Week 26: Sloppy Turkey Joes and Cheese Fries

*I would normally make this two separate posts, but I don't have separate pictures, so that seemed kind of silly.  Besides, they were made for each other, at least according to the cookbook I got them from!

Recipe:  Sloppy Turkey Joes and Cheese Fries

From:  Cooking Rocks!  30 Minute Meals for Kids by Rachael Ray

Category:  Main Dish; Side Dish

Rating:  To quote the famed Ms. Ray, "yum-o."  The cheese sauce was also a great two days later over broccoli and cauliflower!  Enjoy. :-)

Ingredients for Sloppy Turkey Joes:

1 1/3 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion

1/2 red bell pepper (I used a green one.  They were cheaper.)

1 tablespoon grill seasoning (like the Montreal Steak Seasoning used last week!)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup tomato sauce (8 oz.)

4 crusty rolls

Directions for Sloppy Turkey Joes:

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; add evoo and turkey.  Break up the turkey with a wooden spoon as it starts to cook.
2. Chop the onion and red pepper.  Add to the cooking meat.
3. Mix in a small bowl: grill seasoning blend, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce.  Once the ingredients are combined, pour over the mean and stir everything together. 
4. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook the sloppy mixture for 10 minutes.
5. Serve on crusty rolls.

Ingredients for Cheese Fries:

1 sack frozen french fries, prepared according to package directions

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used half and half)

2 1/2 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese (10 oz.)

1/4 cup ketchup (I probably didn't use quite that much)

Directions for Cheese Fries:

1. In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add flour and stir.  Cook butter and flour together for 1 minute.
2. Use a whisk to stir as you pour the milk into the pot.   Keep stirring until the milk get thicker.
3. Use a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to stir in the cheese.  when all the cheese melts, take the sauce off the heat and add ketchup.
4. Serve over the fries or on the side for dipping.

Week 25 (Bonus): Crazy Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Cream Frosting

Recipe:  Crazy Chocolate Cake

From:  Potluck Paradise:  Favorite Fare from Church and Community Cookbooks (Rae Katherine Eighmey and Debbie Miller)

Category: Dessert

Rating:  Crazy good!  And I really liked that it was made in an 8 x 8-inch pan.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt into an ungreased 8 x 8-inch pan.  Make three depressions in these ingredients.
3. Put oil in one, vinegar in another and vanilla in the third.  Gently pour milk over the entire pan and carefully stir with a fork until ingredients are well blended into a slightly lumpy batter.
4. Bake until cake is firm in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes>
5. Cool and frost with Chocolate Cream Frosting.

 The dry ingredients with the liquid filled depressions.

Now I've added the milk, but haven't stirred!

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Recipe:  Chocolate Cream Frosting

From:  Potluck Paradise:  Favorite Fare from Church and Community Cookbooks (Rae Katherine Eighmey and Debbie Miller)

Category:  Dessert

Rating: Oh some yummy and worth the work.  The left overs were really good between graham crackers, too!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 to 3 cups sifted powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly.  
2. Add brown sugar and water, increase heat to medium and bring to boiling point, stirring from time to time.  Boil 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.  Add enough sifted powdered sugar to make a  spreading consistency.

The cake with the frosting on top.  

It was served with some vanilla ice cream.

  

Week 25: Log Cabin Roll-Ups

Recipe:  Log Cabin Roll Ups

From:  Full Circle Dutch Oven Cook Book (The Patrick Sisters)

Category:  Main Dishes

Rating: To die for ... my father-in-law wanted seconds.  :-)  It was really good, easy to prepare and the clean up from the prep work was all done when it was time for supper!

Ingredients:

6 pieces tenderized round steak

6 strips bacon

1 box stuffing mix plus ingredients to make stuffing (I used Stove Top Sage dressing)

1 can beef gravy (I used a jar)

salt and pepper

beef bouillon

Directions:

1. Pound meat with meat mallet of rolling pin to flatten out.
2. Rub salt, pepper and beef bouillon into each piece.
3. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on box.
4. Brown bacon in skillet (or in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes).
5. Lay flattened steak pieces in a 9 x 13-inch pan and put one piece of bacon on each.  Spoon stuffing onto bacon.  Roll up steak and toothpick edges together.  Make all rolls up and pour gravy over everything.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is done.

My secret ingredient:  After steaks were all rolled up and before I poured the gravy on, I sprinkled the roll-ups with Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Pretty sure the seasoning is what "made" the recipe!

Week 24: Bread Dipping Oil

Recipe:  Bread Dipping Oil

From:  Whoopin' Up Something with Gramma Pat (Submitted by: Anne L.)

Category:  Appetizers

Rating:  It was okay!  We really didn't like the balsamic vinegar in it; it tasted too much like balsamic vinaigrette.  We like balsamic vinaigrette on our salad, but not to dip bread in.  I would make it again with the cheese and spices, but would skip the vinegar.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon crushed oregano

salt pepper

Directions:

1. Chop garlic and mix all together; salt and pepper to taste.  Dip bread and enjoy!

Week 23: Raspberry Breakfast Cake

Recipe:  Raspberry Breakfast Cake

From:  Meal Makeover Moms'

Category: Breakfast

Rating:  Super good and healthy too!  (Thanks to Christie for sharing this excellent recipe.)


Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup 1% lowfat milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh raspberries (I used frozen)


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the canola oil until well combined.  Whisk in the milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
4. Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top.  Arrange the raspberries evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
5. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-22 minutes.  Cool in the pan and serve.

I mixed the berries into the batter before baking instead of sprinkling on top!  It was really good.

Week 22: Roasted Eggplant Dip

Recipe:  Roasted Eggplant Dip

From:  The Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox (Nicola Graimes)

Category: Appetizers

Rating:  It was okay.  It was a fun spicy dip for carrots and other veggies.  I probably wouldn't make it again, but you never know.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon light tahini

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Prick the eggplant all over with a fork then place in a roasting pan.  Roast about 40 minutes until the inside of the eggplant is very soft.
2. Leave to cool slightly then halve the eggplant lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a food processor or blender.  Add garlic, tahini, spices, olive oil and lemon juice.  Process until smooth and creamy.  Season to taste.

Here is the dip with a carrot in it!  I didn't have food processor or blender (still don't), so I'm guessing it would have been a little smoother with one of those.

Week 21: Sliced Tomato Salad with Feta and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe: Sliced Tomato Salad with Feta and Balsamic Vinaigrette

From:  The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book

Category: Side Dishes

Rating: Yummy summer dish!

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes, washed and sliced into round slices (what other kind of slices would you get??)

1/4 pound Greek feta cheese, crumbled

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Fresh-ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and slice tomatoes into rounds approximately 1/4" thick.  Arrange slices in a slightly overlapping circle pattern on large presentation platter.
2. Cover tomatoes with layer of feta cheese, making sure to spread cheese over all tomato slices then sprinkle oregano over top of the cheese.
3. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar; pour over cheese and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with fresh-ground pepper and serve.