Dry Brined Turkey Thighs

I’ve been a fan of wet brining poultry and pork (soaking for a time in a salt water mixture) for years, but I wanted to give dry brining a shot. All that means is that the meat is covered in a salt mixture and left uncovered in the fridge for a while. The salt and other seasonings actually get pulled into the meat this way and also create a great coating. This is so simple, so quick to do, and doesn’t require boiling and a huge tub like wet brining does. Note: this is on the salty side when cooked, so if you don’t favor that, just rinse off the dry brine and pat dry before putting the thighs in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning

3-3 ½ pounds fresh turkey thighs

Directions:

Mix the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning together in a small bowl. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment.

Place the turkey thighs on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with the salt mixture. Turn the thighs so that they are skin side up. Place, uncovered, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours (overnight is fine).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the baking sheet with the turkey in the oven on the middle rack. Roast until the turkey thighs are at 165 degrees F (about 1 ½ to 2 hours).

Remove and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Easy Turkey Meatloaf Squares

My momma done told me…if you want to keep a meatloaf moist, you need to skip the oatmeal or breadcrumbs because they are just too dry. That is especially true if you are using ultra lean turkey breast. Instead, make a panade, which is just a fancy term for bread soaked in milk and then squeezed until almost dry. I really like baking this in a baking pan because it cooks faster, has more crispy edges and can easily be cut into squares for a sandwich filling.

Ingredients (serves 8):

2 slices bread

1/3 cup milk

2 pounds ground turkey breast

1 egg

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped mushrooms

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

1/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1 carrot, diced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning (optional)

Topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, onion, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, spinach, carrot, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and steak seasoning (if using).

Pour the meatloaf mix into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Holding the pan with an oven mitt, hold the loaf with a wide spatula and drain/discard any liquid over the sink.

Make the topping by stirring together the ketchup, dry mustard and Worcestershire.

Spread the topping over the meatloaf and bake for another 15 minutes.

Turkey Chips

For Father's Day, I present to you a 'man snack'. I first posted this 'recipe' many years ago and I find they are still one of my go-to snacks when I watch what I eat. These make such a good low fat, high protein snack. They taste a lot like bacon to me. Consider that each piece has about 15 calories, .75 grams of fat and 1.5 grams of protein-nice! Four of these and a hard boiled egg makes a great on-the-go breakfast that will keep you full and energized until lunch. Plus, these chips are much more economical than packaged beef jerky. Make sure you don't get the 'honey smoked' version of turkey--it will burn faster than anything. Lesson learned. 

Ingredients:

1 package (16 ounces) of 95% fat free smoked white meat turkey (found in a tub, like bologna, in the lunch meat area of most grocery stores)—Not ‘honey smoked’

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray liberally with spray. Cut the turkey slices in half and lay pieces in a single layer on the baking sheets. Bake for a total of 1 ½ hours, turning the pieces over with tongs and rotating the trays on the racks every 30 minutes. The pieces should be uniformly brown all over and will shrink by about half their size. Let cool for several minutes to crisp up.

Turkey, Swiss-Apple Fondue and Broccoli Crepes

So, guests are coming over and all you have is leftover turkey, some eggs, some cheese and some frozen veggies. Or maybe your family is just tired of turkey sandwiches. This recipe may be your saving grace. Added bonus: you get to be fabulous as….all get-out.

There are savory crepes, there are sweet crepes, but one thing is always constant—people think they are hard to make or finicky. It’s time to dispel those myths. Crepes are just thin pancakes and they are affordable and so incredibly versatile. You can put peanut butter and jelly on them, butter and cinnamon sugar, meat and cheese, whatever you like.

I needed to connect with my late mother today and all I could think about was the little crepe maker I inherited from her. We used to have so much fun dipping the batter and making mounds of crepes. To be honest, I don’t even remember eating them-it was the experience of being with my mom in the kitchen that I truly adored. How cute is this little guy?

Don’t worry if you don’t have one of these. The directions below are for a regular, 8-inch non-stick skillet. I’m making a very basic crepe batter that will go with anything-sweet or savory.

Ingredients (makes about 15 8-inch crepes)

For the crepes:

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Pinch of salt

For the fondue:

3 cups shredded Swiss, emmantaler or gruyere cheese (I like a mix of at least 2 of these cheeses)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup hard apple cider (or regular apple cider or apple juice, whatever you have)

1 cup light beer

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Assembly (no measurements here-just use what you like or let each person assemble their own):

Turkey slices

Dijon mustard

Steamed broccoli

Fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

For the crepes: Combine all the batter ingredients in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined (no lumps). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for one hour at room temperature.

Spray an 8-inch, non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and use a paper towel to spread the cooking spray around and remove any excess. Heat on medium low to medium heat.

Place a scant ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the center of the frying pan and swirl around to coat just the bottom of the pan. Cook, without stirring, for about 2-3 minutes or until you start to see some golden brown spots around the edges. The edges might even start to curl in slightly. Flip the crepe out of the pan onto a plate and repeat until all the batter is used-you can just put one crepe on top of the others until you have a stack.  You do not need to turn the crepes over and cook the second side. If you cook both sides, they become too crisp to fold nicely.

If you are going to leave the stack of crepes for any period of time, you might want to cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

For the fondue:

Toss the cheese(s) and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a medium sized saucepan on medium heat and add the hard cider and light beer. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the cheese one handful at a time. Whisk until the cheeses melts and then add another handful. Continue until all the cheese is used. Add the nutmeg and salt and bring to a full boil for just a minute or until the fondue is thick and glossy. Don’t boil too long or the cheese will burn the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, whisk one more time and keep warm.

Assembly:

Lay a crepe on a plate, cooked (golden) side down. Put some turkey down the center and dab it with the mustard. Add some broccoli and a few spoonfuls of the fondue. Fold and top with some chopped chives.

Alpine Turkey Burgers

Oh my goodness, oh my gosh. I started this burger on a whim when I saw ground turkey on sale today. Then I noticed I had already picked up Swiss cheese. No special magic on my part here, these ingredients just seem to go together. The burgers are moist and rich tasting. I hope you'll give this one a try. 

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 ½ cup finely sliced onion

Pinch of granulated sugar

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)

½ teaspoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

¾ to 1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (hey, it’s cheese—I can’t have enough!)

Directions: Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium low heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and pinch of sugar and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 6 or so minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Put the ground turkey in a bowl and add the Worcestershire, Dijon, thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the onion/mushroom mixture and mix well.  Add in the Swiss and mix thoroughly. Form into 4 patties. Raise the heat under the skillet to the medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Cook the patties about 7-8 minutes per side or until done to your liking.