We’re eating baked rigatoni in a turkey bolognese covered with melted Havarti and mozzarella then garnished with fresh basil.

I realize it’s the middle of summer and most people aren’t in the mood to turn their ovens on to 450 degrees, but what can I say! I wanted some oozing cheesy baked pasta mixed with loads of hearty bolognese, zucchini, creminis and fresh basil! Give a girl a break. Sometimes you have to sweat for what you want…In my case that appears to be Italian food!

I really can’t say enough about the difference that using good canned tomatoes vs. cheap acidy canned tomatoes makes in pretty much any dish. If you can find them, spend the extra dollar and get the San Marzanos. Also, as another side note, heavily salting your pasta water truly makes the difference between bland and flavorful pasta. Aim for nearly sea water levels and you’ll have delicious pasta every time.

Recipes in this post:

• Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese

Related posts:

1. Turkey Cooking Basics
2. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey
3. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese

Remember all that leftover turkey we were talking about in our last post? Well, here is another way to use up some of it. We’re eating a savory bread pudding using leftover bread, leftover shredded turkey, truffle oil, slow-roasted tomatoes and double Gloucester cheese. While the bread pudding may look like stuffing… and may taste a bit like stuffing… it totally hits the spot! This is the perfect dish to throw together using the remains of a holiday meal – especially if you didn’t eat much stuffing at the meal… Sh*t, even if you did eat a bunch of stuffing! Who said there was such a thing as too much stuffing… er, bread pudding?!?

Recipes in this post:

• Turkey and Sun-dried Tomato Bread Pudding

Related posts:

1. Turkey Cooking Basics
2. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey
3. Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese

Every holiday feast needs a protein of some sort…unless, of course, you’re vegan or vegetarian – then I guess your stuck eating some sort of scary tofurkey! The pre-holiday feast that Nicole and I shared was no different. For our protein, we decided to forgo roasting the usual whole turkey since there were only four of us eating. Instead I decided to do an herb roasted turkey breast. In hindsight, more turkey could have been great for leftover recipes, like this one, but hey! This hommie doesn’t really have the ability to think that far into the future!

The breast meat turned out so incredibly moist and flavorful. The next day I was seriously slapping myself for said foresight failures. If only there’d been more turkey I could have made a killer sandwich with some of Nicole’s kick ass super-fluffy sweet potato buttermilk rolls! Imagine how great that would have been with a schmear of the leftover rosemary-persimmon-cranberry sauce (recipe to come) and some melted brie! (Dude! I have just succeeded at making myself hungry!) Next time I would definitely double this recipe and do two turkey breasts. Why is it that we don’t eat more roasted turkey year round?

*In case anyone didn’t see yesterday’s post, this is part of a special Holiday series featuring recipes that Nicole, from Pinch My Salt, Tyler and I cooked and feasted on together! Here’s a list of all the dishes in the series so far:

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Wrapped in Prosciutto
Extra Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Buttermilk Rolls
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast (your reading it! duh!)

Recipes in this post:

• Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Related posts:

1. Turkey Cooking Basics
2. Sweet & Spicy Asian Bourbon Chicken
3. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey

For a change of pace we’re eating something a bit un-all-american. We’re eating my personal take on the Thai dish Larb. The dish was made with browned ground turkey simmered with chopped mushrooms, onions, carrots, red peppers, panang curry paste, chile fish sauce, and rice wine vinegar. After the meat simmered it was tossed with fresh diced jicama, tomatoes, and green onions. The larb is served with whole leaves of napa cabbage to eat it on and cilantro for a garnish.

