Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta

I'm in the middle of what I like to call a "love affair with feta". It's all I want to eat, cook with, read about, etc. So when I was trying to figure out what to make Husband and some friends for dinner, this jumped out at me-- Giada's Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and FETA (yippee!). Done and done.

Now for all you meatloaf-haters out there (you know who you are, *cough* Heather), let me say this--this is NOT your momma's ketchup covered hunk 'o mystery meat. This is the good stuff. Gourmet meatloaf, if you will (who knew there was such a thing?). It's suprisingly moist (I say "surprising" because turkey is so much leaner and therefore, more likely to get dry) and full of flavor. I honestly felt like I could taste the Mediterranean...the tangy feta and sun-dried tomatoes came together beautifully. Not the most photogenic meal, but really, sometimes food tastes better than it looks. Not always...but sometimes.

Turkey Meatload with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta
adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced, optional
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk (I used Skim because that's what I had and it worked fine!)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, if using, eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

*Pairs well with smashed baby new potatoes.

Steak and Onion Rings

The cool thing about being a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher is that you get to participate in their Tastemaker program. In other words, they will send you samples of food, gadgets, etc. for you to try out and write about on your blog. Imagine my delight when I got my very first package--a box with Emeril's Steak Rub, Essence of Emeril and Beef Stock.

I decided that my first entry would be a recipe (well, two actually) that I had been dying to try since I first started my blog. On a rare Saturday off last fall, I was lounging on the couch channel-surfing and stumbled upon Barefoot Contessa. I had never watched Ina Garten before, but I was instantly intrigued by her show. That day, she was making Steakhouse Steaks with Cornmeal Onion Rings and Sauted Wild Mushrooms. Love at first sight.

I decided to take her steak and onion ring recipes and tweak them a bit, adding Emeril's steak rub and Essence of Emeril seasoning. They turned out pretty good--considering that I have never cooked steak or onion rings before. The steaks were definitely too salty, but still good. I'm sure that adding the steak rub added some salt. However, I absolutely LOVED the addition of Essence of Emeril to the onion rings. It gave them a nice little kick that was just delish!


Steakhouse Steaks
adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten
Episode: Steaks and Sides

Ingredients

2 (10-ounce) filet mignon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon fleur de sel
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tablespoon Emeril's Steak Rub
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and brush them lightly with vegetable oil. Combine the fleur de sel, cracked pepper and Emeril's Steak Rub on a plate and roll the steaks in the mixture, pressing lightly to evenly coat all sides.

When the skillet is ready, add the steaks and sear them evenly on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, for a total of 10 minutes.

Top each steak with a tablespoon of butter, if using, and place the skillet in the oven. Cook the steaks until they reach 120 degrees F for rare or 125 degrees F for medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer. (To test the steaks, insert the thermometer sideways to be sure you're actually testing the middle of the steak.)

Remove the steaks to a serving platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Cornmeal-Fried Onion Rings
adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten
Episode: Steaks and Sides

Ingredients

2 large Spanish onions (or 3 yellow onions)
2 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Essence of Emeril, divided
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (medium) yellow cornmeal
1 quart vegetable oil

Directions
Peel the onions, slice them 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, and separate them into rings. Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon Essence of Emeril in a medium bowl. Add the onion rings, toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes. (The onion rings can sit in the buttermilk for a few hours.) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon Essence of Emeril. Set aside.

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large pot or Dutch oven. (A candy thermometer attached to the side of the pot will help you maintain the proper temperature). Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs. Don't crowd them! Place the finished onion rings on the baking sheet, sprinkle liberally with salt, and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried. They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Turkey Meatballs

My very favorite birthday meal growing up was my mother's meatballs. I know, right? Meatballs? Random. But they were so delicious, I requested them year after year. My dad always marveled at how I'd eat them right out of the oven, without sauce or anything. They were that good. The leftovers made a great lunch the next day, wedged in between some really yummy Italian bread...delicious.

With my birthday coming up in a few days, I had the urge to re-create my favorite celebratory meal. Instead of using the traditional ground beef, I decided to try something new--ground turkey. Turns out, they might be my new favorite (sorry, mom).

I combined my mom's recipe with a recipe from Giada's Everyday Italian. By the way, I adore Giada. One day I'm going to dedicate a whole week to Giada recipes. Or maybe a month...there are a lot I'm dying to try.

ANYway, here's the recipe:

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Italian

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs

2 tablespoons milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan

1 pound ground turkey

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 cups tomato sauce (NOTE: I don't love tomato sauce, so I actually used some Vodka sauce I had in the fridge. It was delicious!)

1 pound dried penne pasta

Additional fresh Parmesan for garnish

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients (add turkey last) and mix well, being careful not to overwork the meat. Season with salt and pepper and shape into golf-size balls.

Arrange meatballs on ungreased baking sheet and cook for 30-35 minutes, turning once.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander.

Heat your sauce of choice (if you are not making homemade, like me) over medium heat until warm. Add meatballs and cooked penne, toss well to coat. Pour into serving dishes and garnish with fresh Parmesan. Enjoy!