Turkey Sliders with Caramelized Onions

Some people don't like going to the grocery store.  I can understand that.   There's simply too many options, and if it's late in the afternoon, the store is full of crazed people hurrying to buy what they need for dinner (I've done that plenty of times myself).  If you go late at night (which I've also done), those darn checkers who are always high school age can't seem to ring up things on special correctly.

But...I have to say...I love grocery shopping.  I collect all the grocery flyers, and armed with paper and pencil, I plan out what I want to make for the next week or so.  This doesn't happen every Tuesday (when the flyers come in the mail), but I usually make up a good list of ideas every 2 weeks.

Last week, we needed the basics...milk, bread, eggs, orange juice.  We got to the store--Gabriel always holds the list for me, and headed for the bread aisle. 

Once there, I grabbed our usual, 100% whole wheat sandwich bread, and started towards the dairy case for milk.  And then I stopped. 

Now I know a package of little sandwich buns might not stop traffic.  But they got me thinking. 

My kids love it when I make smaller dishes for them, like mini meatloaves, cupcakes, pancakes, and mini muffins.  I decided to make turkey sliders, and cook down some onions because my hubby loves 'em.  He'll eat onions raw or cooked with just about anything.  Except brisket.  Don't ask him why...he just just doesn't. 

The trick to ground turkey is to add moisture and cook it quickly, otherwise it will be dry, since turkey doesn't have a high fat content either like ground beef.  That's why we add grated apple to the turkey :-). 

So here's a fun recipe your big kids (aka husbands) and little kids will love! And it's healthy too...just don't tell anyone. 

Turkey Sliders with Caramelized Onions

1 pound ground turkey (90/10)

1 medium apple, finely grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1  1/2 teaspoons poulty seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon allspice

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 package (12 count) slider buns/small rolls

tomatoes, lettuce, and other toppings/condiments of choice

Let's start with the onions.  In a small skillet over low heat, saute the red onions in olive oil for 30-45 minutes until they're very soft and caramelized.  About 10 minutes in, season with some salt and pepper to taste.  This is time-consuming, but it's worth the effort.  I get a big kiss from my hubby whenever I make these.  Plus you can make them ahead of time, and just reheat when needed. 

Turkey is next!  In a large bowl, combine the turkey, grated apple, garlic, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, allspice, and parsley.  Mix gently until combined, but don't overdo it.

As a side note...use the small holes on your grater to grate the apple.  The large holes will be too big...the small bits of apple will mix more easily into the turkey. 

You can shape the little burgers by hand, but I like using a mold.  For regular sized burgers, I use a peanut butter lid; this time I used a lid from a large spice jar.  Next time, I want to try something just a little bigger...I forgot the burgers would shrink a little after cooking. 

Just take a piece of plastic wrap and line the lid. 

Scoop the turkey mixture in and pack it in gently. 

Then unmold onto a plate.  Easy as pie!

Continue with the rest of the turkey mixture.  I ended up with 11 patties...you may or may not get the same number. 

The day I made these, it was cold and rainy outside, so I fired up my indoor grill pan.  You can pan-fry these or stick 'em under the broiler if you don't have a grill pan.  These will take about 3-4 minutes per side...be sure not to overcook them or they'll be dry.  I made these in the afternoon and reheated them for dinner. 

For those fancy grill marks...just rotate the burgers 90 degrees after 2 minutes.  But I only did it for y'all...the kids could care less. 

David, Rebecca and I like everything on our burgers.  The rest of the kids just like cheese and ketchup.  I cut a slice of cheese small enough to cover the patty and used roma tomatoes (since they're smaller).  Feel free to make your burger the way you want ;-)

I made ours like this.  Lettuce and turkey...

Cheese, tomato, and pickles...

And some caramelized onions...yum!  The kids like to add ketchup/mustard themselves. 

Then the cap...and don't forget to open wide!

I made a plate for David "to go," only to realize he had a meeting at church that night, and dinner would be provided.  Oh well...guess I'll have to eat it ;-). 

In keeping with the heathly theme of this meal, I made Sweet Potato Fries and Roasted Broccoli on the side.  They're my go-to sides these days because sweet potatoes are good for you...and we have plenty of broccoli from the garden. 

These turned out really great...kid-friendly and easy to make in advance.  I wanted to post this last week, but figured it was too soon after Thanksgiving, and nobody wanted to be anywhere near any form of turkey. 

Hope you enjoy 'em, and God Bless your table!

One of My Favorites

I came down with bronchitis earlier this week. I'm on the mend, but it's been a slow process...I never though a bad cough would become so exhausting! But I wanted to share this one post with you...and hopefully I'll be up for more serious cooking by the weekend.

I found a loaf of sourdough bread on the reduced rack at Walmart, brought it home, and stuck it in the freezer to save for later. I was rummaging in the pantry looking for inspiration, and saw all the cans of tune we'd bought during Lent. Bingo...tuna salad!

