This is such a simple sauce but it’s absolutely delicious. Served with a wide noodle to pick up all those nice chunks of turkey (or chicken or beef or whatever ground meat you end up using) and tomato there’s really something truly delicious about taking good food and making a good meal. You can add some grated Parmesan on top but I found that if seasoned right, the cheese just didn’t have much to add so it’s all about your taste. You can add in more spices or herbs if you want but I found the perfectly paired down flavors packed a nice punch and with just salt and pepper you’re able to really taste the underlying garlic, olive oil, and balsamic. Sometimes life is better when it’s simple.
Category: meat and seafood
Recipe: Salted Cod Balls
I made these for my Eurovision party on account of Eurovision was in Portugal this year and after spending a week there last year I fell in love with salted cod, locally known as bacalhau. While I had to make my own salted cod it doesn’t involve more than just a little time and a lot of salt. You can skip that part if you really want to save time and just make sure to thoroughly salt your mashed potato mixture instead.
Salted Cod Balls
Recipe: Crab Cream Croquettes
I absolutely adore these. They’re pretty simple to make and you can use real lump crab, canned crab or surimi (krabstick) to make them. Personally I usually use surimi because it’s cheap and easy. These can be eaten plain but they also go well with a variety of dipping sauces and you can make them ahead of time and freeze them for an easy lunch or dinner.
Crab Cream Croquettes
Adapted from Japan CentreRecipe: Chicken Tamale Pie
This was delicious and it was just about the ugliest thing I have made in ages. In the future I would probably add some jalapenos and pickled red onions on top but this was a big hit as is.
Chicken Tamale Pie
Adapted from Or Whatever You DoRecipe: No Fry Sweet and Sour Chicken
I really love this recipe because frying is just a bridge too far for me most days. I understand most people don’t fry because of health but for me it’s mostly just laziness so if you want the delicious taste of sweet and sour chicken but less work – this is the recipe for you.
No Fry Sweet and Sour Chicken
Adapted from Le Creme de la CrumbRecipe: Spicy Chicken Sandwich
The original recipe touted that this is a copycat of Wendy’s but honestly it doesn’t really taste anything like Wendy’s except for the part where it’s spicy and fried chicken. Nothing wrong with that and this was an absolutely delicious and great sandwich/burger but just don’t expect a miracle of replicating the deliciousness of a professional level deep fryer in your house.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Adapted from Blog ChefRecipe: Chicken with Snow Peas
This is actually a really easy to make meal. It isn’t exactly like take out but it’s also not completely healthy either so it fills that need for take out without having to do too much work and unlike a lot of Chinese-American food it isn’t fried so it’s not too terrible as long as you’re not worried about salt content. You can easily switch out snow peas for broccoli/other vegetables or add them in this one dish, just make sure to par-boil or soften them in the microwave beforehand so it all cooks together.
Chicken with Snow Peas
Adapted from Baked in the South
Recipe: Turkey Burger
I’m sure there’s only about 1000 recipes for turkey burgers. In the end it’s basically a reverse meatloaf in some ways but I also thought these burgers came out perfectly and they took less time than I assumed. By adding some finely chopped vegetables to the recipe, I think it keeps them moist while also stretching the amount of burgers you get from a pound of meat.
Turkey Burgers
Recipe: Chicken and Dumplings
Delicious and homey this dish is a little heavy for normal days but sometimes you just want to slip in to a food coma and that’s what this recipe is for.
Chicken and Dumplings
Adapted from EpicuriousRecipe: Homemade Spaghettios with Meatballs
This is a delicious change from soup and a nice throwback to a lot of peoples childhoods. I haven’t had Spaghettios in probably over a decade and I’ve never eaten the one with meatballs but I can almost assure you this one is way more delicious than the one in a can and honestly, very easy to make! You can sub in any type of meatballs or leave them out for a vegetarian version.