Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

GROUND TURKEY PASTA BAKE

This was so quick and easy. I wanted to throw something together with what we had in the house. This worked out great and it was so tasty. I served it with a tossed salad. YUM!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of ground turkey
2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 cup white wine
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon Italian breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x8 baking dish.

Cook pasta as directed.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium/medium-high heat. Add onions, ground turkey and cook until browned. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add white wine and cook until reduced by half. Add tomato sauce, bay leaf, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for 20 mins. Remove bay leaf. Add Pecorino Romano and stir.

Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir to coat. Pour pasta mixture into the greased baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 10 to 15 mins.

Black & White Cupcakes

BLACK AND WHITE CUPCAKES

This recipe is originally from Buttercup Bakes at Home, but I had seen the recipe on Bake or Break. I altered the recipe, as I didn't have chocolate chips and used reduced fat cream cheese. The changes I made actually reduced the cooking time to 16-20 mins.

I actually was very happy with the way this recipe turned out. It had the perfect amount of sweetness and the perfect amout of richness. These will be perfect to take into the office tomorrow.


INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips (I omitted)
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Beat cream cheese, egg, and 1/3 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center, and add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix just until blended.

Fill each muffin cup one-third full with the chocolate batter. Top with a spoonful of cream cheese mixture, until cups are about two-thirds full. Bake 16 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Creamy Orzo

CREAMY ORZO

YUM! This was so good! I'll definitely make it again. I didn't add the peas, but ended up serving them as a side. Matt picked out the tomatoes, WHATEVER! I loved it, so that's all that matters!

P.S. I halved this recipe and it still made a TON!

Creamy Orzo
(Food Network - Giada)

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices drained
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (I omitted)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes (I added)
Parsley (I added)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a heavy large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season the orzo with salt and pepper, and serve.

Pork Milanese

PORK MILANESE

I had some pork chops thawing out in the fridge and went on a mad-search for a new pork chop recipe. This recipe was very good ... not overly healthy, but good. The pork chops were very moist and the crust was delicious.

Pork Milanese
(Food Network - Giada)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 large eggs
4 boneless pork loin chops, pounded thin to 1/3 inch-thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Coarsely crush the panko into a large shallow bowl. Stir the cheese into the panko. Lightly beat the eggs in another large shallow bowl. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper. Dip the pork, 1 piece at a time, in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge the pork in the crumb mixture, patting to coat completely. Place the pork on a small baking sheet.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork to the hot oil and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then transfer them to a clean baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven.

TCHO

TCHO ~ CHOCOLATEY

So, yesterday, the package arrived. As soon as I opened the mailbox, I knew exactly what it was. To be 100% honest, it was Ally's blog that led me to Blake Makes ... more specifically, her cute little cheesecakes with PBDDL. So, thanks, Ally!

Blake had an awesome TCHO giveaway last week and I was lucky enough to be one of the 50-something to win!

Now, on to the goodness ... this was the best dark chocolate I've ever had. HONESTLY! I had planned on using it creatively in a baked good, but couldn't resist and ate it as-is!

The packaging was super cute. So cute, that I didn't even want to open it!

Thanks so much TCHO and Blake. I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to sample such a great product. I can't wait to get my hands on some more!

Mujadarah - Lentils & Rice

MUJADARAH

This is one of my favorite Lebanese family recipes. Basically, it's rice, lentils, onions and spices. This is such an inexpensive dinner to put together, makes great leftovers and tastes so good! This goes great with pita bread (see recipe below), hummus and a nice side salad.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cup lentils, rinsed
2 cups instant rice
3 large onions, finely sliced
4 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper
1/2 cup oil (I use Canola)

DIRECTIONS:
In a deep frying pan, add oil and finely sliced onions. Cook over medium-high heat. Try not to stir too often, as this slows down the browning process. At first it may appear you have a ton of onions but, trust me, they cook down a lot. Fry onions until dark brown, but not burnt.

onions before ...

and after ...

Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine lentils, water and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until lentils are half way cooked.

Add rice and cumin. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring often. Once the water is absorbed, remove from heat.

When the onions are dark brown, add to the rice/lentil mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

This was a nice change to the typical hummus we have. Next time, I'll add an extra clove of garlic but, other than that, this was very good! I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only things I changed was that I streamed in a little olive oil to get the hummus to a consistency that we liked and I roasted the red pepper under the broiler. My changes are bolded below.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

(Food Network - Robin Miller)

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained

1 cup sauteed red peppers (I roasted 1 red pepper)

1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 to 4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used dried)

Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your broiler and then broil the red pepper for a couple minutes, turning it once the skin has blistered and blackened. After all sides of the pepper look charred, remove it from the broiler and put it in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the pepper cool.

When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off (it should come off easily at this point) and slice it.

Rinse and drain 1 can of the chickpeas. Place drained chickpeas in a blender and add red peppers, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. Process until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with parsley.

