Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

This is a yummy recipe from "Tracey's Culinary Adventures".  It is an easy fix meal or appetizer.  These meatballs are so flavorful, you won't believe they are turkey!

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

• 2 lbs. of ground turkey
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 T. ginger, grated
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 T. kosher salt
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ t. ground allspice
• ½ C. Italian parsley, finely chopped
• ½ C. Panko bread crumbs

Sauce:

• 2 T. all-purpose flour
• ½ C. canola oil
• 2/3 C. rice vinegar
• ½ C. brown sugar
• 2/3 C. water
• ½ C. soy sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and spray with cooking spray.
2. Mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and use your hands to combine until everything is incorporated, but don’t over mix.
3. Roll the meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
4. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes or until browned.
5. Remove from the oven and allow the meatballs to cool while making the sauce.
6. Whisk the ingredients together in the order they are listed in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.
7. Add the meatballs to the sauce and warm for 5 – 10 minutes.
8. Stir occasionally, very gently, the meatballs are very fragile
9. Serve over egg noodles or rice as a meal, or in a chaffing dish or crockpot as an appetizer.

Tips and Tricks:

• I make these meatballs with a 1½ inch scoop, if I'm serving them as a meal.  The meatballs are smaller than a traditional Italian meatball.  This recipe will make about 30 meatballs.  If I'm making them for an appetizer I use a 1 inch scoop and it makes about 50 meatballs.
• Fresh ginger IS necessary. It gives these meatballs a wonderful taste.
• If you don’t have allspice, you can substitute ¼ t. ground cinnamon, 1/8 t. ground cloves, and 1/8 t. ground nutmeg.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

This is another favorite of Gab's.  I have combined recipes from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), Alton Brown, and Giada de Laurentis.  The "paste" can be used on a whole turkey or a turkey breast.

Ingredients:

• 7 lb. turkey breast
• 2 T. softened butter
• 2 T. herbs de Provence
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
• 1 C. white wine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Make a paste with the butter, herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice
3. Carefully run your fingers under the skin of the turkey to make pockets to spread the paste
4. Put most under the skin, but spread a little bit on the outside of the bird
5. Place the thickest part of the breast, up in the roasting pan
6. Pour the wine in the bottom of the pan
7. Bake for 1 ½ hours with the cover on
8. Uncover and bake for an additional ½ hour
9. Remove from the oven and check to see that the internal temperature is 165 degrees, if it IS, remove the turkey breast from the pan, place on a platter, and cover with foil.  If it is NOT, return to the oven and cook in 15 minute intervals until it is.
10. Allow the breast to rest for a ½ hour before carving

Tips and Tricks:

• I use brine when I roast a turkey or turkey breast.  Follow my link for the recipe.
• I use a covered roasting pan to roast the turkey breast.  If you don’t have one, simply cover a pan with foil for the first 1 ½ hours.
• Try serving the breast in chunks instead of slices.  Remove the entire side of the breast, and cut into 1 inch chunks.  The turkey doesn’t dry out, when you serve it this way.

Turkey Brine

If you haven't used a brine for your holiday turkey, I highly recommend it.  It keeps the meat juicy. 

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of water
• 2 C. apple cider vinegar
• 1 lb. dark brown sugar
• 2 C. of kosher salt
• 2 qts. (8 C.) vegetable stock
• 8 lb. bag of ice

Directions:

1. Boil the gallon of water and vinegar in a large pot
2. Add the salt and sugar and stir until the salt dissolves
3. Add the vegetable stock and stir
4. Cover and allow the brine to come to room temperature
5. Place 1/2 of the bag of ice in the brine
6. Place the turkey in a ice chest and pour the brine over the turkey
7. Cover with the remaining ice
8. Allow the bird to sit in the covered ice chest for 12 hours

Tips and Tricks:

• The turkey should have ice in the brine the whole time.  Add additional ice if necessary.
• Rinse the turkey well before preparing to cook it.  All the salt from the brine needs to be washed away.  Allow cool water to pass through the cavity of the bird and use your hands to rub down the outside of the bird while the water is running over it.
• I cut this recipe in half when I cook just a turkey breast.