T: this was fun and tasty. I enjoyed scooping the goods onto the lettuce and eating it that way. I understand why that method of eating is all the rage these days.
A: these days? i’m pretty sure this method has been around for quite some time. it is fun though! and mega tasty…. and easy! woo hoo!
T: it just seems like it’s gotten more popular lately, especially with the low carb craze. I gotta say, though, as tasty and fun as it was, I needed some additional carbs when it was all over.
A: thank god for cheezits!
T: we only had like 4 cheezits left if you’ll recall. Thank god for old dry bread. mmmm… actually, the bread was pretty good once I scooped this meaty concoction onto it. That stuff was goood.
A: kind of like the thai version of sloppy joes! only it’s on cabbage. i really dug it too. this is something the chef made at harvest, a restaurant that used to exist in baton rouge, when i was working there and i remember liking it. then i forgot about it! funny how that happens. he mentioned it to me a few months ago and since then i’ve been meaning to give it a whirl.
T: I’m glad you did. It’s always fun when a meal is eaten in an unusual vehicle.
A: yeah, like when i eat and ride my moped… or when i eat and ride my tricycle…
T: you must have another life that I don’t know about cuz I’ve never seen you on a moped or a trike. And that’s good because I would be afraid of you wrecking and dying a horrible death.
A: you’ve got a point there. anyway, it is fun to use things other than the standard utensils for eating. and cabbage rocks the hiz-ouse.
T: Do you have anything to mention about the meaty concoction that went on the cabbage?
A: other than what was mentioned in the intro text?
T: ok, i’ll take that as a no. well, I rate this one a 4.49/5. It was tasty, and had a lovely vessel on which to travel to my mouth. It was a plus, too, that it was turkey. That means I can allow myself to eat some kind of quadruple cheeseburger for lunch tomorrow w/out feeling too bad. What’s your rating?
A: heheh um, i’m not sure that’s how the whole eating something healthier works, fyi.
T: sure it is. i’ll take one step forward and 2 steps back instead of just taking 2 steps back. That’s something to feel good about.
A: true dat! okay, i’m going to rate this meal a 4.55/5. it was really tasty. maybe not for those who can’t handle a bit of sodium though. between the canned panang curry paste and the chile fish sauce, it’s definitely well-seasoned without having to add any salt. the ease of this meal is appealing to me too. it might not be a meal you can bust out in thirty minutes but there is nothing challenging or too time consuming. i think the cabbage, jicama, and tomatoes really helped “lighten-up” the flavors and the cilantro added a freshness. overall, i am totally game for eating this again.
T: me too. now beer me!
A: aye aye capt’n.

Recipes in this post:

• Turkey Larb (the gringos version)

Related posts:

1. Turkey Cooking Basics
2. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey
3. Super Easy Sriracha-Peach Chicken Wings

Now that it’s officially fall let the warm comforting dishes begin! We’re eating a meal of fresh artichoke hearts, herbed turkey meatballs, shitake mushrooms and okra braised with stewed tomatoes and rich beef stock. The dish was served with thick slices of fresh fig-anise bread from Bread & Cie for sopping up all the juices.

A: okay, so i really didn’t mean for this to be a “soup”. it was started as an alternate way to use up the mounds of artichokes in the fridge. (it’s artichoke season here and they are 3 for a dollar at the produce market). In my mind it was going to be braised artichokes and turkey meatballs… which is still pretty much what it was, just kind of like artichoke and meatball soup.
T: I’m glad it was soup… more juice that way! The juice/broth was really tasty too. As were the meatballs and everything else in the… soup. The meatballs were particularly delish. I’m hungry.
A: me too. we should really start having these convo’s right after we eat rather than the next day! i’m starving too! mmm meatball-y, artichoke-y beef and tomato broth-y goodness….
T: yeah. mmm… hunger… must eat. Must eat meatballs. Ok. Focus. I give this meal a rating of 4.59/5. The meatballs were amazing, and what was really amazing is that they were turkey meatballs. Yet they were still moist moist moist.
A: they were braised braised braised in stock stock stock…
T: the artichokes were great too in the soup, although I wonder if it was worth the effort to trim them considering how good artichokes are when they’re eaten leaf-by-leaf. What’s your verdict… was it worth the effort? or, better question, would you do it again?
A: i would definitely do it again. while i really like eating braised whole artichokes leaf-by-leaf, i was ready for a change. we do that so frequently when i get artichokes. it would have been a significantly easier task if i had sharper knives. my knives are dull dull dull and all i can do is hone them. i don’t want to ruin them attempting to sharpen them with no skeeells.
T: awe come on. you have skills. Nun chuck skills, for instance.
A: heheheh but my nun chuck skills can’t help me sharpen my knives! okay, so i’m gonna rate this little ditty a 4.44/5. i really enjoyed it. it was worth the time and effort, even with dull knives. i will definitely be playing around with artichokes more during artichoke season!
T: I’m glad to hear that, especially if we get to eat plenty of artichokes leaf-by-leaf, like God meant for them to be eaten.
A: i’ve got two in the fridge waiting for just that preparation!
T: sweeet. now let’s go eat something.

