Meatballs Even Joey Will Eat

You need:

1 package of ground turkey (about 1 1/2 pounds)
15 club or Ritz crackers, smashed to crumbs
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Pinch garlic powder (more to taste)

cooking spray or oil for cooking

Mush together ingredients with your hands until mixture is even and smooth.
Roll into 1 inch balls.
Brown in pan on medium-high heat.
Cover and lower heat to medium; cook for 10 mintues.
Stir and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve over spaghetti. Joey hates tomato sauce, but would eat the spaghetti and meatballs when left plain. If you like your meatballs spicier, I recommend adding your favorite poultry seasonings.

Crockpot Turkey Leftovers

We just found this great recipe! Here's what I did:

You need:

Leftover turkey, chopped up.
2 1/2 cups water
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 box of frozen peas and carrots (frozen, not thawed)
2 cups rice (or we used that little pasta that looks like rice)
Salt, pepper, herbs to taste


1. Mix water and soup. Put mixture into your crockpot
2. Add rest of ingredients. Mix it up.
3. Turn the crockpot on. We did high for three hours; you can also put it on low for 5-6 hours.
4. We sprinkled cheese over the top and melted it in the microwave for a minute.

The pasta did get a little soft, but that was ok. The original recipe wanted a chopped onion and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning, and no cheese. The cheese really added to it, though; rounded it out.

We're always on the lookout for leftover turkey recipes! We'll keep you informed!

Cheese Sauce

If you don't like canned sauces, here's a simple way to make a non-tomato sauce:

You need:
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
About 1 cup of milk. Have more ready.
Salt
Pepper

A whisk.


Have all ingredients ready to hand- you need to stay with this sauce.

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.

When it is completely melted, add the flour, and mix ("roux") until it looks thick and dough-y;

Add the milk and mix with a whisk. Turn the heat down to low.

Stir until it thickens. If it thickens too much, add more milk.

Add the salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Bingo. You have a cream sauce.



OK, now, what do we want to do with this cream base? Here's some ideas:

Add a teaspoon of sherry, and you have an excellent cream sauce for noodles or vegetables. Goes great with seafood, too.

Add a package of cheese. Instant cheese sauce! Perfect for mac and cheese, or over veggies! If your kid insists on cheese sauce being yellow or orange, just add some food coloring.

Taco Casserole

Joey won't eat casseroles like this, but Andy seems to like them very much- if Joey isn't refusing it. This one works very well.

You need:

1 package of ground turkey or beef (about 1 1/2 pounds).
1 can of kidney beans (do not drain!)
1 can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 handfuls of corn chips or 2 heels of wheat bread.
1/2 container of sour cream
1 tomato, cut into cubes
1 package of shredded cheese
Lettuce, chopped for salad

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crumble bread or chips into the bottom of a casserole dish. Wheat bread works better if you are diabetic.

Brown the ground meat. I sometimes add some Italian seasoning to make the whole thing a little spicier.

Drain the browned meat.

Add the kidney beans (undrained), tomato sauce, salsa, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir carefully until mixed.

All mixture to heat until it boils/bubbles.

Pour bubbly mixture over the chips or bread.

Carefully spread the sour cream over the top of the mixture.

Sprinkle the chopped tomato over the sour cream.

Spread cheese over the top of the whole. I usually use about half the package. Use less or more to taste.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. You should see it bubbling, and the cheese should be completely melted when you take it out.

Serve over the lettuce.


This is a yummy chili-like casserole that freezes very well. It isn't too hot/spicey, so my little one likes it; but the tomato means my austic one isn't very into it. Besides, its a casserole. But we need some casseroles in our lives. I'll be trying some casseroles without tomato soon...

Foil packets

So I tried a new recipe. It was supposed to be yummy chicken with pineapple and brown sugar. The trouble was that it had to be cooked in a foil packet.

Apparently, one must be an expert foil-packet-maker for foil packet cooking to work. It is not something to be attempted by the beginner. I didn't consider myself a beginner. I know perfectly well how to fold foil so it seals. However, you do have to leave space around the food for the air to circulate, because foil cooking works like a convection oven. If you leave too much space, the heat does nto build up, and the food doesn't cook. Leave too little, and the air doesn;t circulate and heat properly, and the food doesn't cook. See the problem?

So my recommendation for those looking to cook with foil is to leave enough time to cook the food for a convention amount of time, just in case you don't ge the packets just right. The chicken was fine. Not great.

Really yummy Spaghetti Sauce!

You need:

1 large (16oz) can of whole tomatoes
1 large (16oz) can of crushed tomatoes
2 cans chopped black olives
1 package ground turkey or beef (about a pound and a half)
1 tablespoon sugar
salt
pepper
1/4 cup Italian seasoning/spice (some companies call it seasoning, some call it spice, some herbs...)
1/4 cup Pizza or Spaghetti seasoning/spice
1 tablespoon of flour dissolved in 1/4 cup of water.

1. Brown meat. Sprinkle with some of the Italian seasoning while you cook it.
2. Dump tomatoes, olives, and browned meat into a pot. Add the seasonings, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
3. Allow to simmeron medium-low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Taste. Add salt and pepper as necessary.
5. Add dissolved flour and water, mix well.
6. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Serve over your favorite noodles and sprinkle with cheese!


I love this sauce, provided the thickening works. The sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes, but it works fine without it. Spaghetti Seasoning is really cool- but if you can't find Pizza or Spaghetti Seasoning, just add more Italian Seasoning and some garlic powder, and it still tastes great. The longer you let it simmer, the spicier it will taste!

This works great with frozen ground meat.

This recipe also freezes well. I like to divide it into individual containers, but it also freezes well as a whole.

My older son won't touch this- it has tomatoes. He prefers plain noodles with butter, or cheese sauce. Stay tuned for my Simple Cheese Sauce!