Good Ole' Spaghetti and Meatballs

I saw this recipe being presented the other day on the Neely's show and was immediately intrigued by it mainly because I love them, long time. A couple of things raised an eyebrow for me though. Truth be told internets, I can't be trusted around white bread. So, having a loaf of it in my kitchen to soak in whole milk (?!?!?) is not a good idea. However, I loved the idea of mixing boring ground turkey with yummy turkey sausage so I thought I would make a few small modifications to come up something slightly better for you. I also baked the meatballs as opposed to pan frying them. The result? Moist, delicious and tasting like beef heavy balls. The sister gives it a 10 (hahaha, her words, not mine).

Side note: This IS spicy so if you are a wimp, don't use the red pepper.

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Serves 6

Ingredients for meatballs:

1/4-1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 egg

3/4lb lean ground turkey

1/2lb Italian turkey sausage, casing removed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

3 gloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

28oz crushed tomatoes or sauce (I used Pomi)

2 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb whole wheat or brown rice spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook and drain spaghetti, toss with a bit of olive oil and set aside.

For the meatballs, combine all ingredients until well mixed. Using your hands or my favorite, an ice cream scooper, form meatballs and place on a tin foiled covered jelly roll pan (again, this is a pan that has slightly raised sides to prevent juices from spilling in your oven). Bake for 15-20 minutes until no longer pink.

As the meatballs are baking, prepare sauce. Heat olive oil in large saucepan and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add basil, salt and pepper.

Toss everything together and serve!

Pumpkin Whip

My hairdresser gave me this recipe a couple of years ago and I have routinely made it every holiday season. It's easy, delish and can feed a crowd. I serve it with gingersnaps but it would make a great topping for pumpkin pie, angel food cake, gingerbread, plain coffee cake...really, anything. Just a couple of tips for this...if you like things super sweet, use regular cool whip. If you like it just mildly sweet, use the low fat variety. You can find pumpkin butter at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods if your local grocery store doesn't carry it.

Pumpkin Whip

Serves: A lot

Ingredients:

Brick of cream cheese (8oz) at room temperature

Tub of Cool Whip (let sit in the fridge to make soft)

8-9 oz of pumpkin butter

Directions:

Whip together pumpkin butter and cream cheese with handheld or stand mixer until combined. Fold in cool whip with spatula. Chill for about an hour and serve!

Chicken and Rice

This was a staple in our house growing up. The kids often talk about how we wish we could have it now but we weren't sure how super healthy it was. I also had a fear that if I healthed it up (I just made that up, did you like it?), I would lose the great taste. Turns out, I was wrong. The taste is still great and it is a great reminder of childhood. For this first time experiment, I used a rotisserie chicken that I de-skinned. If you want to save a little time, feel free to go that route and if not, just cook up 1.5lb of chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces.

Side note: I did a little price comparison this weekend and discovered that if you shred your own Parmesan cheese, it is almost half the cost of buying it pre-shredded. Just cube it up and throw it in a food processor!

Chicken and Rice

Serves 8

1 rotisserie chicken, de-skinned and shredded

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the low fat, low sodium version)

4 cups dry brown rice

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Throw first 4 ingredients into a 9x13 cooking dish and mix around. Top with cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned and crunchy.

Seriously. That's it. You can make this faster then it takes take-out to arrive!

Chicken and Biscuits

This is a recipe that while healthy, I would have no problem sharing with Paula Dean. Now, Paula may throw a stick of butter on it but I promise, this does NOT taste healthy! Plus, it is an all-in-one meal....protein, veggie and carb. Yum! The sister doesn't love this as much as I do but I'd give this 5 stars!

Chicken and Biscuits

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1lb skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1.5 cups sliced carrots

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup water

1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup (I use the low fat and low sodium)

1tbsp dried parsley flakes

1 cup+2 tbsp healthy heart Bisquick

1/4 cup skim milk

2 tbsp low-fat sour cream

1.5lbs frozen green beans

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, onion and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in chicken soup, 2 tsp parsley, salt and pepper.

Spray a 9x12 baking dish with cooking spray and layer frozen green beans on the bottom. Spread chicken mixture into dish.

In a medium bowl, combine Bisquick, remaining parsley, skim milk and sour cream. Drop batter by tablespoon over chicken mixture to form6 biscuits. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

You can tell it's obviously getting a little chilly here in sunny southern California (what?! 65 degrees IS chilly) because I keep busting out the soup recipes. This tortilla soup is a perfect solution if you don't feel like a heavy chili but are still craving something warm. Plus, this takes about 3 seconds to make and keeps very well. The sister gives this 5 stars.

Side note: This isn't super spicy so if you want some heat you can use hot diced green chilies or throw in some red pepper flakes. Also, the world is your oyster when it comes to toppings....green onions, cheese, avocados, sour cream, what have you.

Tortilla Soup

Serves 4-6, depending on your serving size

Ingredients:

1 cup diced red onion

1.25 lbs ground lean turkey breast

4 cups chicken stock (I use lower sodium)

1 tsp mined garlic

1 (4oz) can diced mild green chiles

3/4 cup tomato puree

Directions:

In a large pot over medium-high heat sprayed with cooking spray, add onions and ground turkey. As turkey browns, move mixture around to break the turkey into very small pieces.

Once turkey is just cooked through, add chicken stock, garlic, chiles and tomato puree.Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Yummy in the Tummy Tomato Soup

Excuse the lack of picture on this one but I was WAY more concerned about attacking this soup then I was with taking pictures. Next time I make it, I will throw a picture up.



