Sour Cream Turkey Casserole

¼ cup chopped green pepper

2 Tblsp butter

½ cup sour cream

1 ½ cup chopped turkey

2 Tbsp. chopped onion

1 can cream mushroom soup

3 cup cooked noodles

Cook pepper & onion in butter until tender. Blend together with sour cream & soup in casserole dish. Stir in turkey & noodles. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Empanadas

This is a recipe I clipped from a Martha Stewart magazine a zillion years ago (May 2003). I changed the filling based off a recipe from Pampered Chef, but I liked Martha's dough recipe and steps in making the empanadas. I'm putting it up here so I can find it again.

For the filling (recipe based off Pampered Chef):

2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies (undrained)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon southwestern/Mexican seasoning

2/3 crushed corn chips

Combine the above together to make the filling

You need a batch of Empanada Dough.

Assembling the Empanada:

Break off 1 1/2 inch ball of dough. On a clean work surface, roll dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.

Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each round. Moisten the edges of the dough with water; fold dough over to seal, pressing gently. Crimp the edges with a fork; set aside. Repeat until you have used all your dough.

Cook in about 2 inches of vegetable oil. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 1 minute.

Buttermilk Brined Turkey

1 1/2 cups turkey brine
1 quart water
4 quarts buttermilk
1 fresh turkey, 16-18 lbs with heart and gizzard removed
4 tblsps unsalted butter, room temperature
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In a small sauce pan over high heat, combine the turkey brine and water and bring to a boil  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until the brine dissolves (about 5-10 minutes).  Let the brine mixture cool to room temperature.

Rinse/clean the turkey and place in a large brining bag.  Carefully pour buttermilk and brine mix over turkey.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 24-36 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove the turkey from the bag and discard the brine.  Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry.  Place the turkey breast side up in a large roasting pan.  Rub the skin evenly with the butter.  Truss the turkey as desired.  Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

Put your rack at the lower third of the oven and head the oven to 400.  Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then  reduce temperature to 300 and continue roasting.  Baste every 30 minutes with the pan juice.  If the breast begins to cook to quickly, ten it loosely with aluminum foil.  After 2 hours of total roasting begin testing for doneness by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and thigh away from the bone.  The breast should be about 165 and the thigh about 175.  Total roasting time should be 3-4 hours.

Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil.  Let rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Meatballs

Ingredients:

3/4 c. plain breadcrumbs
3 oz. milk
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder (or to taste)
1 - 2 tsp. dried Italian herb mix (or your favorite seasonings)
1 lb. each ground beef (80% lean), pork, and veal (you can substitute ground turkey thigh meat for veal, since veal is hard to get; it's just as tasty)
1 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
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Add the first seven ingredients to a large mixing bowl and lightly whisk together. Let this sit for a couple of minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until everything comes together and looks uniform.

Using a small cookie dough scoop, scoop the mixture and then roll in your palms. Add to a sheet pan lined with foil and oiled with olive oil. A sheet cake pan will hold nearly 60 meatballs.

Cook under a broiler for 15 - 20 minutes until they're nicely browned and cooked through. No need to turn.

Use as you will. We add them to homemade marinara sauce. But they're also good in a sweet and sour sauce, or as Swedish meatballs.

Feel free to play around with the seasoning. I might try ginger, garlic and Chinese five spice powder with a bit of Sriracha next.

Yield: Approx. 100 meatballs. Eat some now; freeze the rest.