Breakfast Turkey Taquitos

Breakfast taquitos are like the smaller cousin to breakfast burritos. They use smaller corn tortillas and have a filling rolled into center of each tortilla. Taquitos are a great way to get some vegetables into your morning meal, and if you need, you can even take them on the go with you once they’re done. What’s more, they’re easily adaptable to your needs. So, if you prefer different veggies or have some leftover ones to use up, you love breakfast sausage or prefer them meatless, there’s a way to make breakfast taquitos work for you.

What’s more, these taquitos are baked, not fried, so they’re a little less guilt-inducing than you might think. Customize the recipe to your liking, swapping out what you dislike and putting in what you do. Serve breakfast taquitos with some fresh fruit, salsa verde, guacamole or sour cream and green onions.

These tasty taquitos are everything you want in a brunch item. They are hearty, savory, and easy to make. Another bonus is that you can prepare and bake the taquitos. Allow to cool completely and then place in a freezer Ziploc bag. When ready to eat, microwave them until warm. Could breakfast food get more convenient than that?!

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Breakfast Turkey Taquitos
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Course Brunch
Cuisine Mexican
Servings
Course Brunch
Cuisine Mexican
Servings
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Rating: 5
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Instructions
Filling
  1. Heat a large non-stick skillet on high. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic & cook until soft, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato, cook until the tomato starts to break apart and dissolve into the mixture, approximately 3 minutes.
  2. Add the turkey, cumin, smoked paprika & chili powder; cook until the turkey is cooked through, using a wooden spoon to break the turkey into small pieces. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the cilantro & beaten eggs to the mixture & cook until the eggs are cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Heat tortillas for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave before working with them. While the tortillas are warm, divide the filling between them topping with diced avocado & 100 grams of the shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas & place in the baking pan seam side down.
  5. Top taquitos with salsa & remaining 50 grams shredded cheese.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with oil.
  2. Heat tortillas for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave before working with them. While the tortillas are warm, divide the filling between them topping with diced avocado & 100 grams of the shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas & place in the baking pan seam side down. Top taquitos with salsa & remaining 50 grams shredded cheese.
  3. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crispy. Serve immediately.

Bacon & Mushroom Cannelloni w/ Gorgonzola Sauce

Named cannelloni in Italy, this tasty stuffed pasta dish is known in North America as manicotti. The word cannelloni literally means ‘a big pipe’ and manicotti loosely translates as ‘a big sleeve‘.

The origin of Cannelloni dates back to around 1907, when Nicola Federico, a well-known chef from Naples, Italy, invented this pasta. He created it while working at the La Favoria, a popular restaurant in Sorrento, Italy. Initially, this tubular pasta was called ‘strascinati’, which soon came to be known by the name that is popular today …. cannelloni. It gained popularity when the residents of Naples fled to Sorrento, during World War II, which is when they got introduced to this pasta. Although the origin of cannelloni is relatively recent, its enormous versatility and delicious flavor has quickly made it a classic in the kitchen worldwide.

Currently, between traditional recipes and modern and creative reinterpretations, in Italy it is possible to come across hundreds of variations that present sauces, flours and in general always different ingredients and characteristics. 

Being pasta lovers, cannelloni definitely works for Brion & I.

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Bacon & Mushroom Cannelloni w/ Gorgonzola Sauce
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Instructions
Filling
  1. Chop washed leek, mushrooms & bacon. Fry all together with garlic in oil for a few minutes then place in a bowl with the parsley (if using) to cool.
Sauce
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan, add the flour & mix for a few minutes until it forms a paste. Slowly pour in the milk a little at a time & stir as you cook it to the consistency of a thin custard. Simmer for 5 minutes, add crumbled gorgonzola & simmer until melted & incorporated. Add 1/2 cup to the filling, season with salt, pepper & smoky ranchero seasoning.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 F.
Stuffing Cannelloni
  1. Stuff the cannelloni with the filling. Spread a small amount of gorgonzola sauce in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place cannelloni on top. Pour the gorgonzola sauce over the top of the cannelloni.
Bake
  1. Cover dish with foil & bake 60-65 minutes. Remove from oven & serve.
Recipe Notes
  • If you wish, save a small amount of the gorgonzola to sprinkle on top after pouring the sauce over the cannelloni before baking it.

