TURKEY MILANESE

8 turkey cutlets, pounded down to about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness
Salt and black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Oil for frying

• Generously season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Sift together the bread crumbs, panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil oregano and parsley until well blended.
• Set three shallow bowls side by side on your counter.  Fill the first one with the flour, the second one with the beaten eggs and the third one with the bread crumbs mixture.
• Dredge cutlets, one at a time, first in the flour, then in the egg and finally, in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess crumbs and reserve on another plate.
• Chill the cutlets in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  This will help the coating stay intact when you fry it.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to come up about 1/4-inch high.  Add butter.  Add cutlets and fry until cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Do NOT crowd the pan.  If necessary, do this step in batches.  As each cutlet is cooked, transfer to a platter.   You can keep the cutlets warm in a low oven.
• Serve with rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, buttered parsley noodles or some lemon wedges.
• Top with minced parsley.
• Serves 4.

TURKEY MILANESE

8 turkey cutlets, pounded down to about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness
Salt and black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Oil for frying

• Generously season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Sift together the bread crumbs, panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil oregano and parsley until well blended.
• Set three shallow bowls side by side on your counter.  Fill the first one with the flour, the second one with the beaten eggs and the third one with the bread crumbs mixture. 
• Dredge cutlets, one at a time, first in the flour, then in the egg and finally, in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess crumbs and reserve on another plate. 
• Chill the cutlets in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  This will help the coating stay intact when you fry it.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to come up about 1/4-inch high.  Add butter.  Add cutlets and fry until cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Do NOT crowd the pan.  If necessary, do this step in batches.  As each cutlet is cooked, transfer to a platter.   You can keep the cutlets warm in a low oven.
• Serve with rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, buttered parsley noodles or some lemon wedges.
• Top with minced parsley. 
• Serves 4.

IT'S TASTE & CREATE TIME - SLOPPY JOES

The whole purpose of Taste and Create was, and has been, and continues to be to create a community of bloggers who test each others’ recipes and share links. The participants of the event are paired together and try a new recipe from one another's blog.  This month my partner is Debbi from Debbie Does Dinner Healthy.  Hubby requested Sloppy Joe's for football food so I decided to try Debbi's recipe and compare it to my beef version to see if hubby noticed a difference.

Debbi's Hearty Sloppy Joes
Adapted from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
3 pounds ground turkey
2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup carrots, finely diced
1 cup celery, finely diced
1 cup zucchini, finely diced
1 cup red pepper, finely diced (about 1 medium)
2 cups onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoon tomato paste
2/3 cup ketchup
3 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar, not packed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

In a large pan, cook ground turkey.  When ground turkey is about half way done, add the veggie and saute along with the ground turkey.  Cook until ground turkey is done.  Drain if necessary. Season with salt and pepper as they cook.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.  Serve with buns or 100 calorie Arnold Select sandwich thins. 

Divide into 2 containers for 2 meals.  Freeze one for another quick and easy meal.  When ready to eat, thaw completely and either warm on stovetop, slow cooker or in microwave.   6 huge servings per container. 

Total calories = 3062 calories for whole batch
12 servings = 255 calories without bun per serving**

While Debbi's recipe tasted great yo me, hubby said he could tell the difference (what is it with guys and their beef?)  Next time I'll try half turkey, half beef and see if he notices a difference.

Here's my beef recipe:

These are always a crowd pleaser.
HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 1/2 pound beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef base

• Heat olive oil and add ground beef.
• Generously salt and pepper.
• Brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain.
• Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, steak seasoning and beef base. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.
• Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
• Serve on fresh baked buns.

TURKEY TETTRAZZINI

When I was a kid and just starting to do the majority of the family cooking we had a set group of recipes that were the "weeknight" recipes. One of those recipes that was especially popular during the holidays was Turkey Tetrazzini. We also substituted ham and chicken for the turkey throughout the rest of the year. Back then I prepared the recipes as they were written and they were okay, but the Tettrazzini recipe used ALL Velveeta and canned mushrooms and stuff I wouldn't think of putting into my body now so it was my goal to create the same recipe in a more health oriented way, but still easy for a weeknight meal.

TURKEY TETTRAZZINI
2 tablespoons butter
1 large bunch green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
8 ounces linguine, broken in half and cooked al dente
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded turkey pieces*
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Melt butter in a skillet.
• Saute onions and celery just until tender.
• Add soup and milk, stirring to blend. Cook just until thick.
• Add cheddar cheese.
• Add salt and pepper.
• In the bottom of an 11x7 baking dish scatter first the pasta and then the meat pieces.
  
• Pour soup mixture over top.
  
• Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 25-30 minutes.
  

*ham and rotisserie chicken work well too

Wild Turkey

Just a few months ago you'd see all the "mom" turkeys with a stream of baby turkeys trotting along behind her. Now I think it's time for them to run for the woods. They're starting to look like Thanksgiving dinner. There are hundreds and hundreds of wild turkeys in this north woods area. There is also an abundance of deer according to the DNR due to the recent mild winters.