Caprese pasta with turkey meatballs

I hope everyone is recuperating from the holidays! We are still working through all our leftovers and cookie platters. My kids are still in that post-Christmas honeymoon stage, waking up early and staying up late to play with their new toys. I'm just trying to decide if it's silly of us to keep our Christmas decorations up year round. Not only do they make me happy, they are a pain to put away and I just don't have the drive to do it right now.

 

On to this delicious dish...I made a similiar dish several years ago, following a recipe from Giada. Of course we loved it and, of course, I lost the recipe. So I created my own. For all I know it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure there are so changes. I think she used ground chicken, which is great if that's what you want to use, but I happened to have ground turkey.

 

 

This dish is amazing. The meatballs are bite size and loaded with flavor. The tomatoes are warm and burst in your mouth. The cheese is melty and soft, gathering the flavors of the dish. You will impress your family with this dish. Promise.

 

 

Fry up your meatballs. You'll have to do this in batches.

 

See all those beautiful brown bits? You'll scrape those off with the chicken stock. They add a lot of flavor.

 

Letting the meatballs hang out for a bit.

 

You'll add the chicken stock to the pan and use this to cook through the meatballs and soften the tomatoes.

 

Here's a great how-to for cutting basil. Stack your basil on top of each other, roll in up, and chop. You'll end up with a beautiful pile of julienned basil, and it took less than a minute.

 

Adding everything together. Yes, I used two different pastas. I just happened to have half a box of each.

 

 

Caprese Pasta with Turkey Meatballs

by Girls in Aprons, inspired by Giada di Laurentiis

 

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 Italian bread crumbs

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 14-oz can chicken stock (about 2 cups)

10 oz grape tomatoes

1 lb pasta, preferably bowtie, penne, or rotini

Salt, for pasta water

1/2 lb (8 oz) mozzerella cheese, cubed

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

 

Mix ground turkey, bread crumbs, dried basil, tomato paste, eggs, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and Worchestershire sauce together. Form into small meatballs, about the size of a ping pong ball. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add meatballs, cooking in batches, browning the meatballs on all sides. Remove meatballs from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add chicken broth, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits left over from the meatballs. Bring the broth to a simmer and add the tomatoes and return the meatballs to the pan.

 

While tomatoes simmer, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tsp salt. Cook pasta according to package directions.

 

When tomatoes are soft and the meatballs are cooked through, 7-8 minutes, remove from heat. Add the cooked pasta using a slotted spoon. Toss everything together. Transfer to a serving dish. Immediately add cubed mozzerella cheese and basil, stirring until the cheese starts to melt. Serve warm.

7-layer tostadas

Last Thursday was supposed to be taco night. We love taco night at our house. We even invited some friends over for dinner and games and to share our taco night with us.

I was planning on showing off to everyone and making my own taco shells out of corn tortillas. I've done it before...heat up oil and put the tortilla in partially folded over and let the heat do the rest. But for some reason my tortillas kept breaking. So I went for what I thought was the next best thing and made tostadas.

Everyone LOVED them! They were so fun to eat and our kids (we have 7 between the two) kept asking for more and more.

I randomly pulled out 7 toppings and therefore a 7-layer tostada, but you really can do whatever you want. Add more or less toppings. Suggestions are listed in the recipe. We made tostadas again tonight and I used refried black beans and green onions instead of lettuce and it was still absolutely delicious.

Except for the guacamole, which I don't care for, but that's another story.

Heat the tortillas in a deep skillet until lightly golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. They will harden as they cool.

7-Layer Tostadas

by Girls in Aprons

(makes 12 tostadas)

12 small corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

2 Tbsp taco seasoning (or to taste)

1 can refried beans

12 oz prepared guacamole (I use 3 ripe avocados and a Concord guacamole mix)

2 cups shredded lettuce

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

8 oz sour cream

1 can olives, quartered

In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat until 325 degrees. You should be able to drop a small pinch of tortilla and have the piece rise to the top and bubble. Cook tortillas, one at a time, in oil for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Brown hamburger in a large skillet. Once browned and drained, add 1/3 cup water and taco seasoning, stir and let simmer for 5 minutes on medium-low heat.

Heat refried beans in a small saucepan with 1/3 cup water. This helps the beans be easier to spread.

Layer tostada and serve. I prefer to layer the sauces and spreads first, such as beans, sour cream, and guacamole. Then add the hamburger, cheese, lettuce, and olives.

Other options for the tostada include ground chicken, refried black beans, regular black or pinto beans, jalapenos, caramelized onion, salsa, and green onions.

You can easily made this vegetarian by omitting the hamburger and adding the taco seasoning to the sour cream or beans.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

The other day I went to lunch with a friend and ordered the Monte Cristo sandwich - a ham, turkey, and cheese sandwich fried in egg. Uh, yes please!

But I'm going to be honest with you. The delicious description was only part of the reason I chose to order that. Might I even say, my secondary reason.

The Monte Cristo sandwich immediately reminded me of this....

Which, of course, reminded me of this...

 

Swoon..... if that sandwich was anywhere as delicious...

Where was I?  Oh yes, the sandwich. Silly me. How easily I get distracted with Jim Caviezel is right there for my eyes to see.

This is a "healthier" alternative, and I use that term loosely, because while it's not the most calorie-conscious recipe, it's certainly not the batter-soaked, deep-fried version you sometimes find!

First, using a serrated knife, cut off the crust of the bread. This will help when you need to seal the sandwiches. It also makes it easier to eat.

It's a layered sandwich that includes swiss or other similar cheese, turkey, and ham. I used Virginia ham. I wouldn't use smoked ham, you want something kind of sweet.

After you've piled the sandwich together, wrap the sandwich up tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for half hour. This will keep the sandwich tight and stop the egg mixture from seeping into the sandwich.

Dip each side in the egg mixture and fry, sort of like French toast.

Top with a shower of powdered sugar and serve with fruit preserves on the side.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

by Girls in Aprons

Makes 4 full sandwiches

12 slices white bread, crusts removed

Dijon mustard

1/2 lb thinly sliced oven roasted turkey

1/2 lb thinly sliced Virginia or Black Forest ham

4 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese

3 eggs

1 Tbsp water

Butter, for greasing the pan

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Strawberry, raspberry, or blackberry preserves, for dipping

Lay the bread down in four columns, three row deep. Spread Dijon mustard on the top row and add a slice of swiss cheese. Split the turkey evenly among the four bread slices in the second row. Split the ham evenly among the four bread slices in the third row. Stack the bread slices together to create a double decker-style sandwich. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for half hour.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs and 1 Tbsp water together in a shallow bowl. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp butter. Remove the sandwiches from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Dip each side of the sandwich into the egg batter, just as you would French toast, and add to the heated pan. Flip after two minutes, or when lightly golden brown, and fry the other side. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Dust each sandwich with powdered sugar and serve with fruit preserves for dipping. Serve warm.



Not Your Average Meatloaf

One of my favorite go-to meals is meatloaf. I know, meatloaf has a bad reputation. The word "meatloaf" conjures up images of blocks of tasteless meat that is dry and gross. I know, I've made those ones before! There are a few meatloaf recipes out there, though, that have passed my test (meaning my kids will eat it) and this is one of them.

This recipe is from The Sisters Cafe which is a site that I love to check out once in a while. The thing that stuck out to me about this recipe was the layers of flavor! There is so much going on in this meatloaf, but it isn't overwhelming at all. And the tangy ketchup sauce that goes on top is my favorite!

Plus, the best thing about this recipe? It makes TWO!!! You can eat one and freeze the other for another night when you don't want to cook. Just wait for it to cool and wrap it well in foil before you pop it in the freezer. The smart gals at Sister's Cafe also mentioned making it in a foil pan so you don't monopolize your own pan while it's in the freezer. Or you can give the second loaf to a new mom or someone who is sick so they don't have to cook (either give it to them warm or so they can freeze it themselves).

Not Your Average Meatloaf
recipe found on thesisterscafe.com

1.5 lbs. lean ground beef

1.5 lbs. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped finely

1 (8 oz.) box stuffing mix (any kind)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 Tb Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup fat free or light sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 egg, slightly beaten

 

Sauce

Stir together in a bowl:

2/3 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard

 

Combine all ingredients in a mixer (Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment works great). Divide into two 9 inch loaf pans. Do not cover. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove loaves and drain any accumulated grease in pans. Top with sauce and bake an additional 30 minutes. Once it has mostly cooled you can wrap tin foil over the top of one and put it in the freezer for later.