Gnocchi w/ Chicken & Bacon

The classic Italian potato dumplings or gnocchi as their called, make for a hearty meal no matter how you serve them: baked with creamy cheeses, sautéed with veggies, dressed in a tangy tomato sauce… you name it. The most common way to serve them in Italy is with a light butter sauce and fresh sage.

Gnocchi go back to Roman times when they were made of semolina dough mixed with eggs, but they have evolved into many different variations since then. At first, they existed with different ingredients such as squash and breadcrumbs, made of ordinary wheat flour or cornmeal. Then came the cheese and potatoes. But they didn’t become the potato dumplings we know today until the 16th century when potatoes were introduced to Europe. The potato gnocchi originated in Northern Italy, where the cooler climate was better suited for growing potatoes rather than grain. These potatoes are starchier and make the light, airy dough which produces the soft, pillowy texture and more ‘potatoey’ flavor of the gnocchi.

Being a dumpling lover, I absolutely love gnocchi any way they are served. This recipe boasts all the winning attributes of a well-balanced meal. The creamy sauce softens and flavors the pillowy potato gnocchi – a perfect base for the tender seasoned chicken breast.

From their humble beginnings, the gnocchi are now a world cuisine.

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Gnocchi w/ Chicken & Veggies
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Instructions
  1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon & set aside.
  2. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper & 1 tsp of the Italian seasoning. Add the chicken to the skillet & cook 5-7 minutes per side. Remove chicken from the pan & set aside.
  3. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic & mushrooms; cook until fragrant. Add the milk, gnocchi, cheese, bacon & remaining Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & cook, stirring frequently, until the milk has reduced slightly & started to thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Stir in peas. Add the cooked chicken & simmer until peas are cooked & sauce thickens a bit more. Place in a serving dish & sprinkle with extra parmesan if you wish.

Stuffed Onion Rings

Onion rings first made their appearance in an ad for Crisco in a New York Times magazine that was published in 1933. The advertisement included a recipe for onions that are sliced, dipped in milk, dredged in flour, and then deep-fried.

With the expansion of fast-food restaurants in the 1950s and 1960s came the inclusion of the onion ring. As our society has evolved, and so has the onion ring.

Onion rings in their most basic form are cross-sectioned onions cut into ‘rings’ that are then coated in a batter, then fried. Simple, but within this, there are variations such as beer batter, tempura batter, pancake batter, onion strings, or even the ‘onion bloom’ where the whole onion is cut into ‘petals’ battered and fried whole. All of which are usually accompanied by a dipping sauce or rémoulade.

But the thing is, not all ‘alliums’ are created equal. Leeks may be delicious in a soup or braise, but good luck trying to turn them into onion rings. Shallots make a beautiful crunchy topping when fried, but their tiny frame and shape will make it nearly impossible to yield a ring suitable for dredging and battering. If you want onion rings, bigger tends to be better. White and yellow varieties are decent picks, but for optimal onion rings, go for sweet onions. These kinds don’t have as strong of a sulfuric taste and frying them brings out their caramelly aromas. If you’re short on sweet onions, you can tamp down the potency of other types by soaking the sliced rings in ice water. 

Onion rings aren’t just sides for hamburgers—they pair well with beef, chicken, and seafood. There are many takes on onion rings nowadays, including variations of ‘stuffed’ onion rings. Today I’m making a pork/shrimp filling to place inside the rings then frying them. Served with rice they make an interesting entrée for our supper.

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Stuffed Onion Rings
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings
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Instructions
  1. Combine all stuffing ingredients & set aside for 15 minutes.
  2. Lightly dust onion rings with flour. Place the onion rings on a flat surface & divide filling evenly between them, filling the inside of the rings. Smooth out filling.
  3. Heat a non-stick skillet; add some oil for shallow frying the rings. Brush sides of the rings with beaten eggs. Carefully place rings in skillet & fry until filling is cooked & golden brown.
  4. Top with grated cheese of choice & serve on a bed of rice.

Crown Roast of Pork

HAPPY EASTER!