Recipes in this post:

• Artichoke and Meatball Soup

Related posts:

1. Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese
2. Turkey Cooking Basics
3. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey

For this perfect summer day were grilling up some tasty burgers. Our burgers were made with ground pork and turkey seasoned with pureed chipotle in adobo, worcestershire, salt and pepper then stuffed with extra-sharp cheddar. The grilled stuffed burgers were served on toasted onion buns with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette, grilled red onions and tomatoes, crispy thick-sliced bacon, and fresh avocado. With a burger this rich, we chose to get rid of the standard side of fries and serve grilled zucchini and squash for a more well-balanced meal.

T: Let’s review what I’ve eating in the last three days… Wednesday, lunch: california burrito. Thursday, lunch: In & Out Double Double, animal style. Thursday, supper: these stuffed burgers. Friday, lunch: another california burrito.
A: woah dogg! you’re not supposed to let on that we don’t post our meals the day we eat ‘em! let me just say: g.d. that is a ton of meat you’ve been eating t!
T: Yeah, a ton of beef. Fatty beef with cheese.
A: not all of it was beef! these burgs were made with 1 part ground turkey and 1 part ground pork! no beef present here at all!
T: nice! It tasted just as sinful and heart-clogging as all the other crap I’ve eaten lately. Good to hear it’s slightly healthier.
A: ah, who’s counting! and besides, i like to make up for the healthiness factor of turkey by pairing it with yummy things like bacon… and cheese!
T: So next week I’m going to have to eat a salad or something. To make up for the last few days.
A: ha! yeah right! like i see you eating salad for lunch! maybe for dinner, if i force it on you, but doubtful for lunch.
T: true, they don’t offer salads at my taco shop. Actually, they probably do now that I think about it, but I don’t take note of things like salads on taco shop menus. I have a very selective attention.
A: carnitas… california burritos… that pretty much covers it huh?
T: that and the brain tacos which I never plan to get again.
A: hmmm, what if i made a brains burger!?! and stuff it!
T: if anyone could make it taste good it would probably be you, but umm… I’m ok with sticking to animal muscles. I like muscles.
A: so what’d ya think of this particular ground muscle… that was stuffed with sharp cheddar and topped with bacon?
T: this burger was muy excellent. My only possible complaint, and this is a minor one, was that the tomato was a little, how shall I say, juicy, and soaked the bottom bun a bit. Before it was all said and done I was eating the burger upside down.
A: i’ll admit it. i was doing the same thing! the tomato added a great taste, but damn it if it didn’t make my bun soggy! oh well. better luck next time on that one. i really dug the flavors over all. it just tasted like a pretty normal, well made burger. nothing too fancy or gourmet, just tasty.
T: The veggies were tasty too. The grilled veggies are always a delight. What’d you rate this meal?
A: i think i’m gonna have to give it a 3.78/5. it was good. it really was tasty, but nothing too out of the ordinary or exciting. i enjoyed all the pork that went into it and thought the veggies were grrreat! i’m a fool for some grilled red onions on a burg. your thoughts?
T: yeah, love the onion on there. I give the burger a 4.4/5. It was really one of the better burgers that I’ve had over the course of my lifetime… but comparing it with some of the previous burgers that you’ve made it wasn’t quite up to their level of awesomeness. This is a case where if you had just created mediocre burgers all along, I would be jumping up and down about this one, but now I’ve come to expect the best burger ever every time. Lesson, kids?
A: pretend that mediocrity is your best then hit ‘em with greatness when they aren’t looking!
T: exactly. Just wait. I’ve been mediocre my entire life. When I’m like 65 I’m going to show you what’s up. It’ll be great.

Recipes in this post:

• Chipotle Pork and Turkey Burgers

Related posts:

1. Nothin’ Beats Manda’s Meats
2. Achiote Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
3. Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese