Brown the ground turkey and set aside. Bring chicken stock and butter to a boil, then add in quinoa and Italian seasonings. Cook on medium heat for about 15-30 minutes stirring occasionally. When the stock is almost completely absorbed add in the tomatoes, parsley, spinach, and scallions. Stir them in slowly and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the ground turkey meat and give it a great big stir.
Can sprinkle fresh Parmesan cheese on top if desired. Enjoy!
This is by far my new favorite Quinoa recipe. I have to say that I surprised myself with how good this came out.
In a quart pan, Bring the vegetable broth, crushed garlic, lemon, and seasonings to a boil. Stir in the Quinoa. Reduce heat to medium simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occassionally. The quinoa should be tender. Add in the tomatoes and green chilies and cook for another 5 minutes.
Use this as a side dish, or with diced chicken or fish, even as a wrap filler. I loved it!
If you are not using Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa, then make sure you rinse the quinoa first. This brand is already prerinsed. I found it at Costco for $10 for a huge bag.
Look at the nutrition in Quinoa! It has the most protein than any other grain.
Boil 2 cups water and add the Steel Cut Oats. Once the water has boiled down (10 minutes) add in all the other ingredients. Stir! The leftovers heat up easily, add a dash of almond milk if needed.
Steel Cut Oats is a great way to start the day! It is very filling and quite nutritious.
This was my first time making Quinoa and my second time eating it. I have to say that I surprised myself with how good this came out.
In a quart pan, melt the butter and sauté the shallot and garlic until just golden brown. Stir in the chicken broth and the Quinoa. Bring to a boil then simmer on medium for 10-12 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. The quinoa should be tender. Cool slightly, then fluff with a fork.
I mixed in some fresh ground pepper plus sprinkled a little bit of onion powder throughout. It was delicious! I can see adding some chives, lemon, and even cilantro (my favorite herb) to the next batch.
If you are not using Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa, then make sure you rinse it first. This brand is already prerinsed. I found it at Costco for $10 for a huge bag.
Look at the nutrition in Quinoa! It has the most protein than any other grain. You must try this as either a side dish or be creative and make it your main dish tonight!
Put all the ingredients into a blender. Make sure the lid is on! Blend on medium for at least 1 minute.
~Add cucumbers, zucchini, or celery to the shake too. Use your imagination – and the kiwi and apple make the drink nice and sweet and you can’t even taste all those vegetables! You’re welcome.
Here is the follow-up Video to Preparing Your Turkey Part 1. In this one, I try not to drop the turkey, try carving it for the first time, all while trying not to step on my parent’s dog. Let me know what you think!
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the Holiday turkey so that your family and guests think you are a Foodie Star. This was the first time I had ever cooked a holiday meal for my family ~ it was loads of fun and yes they Oohed and Aahed over my turkey!!
Every year my Nona makes the cranberry sauce for the Holidays. This year though, we won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving together. So I called her up and asked her for her cranberry recipe. She didn’t want to give it to me. It was a secret. Seriously. I had to ask her for over five minutes to tell me. She told me the recipe was handed down to her by her mother-in-law almost 50 years ago and if I was going to post it on that thing called the Internet I better give her credit. Yes, she is quite the character!!
What a gorgeous woman inside and out – Lola Trimmer
This is my Nona, Lola Trimmer’s Top Secret Cranberry Sauce Recipe… please don’t tell anybody! Shhhhh
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh cranberries, grinded
1.5 cups seedless grapes, quartered
1.5 cups boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 small box Jell-O, she likes cherry sugar free
1 can Mandarin oranges
Don’t the grapes look so pretty!
Boil the water in a saucepan and then dissolve the sugar and Jell-O in it. Use the final container (my Nona says you should use the pretty one!) that will hold your cranberry sauce. To grind the cranberries, put them in the food processor and pulse them until they chopped up, but not pureed. Add the grinded cranberries, and the quartered grapes to it and mix well. Pour the Jell-O water mixture over the top of the cranberry mixture and stir well. Saran wrap the container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
Drain the oranges and pat dry. Once the cranberry sauce is firm, place the oranges on the top in a creative pattern – she suggested a smiley face I am going to add fresh raspberries to mine. This recipe is super simple, but oh so delicious.
The cranberries in this pic still need to be decorated – trying to decide on what I want to do. Decisions, decisions.
Did you read Brine That Turkey! for my favorite brining recipe? You should! Brining helps make your bird moist and delicious. After you rinsed the turkey off and patted it dry, you are ready to make your guests Ooh and Ahh over your Thanksgiving Turkey.