Turkey at Thanksgiving. Prime rib at Christmas. Brisket at Hanukkah. Ham at Easter. Candy at Halloween. Holiday food pairings make each separate celebration special—and something special we look forward to each year.  One reason ham became the meat of choice for Easter dinner is because it was available. Historically, pigs were slaughtered in fall and cured over the winter. They were ready to eat once spring arrived and the Lenten fast ended. Today ham is available year-round and while Brion loves pork chops, ham is definitely not a meat he enjoys. Enter the pork crown roast ….

With its skyward-reaching ribs, a regal crown roast makes a stunning Easter dinner centerpiece.

Charred sticks of bone jutting from a wreath of fork-tender meat make this main seem medieval – as well as fit for a king and queen. There’s just something about a crown roast that makes it look like it belongs in the center of a long table in the dining room of a drafty castle filled with tapestries and enormous fireplaces.

The presentation is solely for appearance. If you can roast a turkey, you can prepare a majestic crown roast of pork.

Marinate the roast overnight or season it simply with salt and pepper, then tuck it into the oven. The interior space of the crown is a perfect spot for stuffing, making a beautiful presentation. Set it on a bed of greens or herbs, tuck in a few cranberries & persimmon slices around the rim and there you have it! Carving a crown roast is no more effort than slicing straight down between the rib bones.

Crown roast of pork is made from the rib portion of the loin. The meatiest part of the ribs forms the stable base of the crown. Common fears with making any roast are overcooking and drying it out or cooking it unevenly. If you roast a crown roast in a low & slow oven, you can get the entire roast pretty much exactly at the proper temperature from edge to center.

To enjoy with our meal, I’ve added some spiced cranberries. Now this is not just your basic cranberry sauce. Brion came home with a spiced cranberry liqueur to try so I couldn’t resist putting some in the cranberries. Wow, what an upgrade!

The distillery it comes from is located in the heart of Barrhead, Alberta. ‘West of the 5th’ was started by brothers Nathan and Caleb on their family farm in 2018. The family grows over 10-acres of fresh fruits to be used as flavoring in their award-winning moonshines. In just four short years of operating the distillery, the brotherly band have brought home five provincial recognition awards for their spirits.

With that being said, let’s enjoy & appreciate our Easter meals as we anticipate spring & the coming of a new season.

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Crown Roast of Pork
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings
Ingredients
Roast
  • 4-5 kg (13 Ribs) pork crown roast Frenched & prepped by butcher or yourself if you prefer.
Savory Stuffing
Fingerling Potatoes
Baby Carrots
Snow Peas
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings
Ingredients
Roast
  • 4-5 kg (13 Ribs) pork crown roast Frenched & prepped by butcher or yourself if you prefer.
Savory Stuffing
Fingerling Potatoes
Baby Carrots
Snow Peas
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Instructions
Marinade
  1. The night before roasting meat, combine all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread marinade generously over entire roast, including bottom & between rib bones. Place roast in a large dish, cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate overnight.
Spiced Cranberries
  1. In a medium nonstick saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Lower heat & cook until reduced & slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, take out cinnamon sticks & cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stuffing
  1. Peel & cook potatoes, drain & mash. Set aside. Chop veggies. In a saucepan, melt butter & sauté veggies with herbs, salt & pepper. Remove from heat; combine with bread cubes, mashed potatoes & chicken broth. Add only enough chicken broth until it is moist but not mushy or falling apart. Mine usually takes the whole 2 cups. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cooking Crown Roast
  1. Remove marinated roast from refrigerator & allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting.
  2. Preheat oven to 250 F. Adjust oven rack to a lower position. Place the roast on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking pan. Transfer to oven & roast until internal temperature reaches 160 F , about 8 hours. Remove from oven.
  3. Increase oven temperature to 350 F.
  4. Fill the center of the crown with prepared stuffing, mounding it slightly. Return roast to oven & roast until both roast & stuffing are browned & crispy on the exterior, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, tent with foil, allow to rest for 15 minutes as it reaches the internal temperature of 165 F.
  5. Remove strings & carve by slicing in between each rib & serve with pork gravy & spiced cranberries. If you have extra stuffing, bake for about 30 minutes in a buttered casserole dish for a future meal.
Roasting Veggies
  1. While the crown roast is cooking, prepare veggies. Since you are using a 'low & slow' cooking temperature it will be necessary to stove top 'roast' the potatoes & carrots.
Fingerling Potatoes
  1. Wash & place potatoes in a glass microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 8 minutes. Remove & allow to cool for a few minutes. Heat skillet to a medium heat & add butter. Sauté the potatoes & add seasonings to taste. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until the potatoes are softened & browned.
Baby Carrots
  1. Steam carrots in microwave for a few minutes to partially cook them. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add baby carrots, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are browned in spots & tender crisp, 6-8 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar & honey to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until liquid is syrupy & carrots are evenly coated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat & sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
Snow Peas
  1. Rinse, drain & trim snow peas. Heat a skillet over medium high heat, about 2-3 minutes. Add the olive oil & trimmed pea pods. Move them around to coat in oil, let them sear for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid excessive browning. Add the minced garlic, stir again & let mixture become fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add the water & stir to move the snow peas around, Let the water evaporate & steam the pods, cooking them through, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes
  • Depending on the amount of people you are serving the roast to, the amounts of veggies may need to be increased.
  • Roasting at this low, slow temperature produces the most incredibly tender roast you could imagine. I always use this same theory when roasting baby back ribs & get super tender ribs as well.

