Baked Turkey Sliders

I've traveled more this fall both with and without my kids than I have in years and years combined. When I look at the calendar, it gives me a slight sense of panic and it seems like most weeks, I've been preparing for a trip and packing or recovering from a trip and unpacking.  The travel has been awesome - more to come on that.  But, in between the busy weekend trips, ordinary life hasn't seemed so rushed and we've settled into our fall routine.  My husband and I often comment to each other that there's not much more fun than watching these girls with their huge imaginations, fun ideas, and the activities they enjoy.  Here's a little glimpse into our lives these days:

Nail saloning - what a great dad! 

Belated birthday lunch, nail appointment and shopping trip with Big 

Finding sight words in the grocery store

Dreamy the hamster 

Charlotte's Web Diorama

"Reading" my book in the car

New "owl" masks from New Orleans

I've been on this slider kick - my kids like little sandwiches and having a warm sandwich with a cup of soup or salad is a great fall supper.  It's especially nice for those evenings when we're running around with soccer practice, piano lessons, and other activities.

I was inspired to bake these in the oven after my friend from our book club made little hamburger sliders this way.  It looked so easy when she pulled out a whole pan of burgers from the oven!  This is the version that my kids like.  One of them doesn't enjoy the buttery onion/mustard topping, so I don't brush all of them with the topping before baking.  You could jazz up the filling a little bit by adding additional vegetables, condiments, or toppings before baking, but we usually do that after so everyone can make them just the way they like them.

Baked Turkey Sliders (makes 1 dozen)

12 dinner rolls (I often use the Trader Joe's slider buns or the Kings Hawaiian rolls)
12 slices of deli meat (we use turkey and ham)
12 slices of deli thin cheese (provolone or swiss melt nicely)
1/2 cup butter
2 T sugar
1 T honey mustard
2 T dried onion flakes
1 T poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 400 and lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Place the bottom half of the dinner rolls or buns on the pan.  Spread the deli meat and cheese evenly over the rolls.  Place the top halves on the bottom halves of the rolls or buns to make sandwiches.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the sugar, honey mustard, dried onion and poppy seeds and stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has slightly thickened.  Remove from heat.  Use a brush to brush the tops of the buns with the butter/onion mixture.

Bake until the tops are golden brown and the filling is melty - about 15 minutes.

Enchilada Verde Casserole

My favorite kind of enchiladas are the ones my mom makes - chicken verde with a sour cream sauce and lots of cheese.  I used to ask her to make it for my birthday and it's always so good!  The other day I had some leftover ingredients in the refrigerator and as I drove home from a solo trip to Disneyland with the girls (not a great idea when you're 8 months pregnant but we had fun anyways) I came up with the idea to make this green enchilada casserole. The point was not to go to the grocery store (standing in one more line would probably have killed me) and still serve my family dinner.  Mission accomplished!

Enchilada Verde Casserole (serves 4)

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup canned corn (drained

1/2 of a medium red onion, diced

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup cooked brown rice (you can buy it cooked from TJs)

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

chipotle powder, to taste (or other favorite chile spice)

salt & pepper

olive oil

6-10 corn tortillas, cut in half

2 cups green enchilada sauce (I used about half of a 28oz can)

2-3 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Brown the ground turkey with the red onion; drain off any liquid.  Add a little olive oil, the garlic and corn.  Stir and sauté for a few minutes until heated through.  Add the brown rice and seasonings.  Stir together.  If it seems really dry, you can add a little more olive oil.  Remove from heat.

In a 2 quart pan, cover the bottom by placing 2 or 3 corn tortillas, overlapping to fit.  Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas and then a third of the turkey mixture.  Cover with a thin layer of enchilada sauce and then more tortillas.  Repeat for 2 more layers.  End with tortillas, sauce, and cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is hot in the center.  Let it set for about 5 minutes before cutting into it. 

Southwest Turkey Salad

This salad was really high in protein and fiber, low in calories and fat, and delicious.  I ate too much (belly ache from the aforementioned fiber) and I really liked the flavors.  I didn't add the can of green chiles or jalapeños but we both agreed it needed a little more kick so I'd try that if you're going to make it.  This would be a nice dish for a potluck or picnic, a brunch, or to have on hand for lunch.  We ate it with some bread for dinner last week when it was really hot out.  

Southwest Turkey Salad (6 side dish servings)

3 T olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

2 T red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 can diced chiles or jalapeños

3 cups cubed turkey

1/3 c. chopped red onion

2 T chopped cilantro

Whisk together the oil, orange juice, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir in the beans, corn, chiles, turkey, onion and cilantro.  Serve right away or refrigerate for a few hours.

Turkey Cutlets with Boursin Mushroom Sauce

I'm on vacation this week but here's a recipe I made the week before we left.  It was delicious, low calorie, and came together super easy - all big factors in my weeknight meal planning.  The original recipe called for 4 chicken breasts which are first sauteed which would also be good but I had lean, thin turkey cutlets and this preparation worked really well with them.  I don't often use Boursin cheese (or other soft cheese spreads like that) but it's also light and flavorful.  You could probably substitute some herbs and a soft cheese like goat cheese or feta if you would rather.  From what I could determine, the Boursin is gluten free but double check the ingredients.

Turkey Cutlets with Boursin Mushroom sauce (serves 4)
adapted from Baked Bree

4 turkey cutlets
flour
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 cup baby bella mushrooms
1 T butter
1 minced shallot
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. Boursin cheese (the spreadable kind in a tub - I used garlic & herb)
2 T chopped parsley

Season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper and very lightly dredge in flour, shaking off excess.  In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium heat and add the turkey cutlets.  Cook without moving or turning for 3-4 minutes.  Flip them over and cook another 1-2 minutes until golden brown (inside should be opaque and the temperature should reach 160 degrees).  Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the mushrooms, butter, and shallots to the pan.  Cook until the shallot begins to soften, about a minute.  Add the wine to the pan and cook until the wine cooks almost all of the way out, stirring often.

Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the Boursin cheese and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce over the turkey cutlets.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Ok, sorry . . . these cell phone photos aren't the best but you get the idea :)

I love stuffed peppers.  My usual recipe is this one, a vegetarian version with Israeli cous cous.  I'm also a fan of the traditional ground beef, rice, tomato sauce kind but those aren't my husband's favorite.  This week I tried a new version.  The lean ground turkey and brown rice make for a filling and low-calorie option and the southwest flavors were great.  I think they're my new favorites and will go into regular rotation around here. 

Recipe notes:  By using pepper halves and the technique of hot water / foil tenting, you avoid having to boil or roast the peppers first.  To make these vegetarian, substitute pinto beans, black beans or chick peas for the ground turkey.  The cilantro is great and if you like spicier, add some diced jalapeno or other green chile when you add the onion & garlic.  Remember that the recipe uses cooked brown rice, so plan ahead.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers (serves 4)
Original recipe here

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, as needed
1 lb ground turkey
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup cooked corn kernels (I used canned but you can thaw frozen corn or use fresh as well)
1 cup or so cooked brown rice
Chipotle powder, to taste [or other favorite chile spice]
1/2 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
4 medium bell peppers, halved and seeded (I used red & yellow)
some jarred salsa
some shredded cheese (or goat cheese)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the ground turkey till browned; drain off any liquid, if you need to.

Add a dash more olive oil; heat; add the chopped garlic, onion, and corn; stir and heat through.

Add a cup of cooked brown rice, stir and lightly mix. Add a dash more olive oil, if needed, to moisten. Add chipotle, cumin and paprike. Season with sea salt and pepper. Stir well to combine the flavors. Remove from heat. Add in the chopped cilantro. If you need a little more rice to fill large peppers- add some in and toss.

Choose a shallow baking dish that will fit the halved peppers. Stuff the halved peppers with the brown rice mixture, pressing in firmly; use as much stuffing as you can. Place the stuffed peppers in the baking dish.

Top each pepper with a spoonful of salsa, and  some cheese, if using.

Pour about an inch of hot boiled water into the bottom of the baking pan, around the peppers, and loosely cover the pan with a foil tent. This helps to cook the peppers. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes, until the peppers are fork tender.

Homemade Turkey (or chicken) Noodle Soup

So far we've had a really fun Advent season.  The days are flying by and I can't believe Christmas is in 6 days!  We took our annual family trip to the desert last week and in our hotel was this giant Christmas tree.  There is a circular staircase around it and the girls had fun walking up and down and around the tree.  We also had a couple chilly trips to the park and a fun day at the Children's Discovery Museum in Rancho Mirage (highly recommended!).  

I told my husband the other night that I've felt cold for 3 days . . . this warm soup was just the remedy.   I've never made homemade chicken noodle before and I know it's sort of cheater because I didn't make it with a whole chicken or even homemade broth, but it was so yummy (so so much better than a can).  I thawed some frozen (cooked) turkey from Thanksgiving but cooked chicken (even rotisserie) would work fine as the meat in this soup. I bet wild rice would be a nice substitute for the noodles for our GF friends out there.  Since I sort of threw it together, the amounts are approximate - use your own judgment :)

Homemade Turkey (or Chicken) Noodle Soup (serves 4)

About 1 cup each:  chopped carrot, chopped celery, chopped onion (Trader Joe's sells their Mirepoix in the vegetable section which I used).

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried or you can skip it)

6 c. chicken broth

1-2 c. uncooked egg noodles (I used pappardelle pasta noodles from TJs and broke them into small pieces)

1 T. white wine (or 1/2 T white wine vinegar or lemon juice for a little acid)

1 bay leaf

2 c. shredded cooked chicken (or turkey) - about 8oz

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat and add a litle olive oil.  Add carrot, onion, celery and garlic, and saute about 5 minutes or until onion is soft and lightly browned.  Add salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Add the noodles, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the turkey or chicken and cook for a few more minutes (until noodles are soft and chicken is hot).  Discard bay leaf and serve immediately.

Bec's Turkey & Chile Chili

First, a few photos of the girls.  It's been really fun to watch their relationship develop.  Little is always in Big's shadows (literally like the first picture shows) but she manages to squeeze out a space for herself.  She can't wait for Big to come home from Pre-K and whenever she sees Big for the first time in the morning, she's just tall enough to give her a huge hug around the neck.  Big, to her credit, is doing pretty great with sharing, watching out for Little, interpreting her babbling, and constantly telling us that Little is "the cutest baby EVER.  And I mean it.  Have you ever seen a cuter baby?"

Trying so hard to help out

Finally manages to squeeze next to big and add a spoonful of something by herself.  By herself is a very important concept these days, much to my frustration at times.

Best buddies

Okay.  Now, onto the food:  after playing around with a few different recipes I've made in the past and wanting to turn up the heat a bit, this chili was the result.  We all liked it and you can make it more spicy by increasing the amount of pasilla chile, adding diced jalapenos, or adding red pepper flakes (which we did at the table).  You can make it less spicy by using regular diced tomatoes without the green chiles.

I've got a busy but fun week leading up to Thanksgiving so I'm not sure if I'll be posting.  If not, may your turkey be juicy, your half of the wishbone be longer, and your heart be thankful.  If you're reading this, I'm thankful for you!