Okay, maybe tuna salad isn't very exciting to you. But most people don't put anything in their tuna except mayonnaise. My grandma showed me how to take a can of ordinary tuna and make it into something "a little more special." So this is in honor of my Grandma Kirby--I love you Grandma!

Grandma Kirby's Tuna Salad

(makes one large or 2 smaller sandwiches)

1 6 ounce can chunk light tuna in water, drained

2 tablespoons celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons apple (any variety), finely chopped

2 tablespoons toasted, chopped pecans

4 tablespoons light mayo/salad dressing

4 leaves of lettuce/baby spinach

1 teaspoon mustard (I used regular yellow)

Salt and black pepper to taste

Lightly toast 2 slices of sourdough bread and set aside. You can, of course, use any type of bread you'd like...sourdough is just sublime for me :-).

In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, celery, green onion, apple, pecans, mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Pile the tuna salad on one slice of bread, add the lettuce (I used some from the garden), top with the other slice of bread, and consume with relish (like I did!).

God bless your table tonight!

Mini Roast Beef Sandwiches with Green Chile Mayo

About 8 years ago, I went to a bunko party for the first time at a friend's home just down the street. We'd just bought our first house, and I jumped at the chance to meet some other moms in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I didn't join the bunko league after that night because the conversation around the tables were all subjects I didn't care to participate in (and that's all I'm going to say about that).

We'd all brought finger food to share, and the hostess made these awesome little sandwiches. I told her I had to have the recipe. She said they were really easy...and told me on the spot how to make them. I didn't even write it all down until much later. Every time I make these and take 'em to a party, they are scarfed down.

If you want, you can use real mayo in these sandwiches instead of Miracle Whip. Don't hold it against me if you're not a Miracle Whip family like we are. We are not fans of real mayo, sorry! I won't hold it against you either :-) I also don't see why you couldn't use turkey or ham if roast beef isn't your beef. (Okay, that was bad, wasn't it?)

Roll up your sleeves, and let's get to work!

Mini Roast Beef Sandwiches with Green Chili Mayo

2 cans (8 count each) refrigerated biscuits

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 pound deli style roast beef

2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or whatever your can of biscuits says). Combine the seasoned bread crumbs and dried parsley in a shallow bowl.

Take the biscuits out of the cans, and arrange on a large baking sheet. Use a pastry brush and coat the top of each biscuit with the melted butter, and then dip into the breadcrumbs.

Place back down on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining biscuits.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops are a nice golden brown.

Set aside until they are cool enough to handle, and then split each biscuit in half. Leave the oven on...you'll see why in a minute :-)

In a small bowl, combine the chopped green chilies and Miracle Whip/mayo.

Now, let's set up our work station. Lay out the roast beef, cheese, biscuits, and green chile mayo. We're going do this assembly line style.

Place the bottom half of a biscuit on your work surface. Top with one slice of roast beef. I usually tear it into pieces so it fits nicely on the biscuit. Spoon on two teaspoons of the mayo, and then some monterrey jack cheese.

I know you may want to put more of the mayo on, but don't. We're going to put these back in the oven, and if you put too much mayo on, it leaks out of the sandwich and makes a bit of a mess.

Repeat with the remaining biscuits, roast beef, green chile mayo, and cheese. Put these little guys back in the oven (still at 375 degrees) for about 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is all melted and gooey.

Cap the sandwiches with the biscuit tops, add a toothpick to secure, and serve.

These should disappear in a snap. They're perfect for a Super Bowl Party, school luncheon, block party, or poker night for your hubbys. Enjoy!

God Bless your table tonight!

Panini

We still have no power, and may not for a while yet. We did a little research and discovered we are on a small grid (about 100 households), which means we very well may be at the bottom of the list to get power, since they'll probably fix the largest grids first, and go from there. Sigh... I really miss baking. I have a friend with a new baby and I can't make her dinner yet... boo hoo. But, I can't complain. Seriously...we have water, gas, phone, and a generator. Praise God.

Okay, so I am limited to the grill outside or the gas cook top inside. I made panino last night on my grill pan, and you know what, it turned out decent enough. Panini is just a fancy Italian word for grilled sandwiches stuffed with anything you want. Traditionally, they are made with cured meats and thinly sliced cheese (no lettuce), and maybe some grilled veggies. So feel free to experiment. You will want a good sturdy bread, like foccacia or ciabatta. Alas, all I had was whole wheat sandwich bread, which would make the purists shudder, but oh well. I made pizza panino for the kids, and a fancier version for David and I. I had seen this recipe for a quesadilla, but we'd already had taco salad and "anything in a torilla night," so I adapted this to make panini. All in all, it was satisfying.

Panini with Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil with a Parmesan Crust

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 ounce (1/2 cup) grated pecorino romano cheese
4 ciabatta/focaccia rolls or slices, however you buy it
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
8 thin slices mozarella cheese,(shredded is fine)
Salt and black pepper to taste

You can make this on your grill outside, or on your indoor grill pan. In a small bowl, mix the butter and pecorino romano cheese until combined. You will use this on the bread. Mmmm.... butter and cheese together... can't go wrong with that, right?

Spread the butter mixture on both sides of the bread. Heat up your grill pan/outdoor grill to about a medium heat. You may have to adjust your heat as necessary. You want toasted bread, not burnt hockey pucks. Lay one slice of bread down on the grill, buttered side down. Layer with the mozzarella and tomato. Sprinkle the tomato with a bit of salt and pepper, and then a scattering of chopped basil. Place the second slice of bread on top, buttered side up.

Now, using a heavy pan, spatula, or whatever else is handy, apply even pressure to the sandwich for about 30 seconds. My grill pan came with a heavy press to use for making grilled sanwiches, etc. But you just need something heavy to get the bread nice and toasty.
Lift up your pressure device and flip the sandwich over. Apply pressure again for 1-2 minutes. Check to make sure it's not burning. Remove the panini from the heat, cut in half, and serve immediately. This will make four panino-- if you want to serve these as an appetizer, cut them into quarters.

Here's the pizza panini I made for the kids, I just used a couple of tablespoons of pizza sauce, shredded mozarella cheese, and 4 pepperoni slices for each one. A bit of the pizza sauce oozed out (which wouldn't have happened if I'd used a better bread), but the kids didn't mind at all. Joshua even asked for seconds! You'll have to excuse the paper plates, no power means no dishwasher, and therefore, disposable serving dishes. And the pics are a tad fuzzy, I took these by the kitchen window with the last bit of sun (candlelight, although romantic, is not good for taking pictures).

And here's the adult version. The butter and cheese made a very tasty crust... you have to try it.

Whether you have power or not, these fancy sandwiches are fun to make.

God Bless your table tonight!

Roasted Pork Sandwich with Cilantro Mayo and Black Bean Salad

I had a nice big pork roast in the freezer, and was trying to figure out what to do with it. We'd had my Apricot Pork Tenderloin last week, and I didn't want to hear the kids to say, "Pork again ?" I had used a package of dry herb and garlic soup/dip mix before on a pork roast, so I rubbed that mixture all over the meat, slow roasted it, and stuck it in the fridge (you can roast it any way you want). Half of it went to my friend with a new baby, and I decided to make sandwiches with the rest. David bought sliced cheese for our beach trip, and we had some left over, and there were ciabatta rolls in the freezer. I try to use things we already have to put meals together; like most families, we don't want food to go to waste.

I remembered this salad when I was digging into my recipe box for a side dish to go with the sandwiches. This recipe was from a student in my first year of teaching class. As a wedding/end of the year present, all the kids compiled their favorite recipes in a pretty wooden recipe box, and each recipe card had their picture on it. The box has been in my kitchen ever since, and I love it.

This salad has a couple of other names I've heard over the years, "Confetti Salad," or "Texas Caviar." I'm sticking with "Black Bean Salad" just because. It's super easy to make, and it's best made early in the day or even the day before is fine. As it sits in the fridge and marinates, the flavor improves. I also love it because all the colors in the salad make for a pretty side dish.

A few tips when you're making this salad. Use just the cilantro leaves, wash, and dry them well before adding them to the bowl, this makes the dressing less watery. I also wash, core, and take the seeds out of the tomatoes so it doesn't water down the salad. Just use a little knife and cut out the core, then scrap out the seeds-- I do this right in the sink and let the disposal take care of the scraps. I use the little roma tomatoes because they're meatier and will hold up in the salad.

I also toasted my bread with just a little bit of butter... I think it just takes an ordinary bun to a higher level. And the cilantro mayo is just 4 ingredients, so don't be intimidated; it adds great flavor to the pork. Feel free to substitute any other kind of meat or cheese.

Roasted Pork Sandwich with Cilantro Mayo and Black Bean Salad

ROASTED PORK SANDWICH:

1 2-3 pound boneless pork loin, roasted the way you like it, thinly sliced

1/2 pound of sliced cheese (swiss, provolone, monterery jack, etc.)

1 beefsteak tomato, sliced

4 ciabatta rolls, or other sturdy bun/roll, toasted

CILANTRO MAYO:

1/3 cup mayo or miracle whip

4 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Salt and black pepper to taste

BLACK BEAN SALAD:

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) corn, drained

3 roma tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 cup Italian dressing (light dressing works fine)

1/2 teaspooon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco/hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 6-8 people.

For the cilantro mayo, combine the cilantro, mayo (we are not a mayo house, we like miracle whip), salt and pepper (to your taste) in a small bowl. Chill until needed.

For the sandwiches, on a toasted bun/roll, layer the cilantro mayo, pork, cheese, and tomatoes. If you have store-bought tomatoes, season them with a little salt and pepper, since they'll need it. Spread the cilantro mayo on the other side of the bun (or use some mustard like my husband did), cap the sandwich, and serve.

All my kids really liked the sandwich, and 2 of them liked the salad. For me, that's good enough.

God bless your table tonight!