Spaghetti with Meatsauce

I don't think its possible to mess up spaghetti. I've tried, believe me. Any combination of meat, marinara sauce and pasta is pretty much infallible in my book. This is a really, really basic spaghetti that I've been making since the beginning of time. The only "secret" (if there is one) would be the meat I use. Its an italian turkey sausage made by Shadybrook Farms, but I'm sure there are other brands out there that are just as tasty. This has replaced beef in every italian dish I make now. It's delicious! Even skeptical people I've fed it too have conceded to its awesomeness.

If spaghetti sauce is not something you thought you'd ever make from scratch, allow me to convert you. Its so incredibly easy. All you have to do is dump everything in the pot and stir! If I can do this, YOU can do it! Would the recipe even be here if it wasn't practically doable in your sleep?

Spaghetti with Meatsauce

•  1lb spaghetti noodles
• 1lb italian turkey sausage
• 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (15oz) diced italian style tomatoes
• red wine (if you have any on hand, throw a splash in for extra flavor, if you don't just leave it out!)
• 1T tomato paste
• 2T garlic
• 1t sugar
• 1t italian herbs
• 1.5t crushed red pepper

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions.
Brown turkey sausage and garlic (or you can use ground beef) in a large skillet.
Once browned, add all other ingredients and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Serve sauce over noodles.

Turkey Tacos

Exciting news on the Pie Hole home front!!! I finally bit the bullet and bought my dream camera on Black Friday. The best part (besides the price) was that I got to do it from the comfort of my own home, online, and skipped all that crazy 5:00am madness in the stores.

Let me just say, I'm in love with this camera. Its pretty fond of me too. We're seriously considering running away together. I don't have a clue how I survived this long without an SLR camera, but its a difference of night and day! You guys will be happy to know that from now on, only the best food porn for you! The disclaimer there is that I already have tons of recipes written and photos taken with my old camera, so you'll still have to endure those until I post them all. But in the very near future you'll be seeing only fancy camera photos!

I really do have a recipe to share today. I actually bumped this recipe to today because its the first one taken with my new toy! You're probably out of turkey by now, but I promised to post turkey leftover recipes this week so I'm still going to share a turkey recipe today and tomorrow. If you are all out of leftovers you can always save these for next year, or for the next time you make a turkey! I think people should really make turkey more often than Thanksgiving/Christmas. And these tacos are the perfect excuse. They were so delicious, I didn't even realize I was eating turkey! These taste more like a pulled pork taco. Line up your favorite toppings, whip up some margaritas, and treat your family to taco night!

Would you look at that beauty? Go ahead, click on it and enlarge it, you know you want to. I'll wait....please just don't take a bite out of your screen!

Turkey Tacos

• 3-4C turkey, shredded (I used a combination of light and dark meat and just pulled it apart with my hands)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1.5C salsa
• soft and/or hard taco shells
• shredded cheese (I used monterey jack)
• toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, salsa, etc.

Directions:
Heat skillet on medium high heat.
Add turkey, taco seasoning and salsa.
Stir until well incorporated and heated through.
Assemble tacos and serve!

Open-Faced Turkey Melt

This turkey leftover recipe wins the honor of my second favorite turkey user-upper, right behind yesterday's pizza. Its comfort food at its finest. This is a good one to have a few days after Thanksgiving because it brings back all the happy feelings of Thanksgiving Day! I like to try to use up my turkey in unconventional ways after the big day so that it doesn't seem like I'm eating the same old turkey and gravy every time. This is basically just turkey and gravy, but reinvented in a different way to trick you into thinking you're eating something new and exciting.

When I asked for a review of this meal after I served it, the answer was "Can we have them again another night this week?" Ding ding ding! You have to love a sandwich that you eat with a knife and fork. That totally puts this sandwich in the "dinner" category if you ask me. I usually have a hard time justifying sandwiches as dinner, but not this one! If you don't have leftover turkey, store-bought sliced turkey would work just fine, as would store-bought gravy. I do prefer homemade gravy, but I swear the store-bought stuff is good too. I hope your family enjoys this meal as much as mine did!

