Mexican Turkey Loaf

I've been experimenting with meatloaf lately. I don't particularly like meat- it has to be verrrrry well seasoned for me to enjoy it. But, Chris is a carnivore. And, since ground beef is the cheapest meat you can get, I have it hangin' around. (Seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?? Let's not go there.) So, I figured, if I add enough spices and extras to my meatloaf it'll taste good, right? Yes.

Recently, I bought ground turkey because it's leaner than beef, was on sale for less than $2/lb, and I assume (read: HOPE) it's sans pink slime. :} (Ok, I went there. Sorry.) So, I have this turkey. What to do, what to do...

LOAF!

I mixed up:
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 egg
1/2c milk
1c bread crumbs (I make my own)
~2T taco seasoning (don't have? Use 2t cumin, 1t salt, 2t chili powder, 1/2t garlic. That'll be close.
~1/4c salsa
~1/2c grated cheddar cheese
~1/4c chopped cilantro

Mix all by hand. Put in greased loaf pan. Bake @350F for about an hour. I'm gonna serve mine with sour crean, salsa, and corn chips. You could put yours in a tortilla, make guacamole, whatever!

We'll see if this turns out.... :P

Pizza Dough Recipe

1/2 t sugar
2 1/2 t yeast dissolved in
1c warm water
add:
2t salt
2T oil
2 1/2-3c flour
blend with dough hook in stand mixer (or knead by hand on counter) until combined and dough is no longer sticky. let rest 5 min. make pizza as usual.

my version of pizza.....stretch or roll your pizza dough onto a cornmeal-covered cutting board/flat cookie sheet. Build your pizza on top of said dough. Loosen edges with spatula and slide unbaked pizza onto preheated-to-500 degrees pizza stone. Bake pizza for 10 min in preheated-to-500 degrees oven. Quick pizza, crispy crust, yum-O!

Experimental Cupcakes

I have updated this post! I think I may have perfected these cupcakes!

Original post:
I went to a Cupcake Open House (curtesy of 'Taste of Amazing' and Gail Kurpgeweit), again. Bad choice? Maybe. Maybe I don't care enough about the 20lbs I still have to lose. Gail's cupcakes are Da Bomb! That is SOOO not an overstatment. Anyway, while stuffing my face with delicious confections of various flavors, Gail and I were talking about her yummies, and how she makes them. And, since I like to try new things, she gave me a few tips on how to make a great cupcake from scratch. I tried it out, and although not nearly perfect, they were good! She wouldn't give me her recipe, though- why ever not? I wonder. ;)

Anyway, if any of you are wondering how I created my chocolate cupcakes from scratch, look no further!

1/2c butter
1c sugar
1. cream together.

1t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1/4t salt
1t vanilla
2/3c cocoa powder
1 pkg chocolate pudding mix
3/4c buttermilk
3 eggs
1c flour

2. add eggs, vanilla, yogurt.
3.add dry ingredients and DO NOT overmix.
4. Bake in paper/foil-lined muffin pan for 16-19min at 350.
5. Remove cupcakes promptly from pan so they stop baking.
6. Enjoy and share with friends!

Italian Saute Over Pasta

Too many veggies in your fridge that you just don't know what to do with before they go bad? That was me yesterday. So, I decided to make them dinner- all of them. What the heck, the greens were wilting fast and I knew I didn't have too many days left before they had better be used or they were gonna be trashed. This is what I did:

Boil 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti until tender. Drain, set aside.

2 T oil heated in large saucepan over med/high heat
Add:
3 peeled and smashed garlic cloves
1 spoonful previously minced garlic
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
Saute all until tender.
Add:
several sliced mushrooms
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
Saute a couple of minutes.
Then add:
3/4 bag baby spinach
Cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over buttered noodles and cover with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Delicious!

This was totally an experiment but I've come across several similar recipes that use kale or broccoli rab instead of cabbage. I just used what I had. So, dig into your fridge and see what you come up with!