Garlic Butter Turkey/Pork Meatballs w/ Zucchini Noodles

Everyone has their own idea of the ideal meatball. For me, it’s a plump, juicy ball of well-seasoned meat that’s so tender a spoon can pass right through it with almost no resistance.

Too often turkey meatballs are dry because ground turkey is leaner than more traditionally used beef or pork. Perhaps you had never considered it but working both ground turkey and pork into your meatballs improves the texture and flavor.

Instead of buying pork sausage meat, we always buy just plain ground pork. I can make my own sausage easily enough with the ground meat, and this gives me more options of how I use it. It’s the perfect complement, in both flavor and fat content, to the turkey. Together, they make a wonderful meatball.

Some years ago, I had posted a blog making zucchini noodles. We found it was a good alternative to pasta for something different. Turkey/pork meatballs compliment zucchini noodles nicely.

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Garlic Butter Turkey/Pork Meatballs w/ Zucchini Noodles
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Meatballs
Sauce / Zucchini Noodles
Servings
Ingredients
Meatballs
Sauce / Zucchini Noodles
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Instructions
Meatballs
  1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey and ground pork, cheese, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, red chili pepper flakes, chopped cilantro, & black pepper. Mix well with your hands or fork & form medium turkey meatballs. Arrange the turkey meatballs on a plate & set them aside.
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the turkey meatballs for 8 – 10 minutes on all sides, until browned and cooked through. While cooking, baste the turkey meatballs with a mix of butter & juices. Remove to a clean plate & set aside.
Sauce/Zucchini Noodles
  1. In the same skillet melt the remaining tablespoon of butter; then add lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, & red pepper flakes (if you wish). Add the zucchini noodles & cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until zucchini noodles are done but still crisp and juices have reduced a bit. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper & garnish with more cilantro or parsley if you like.
  2. Push zucchini noodles on one side of the skillet add the turkey meatballs back to the pan and reheat for a minute or two. Serve the garlic butter turkey meatballs with lemon zucchini noodles immediately.

Asiago Shrimp Risotto

Risotto is one of those dishes that’s purely Italian in nature. Most traditionally made with Parmesan cheese, which is stirred in right at the very end of cooking to not only boost the rice’s creaminess but also lend its signature salty, nutty flavor to the dish. Don’t get caught up in tradition though, because risotto is one of the most flexible meals you can make.

While there is nothing wrong with Parmesan, the cheese possibilities for risotto are nearly endless and you quickly discover that the world of this comfort-food staple really has no boundaries.

Risotto is one of those gourmet meals that is really not difficult to make, and it doesn’t take long either. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes or less. It takes some work stirring — not the kind of stirring where you must stand at the stove and stir constantly. You can step away for brief moments, but you do want to do lots and lots of stirring. It’s the stirring that breaks up the starches in the rice and makes the risotto so incredibly wonderfully amazingly creamy.

This rich and creamy risotto with tender shrimp, uses Asiago over Parmesan cheese for a semisweet touch, plus tarragon and flat leaf parsley to give the dish some freshness.

