(I’ll try to do a pest on the posto recipe — I mean, a POST on the PESTO recipe, if anyone’s interested. :-)  You do need to start out with quite a bit of basil tho’; what looks like a giant pile will process down to nothing!!)

Anyhoo, I haven’t made these meatballs in ages, and they are sooooooo good! You can definitely tell the pesto’s in there, but its flavor isn’t overwhelming.  The FamDam gobbled them up and went back for more – even No Thank You Boy had seconds, and that says A LOT!

Enjoy!

PASTA WITH TURKEY PESTO MEATBALLS
Serves 6
Source epicurious.com

4 c. purchased chunky tomato sauce (Emeril’s Pasta Sauce is on sale this week, 9/29/10 – 10/5/10)
1 ½ lbs. ground turkey (Plainville Farms Antibiotic Free Ground Turkey is on sale this week, 9/29/10 – 10/5/10)
1 ½ c. fresh breadcrumbs (I used Sendik’s breadcrumbs from the bakery)
½ c. plus 1 T. pesto, stirred well
2 eggs
1 t. kosher salt

Cooked pasta for serving (Al Dente Pastas are on sale this week, 9/29/10 – 10/5/10)
Grated Parmesan for serving

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix turkey, breadcrumbs, pesto, eggs, and salt in a large bowl.  Using moistened hands, form mixture into 2 dozen meatballs.  Spray a rimmed cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray, and arrange the meatballs on the pan.  Bake for 20 minutes. ** see note **

Meanwhile, pour the sauce into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Transfer the oven-browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer until meatballs are fully cooked, about 20 minutes.  Serve atop the cooked pasta, passing the Parmesan at the table.

** NOTE ** I took out a dozen here; allowed them to cool, then transferred them to a Ziplock bag for the freezer.

You might envision the two of us huddled together, shivering and sobbing with fright and loneliness, pining away for our absent family members, and counting the moments until they all returned.

And that would be……incorrect.

But if you pictured Kevin McAlister jumping up and down on his parent’s bed after discovered he’d been left Home Alone, you’d be slightly more accurate.

We hit the pool, the mall, and the movies.  We broke the rules and ate hot fudge sundaes on the couch while taking in back-to-back episodes of “Toddlers and Tiaras” on TLC (a dreadful show that will make you thank your lucky stars you never pursued beauty pageantry with your children).  Although we entertained the thought of going out to dinner, we opted to stay in, where we enjoyed this lovely Turkey Club Salad.  Fresh basil croutons, crunchy bacon crumbles, and a simple lemony dressing make this the perfect light summer dinner.

Yes, here’s a pre-teen punk who loves a good green salad.  As for me, I just loved spending the day with her.

Enjoy!

TURKEY CLUB SALAD
Serves: 4
Source:  epicurious.com

½ c. cole slaw dressing or ranch dressing (Bolthouse Farms or Maple Grove Farms dressings are on sale)
4 t. fresh lemon juice
1 T. chopped fresh tarragon (I used basil because I had it on hand)

1 head romaine, chopped (on sale)
12 oz. cooked smoked turkey, diced (Sendik’s Smoked Turkey is on sale in the deli)
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes (on sale)
8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 c. Basil Croutons (see recipe below); or 1 c. purchased croutons

Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Place romaine in a salad bowl and toss with dressing to coat.  Portion out greens onto serving plates and top with turkey, tomatoes, bacon, and croutons.

BASIL CROUTONS

½ good baguette, sliced and diced
¾ c. fresh basil, packed
3 T. good olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place diced bread on a baking sheet.  In a small processor, pulse basil and olive oil until well blended.  Pour over diced bread and toss to coat.  Season with salt.  Bake croutons for 15 minutes; toss with a spatula.  Continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until croutons are golden and crunchy.  Cool and serve atop salads.

It should be noted here that No Thank You Boy did not offer up any of these compliments.  NTYB observed silence and then excused himself to make a roast beef sandwich.  Sigh.  Love the kid dearly, but let’s nevermind him.  You should never judge a recipe based on his opinion.

Anyhoo, I noticed these antibiotic free turkey products recently, and since they’re on sale this week, I decided to give them a go with this dish.  ‘Course, the amount of olive oil required for this recipe probably cancelled out any benefit there was from eating antibiotic-free turkey.  Also, just to gild the lily, we had these delicious pan roasted potatoes with bacon and thyme as a side dish.  That’s how I roll.

In the event you have an abnormal aversion to copious amounts of olive oil and bacon drippings, please remain on the line for the next available recipe.  Cue the Muzak.