Pita Bread

LEBANESE PITA BREAD

Thanks to Ally for sharing this recipe and her helpful tips today. I've finally conquered my first baking experience that involved yeast. These were very easy to make and tasted soooo good. Just like the bread at a local Lebanese establishment! I can't wait to use the rest of the bread for sandwiches and maybe some pita pizzas! YUM!

We will definitely be making these again!!

Lebanese Pita Bread
(fabulousfoods.com)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups warm water (no warmer than 110 degrees)
1 tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Place 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and sprinkle yeast and sugar over the water. Stir to blend and let sit until dissolved.

Place flour, salt and oil in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast mixture and remaining water and beat (preferable with a heavy duty electric mixer) until flour is completely integrated. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed -- about 5-8 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and oil top of dough lightly. Cover with a warm kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubles in size, about 1 1/4 hours.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead to remove the air bubbles. Roll into a log and divide dough evenly into 12 pieces. Pat each piece of dough into a ball, them use a rolling pin to flatten into discs about 1/4 inch thick and 6 inches in diameter.

Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.Preheat oven to 500° F. and place oven rack in lowest position.Bake the bread, one pan at a time, until puffed and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool breads on a wire rack.

Banana Cookies with Chocolate Chips

BANANA COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

I was standing in the kitchen starting at some ripe bananas today. I almost decided to make some banana bread, but then I remembered that I had seen a recipe the other day for banana cookies. This recipe is from Simply Recipes, one of my favorite sites to visit. These cookies were so good ... such yummy, cakey banana goodness! I highly recommend them!

Be sure to check out Simply Recipes for more great recipes!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

DIRECTIONS:
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Chicken Francese

CHICKEN FRANCESE

I had to try this recipe after Ally raved about it. Oh my, this was so good! Most definitely a pan-licker! Matt and I both really loved this dish. It really hit the spot! I followed Ally's recipe exactly. The only thing I didn't do was halve my breasts horizontally, so Ally's are much thinner. The breasts I was dealing with were oddly shaped, so halving them would've been nearly impossible. This recipe originates from Cooks Illustrated's website.

Be sure to check out Ally's page for this and other great recipes. She has a bunch!

INGREDIENTS:
SAUCE:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Table salt and ground black pepper

CHICKEN:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced
fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack on a foil-lined, trimmed baking sheet and place sheet in oven.

2.FOR THE SAUCE: Heat 1 tablespoon butter in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in wine, lemon juice, and broth; increase heat to high and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Lower heat to medium-high and cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain sauce through mesh strainer, return to saucepan, and set aside.

3. FOR THE CHICKEN: Whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk eggs and milk until combined. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with 2 cutlets at a time, coat cutlets in seasoned flour; shake off excess flour. Transfer cutlets to egg mixture; coat evenly and let excess run off. Return cutlets to seasoned flour; coat evenly and shake off excess flour.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, place 4 cutlets in skillet. Cook until well browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Carefully flip cutlets and continue to cook until lightly browned on second sides, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer chicken to wire rack in oven. After transferring chicken to oven, wipe out skillet with paper towels.

5. TO FINISH SAUCE AND SERVE: Transfer sauce to now-empty skillet and set over low heat; cook until sauce is heated through, about 1 minute. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove baking sheet with chicken from oven; transfer 4 cutlets to skillet, turn to coat with sauce, then transfer each serving (2 cutlets) to individual plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons additional sauce over each serving and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately.

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Poblano and Cheddar

CORNMEAL CRUSTED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH POBLANO AND CHEDDAR

Another fabulous recipe from Elly. This was perfect. Matt loves crunchy, coated chicken. When Matt first looked at it, he was trying to figure out what was in the center. When I told him it was poblano pepper, he was excited because he loves peppers!!

This chicken had such great flavor and was so easy to make. We will definitely be making it again!

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breast halves
1 poblano pepper
1/3 cup shredded or sliced sharp cheddar
1 egg, beaten and mixed with a Tbsp of water (buttermilk would also be great here)
1/3 cup cornmeal
salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your broiler and then broil the poblano for a couple minutes, turning it once the skin has blistered and blackened. After all sides of the pepper look charred, remove it from the broiler and put it in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the pepper cool.

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place a rack/cooling rack on top of it. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off (it should come off easily at this point) and dice the poblano. Slit a pocket into the chicken breasts. Stuff the pocket with the diced poblano and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Combine the cornmeal with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper to your tastes. Carefully dip the chicken breasts into the egg wash, and then dredge in the cornmeal mixture.

Place the chicken on the rack and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake about 20 minutes or until done, turning once in the middle of cooking.

The best beans ever!

BEST BEANS EVER!

Thanks to Elly for this recipe. I could have literally sat and ate the entire thing. These were so good and Matt said they were the best beans he's ever had. I didn't have black beans on hand, so I used Great Northern Beans and they turned out excellent!