Turkey & Chile Chili (4 servings)

3/4 lb ground turkey
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 pasilla chile (or poblano), diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans (or pinto)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 T chile powder
1 T tomato paste
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 T freshly squeezed lime juice
cilantro

Put the turkey, onion, bell pepper, pasilla chile and garlic into a pot and saute until the turkey is no longer pink and the onion is soft.  Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and seasonings.  Let it come to a boil.  Reduce heat to and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Crepes for dinner

A few years ago, my sister gave me a crepe pan and a crepe cookbook for my birthday.  I haven't made them nearly often enough as I should and yesterday I felt like making something "fun" for dinner. Now, my sister-in-law is the crepe person in the family and I kept thinking of her crepe parties when I was looking through recipes.  These weren't as good as hers but they were still a big hit - my husband asked with a sad voice, "they're all gone?" after he cleaned his plate.

The original recipe was for ham instead of the turkey and I think any thinly sliced deli meat would work in the recipe.  I liked this bechamel - a little different from other white sauces I've made recently but I had good results with it.  You can make all the crepes ahead of time but I made the filling first and as each crepe came off the pan, I filled it, rolled it and put it in the baking dish.  It was a little crazy but worked!  I had some extra sauce so I spooned it over the top when I pulled the crepes out of the oven.

And, for those of you who are interested, big sister ate a plain crepe by itself, turkey by itself, a few slices of cheese, and green beans.  A deconstructed version of our dinner!

Crepes with Turkey, Gruyere & Mushrooms (serves 3-4)
filling adapted from "Blinis & Crepes" by Camille Le Foll

For the crepes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Whisk together the flour and the eggs.  Gradually add the milk and water, stirring to combine.  Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.  Heat a lighly oiled pan over medium high heat.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan, swirling the pan in a circular motion to evenly coat it with the batter.  Cook the crepe about 1 minute, until the bottom is light brown.  Turn and cook the other side about 30-45 seconds.  Stack on waxed paper.

For the filling:

8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and finely sliced

3 oz unsalted butter

pinch of nutmeg

scant 1/2 c. flour

1 1/4 c. milk

2 T sour cream

1 c. grated Gruyere cheese

10 slices cooked turkey

salt & pepper

Melt 2 T butter in a pan over medium heat, add the mushrooms and toss until cooked.  Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Transfer to a plate or bowl, wipe out the pan, and melt 2 more tablespoons of butter.  Add the flour and mix thoroughly.  Cook on low heat 1-2 minutes and pour all the milk into the mixture at once.  


Whisk vigorously and continuously until the sauce thickens and becomes smooth and velvety.  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat and add sour cream and grated cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.


Assemble the crepes  & bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a slice of turkey on each crepe and cover with a layer of mushroom sauce.  Roll it up and place in a greased ovenproof dish (I used an 8x8).  Dot with the remaining butter and cook in oven 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

More fun with the Crockpot

I just finished off a big bowl of leftovers for lunch. Yum. Making Jambalaya last week reminded me of how easy the crockpot is and lately, I've been wanting spicy Mexican food. The problem is it tastes so good but isn't so great for the waistline. I"m certainly not claiming that this recipe is "real" Mexican food (or as good as Burrito Express.) but it's got a great flavor and is probably healthier than that JVC burrito that I wanted.

This recipe is half of the original and serves 4 but you can double it up and serve a whole lot of hungry people! The meat is optional and can easily be vegetarian if you leave it out. Every night I hope against hope every night that my daughter will eat what the grown ups are eating, so I toned down the spice in the recipe and added tabasco and red pepper flakes at the table.

No picture - imagine chili and that's about what it looks like.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup (4 servings)
from A Year of Crockpotting

1/2 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 onion, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (Ro-Tel)
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 packet ranch seasoning (I used Hidden Valley)
2 T diced green chiles from a can (or jalapenos)

For serving: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

Brown the meat with the onion and drain the fat. Put it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the pot. Add the corn and tomatoes without draining, the seasonings, and the chiles. Stir and add 1/2 - 1 cup of water so it looks a little soupy.

Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. We broke up some tortilla chips and put them in our soup bowls, ladled the taco soup over the chips, and topped with the cheese and sour cream.