I followed the turkey recipe to the letter, but took some liberties with the potatoes.  This dinner could not be easier, I pinky promise you.  The turkey cooks so quickly, there’s really no chance of it drying out, and I love the idea of serving it over a bed of greens!

Hope you like it.

TURKEY MILANESE
Serves: 4-6
Source:  foodnetwork.com, Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 ½ lbs. turkey tenderloins (Plainville Farms brand is on sale)
• ½ c. flour
• ½ t. salt
• ½ t. freshly ground pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/3 c. olive oil, plus a little extra for the greens
• 5 c. baby arugula (I used the mixed baby greens that are on sale)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (on sale)
• 1 small block Parmesan
• Lemon wedges for serving

Cut the tenderloins into ¾” thick slices.  Place the turkey slices on a cutting surface and cover with a sheet of heavy duty plastic wrap.  Using a meat mallet or a heavy small saucepan, pound the turkey until 1/8 – ¼” thick.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Place the eggs in a second bowl.  Place the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.  Season the turkey cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge the turkey in the flour, and shake off any excess flour.  Dip the turkey into the eggs, and then in the breadcrumbs to coat.  Repeat with all remaining turkey cutlets.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Oil is ready when a pinch of flour sizzles immediately upon contact.  Cook the turkey in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.  Add more oil as needed.  Remove cutlets from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

Arrange the greens and tomatoes on a large serving platter.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange the turkey on top of the greens.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan over the turkey.  Serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

ROASTED POTATOES WITH BACON & THYME
Serves: 4
Source:  adapted from foodnetwork.com, Giada De Laurentiis

• 4 thick-cut slices of bacon, roughly chopped
• 5-6 medium to large redskinned potatoes, cut in to wedges (on sale)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ t. dried thyme (or more to taste)

Preheat the oven to 450.

Place the potato wedges in a pan of salted water and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook potatoes for 12-15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Heat a large, oven safe skillet over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until browned and crispy, 10-12 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels to drain.  Add the potatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper to pan, and toss to coat in the bacon drippings.  Transfer pan to the oven and roast potatoes for 20 minutes; remove and stir in the thyme and reserved bacon.  Continue to roast until potatoes are golden brown and crispy, about another 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a large serving bowl and serve immediately.

Personally, I LOVE cilantro. I can’t get enough of it in my diet. Next to basil, it’s my favorite herb. And I guess that’s one of the reasons I adore this soup. Even if you’re in my dad’s cilantro-hating camp, make the soup. C’mon, try it. Just leave out the cilantro. Swap in some Italian parsley if it makes you feel better.

This albondigas (that’s Spanish for meatballs!) soup is delicious and hearty – perfect for a blustery winter night. The original recipe, which I’ve been making for years, calls for ground beef and ground pork sausage. I like it that way too – but, as I mentioned on Monday, I’m trying to lighten things up a little bit, so I decided to use ground turkey breast and turkey breakfast links (removed from their casings, of course). I also used chicken broth instead of the beef broth that was called for.

The end result with the changes was actually quite good. We enjoyed the soup with a big green salad and a side of hot and gooey nachos – okay, I know those aren’t exactly light. But I only had one or two. For real!

I’m going to list the original recipe here, just so you have it. You can try it either way. And whether you choose to use the cilantro or not – well, that’s up to you!

ENJOY! Stay warm!

MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP WITH RICE & CILANTRO

Serves: 6-8

Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, December 2000 issue; p. 142

• 2 T. olive oil (I used one)
• 2 ¾ c. chopped onions, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 2 small bay leaves
• 5 14 ½ oz. cans beef broth (I used 1 ½ cartons of the sale Imagine Chicken broth)
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used two 14 ½ oz. Dei Fratelli Tomatoes, on sale)
• ½ c. chunky tomato salsa
• ½ c. chopped cilantro, divided

• 1 lb. lean ground beef (I used sale ground turkey breast)
• ¼ lb. bulk pork sausage (I used 3 turkey sausage links, removed from their casings)
• 6 T. yellow cornmeal
• ¼ c. whole milk
• 1 large egg
• ½ t. salt
• ½ t. ground black pepper
• ½ t. ground cumin

• ½ c. long grain white rice

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium high heat. Add 1 ¾ c. onions, 2 garlic cloves, and bay leaves; sauté 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes with their juices, salsa, and ¼ c. cilantro; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ground beef, pork sausage, cornmeal, whole milk, egg, salt, pepper, cumin, then remaining 1 cup onions, 2 garlic cloves, and ¼ cup cilantro in medium bowl. Mix well. Shape meat mixture by generous tablespoonfuls into 1 to 1 ¼ inch balls.

