Sandwiches

Sloppy Turkey and Chili Joes

I had a nice long 4-day weekend this weekend and I didn’t do much but read, relax and sleep. No, I wasn’t at the beach, or the lake, or the park, or the pool. I was home. I found myself going to Target two or three times just because I was bored and wanted someone to talk to. See, here in the Philadelphia area, people disappear in the summer. People either have a shore house or know someone who does. Or people go on their summer vacation, something I’ve been used to since growing up in Illinois (my birthday is in July and friends were always on vacation). Going into the weekend, I took a deep breath and resigned myself to the fact that I’d be riding solo all weekend. My only plans were to read and eat a turkey burger. Done and done. But once that was accomplished, I got bored again. So I started cooking these Sloppy Turkey and Chili Joes.

Ground turkey is cooked with onion and poblano pepper (one of my faves) until meat is browned and veggies are softened. Next, canned tomato sauce, a little brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and garlic powder are added and brought to a simmer. This is such a quick and simple sloppy joe recipe that I honestly think this is my new go-to. It doesn’t require a slow-cooker or an electric skillet (what my mom used make her sloppy joes in) or a bunch of ingredients. The poblano pepper gives it a subtle bit of heat without it being too much (you can use green pepper here if you prefer) and the brown sugar gives it a mild sweetness that I like from my sloppy joes. These are messy, just the way you want them to be, so keep a lot of napkins on hand. I liked this so much that I might make another batch and eat it on some baby spinach or roasted veggies. It’s just as good when eaten with a fork.

If you like this, also check out Sweet Chili Rolls.

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In a large nonstick skillet cook ground turkey, onion, and poblano pepper until turkey is no longer pink, stirring to break up turkey as it cooks.

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Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and garlic powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

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Place bun bottoms on serving plates; add cheese slices. Top each with turkey mixture. If desired, top with basil leaves. Add bun tops.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Monterey Jack cheese

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Better Homes & Gardens magazine

Slow-Cooker Beer-Braised Smoked Sausages and Onion

This weekend is the Super Bowl and, as if we don’t turn on the news every single night and have to constantly hear about the Polar Vortex and how cold it is outside, the biggest story surrounding the big game is what will the weather be like.  Like the organizers of the Super Bowl didn’t know when they chose East Rutherford, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium that it didn’t have a DOME and that it could be cold, and possibly snowy, in January.  So when the news people finally stop talking about the weather and move on to sports, we still have to hear about the weather.  Sorry, but isn’t the Super Bowl about football?  Anyway, whether you are having people over for the game or sitting at home watching the game alone, why not make some fun food just because you can?  These Slow-Cooker Beer-Braised Smoked Sausages and Onion are an easy food to throw together and forget about for several hours.

Smoked sausages with cheese (I used Johnsonville’s Turkey Sausage with Cheddar) are browned in a skillet before being layered into a slow-cooker with butter, grainy mustard, brown sugar, caraway seeds, and onions before being bathed with your favorite beer.  After a couple of hours, these sausages take on a completely differently unique – and amazing – flavor.  If you are like me and never really knew what caraway seeds tasted like, they taste like rye bread which I happen to love.  I’ve eaten these particular sausages before and this recipe completely transforms their flavor.  Serve these on your favorite roll or eat them plain for the game this weekend and maybe you might not care a lick about the weather.

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The ingredients:

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Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

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Meanwhile, coat the bowl of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter, brown sugar and mustard in slow cooker; stir in onions, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Place sausages over onions and pour beer over the top.

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Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.

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Serve sausages on rolls with onions. Top with mustard and cheddar, if desired.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Smoked turkey sausage with cheddar

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Family Circle magazine

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry-Apple Relish

Here we are…2013 is almost over and the holidays will all soon be behind us.  There are certain foods that I only like to eat around the holidays and cranberries are one of them.  I know they are mostly used at Thanksgiving but some people make a whole Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas too so I tend to think of them as a holiday food, not just a Thanksgiving food.  These Turkey Burgers with Cranberry-Apple Relish are slightly festive and a good meal for these days between holidays when we are waiting for the New Year to come.

Fresh cranberries, orange, and apple are whirled together to come up with a unique relish that tops a homemade juicy turkey burger flavored with onion, parsley and sage.  Maybe you wouldn’t normally think to top a burger with a fruity relish but this adds a tangy yet slightly sweet contrast to the herby burger and really works.  I used provolone cheese and baby spinach to complement this burger but any cheese (especially a spicy cheese like cheddar jack) will do.  If you want some holiday flavors at some point but don’t really feel like making a whole big meal, why not try this burger?  It’ll take you back to the holidays any day of the year.

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The ingredients:

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Place cranberries, orange zest, orange, sugar and apple in a mini food processor. Pulse 10 times or until coarsely chopped. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt; set aside.

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Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.

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Combine onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, sage, pepper, turkey, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, stirring just until combined.  Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 4-inch patty.  Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; grill 5 minutes. Turn patties; grill 3 minutes. Top each with 1 cheese slice; grill 2 minutes or until cheese melts and turkey is done.

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Divide arugula evenly among bottom halves of buns. Top each serving with 1 patty. Divide relish evenly among servings; top with top halves of buns.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Baby spinach
  • Provolone cheese

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

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