large bowl, whisk together panko, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt, cayenne, and brown sugar.

3) Add scallions and 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce.  Mix thoroughly.

4) Add turkey; mix with hands until evenly combined.

5) Form 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into a lightly packed meatball.  Put on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining mixture (I got about 16 meatballs).

6) Bake meatballs 11-12 minutes.  Brush with reserved barbecue sauce.  Return to oven; bake an additional 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.

 

Kid Participation: The only thing *N* wanted to do was help form the meatballs - a job I was happy to turn over to her. 

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.

Oven-Baked Turkey Breast

Original Recipe HERE

 

I didn't feel like having a full-fledged turkey for Thanksgiving: there's a lot of waste, and I don't like looking at a carcass.  Makes me feel guilty (and hypocritical).  When I broached this to Husband, who had designated himself as Man in Charge of Turkey, he was not pleased.  Before I knew how it happened, turkey duty had been passed to me.  So...while I embraced my added responsibility slightly begrudgingly, I was overall happy to have gotten my wish.

 

I thought about using my mom's traditional Martha-inspired cheesecloth method, but...I didn't.  Maybe next year, since I love the end result.  However, this one made for a fine main dish, and I don't feel our Thanksgiving celebration was diminished at all because we didn't have a pile of bones at the end of the night.  It wasn't overly flavorful; next time I'll add greater amounts of spices just because of personal preference.

 

I made the gravy that the original recipe included.  It was OK, but again, it needed more flavor.  And again, I'll add more seasonings afterward.  Also, upon standing for a few minutes, it began to thicken too much.  I halved the amount of cornstarch and included that updated info in the recipe below.

 

Another reason for not wanting to do a giant turkey is because it takes up our entire oven and makes it more tricky and limiting for preparing and/or reheating side dishes. If I could free up the oven for several more hours than expected, that would be lovely. Since a breast takes less than half the time of a regular turkey to cook, I thought it would make my life a lot easier. And it did.

 

Ingredients

1 bone-in whole turkey breast (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), thawed if frozen [mine was about 7 pounds]

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup dry white wine or margarine [I used sweet white wine]

1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon paprika [I used smoked paprika]

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons cold water

 

Directions

(1) Heat oven to 325ºF. Place turkey, skin side up, on rack in large shallow roasting pan.  Roast uncovered 1 hour.

(2) Mix butter, wine, thyme, salt, paprika and garlic. Brush turkey with half of the butter mixture.

(3) Roast 30 minutes; brush with remaining butter mixture.

(4) Roast about 1 hour longer or until thermometer reads 165ºF.

(5) Remove turkey from oven.  Let stand 15 minutes for easier carving.

(6) While turkey rests, pour pan drippings into measuring cup.  Skim fat from drippings. Add enough water to drippings to measure 2 cups.

(7) Heat drippings to boiling in 1-quart saucepan. Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into drippings. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve with turkey.

 

Kid Participation: None.