Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Now that the holidays are over (tear), we are back on the menu bandwagon. I hope this time for good! I was searching for some new recipes for ground turkey and came across a recipe titled "Lazygirl's Ground Turkey Stroganoff." It does not get any easier than this meal! The entire meal cooks pretty fast and the prep is really easy.

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles (we used Healthy Harvest by Ronzoni)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 cube chicken bouillon, crumbled
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon paprika
salt to taste (we omitted due to the salt in the mushroom soup)

Directions:
1) Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the egg noodles in the pot, cook 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the turkey and onion in the skillet and cook until turkey is evenly brown and onion is tender. Mix in the bouillon.
3) Stir the cream of mushroom soup and water into the skillet. Cook and stir until heated through. Season with paprika and salt. Serve over the cooked egg noodles.


Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Picture from my kitchen

Husband Rating: A
Jared thought the dinner was phenomenal. Good comfort food that was tender, juicy, and delicious.

Wife Rating: A
I have to agree with Jared -- this was definitely a good comfort food dish. I think a dash of salt as the recipe calls would be good. If you like a lot of pasta -- add more than the recipe says to cook.

We'll make this again in the future!

Jambalaya

Jared and I "cheated" tonight out of convenience. Our Jambalaya was Zatarains, straight from a box. We added turkey kielbasa, which tasted great! We made a quick salad to compliment the meal.

Ingredients:
Zatarain's Jambalaya mix
1 pound of chicken, turkey, etc. (we used Turkey Kielbasa)

Directions:
1) Follow the recipe on the box. :)

Husband Rating: A
He really enjoyed the Jambalaya flavor -- it definitely had a kick!

Wife Rating: A
I like spicy food, and this had just enough flavor and spice! The salad was an excellent add-on.

Dinner was a quick and easy one because we picked up our wedding video tonight (which included 3 final copies, 2 raw footage cd's, and a bottle of champagne)!!!!

Hot Dog Casserole

You might think that we were hosting children tonight at our house with hot dog casserole, but you would be wrong. Jared has been wanting hot dogs for a while and with our grill neatly tucked away until next year, the casserole was a great option. If you are looking to bring the taste of the amusement park to your house, definitely try this dinner.

Ingredients:
1 (28 ounce) can baked beans
2 (16 ounce) packages hot dogs, sliced
1 (7.5 ounce) package corn bread mix

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2) Pour the can of beans into a 9x13 inch baking dish so they cover the bottom. Arrange hot dog slices so they cover the beans as completely as possible. If too much juice seeps through to the cornbread, it will take longer to cook. Prepare cornbread mix according to package directions. Spread the batter evenly over the hot dog layer.
3) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cornbread is cooked through. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Husband Rating: A
Another great meal, or as Jared said, "another hearty meal." Jared went back for seconds!

Wife Rating: A
This meal was so easy and fun to prepare and eat! The recipe makes a lot of food -- and could be used a party appetizer.

Cabbage & Kielbasa

I decided to use my new crockpot for the first time and try a new recipe as well. We had kielbasa and I found a cabbage and kielbasa recipe for the crockpot. There was a lot of anxiety from leaving my crockpot alone, but in the end it turned out fine. I halved the recipe because we were not using 2 pounds of kielbasa. However, I should have followed the recipe for the cabbage because it cooked down a lot!

Ingredients:
8 cups shredded cabbage (I used 4 cups -- use 8)
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (We left them out because of the reviews)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 pounds fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into serving size pieces (I used only 1 pound)

Directions:
1) In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the cabbage, potatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Pour broth over all. Place sausage on top (slow cooker will be full, but cabbage will cook down). Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until vegetables are tender and sausage is heated through.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Jared liked the combination of the kielbasa and cabbage. He definitely wanted more cabbage.

Wife Rating: B+
Although a fan of German food, I thought this dinner was too salty and mushy for me. I think 8 hours in the crockpot was too long. Maybe with more cabbage it would have been different. The picture above does not do much for the meal. I am glad I tried something different, but I won't be running to make this again soon.

Tropical Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, & Asparagus

Jared and I have never experimented with meatloaf. We have always prepared it with the typical seasonings and red sauce. However, today, we decided to try something new and very different. We were really pleased with this dish. The ingredients kept the meatloaf moist and full of flavor. We added garlic mashed potatoes (from a box), and Asparagus to complement the dinner.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained, divided
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 pounds ground lean turkey
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper (we left these out)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 pinch pepper

Directions:
1) In a bowl, combine egg substitute, 1/3 cup pineapple and the seasonings. Add bread crumbs; mix well. Crumble meat over mixture; mix well. Press into an 8-in.x4in.x2in loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with 1 tablespoon of pineapple. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine onions, jalapeño , honey, lime juice, pepper, and remaining pineapple. Serve with the meatloaf.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Something totally different and the meatloaf was "excellent." Like myself, he is still trying to get used to pineapple.

Wife Rating: A
The meatloaf was delicious. I did not add too much of the salsa mixture because I am trying to get used to pineapple. (I never ate pineapple until our honeymoon because I always thought I did not like it -- well, it's pretty good). The side dishes were a good choice.

We will try this dinner again in the future.

Homemade Chili

With little time to prepare dinner on Thursday, I defrosted Jared's homemade chili. We do not follow a recipe for the chili, so the following ingredients are mostly added to taste.

Ingredients:
1 pound turkey meat (or ground beef)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
cumin to taste
salt/pepper to taste
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup
Hot Sauce
Jalapeños (optional)

Directions:
1) Ground turkey meat, drain.
2) Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot or crock pot (depending on how much time you have).
3) Stir together and simmer for 1 hour.
4) Serve with shredded cheese & tortilla chips


Husband Rating: A
Jared loves making chili, especially on a cold day. He likes to change up the recipe a little bit each time.

Wife Rating: A
I love it! Jared's chili reminds me of growing up when my dad made chili -- the one dinner dish he would make. ;)

Of course we are making this again -- probably as fall ends and winter arrives.