Asiago is a whole milk cheese that originated in Northern Italy, around the Po River Valley where Italy borders Austria. Coming from the mountains, Asiago is similar to other mountain cheeses, such as Switzerland’s Gruyere or France’s Beaufort. Asiago is made in large wheels designed for long-term aging to get through tough winters. Dense and flavorful, Asiago’s flavor profile changes as time polishes the wheels over the course of several months or years. Taken from the milk of cows grazing on the grasses and wildflowers of the mountains, Asiago can have a fresh, fruity flavor or a savory, zesty taste on the palate.

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Asiago Shrimp Risotto
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
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Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
Risotto
  1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a LARGE POT or DEEP SKILLET over high heat. Add bacon & cook until fairly crisp. Blot on paper towel & crumble. Transfer to a small microwave-proof bowl. Leave about 1 Tbsp bacon drippings in pot & discard the rest. Add mushrooms & cook until browned. Remove to a dish, set aside.
  2. Turn heat down to medium & return pot to the stove. Add butter & melt; then add garlic & onion. Sauté for 3 minutes or until softened. Turn up heat, add rice & stir until grains become partially translucent, about 1 minute (do NOT overcook).
  3. Add wine & cook, scraping the bottom of the pot to get any brown bits, about 2 minutes. Turn down heat to medium-low; add about 3 cups of chicken stock. Leave, uncovered, stirring just once or twice, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
  4. Check firmness of rice & add 1/2 cup of broth at a time, stirring in between until absorbed & rice is cooked to YOUR taste.
Spicy Shrimp
  1. While the risotto is cooking, combine spice mix in a plastic bag. Add shrimp & shake to coat well. In a skillet, heat butter & olive oil; add shrimp & sauté for 2-3 minutes, just until cooked. Keep warm.
  2. Add the mushrooms back into the risotto towards the end, just to heat through. Right at the end when the risotto is ready, add a 'splash' more chicken broth to make the risotto slightly soupy, then take it off the stove.
  3. Add butter & Asiago cheese, then stir vigorously (this will activate the starch & make it super creamy). Add shrimp & gently stir to incorporate them into the risotto.
  4. Serve immediately. Garnish with reheated bacon & extra Asiago if you wish.

Potato, Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Perogies

As the days get shorter, darker and colder in the winter, many turn to food as a source of internal warmth and comfort. Besides being essential for life, food brings people together and generally just makes us feel good. This is especially true during the chilly winter months we get here in Canada, where tasty comfort food is more than welcome.

 In 1966 when the term ‘comfort food’  was first used, one would turn to foods that were prepared in a traditional way and reminds the person of their childhood, home, family and friends.

Commonly eaten in the Canadian prairie provinces, perogies, pierogi, perogy – (however you spell it) are a delicious filled dumpling with origins from Central and Eastern Europe. They can be stuffed with potato, cheese, bacon, and more, and they taste absolutely perfect with their typical sour cream topping. There’s also a giant perogy statue in Glendon, Alberta, showing you exactly how important the food is viewed in Canada.

The ultimate in comfort, peasant food or gourmet cuisine, as a main event or side, perogies can do no wrong.

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Potato, Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Perogies
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Instructions
Perogy Dough
  1. In a bowl, beat egg, soft butter & sour cream together. Add flour & salt, combining until smooth. Scrape dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured work surface & knead dough for 5 - 8 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap & refrigerate until ready to use.
Filling
  1. Chop onions. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet & sauté onions until caramelized. Remove from skillet & set aside.
  2. In the same skillet, melt another 2 Tbsp butter & add the chopped mushrooms. Salt & pepper the mushrooms & sauté until they are tender & all the liquid excluded by the mushrooms has evaporated, 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. While you are cooking the onions & mushrooms, peel & quarter the potatoes & place in a small pot. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then lower heat & simmer until soft enough to mash, 15-20 minutes. Drain & place in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Mash & whip potatoes with grated cheddar cheese until smooth & fluffy. Fold in the cooked mushrooms & caramelized onions until well blended. Salt & pepper to taste.
Assembly
  1. Remove perogy dough from refrigerator & cut into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into about a 3-inch round. Place a heaping Tbsp of filling in the middle of pierogi. Dip your finger in a bowl of water & run it along the edge of the dough. Fold perogy in half, carefully pinching together edges to seal it completely.
Cook & Serve
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop perogies in & boil until all the perogies float to the surface & dough becomes somewhat translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Remove perogies with a slotted spoon, making sure to let as much of the excess water drip off as possible. In a large skillet, heat a Tbsp of butter. Place drained pierogis in skillet. Do not over-crowd so that they can all lightly brown on both sides.
  2. If you wish , you can make a few extra onions & mushrooms for a garnish. Serve with either sour cream or Ranch dressing.
Recipe Notes
  • When making the pierogis, nothing wrong with rolling out all the dough at the same time & cutting your circles with a cookie cutter. I just personally like dividing the dough so I don't have to do any re-rolling with the scraps. Just personal preference.