Open-Faced Turkey Melt

• 4 slices bread (a crusty bread works best)
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• leftover turkey (or a few store bought slices)
• leftover gravy (or a canned gravy)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place four slices of bread on a baking sheet.

Top with turkey and then add a slice of cheese.

Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, just until cheese melts.

Pour warmed gravy on top of each slice of bread and serve.



Turkey, Bacon, Ranch Pizza

I'm not sure whether to be ashamed or proud of the fact that my turkey leftover recipes are better than the actual turkey was on Thanksgiving. Seriously, if you are all out of leftover turkey, you should go buy another one and roast it so that you can try out some of the turkey recipes I'll be posting over the next few weeks. I have had so much fun creating them and they are all delicious!

I'm kicking off my turkey leftover recipes with my favorite one of the bunch. If there is a way to turn something into pizza, I'll figure it out (look for Nutella S'more's Pizza coming soon!). We are serious pizza lovers here and its so simple and fast. I made this as a mini pizza but if you are inclined to make a whole pizza, be my guest. It would be just as easy. The measurements I give are mostly estimates, there are no exacts with pizza. You just throw on your toppings and lots of cheese and you're done! So if you're making a whole pizza, just make sure you have extra of all the ingredients listed below. I promise you can't mess this up, the combination of the turkey, bacon, ranch and provolone is a winner!

Turkey, Bacon, Ranch Pizza

• 1/2C cooked turkey, shredded or cut into bite size pieces
• 2 slices cooked bacon, broken into small pieces
• 1/4C ranch dressing
• 1/2C shredded provolone cheese
• 1 mini pizza crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Spread ranch dressing on pizza crust.
Top with turkey and bacon.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 10 - 15 mins until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

I have always been a pumpkin lover, but its only been this year that I've started to become intrigued by its use in savory dishes. After my pumpkin mac and cheese flop (I haven't decided if its worth posting or not), I was a little hesitant to try this chili recipe. I made a few changes to the original recipe that came from the Whole Food's website, and much to my surprise it was absolutely delicious! If I hadn't told anyone, I don't think they would have known it was made with pumpkin. The pumpkin adds a unique flavor, but the chili doesn't actually taste like pumpkin. It disappeared so fast that I didn't even have time to get a photo! So, here is the photo from the Whole Food's website (this is me avoiding a copyright lawsuit) and its a much better photo than I ever could have taken!

I made this about a week in advance for our Halloween dinner and froze it in a gallon sized ziploc bag. I pulled it out and stuck it (still frozen) in the crock pot and let it simmer on low for 6-8 hours. You certainly don't have to let it cook this long, or use a crock pot at all. It is ready to eat after about 45 minutes of simmering, but cooking it longer certainly won't hurt! If anything it helps the flavors come together.

This was a super easy 'serve yourself' meal. I set out toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and baked up a batch of Jiffy Corn Muffins to go along with the chili. My (almost) mother-in-law let me in on the secret of adding one tablespoon of sugar to the corn muffin mix, and they turned out delicious! The whole meal was a hit. Don't be afraid of the pumpkin!

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, chopped (I leave the seeds in because we like the heat! If you don't, remove them before chopping.)
• 3T chopped garlic
• 1T olive oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes (and their juice)
• 1 pound ground turkey (either regular turkey or turkey sausage works well)
• 1 can beans of your choice (I used light kidney beans.)
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2T chili powder
• 1t ground cumin
• 1t cinnamon
• 1C corn
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

Saute peppers and garlic in olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.

Once they are tender, add turkey.

When turkey is cooked, add in pumpkin, diced tomatoes, beans, corn, chicken broth and all spices.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for at least 45 minutes.  

  

Adapted from: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/467