Turkey Swedish Meatballs

This has easily become a family favorite! I am always looking for new recipes for ground turkey and this one is a home run! The best part of it is that it only takes 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. These meatballs can be served alone or over pasta.

Turkey Swedish Meatballs
Adapted from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.

3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
3 tbs reduced-fat sour cream
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Mix together salt, allspice, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Add turkey and gently mix with hands to combine; shape into 24 (1-inch) balls.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned, about 3 minutes; lower heat to medium and cook 3 more minutes, gently shaking pan. Using slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to a plate.

Add broth to the same skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and cook 1 minute more. Add meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

Moraccan White Bean Sliders

When I was on a visit home to Utah this summer, my mom made these for dinner one night and I fell in love. They have a little bite to them which I really like. They are pretty simple to make as long as you have a food processor or a blender. The recipe says to serve with pitas, but I used sandwich rounds instead and it worked out great. I just made the patties a little bit bigger to fit the sandwich rounds.

Moraccan White Bean Sliders
Adapted from Redbook.

Ingredients

• 1/2 red bell pepper, quartered
• 3 scallions, quartered
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon harissa (or cayenne pepper)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1 can (15.5-ounce) white beans (cannellini), drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 small (4-inch) pita breads
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise, mixed with 1 tablespoon harissa
• Lettuce leaves and tomato slices

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse red bell pepper, scallions, cilantro, garlic, coriander, cumin, harissa, and salt until vegetables are very finely chopped. Add beans; pulse until beans are coarsely mashed.
2. Transfer mixture to a bowl; add breadcrumbs and egg. Mix with your hands until well combined. Shape into 8 (1/4-cup) burgers. Place on a waxed-paper-lined plate and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliders and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
4. Cut 1 inch off the tops of pitas. Spread insides with harissa mayonnaise, then line each with a lettuce leaf, a tomato slice, and a slider.

Snickerdoodles

Who doesn't love Snickerdoodles!? They are crunchy, cinnamony and delicious! I love making these cookies, and when I do, they don't seem to last very long!

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix until combined. Add the rest of ingredients and mix.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture and cover completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Don't over bake.

Brussels Sprouts for People Who Think They Hate Brussels Sprouts

I have to apologize for how long it has been since I have posted! We just moved into our new place and been quite busy! But I am back and ready to share some more recipes! Growing up, I never had Brussels sprouts. My mom never cooked them and I never thought to try them. A few years ago I went to a restaurant in Salt Lake City called The Copper Onion and I had the most delicious Brussels sprouts. This recipe comes pretty close to those yummy Brussels sprouts. Give them a try and you will love them too!

Brussels Sprouts for People Who Think They Hate Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1 tsp salt
2 tbs EVOO
1 tsp hot pepper flakes, or to taste
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg, or to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove and discard any discolored outer leaves. If sprouts are large (more than 1 inch in diameter), cut them in quarters lengthwise through the stem end. If smaller, cut them in half.

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil, add salt and sprouts. Boil the sprouts uncovered until they are just crunchy-tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook them. Drain the sprouts well.

Wipe and dry the pot and heat the olive oil in it. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Add the sprouts and nutmeg and saute for another minute. Mix in the Parmesan cheese and toss the sprouts until the cheese melts.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is one of my favorite fall recipes! It is quite simple to make and it smells like fall, which I have been craving since I don't get to experience the fall here in Sunny Florida. I like to bake homemade french bread (earlier post) to dip into the soup. It is so yummy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.

For the Soup:
3-4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 yellow onions
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored
3 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
2-4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp curry powder (I choose not to use the curry)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut the butternut squash, onions and apples in 1-inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Divide squash between 2 sheet pans and spread it in a single layer. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until very tender.

Meanwhile, heat chicken stock to a simmer. When the vegetables are done, coarsely blend in a food processor or blender with some chicken stock. When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add the curry powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Taste for seasonings and serve.

*I usually half the recipe if it is just for me and Bubba.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

When Bubba and I were living with his sweet grandparents, Grandma Sweetie Pie made this cake for his birthday. It is to die for! If you like bananas and chocolate, you will love this!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
Recipe adapted from the World Wide Ward Cookbook.

Cake:
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
4 tbs. sour cream
1 1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. bananas, mashed

Topping:
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/8 C. granulated sugar
1 tbs. cinnamon
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. nuts, chopped (optional)

Line an angel food cake pan with waxed paper and grease well. (I didn't use the wax paper, but greased the pan well and it cam out just fine.) Cream the sugar, butter and eggs. Combine baking soda and sour cream; stir into butter and sugar mixture. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and bananas. Pour half of the batter into pan. Combine Topping ingredients. Sprinkle half of the topping over the batter in pan. Pour remaining batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake at 325F for 45-60 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from pan.

Orange Rolls

Everyone loves orange rolls! We used to have them for Sunday Dinners when I was growing up, but I hadn't had them in years. I found this recipe and it is yummy! They tasted so good, but they didn't rise like I would have liked. I am going to double the yeast next time to see if that makes a difference. The recipe says to bake the rolls on a cookie sheet, but growing up, all of our orange rolls were baked in a muffin tin so I decided to give it a try. They all came out looking very uniformed. I hope you enjoy!

Orange Rolls

1 1/4 Cup Scalded Milk
1/2 Cup Margarine (not butter)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 Packet Yeast
4-5 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
2 TBSP Orange Rind

Icing:
2 TBSP Orange Juice
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. orange Rind

Mix milk, margarine, sugar, salt and yeast. Let sit for about 15-20 minutes. Add 4-5 Cups Flour to make sticky dough. Let rise until double in bulk. Grease hands well and punch down the dough. Divide into 2 segments and roll out the first into a large rectangle. You can either cut them into 1/2 inch strips and tie them into bow knots, or roll it up and cut it into individual rolls. Place on parchment covered jelly roll pan and let rise until double in size. Bake @ 400 degrees for 12 minutes.

Make Icing while first batch is baking. Spread over rolls within the first few minutes of them coming out of the oven.