Portobello & Potato Gratin

The classic, humble gratin with its thick, crispy bubbling crust, has been defined and redefined over the years. Whether its base is potatoes or eggplant, fish or shellfish, pasta or meat, whether it is a main course or a dessert, the gratin seems to find its way to our dinner tables.

The difference between au gratin and gratin is that potatoes au gratin are a side dish made with thinly-sliced layers of cheesy potatoes. ‘Gratin’ is the culinary technique of baking or broiling an ingredient topped with grated cheese and breadcrumbs to create a crispy crust.

The word gratin derives from the French word grater, meaning ‘to grate‘. You would think that gratin refers to grated cheese, but this is not what the word originally referred to. Instead, it meant something more like ‘scrapings’. This referred to the browned, crusty material that forms on the bottoms and perhaps to the act of scraping loose these crusty bits and stirring them back into the dish during cooking. It now tends to refer to the browned crust that forms on the top of a baked dish, whether this crust forms by itself or is speeded up by placing the dish under a broiler.

Since Brion & I are both mushroom lovers, portobello & potato gratin certainly works for us.

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Portobello & Potato Gratin
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Instructions
  1. Cook potatoes & mash, adding enough milk just to make creamy. In an oblong casserole dish, spread some potatoes on the bottom & up the sides.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  3. Clean & slice Portobello mushrooms into about 3 slices each. Toss cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, salt & pepper. In the center of the casserole dish, layer the Portobello rounds & cheese mixture making 3 layers.
  4. Drizzle the mushrooms with 3 Tbsp water, cover with foil & bake 35 minutes. Uncover & bake 8 minutes more. Remove from oven & sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve.

Turkey & Stuffing Stuffed Squash

Squash is one of those quintessential autumn foods that we have come to recognize. Even though it is considered a winter squash, acorn squash belongs to the same species as all summer squashes including zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. The main difference between the classifications is that summer squashes have soft skins and tender seeds and are fairly perishable, while the winter types have hard shells, fully formed seeds and are very suited to long storage.

For all their many splendored shapes and colors, squash is not something most of us crave, although they are an integral part of the cuisine in scattered points of the globe, such as South and Central America, the West Indies, India and Japan.

The acorn squash is similar in flavor to the butternut squash yet has a bit of a nutty taste to it as well. Resembling its name in shape, the acorn squash usually weigh between 1-2 pounds and generally grow between four and seven inches long.

Roasting them partially before stuffing makes the squash a lot more tender and easier to eat. I am always aware of the concept of ‘seasonal eating’. I was born in September, so I figure its totally natural to love fall food (& colors) such as squash, pumpkin, apples and cranberries.

The large cavity of acorn squash just begs to be filled. This recipe makes good use of all your thanksgiving ‘leftovers’, creating a whole new meal at the same time.

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Turkey & Stuffing Stuffed Squash
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cut the squash in half & remove the seeds. Brush the flesh with olive oil & sprinkle with a little salt. Put the squash, cut side down onto the prepared baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil, onion; sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Allow the onion soften for about 3 minutes then add the minced garlic. Stir in the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, & broth; mix well to combine.
  4. Remove squash from oven & carefully fill each half with the filling. Lay a piece of foil over the squash and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the squash is easily pierced with a fork.
  5. Serve with extra cranberry sauce if desired.
Recipe Notes
  • This is such a great way to use up that holiday turkey & stuffing in a whole new meal idea.