Add rice and meatballs to soup and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice and meatballs are tender, again, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into serving bowls (heated bowls, if you’re feeling fancy!) and serve.

I had such a chuckle this morning when I turned up to spin class and the instructor had a New Year’s resolution playlist. So cute.  Halfway through the class (right about the point where you feel like you’re gonna fall over and d-i-e die), Weird Al came on with his Grapefruit Diet song.  So, I just had to laugh.  Or else I was gonna cry!

(Grapefruits are on special this week, by the way – in case you’re inspired to give that old diet a try.  The woman on the bike beside me said she did it for a week in her twentys and hasn’t eaten another grapefruit since.)

I might stock my fruit bowl while grapefruit are on special, but I’m not about to fall off the grapefruit deep end.  Wouldn’t be too interesting to blog about, would it?  I am planning on lightening up a little bit though, so I made one of my favorite meat loaves this weekend.   This recipe makes a huge meat loaf, just so you know.  I usually make the whole thing, then divide it in half and freeze one for a rainy day.  Leftovers make fabulous sandwiches!

On the side we had simple steamed asparagus (on sale), and some lovely parmesan smashed redskin potatoes (also on sale).  It was a great dinner!  Enjoy!

TURKEY MEAT LOAF

Serves:  8-10

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten; pp. 138-139

• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 2 T. good quality olive oil
• 2 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
• ½ t. dried thyme
• 1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ c. chicken broth
• 1 ½ t. tomato paste
• 5 lbs. ground turkey breast (on sale)
• 1 ½ c. plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3 extra large eggs, beaten
• ¾ c. ketchup

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium pan, over medium heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until the onions are translucent but not browned, approximately 15 minutes.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well.  Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl.  Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased baking sheet.  Spread ketchup evenly on top.  Bake for one hour, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees and the meat loaf is cooked through.  Allow to rest for five minutes or so, then slice thickly.  Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

PARMESAN SMASHED POTATOES

Serves:  6-8

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten; p. 158

• 3 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled (on sale!)
• 1 T. plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ c. half and half (I used whole milk)
• 1 stick butter (I used half a stick)
• ½ c. sour cream
• ½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Cut the redskins in half if they’re on the big side.  Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a 4-quart saucepan with cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender.  Drain.

In a small saucepan, heat the half and half and the butter.

Put the potatoes into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix slowly for a few seconds on low speed to break them up.  Slowly add the hot cream and butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quarter of the cream and butter should be folded in by hand).  Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, the remaining salt, and pepper; taste for seasoning and serve immediately.  If the potatoes seem to thick, add more hot cream and butter.

I’d never made this recipe before the other day, so it’s a new one for me.  The whole DamFam really, really liked it though — except for you-know-who, but of course we’ve come to expect that from him.  Anything these kiddos can top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chips seems to go over pretty well; hopefully your punks will dig it too!

I put it over hot basmati rice for something a little different – you could skip this if you want, but I liked it this way.  I recommend using a BIG ol’ pot, because this recipe makes a TON!  Even after we had it for dinner and I had a bowl for lunch, there was still enough to freeze for another meal.  Like most soups and stews, the flavors improved (and it got much thicker) as the chili sat in the fridge overnight.

Don’t be afraid of the chocolate; it doesn’t make the chili sweet – it just give it more of a Mexican mole flavor.  I added about half of the amount the recipe calls for.  Have fun with all of the toppings – I loved mine with a hefty dose of hot sauce (my favorite is Frontera brand, yum!).

Enjoy!

TURKEY & PINTO BEAN CHILI

Serves:  6-8

Source:  adapted from epicurious.com

• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 lbs. ground turkey (on sale)
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 ½ t. cumin
• 1 ½ t. dried oregano
• 3 – 15 oz. cans pinto beans, drained
• 2 – 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes (try the sale fire-roasted Hunts tomatoes)
• 3 c. chicken broth (Imagine Organic broth is on sale)
• Chopped fresh cilantro to taste (I probably used 2 T.)
• 1 oz. semisweet chocolate, grated with a microplane or regular grater

• Hot cooked basmati rice
• Tortilla Chips and Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream and Hot Sauce
• Sliced scallions and cilantro sprigs for garnish if desired

Place a very large stock pot over medium high heat.  Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.  Add turkey and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up large pieces with the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 minutes (I drained off all of the grease at this point).  Mix in chili powder, cumin, and oregano and stir one minute.  Add beans, tomatoes with their juices, broth, and grated chocolate.  Bring chili to a boil (it will not look pretty at this point).  Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until chili thickens, about an hour.  Add chopped fresh cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place hot cooked rice in the bottom of individual serving bowls.  Top with chili and serve with assorted toppings.