ANYWHO...I was on a mission last week to find a delish creamy tomato soup because 1. I needed comfort food and 2. I had been having mad, mad cravings for the tomato soup from Le Madeline's. Sadly, Le Madeline does not exist in the great state of California so I needed to make my own. Small challenge of making tomato soup in the fall/winter? No fresh tomatoes. And no, don't bring up those gross hot house tomatoes to me. BLAH. So, I needed to find one that used canned tomatoes. Thanks to my online food bible, I was able to find a recipe I could make some slight moderations with to make a beyond delish dish. I sort of hesitate to call this a "naughty but delish" recipe but I'm making the call since the heavy cream sends it in to that category. The sister gives this a 5 star. Do yourself a favor and double this. Yes, it IS that good.

Side note: I, like most 20-somethings, do not own a hand immersion blender. So, I just used a regular blender. Caution ahead...use your head and blend HOT ingredients in small batches. Only fill the blender up 1/3 third full so you don't end up burning your body parts off.

Tomato Soup
4 servings

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1/8-1/4th cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream. Remove the bay leaf. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

Gyros

"That's ok, that's ok, I make you lamb" (Bonus points if you can name that movie). This recipe is also very easy to make and taste like heaven. Don't be shocked at the small serving size...the meat in this IS a bit fatty but it is also very filling. Throw some veggies into the pita and I promise you'll be full! Sister gives this 4 stars, I'd give it 4.5.

Side note: I basically shape these loaves into really large burger patties. Just be careful to make the thickness consistent throughout the patty so that it cooks evenly. Recipe for sauce to follow.

Gyros with Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients for Loaves:

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

6oz ground sirloin

6oz ground lamb (you can also use ground pork as lamb may be hard to find)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4 pocketless pitas

Directions:

Preheat broiler

To prepare loaves, combine first 8 ingredients. Divide mixture in half, forming each to a large burger patty. Place loaves onto a tin foil covered jelly roll pan (a pan that has sides, basically). Broil 7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in middle.

Sprinkle loaves with red pepper flakes, Cut each loaf into 1/8 inch slices. Place loaf slice into pita, top with veggies and sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled shredded cucumber

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1/2 tsp garlic powder

12 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/8tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 (8oz) carton plain fat free yogurt

Combine and serve

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese

This is easy, easy, easy. I added a layer of spinach into the original recipe because, you know, veggies are good for you. It's easy to omit the spinach so don't feel like you MUST have it. Also, I use mainly brown rice pasta but again, you can use whatever you damn well please. The sister gives this 5 stars!

Side note: Squeezing the sausage out of the casing is nasty. But you'll get over it, I promise!

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese

Serves 8 very hearty portions

Ingredients:

1lb bag uncooked brown rice spiral noodles

1 pack lean hot turkey Italian sausage (again, the Jenni-O package has about 1.25 lbs)

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic gloves, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 (14.5oz) cans petite-diced tomatoes (I use no-salt added)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

4 oz freshly grated skim mozzarella cheese

4oz grated fresh parmesan

1 bag fresh spinach

salt

pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook pasta, drain and set aside

Remove the casing from the sausage (can can either cut it if you have a VERY sharp knife or you can squeeze it out). Cook the sausage, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper and basil and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine cooked pasta and sausage mixture. Coat a 9x13 glass dish with cooking spray and then lay spinach out on the bottom, Place half of the pasta mixture and top with half of the mozzarella and the parmesan. Repeat layers and bake at 350 for 25 or until bubbly.

Turkey Strokmeoff

I like to come up with dirty names. This is another one those mid-western, stick to your ribs kinda meal. This is also EXTREMELY easy to make and can be made as healthy or "unhealthy" as you want. You can serve over rice, pasta, biscuits or really anything. The sister gives it 4.5 stars.

Turkey Strokemeoff

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pack lean ground turkey (I think its 1.25 lbs)

1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

1 pack of mushrooms

1/2 cup of low fat sour cream

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

red pepper flakes

salt

pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook turkey and mushrooms until turkey is no longer pink. Season meat with red pepper, salt and pepper. Add in soup and parmesan and simmer for 10 minutes. Lastly, add in the sour cream and enjoy!

Double Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

This recipe is a Paula Dean special. I made the pumpkin version of it for Thanksgiving last year and it was a HUGE hit. This taste like a very dense brownie...it is to die for.

Side note: This a tricky one to bake because the middle SHOULD be gooey. My rule is, once it appears to be baked on the outside and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, you are good to go. In our gas oven it took about 36 minutes.

Double Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Serves a whole hell of a lot of people

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing pan, plus 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 egg, plus 2 eggs
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside.

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan.

Bake for 35 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.

Lou McKee's Weenies

Best.Story.Ever. This recipe originally came from our Grandpa McKay's ex-girlfriend..previous to our grandmother. He apparently liked to go over to Lou's house when she made these. He liked them so much that when he married our grandmother, he asked her to make these throughout their 50 plus year marriage. Grandma was quite the trooper...she didn't even change the name. This was way back even before World War II so this is an oldie but a goodie. You can make these as healthy or unhealthy as you like...use turkey dogs, all beef dogs, real cheese, white bread, wheat bread, what have you. (For the record, I used low fat turkey dogs, 2% cheese and weight watchers wheat bread) Do yourself a favor..use the Kraft singles. Yes, they are plastic but they are delish on this. We are fans of dipping these into dijon mustard, ketchup and/or horseradish. The whole family gives these 5 stars.

Side Note: I served these along side a nice spinach salad with cranberries, crumbled bacon and toasted pine nuts all topped off with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. YUM!

Lou McKee's Weenies

Ingredients:

Hot Dogs
Sliced Bread
Kraft Cheese singles
Toothpicks
(yeah, that's it, seriously)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On each slice of bread, place a cheese single. Lay a hot dog on the diagonal. Simply roll the upper left hand corner and the lower right hand corner together and secure with a toothpick.

Bake until cheese is melted and bread is toasted...about 10 minutes.