Ingredients:
1 lb butter, softened
1 bottle white wine, dry
4 carrots, halved
4 celery stalks, halved
1 parsnip, quartered (optional)
1 turnip, quartered (optional)
1.5 onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 apple, quartered
Large cheesecloth
To make the basting mixture: In a sauce pan, melt 1 stick of butter. Then add in half of the bottle of wine, 1 tsp crushed garlic, 1.5 tsp onion powder. Mix over low heat until combined.
With the breast side up, bend the wing tips underneath the bird. If you are stuffing the bird with homemade stuffing do so now. If not, insert these ingredients into the cavity: Apple, half an onion, 1 garlic clove, a carrot, and celery stalk. On the bottom of the roasting pan, place the remaining carrots, celery, parsnips, turnips, onions, and garlic cloves. Rest the wire rack on top of the vegetables.
Flip the bird over and tie the legs with cotton twine to the tail. Make sure it is tight, but tie with a bow tie so it is easy to release later. Place the turkey on the wire rack inside the roaster.
Rub soft butter on the skin all over the turkey. Even rub the butter underneath the skin on the turkey breast. Affix the neck skin to the breast using a toothpick. Fold the cheesecloth so that it will fit over the turkey. Don’t cut it – use all of it. Dip the cheesecloth into the butter wine basting mixture then lay it on top of the turkey, breast side up.
Flip the bird so that the breast is facing down in the roaster.
Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn your oven down to 350 degrees for the remainder the of time. Baste every 30 min or at least once an hour. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the turkey over so it is breast side up. At this time, you will want to melt another stick of butter and add the remaining wine. Bake the turkey until it has an internal temperature of 180 degrees. During the last hour, you might have to put aluminum foil over the legs so they do not burn.
Yes. You need to brine your turkey before you put that bird into the oven. You do not want a dry, bland tasting meal – you want people to ooh and ahh over how moist and full of flavor the meat is. Here is my tried and true brining mixture. What exactly is bringing you may ask? The process of brining or soaking meat in a solution of water and salt, before cooking. Yes – it really is that simple. As it soaks, the meat absorbs the brine, then retains it during cooking.
Don’t forget to make sure your turkey is defrosted (remember it can take up to two days to defrost!) before you begin.
Cold Water
Salt
Time
Turkey 12-17 lbs
2 gallons
1 cups table salt or
1.5 cups Kosher salt
6-12 hours
Turkey 18-24 lbs
3 gallons
1.5 cups table salt or
2.25 cups Kosher salt
6-12 hours
*Important to remember, cup for cup, table salt is stronger than Kosher salt. If you use Kosher salt in a brine, multiply the amount of salt called for by 1.5 times.
Mix these additional ingredients together until they are fully dissolved into the water:
1 cup sugar or brown sugar
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
2 Bay leaves
2 cups vegetable stock, optional
1 onion, quartered
4 garlic gloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
Heat one gallon of water, pour in all of the ingredients including the salt, and stir thoroughly until the ingredients are completely dissolved. Refrigerate until the brine is cold. In the largest stock pot that you have or 5 gal pail, fill it with the brine mixture water. Put your turkey into your pot gently and add the rest of the water. Ensure that the breast it is fully submerged. The entire bird must be submerged for the full brining period. Refrigerate the bird for the recommended time.
Once the turkey has brined overnight, remove it from the brine, rinse it off, and pat it dry. You are now ready to prep your turkey for the oven. Need help getting it into the oven and onto the table? Ooh and Ahh Turkey
I am a Social Media Specialist and Editor based in Phoenix, AZ. I absolutely love everything about organic gardening, decadent food, and my all time love, yummy wine. ~ Read More
Welcome to my lifestyle blog! I'm single with a passion for life and love good food and wine while trying to eat healthy. Here is an overview what you will find on my Blog:
Manic Mondays, Tech Tuesdays, Weigh-In Wednesdays, Green Thumb Thursdays, and Foodie Friday
On Orange Dragonfly Blog, I am available to review a variety of products and services. If interested in sponsoring a review, giveaway, advertising, or sponsorship, please contact me at Kristi@OrangeDragonfly.com. Read More
I am going to add fresh raspberries to mine. This recipe is super simple, but oh so delicious.
I am a 
Welcome to my lifestyle blog! I'm single with a passion for life and love good food and wine while trying to eat healthy. Here is an overview what you will find on my Blog:
