Halloween Recipe: Turkey Pesto Eyeballs

One cannot survive on sugary sweets alone so today I have a creepy yet delicious meal for you that is simple, healthy and the kids will love it as much as you do, I promise. I have made these turkey pesto meatballs a few times now, but it wasn't until recently that I thought of making them into eyeballs by pressing a sliced olive into it. Pretty clever huh? Not only are they spooky, but they come together within minutes and are baked rather than fried. They're done in 20 minutes, plus a little prep time. Does it get any better than that?

I found the recipe for these turkey pesto meatballs on Cassie Craves. I just love her recipes. It seems that what Cassie Craves, I also crave! I want to be invited over for dinner-- I'll bring the dessert! Anyway, back to these meatballs...they really are very good even if you don't make them into eyeballs. I couldn't even taste the olives so don't let that be a reason you don't make them. I used 99% fat free turkey and they don't have any additional fat added to them besides the oil from the pesto, but they are not dry in the least since they're baked in the sauce.

This recipe was enough to feed four people. I did find that it needed more than 2 cups of sauce though so I increased that to 3 cups, but feel free to add as much or as little as you like. Speaking of sauce, I used the Arrabbiata Sauce that was provided to me by Bertolli through the Tastemaker program at Foodbuzz. I liked it just fine but I think it could have been spicier so I added some red pepper flakes to it. Again, that's just a personal preference. Please don't wait for Halloween to make these. Make them now and make them all though out the year. They are eyeball-popping good!

Turkey Pesto Meatballs adapted from Cassie Craves

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• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1/4 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place all the ingredients except marinara sauce in a bowl and using your hands, combine until everything is incorporated.

Using about 1 tablespoon of the mixture per meatball, roll into balls and place on a plate.

Pour the marinara sauce into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan and top with the meatballs.

Cover the baking pan with foil and bake until meatballs are no longer pink and are firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Serve.

To make Turkey Pesto Eyeballs: Press one black or green olive slice into the top of an uncooked meatball. Roll around in between your hands to make sure the olive is secure. Place olive side up in sauce.

Eye see you!

Ground Turkey: Then and Now

The first time I ever cooked with ground turkey was a disaster. Mr. H, my aunt and I went to the beach and rented a condo for a week during the summer of 2003. I was set on making foil packets since they were simple and required little effort. So while we went to lounge on the beach, build sand castles, fight the waves and pick up sea shells, I set the frozen package of ground turkey in the fridge to thaw. I was afraid I'd get food poisoning if I set it out on the counter to thaw, so the fridge it was.

After about 4 hours we came back in, covered in sand and sunscreen. We all showered and got ready to make dinner only to find that the ground turkey was still frozen! I let it sit out for about another 30 minutes but we were starving so I proceeded on. Since I was making foil packets and I needed 3 portions, I broke the the frozen meat into three hunks of meat. I think about this now and it makes me cringe and laugh at the same time, but back then it sounded like a good idea :-) I placed the turkey atop thin slices of potato and onion, seasoned it with salt and pepper and wrapped it up in double sheets of foil. Into the oven it went. An hour later, it was smelling good. We dove in, took our first bite and practically spit it out. It was SO dry and bland and not even a mound of ketchup could save it, though we tried. Note to self: A hunk of frozen, unseasoned turkey thrown into the oven can't perform miracles on it's own.

Many years later, turkey and I have become friends. We have an understanding of eachother. I have promised to treat it with respect, season it nicely and not over cook it, and it in return has always been moist and flavorful. These burgers are simply flavored with a little steak sauce (trust me!), salt, pepper and a little parsley, dried or fresh. They're topped with buttery sauteed mushrooms and a slice of muenster or provolone cheese to hold them in place. Sometimes I serve them 'as is' if I'm watching my carbs and other times I like them between a bun with a little ketchup. It's become one of my favorite burgers and as long as I don't overcook it, it turns out perfect everytime unlike that hunk of meat back in 2003.

Turkey & Mushroom Burgers
from Monica H
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• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 3 Tbsp. A-1 steak sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dried OR 1-2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste (use the salt sparingly since the steak sauce can be salty)

• sauteed mushrooms (recipe below)
• cheese slices
• buns
• condiments

Mix up all ingredients but be careful not to over handle the meat. Mix just until combined. Form into 3 or 4 patties.

Cook in a saute pan with a little butter over medium high heat. Cook on one side til golden brown, then flip over and cook the other side til browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Cook just until done, once they're over cooked they will become dry.

Top with sauteed mushrooms (recipe below) and a slice of white melty cheese. We like muenster or provolone. Allow to melt then place on burger bun of choice with desired toppings.

Sauteed Mushrooms from Monica H

• 1 container fresh white or brown mushrooms, sliced
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saute pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and saute til slightly golden brown. Stir mushrooms a couple times and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper after they've been cooked.

What kitchen Disaster to Success stories do you have?

Turkey: Take 2

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mr. H and I went to his parents house for dinner. It was very low-key and quiet, but it was nice. I was itching to get in the kitchen and make something but my MIL wouldn't let me make much. Just so happens that when we got to their house for lunch at 3pm nothing was ready and she hadn't showered. So I was able to help out after all- yeah! Then we had dinner around 5:30 by candlelight.

And I didn't have to wash a single dish- score! Mr. H and his Dad did most of the clean up. They're quite handy in that department, so I think we'll keep them around :-) They also packed up the leftovers for us to bring home. Ah, leftovers are my favorite. Let me rephrase that, leftover turkey sandwiches are my favorite.

Which brings me to this sandwich. Mr. H makes the best sandwiches and he's been making this one for me since we first started dating over 10 years ago. At first I thought he was weird and I deemed it a "white" thing that he would eat cranberry sauce on his sandwiches, but now I love 'em too. The only rule with this sandwich is that you have to use Miracle Whip. I don't generally like MW, as I prefer Hellman's Mayonnaise but in this sandwich it works because it's slightly sweet and tangy and compliments the jellied cranberry sauce. I've tried real mayo here and it's just not that great. But you use what you like just be sure to pile on the goods.

Turkey & Cranberry Sauce Sandwiches

1. Toast (top)
2. Miracle Whip
3. Jellied Cranberry Sauce
4. Fresh Leftover Turkey
5. Miracle Whip
6. Toast (bottom)

Turkey Day is also the day we got Autumn, our Turkey Dog. We're so thankful to have her in our lives. In this picture (right after I stepped in poop!) she was looking for squirrels in the bushes. I love you sweet girl!

Anyone go shopping today? What did ya get? How was your Thanksgiving? I wanna know!