Pesto Turkey Meatballs

I know, I know....I say it all the time but this recipe is truly so easy and really really good. Turkey anything is usually associated with dry and bland but these are neither! The olive oil in the pesto keeps the meatballs moist and using dark meat ground turkey adds just enough fat. With only a few ingredients these come together quickly. Fresh pesto would be awesome but seeing as its winter I went with the jarred stuff from the grocery store. Just make sure you like the taste of the pesto, buying good quality makes a difference here. If you like the pesto, you will like the meatballs. I served these on top of angel hair pasta with a dollop of ricotta cheese, a dollop of pesto, and some arugula swirled together (a pinch of salt and pepper too). This was a really rich and filling meal that is actually quite light.

What you need:

1 lb ground dark meat turkey

1 egg

3 tbsp good quality pesto

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/3 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients together gently and form into balls approx 1.5 inches

Bake at 350° for approx 20-25 minutes or until thermometer inserted in a meatball on middle of pan reaches 160...will finish cooking while resting, should finish at 165. I like to drizzle a little extra olive oil/pesto on top at the end to make them prettier. These reheat amazingly for leftovers too!

*cracker crumbs are what I always use because I always have them and it seems superfluous to buy bread crumbs, plus I usually don’t feel like getting out the food processor. A good buttery cracker works perfectly and with a potato masher you will have crumbs in seconds.

Pimento Cheese

I think more than half of my happiest memories in life can be traced back to pimento cheese. From weekly coffee hour at my childhood church, to tailgates, country store runs with my barn buddies, horse races, bridal and baby showers, engagement parties, graduations…the list goes on and on. It’s perfect as a snack on crackers or celery, on a tea sandwich at a celebration, or for a quick lunch on the run. There are good store bought versions and I have tried a few recipes but I’ve finally settled on this one. I‘ve taken inspiration from many other recipes I’ve tried over the years and this one has the perfect consistency. The pickles and mustard add a little interest and sweetness and Cholula hot sauce adds just a tough of spice. I love it.

What you need:

1/2 cup room temp cream cheese (can be microwaved for 30 seconds)

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup diced pimentos

1/4 cup diced bread and butter pickles (more or less to taste)

2 tsp whole grain mustard

A pinch of salt and pepper

A few dashes of hot sauce

12 oz sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated(1.5 standard blocks of cheese)

My go to brands are Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, Dukes Mayo, and Cholula hot sauce. Please do not use pre-shredded cheese, it won’t be as good!

In a large mixing bowl combine everything but the grated cheddar. Stir it well to combine and then slowly add the grated cheddar stirring and adding as you go. If you add all at once it will not mix evenly. Serve as you like : ) Will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Spicy Beef Stew (similar to Pozole)

Sometimes all it takes to be inspired is a sale. Beef stew meat was on sale yesterday at Whole Foods and we haven’t had any type of beef stew in a while. We usually have tacos on Tuesday per the kids insistence but yesterday with the looming rain I thought a Mexican inspired beef stew that I could prepare ahead in the crock pot would be perfect. I happened to already have a large can of hominy in the pantry and a poblano pepper and an opened jar of green chilis in the fridge. Thus, a peppery beef stew was born. I used the peppers I had on hand, but you could use whatever variety makes you happy. I think canned chipotle peppers would be amazing in this.

This is almost a classic pozole but I added sweet potato because I love sweet potatoes. I wanted to make a more complete meal and sweet potatoes are nutritious and they add a subtle sweetness to the dish while also working as a thickener. I am in the habit of adding sweet potatoes to my beef and turkey chili so this was a no-brainer today.

What you need:

2 tbsp olive oil

1-1.5 lbs of cubed beef stew meat

1 small yellow onion

1 poblano pepper

1 jalapeño pepper

1 bell pepper

2 tsp dried cumin

3 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper

3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of diced green chilis (4 oz can)

15oz can of tomato sauce

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 quart of low sodium beef broth

25oz can of hominy

Begin by chopping the onion and peppers finely and tossing the pepper seeds if you don’t want too much spice. Make sure to wash your hands well after handling the jalapeño so you don’t accidentally rub your eyes with the spicy oil (ask me how I know). Add the onion and peppers to a pot with olive oil and begin cooking over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. After a few minutes of softening the vegetables scoot them to the outer edges of the pot and add the beef to the middle. Season with salt and pepper and sear on one side (about 2 minutes). Now turn the beef to sear the other side and add the spices. Stir to combine everything in the pot and add the garlic. Cook for one minute to release the garlic aromas and then deglaze the pot with the tomato sauce. Use the tomato sauce to help release the brown bits from the bottom while stirring and then transfer everything to the slow cooker.

Set the slow cooker to low and add the sweet potato, green chilis, and beef broth. Stir to combine and cook on low for 5 hours. Next drain the hominy and rinse in a colander. Add the rinsed hominy to the slow cooker and continue cooking for another hour or two. I like to mash up a few of the sweet potato cubes at this point to release the starch and thicken the broth. The beef should be meltingly tender at this point but slow cookers can vary. I would allocate anywhere between 6-8 hours for this recipe.

It could also be done on the stove top, simmering on low for about 2 hours or in the instant pot (check the manual for cooking time). Serve with queso fresco or your favorite melting cheese, hot sauce, and sour cream.