turkey-stuffed peppers with dried cranberries,pine nuts and feta

April 28, 2015 Leave a Comment

today’s recipe comes to you courtesy of a still rainy day and a trip to the store that had me wandering and tapping into my inner rumbly tumbly. 

It all started when I saw watermelon on sale…  And where there’s watermelon,there’s feta. And since I was buying the feta, I decided to include it in my stuffed peppers.  A quick look around the kitchen when I got home, and voila! 

Turkey-Stuffed peppers with dried cranberries, pine nuts and feta 

1 pound ground turkey breast 

1 cup cooked whole grain rice 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/4 cup red wine 

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 

1/4 cup pine nuts ( you could sub a less expensive nut, maybe walnuts? I just happened to have these in my fridge ) 

3 peppers 

Big handful of flat leaf parsley 

1 large egg 

A few gratings of nutmeg 

1tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground ginger 

  

Start my charring your peppers.   Simply place over a gas fire or under the broiler. You can skip this step, but I really think it adds flavor.  Using tongs, careful place on cutting board allowing to cool. 

  

Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in small cast skillet over medium heat.  Watch carefully..  They burn quickly. 

Pour wine over cranberries and heat up either in small pot on  the stove or in the microwaves. This reconstitutes them and add tons of flavor 

When peppers are cool enough to handle, slice in half and remove seeds. Place peppers in a lightly oiled baking dish . 

Chop parsley fine and mix with turkey, egg, rice,pine nuts, feta, cranberries ( with juice) and spices,  season with salt and pepper. 

Divide mixture into 6 portions and carefully stuff each pepper . 

  

Cover with foil and bake at 350 until internal temp is 165. Remove foil, sprinkle with a bit more feta and let cook an additional 5 minutes.  

Serve alongside a salad! 

  

A balsamic glazed like I used in Goat cheese and beet salad would have been perfect as a drizzle on top, but I was surprisingly out of balsamic vinegar!   Must buy some soon! 

Other stuffed recipes 

Pork stuffed peppers with raisins and pine nuts

Caprese- stuffed tomatoes

Lightened up cabbage rolls

Chicken sausage stuffed peppers

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thanksgiving 2014

November 25, 2014 5 Comments

How on Earth is it Thanksgiving time already? I swear it just turned y2k..

Like yesterday… right?

For those of you who have been reading for awhile, you may recall that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Not only the day itself, but the days leading up to the feast.

Life has changed drastically for us in the last few years, and the excitement of my whole family coming over is no longer a reality since we live so far away from any family.

I’m grateful this year that our youngest child was able to travel home for the week. She arrived from Providence last Saturday, and it’s been great to just have her here

My RYAN is halfway across the world studying in Scotland for a semester, and jamanda will be in Florida celebrating together. We will be missing the three of
them so much

This time of year can be very exciting, but also very depressing, depending of what the earlier part of your year had in store for you.

I have many friends and family going through tough times for one reason or another. It makes me sad, and I think about their individual situations a lot.

It makes me really stop and appreciate the little things in life, even when I think I’m having a bad day.

As we go forth in this holiday season, just take a second to think of others’ and send good wishes, whatever method works for you.

Tomorrow is big cooking day ( click the above Thanksgiving link if you have no idea what I’m talking about)

I decided to start a little early this year. I picked up my bird ( tiny.. 10 pounds… How do I even cook a turkey that small?) and made my brine IMG_1080.JPG

I’ve been BRININGfor about 10 years, and wouldn’t dream of skipping this important step.

There are so many reasons to do so.. I can elaborate if you’d like..

One of the coolest reasons? IMG_1082.JPG

I brine in this cooler.. I bought specifically for this purpose.. And what’s super-cool about this? My turkey never ever goes into the fridge! It frees up all of that precious fridge real – estate!

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Here’s this years’ bath 😁 ( with my yittle bird in there)

I’ve roasted the chestnuts

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And getting ready to peel them for dressing #1 tomorrow

I’ve made my creamed onions ( my favorite! )

And I’ve made my CRANBERRY SAUCE.. Although this year I made it in my vitamix… And it was awesomely easy and perfect!

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This years’ cranberry sauce is extra-special….

I received a knock on the door yesterday and a neighbor was holding a package addressed to me. It was from a dear friend, Laurie ..

Laurie sent me 2 pounds of organic cape cod cranberries and Eastham turnip! THANK YOU, Laurie! Oxox

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I am so grateful, as It was hard to find Massachusetts cranberries (which I’ve eaten my whole life ). ( last year my mom sent me some last mintue.. Thanks, mom! )

The other thing that I couldn’t find last year was Bell’s seasoning.. Something else With which I’ve grown up.

It took me 5 stores… But guess what I found today!!!

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It may not seem like a big deal, but to me it truly is.

I’m very exciting to make my two stuffings tomorrow!

I think in an overwhelming way I am thankful for not only my family, but my friends as well. I have some pretty fantastic friends, from all stages of my life. I have friends that I haven’t seen in almost 30 years, ( Wowzers!) and yet, we chat like it was just yesterday.

I have friends who are always there, regardless of time zone differences, and that I truly can talk to about anything, and vice-versa.

I have friends that I’ve met in the last year that I can’t imagine not having in my life. I look forward to spending time with everyone.

I have friends who have had layovers at DIA and because we are so close to the airport, I’ve been able to visit with them

I even had the pleasure of traveling to Austin this past September to stand next to a friend as she married the love of her life…. I’ve been friends with for years, but did not actually meet face to face until her wedding dress rehearsal!

If you know me then you know that I am who I am.

And I am truly blessed.

I’m working hard to keep TRADITION alive, despite all of our recent changes…

Like I said in my post about traditions ( click tradition link if I’ve lost you ) .. You don’t really realize when they are happening..

And in the same way, you don’t realize how dramatically we go through the stages of our lives until we are far into the next stage.

As always, thanks for reading. I’d love to hear some of your families’ traditions 🙂

Oxox
Michelle

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massaged kale salad

August 8, 2013 Leave a Comment

massaged kale salad

 

click link for recipe

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the easiest cranberry sauce. ever.

November 24, 2010 2 Comments

Thant’s right, folks, easy peasy. I’m not talkin’ about use your can opener to crack open a jellied can, I’m talkin’ the real shabang

First I’d like to share that I live smack dab in the middle of cranberry country. I sort of took for granted that these wonderful little berries are harvest literally right around the corner from me.

When I went to J& W a few years back, we were talking about cranberries and was surprised at how few people knew that they were grown in bogs.

In the fall the bogs are flooded and  a big machine ( can you tell that I don’t know the technical terms? ) causes the bog to vibrate which loosens the that the cranberries so that they float.

then they pull them altogether

and another machine comes & takes the berries out

they get hauled away to where they are packaged & shipped to your store.

After they have been harvested, we take a small colander, go scoop out a bit what is left behind, then come home & separate it from the leaves & debris

we then rinse & drain them well

and viola! cranberries!

Chances are if you drink cranberry juice or eat jellied cranberry sauce and it’s from Ocean Spray, the cranberries came from my neck of the woods 🙂

So here is my recipe for cranberry sauce. this was handed down to me form a client of mine ( I used to be a cosmetologist in my other life)

You will need :

1 bag of cranberries

1 Naval ( seedless) orange

1 cup of white sugar

a food processor

rinse the berries & add to the bowl of the food processor

Zest the orange & add it to the bowl of the processor

peel the pith from the orange & discard

Section the orange & also add to the party

end with 1 cup of white sugar.

Pulse the processor for a few turns until the mixture looks like this

*note* it will still be a bit gritty…. the sugar hasn’t dissolved yet

add to a jar and let refrigerate for at least one hour..

and there ya have it!

yum 🙂

 

ironically, while typing up this post, an old friend of mine called me to ask me for ” the recipe for that wonderful cranberry sauce that you used to make”

 

funny, eh?

on a side note, although I do not think that this can be processed, if you put it in decorative jars & keep refrigerated, it makes a wonderful gift 🙂

Ok.. it is officially BIG COOKING DAY!!!!

the brine for our bird, Tomas, is on the stove

*in the brine*

1 cup KOSHER salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 chopped clementines

Thyme, Sage & Peppercorns

my fuzzy socks are on, my kitchen is calling my name, and I just finished my breakfast of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds and overly strong coffee ( Scott’s home today 🙂 )

happy cooking !!!

You’ll here back from me later today.. sharing my family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipe of all time..

 

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