INGREDIENTS:

olive oil or canola oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or Great Northern Beans)

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/2 cup chicken broth

squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil to a shimmer. Stir in the onions and cook until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste and saute an additional minute. Add half the beans and mash them slightly, with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher.

Add remaining beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top.

This really, really made my day!

How sweet of Melissa to pick me for the "You Make My Day" Award. It was totally unexpected and absolutely appreciated.

Melissa has some great recipes on her blog. Oh, she also has the cutest daughter EVER! So, thanks again, Melissa. You made my day!

I'm now sending this over to some people who have made my day!

Katie, Melissa, Carrie, Erika, Ashley and Sarah ...

Cheesy Sausage Lasagna

CHEESY SAUSAGE LASAGNA

Lasagna is one of my favorite things to make. It's relatively easy and leaves us with some great leftovers.

This turned out so well. The recipe is very versatile. Sometimes I use 1/2 ground sirloin and 1/2 sausage, or all ground sirloin and sometimes I even use ground turkey. The possibilities are endless!

INGREDIENTS:
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 15-ounce ricotta cheese
4 cups of shredded mozzarella, divided
2 eggs
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
2 jars Kroger brand - Extra Tomato Spaghetti Sauce (or your favorite brand/flavor)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 13x9x3 pan with non-stick spray.

Place onions and sausage in a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Cook until the sausage browns. Remove skillet from heat and drain grease. Return skillet to heat and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, add spinach and cover, stirring occasionally until the spinach wilts, 5-7 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the 2 eggs. Add the ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese and Pecorino Romano. Stir until combined.

Layer as follows:

Add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to the bottom of your 13x9 pan

1 layer of lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the sausage mixture, 1 cup sauce

1 layer of lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 1/2 cup sauce

1 layer of lasagna noodles, 1/3 of ricotta mixture, remainder of sausage mixture, 1 cup sauce

1 layer of lasagna noodles, 1 cup sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese

Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Spinach Pies!

SPINACH PIES

I have been wanting to make spinach pies for the longest time, but the thought of using phyllo dough scared me. I'm so glad I came across Elly's recipe. She used puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to try it.

Definitely check out Elly's blog for her original recipe...an authentic Greek version!

The recipe below is my take on spinach pies from my favorite local Lebanese Deli, Emily's. These little pies turned out so well. Matt was very impressed and I'm sure they'll be gone in no time!!

INGREDIENTS:
a little olive oil
9-ounce bag of fresh spinach
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 egg
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
pepper 1 box (2 sheets) puff pastry dough, thawed


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, heat a little bit of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and saute until tender. Stir in the spinach and then turn off the heat. The spinach will start to wilt down, but not much.

Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan to toss the pine nuts until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, roll the puff pastry dough into a square, making it slightly thinner and then cut each sheet into 9 equal squares by making 2 horizontal cuts and 2 vertical cuts.

To the spinach mixture (you can move it to a bowl if you like), add the feta, lemon juice, pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon about 1-2 Tbsp. of the spinach mixture in each puff pastry square. Brush the sides of the square with a little water and then bring 2 opposite sides together to form a triangle. Press with your fingers to seal. Place on a baking sheet. Beat the egg and then brush the tops of the triangles with the egg. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Sausage, Pepper & Onion Subs

SAUSAGE, PEPPER & ONION SUBS

I really am a huge fan of Giada's. I have had such great luck with her recipes. Tonight I made her Sausage, Peppers & Onions and served it on fresh bakery sub buns! YUM! This was easy and so flavorful. Also a bonus, we have enough leftovers for tomorrow. Can't complain about that!!! This is so, so good and would even be tasty with pasta!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage (I used sweet Italian sausage)
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional (we used a heaping tsp!)
Mozzarella cheese, optional (we put a slice on each sub)
4 to 6 fresh Italian sandwich rolls, optional

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain.

Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions, salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, basil, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the Marsala wine, tomatoes, and chili flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer.

Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.

Serve in bowls. Or, if serving as a sandwich, split the rolls in half lengthwise. Hollow out the bread from the bottom side of each roll, being careful not to puncture the crust. Fill the bottom half of the roll with sausage mixture. Top and serve sandwiches immediately.

Swedish Turkey Meatballs

I love ground turkey and I’m always on the hunt for new, good recipes to try. I found this recipe on Food Network and I’m so glad I tried it. Matt and I really enjoyed this dish and will definitely be making it again.

Be sure to check out the link to the original recipe. The recipe below includes all of the changes I made.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meatballs:
Vegtable Oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 pounds ground turkey

For pan sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup medium-dry sherry

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

For the meatballs:

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Set onions aside to cool and wipe skillet clean.In a large mixing bowl combine the cooled onions with remaining meatball ingredients. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides.

For the pan sauce:

Set meatballs aside. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the sherry and chicken stock, to deglaze the pan. Whisk in the instant flour and cook until sauce thickens. Add the half-and-half, Worcestershire and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, whisking often until thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add meatballs back to the pan, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving.