Amy's Delicious Turkey Burgers

Rated: Submitted By: Amy Photo By: cherwu Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 4

"So delicious and low in fat! Go figure. My family requests that I make them for every picnic or social event."

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground turkey 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried minced onion (optional) 1 egg 1/2 cup crushed cheese flavored crackers

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat a grill for high heat.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, minced onion, egg and crackers using your hands. Form into four fat patties.
3.	Place patties on the grill, and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until well done. My Friend Ashley Caputa introduced these delicious burgers to us last night! They are very moist and flavorful. A great substitute for ground beef.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew I

Rated: Submitted By: BUCHKO Photo By: Dianne Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 12 Hours Ready In: 12 Hours 20 Minutes Servings: 6

"Cubed meat is mixed with seasoned flour and cooked with vegetables, beef broth, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika."

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 onion, chopped 1 1/2 cups beef broth 3 potatoes, diced 4 carrots, sliced 1 stalk celery, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2.	Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

This recipe was okay. The meat was nice and tender. Michael did not like how thick it was. I think i will try a different recipe next time, something with a little more flavor.

Chicken Parmesan Again

• Time 15 minutes
• Serves 4

Ingredients

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• 4 each boned and skinned chicken breasts, about 4 ounces each
• 2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup flour, all-purpose
• 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cups spaghetti, cooked and drained (about 8 oz raw)
• 3 cups pasta sauce, details to follow
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup diced tomato (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil, fresh or dried basil leaves

How to make it

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• Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Flatten to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
• Start bringing pasta water to a boil in a pasta pot or large saucepan.
• Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge each chicken breast in flour. Dip in egg whites, dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
• Start cooking the spaghetti separately.
• Preheat broiler.
• Place the cooked and drained spaghetti in the bottom of a medium sized glass baking dish. Spoon one cup of the pasta sauce over the spaghetti. Spread the diced tomatoes on top. Arrange cooked chicken breast in a layer on top of that. Spoon the rest of the pasta sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top of all.
• Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet and broil for three minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to brown slightly. Garnish with basil and serve.

This dish is so yummy. It would be great to make for guests. The only problem was that the pasta sauce was not warm enough after the 3 min on broil in the oven. I will have to work on that.

McCormick Slow Cookers:

BBQ Pulled Pork/Chicken

I was looking for a simple way to cook some chicken and was wanting BBQ for something different. I went to the store and bought McCormick's BBQ Pulled Pork Slow Cooker seasoning. All I needed was ketchup, brown sugar, and cider vinegar to add in the crock pot. After about 4 hrs in the crock pot, the chicken was extremely tender and delicious!

Asian Meatballs With Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce

Adapted from Gourmet (May 2007)

Servings: Makes 4 (main course) servings.

1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey, with dark meat (Don't use breast meat, it will be too dry)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped ( did it in my food processor)
1 Tablespoon finely minced ginger root
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus
1/4 cup sprigs
5 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sugar
Accompaniment: steamed white rice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.

Pour milk over bread crumbs in a large bowl and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add ground meat, egg, water chestnuts, salt, chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 3 tablespoons meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Make more meatballs with remaining mixture, arranging meatballs about 1/2 inch apart in baking dish. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together lime juice, water, sugar, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs.

Serve meatballs with remaining sauce.
Makes 4 (main course) servings.

Note: I always make a tiny meatball and boil or microwave it, to check if the seasonings are right. I wound up adding a little more salt to the meat mixture before I formed the rest of the meatballs.

These are kind of different. Just okay. I don't think Michael would even try them =) I didn't care for the dipping sauce. The Asian Sesame Oil has a unique flavor.

Spiral Sliced Hickory Smoked Ham from Costco

All I can say is yummy. This ham is delicious and easy. We bought the smallest one we could find, around 17 lbs and it took about 2 hrs. It made a ton of meat for leftovers (we had to freeze a lot), and I was also able to make fresh split pea soup with the bone.

Caribbean Black Beans, Peppers, & Pineapple

1 cup brown rice

3 Peppers (red, green, & yellow)

1 cup cubed fresh or canned pineapple

1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)

1 cup salsa

Cook rice as directed on package. Spray large skillet with cooking spray; stir-fry peppers until crisp-tender. Stir in pineapple, black beans, and salsa; heat through. Serve over cooked rice.

Serves 4

Total Time: 25 min

This recipe is from a Target food add. I tried it one night and was pleasantly surprised. It is very quick and tasty. It is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I like to add grilled chicken or shrimp if I have it. Now that I am married, it is a great meal to make when Michael isn't home since he doesn't like black beans.

Chicken Divan Recipe Courtesy of my Sister-in-law Nicole!

Chicken Divan:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 pkgs frozen brocc, cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayo
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp lemon juice
Layer broccoli, then chicken in a casserole dish. Mix together mayo, soup, curry, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Spread over chicken. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350.


I've found that you can use the healthier versions of the mayo and soup and it will still taste great - but you need to use the real full-fat cheese :) This is also one that can be prepped ahead of time and stuck in the fridge for the next day - or if you get some of those pans that can put in the freezer and oven - it's a great one to freeze ahead of time. You'd just need to add some time to the baking.

I really like this recipe. Like Nicole mentioned, I use the light mayo and low sodium soup. I also like to add fresh cooked carrots to the broccoli for more variety. This is great on top of brown rice.

Michael's Favorite:

Cajun Jambalaya

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

35 min

Level:

--

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• 4 ounces chicken, diced
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3/4 cup rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
• Salt and pepper

Directions

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

This is a great recipe. I do not always use all three meats. The flavor is good but extremely spicy. Michael loves it but I have to tame it down a little for myself. Black beans help neutralized the spice. I also use whole grain rice to make it a even healthier. Great dish if you like spice!