Apple Turkey Picadillo

This is a delightfully spicy and healthful Latin American dish that you can feel good about eating! It's an interesting blend of flavors that I have grown to love. The sweet and slightly tart granny smith apples pair well with the meaty turkey and juicy tomato.

Serve it over brown rice or tucked in a tortilla as a burrito filling. I also tossed together a little salad with sugar snap peas and balsamic vinaigrette to go with it. It's reasonably fast—takes me about 40 minutes start to finish—so I like to make it on weeknights. I hope it makes it into your rotation! 

Apple Turkey Picadillo
Adapted from Eating Well
Serves 4 (1 1/4 cup each)

Nutrition Info: 246 calories; 8 g fat; 45 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 30 g protein; 4 g fiber; 488 mg sodium

Ingredients:

•  4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 medium granny smith apples
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
  
  
  
  
   
• Chop your fruits and veggies first. Once the cooking starts, it goes pretty fast! Then heat olive oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring often, about 2 minutes. 
  
  
  Add turkey and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spatula until lightly browned, for 5 to 7 minutes. It will still appear pale for now but will brown up nicely later.
  
  
  Then spice it up! Add the cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cloves, cooking for 30 seconds. Stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits that you see. Next, stir in apple, tomato and Worcestershire sauce. 
• 
  
  
  Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring often, until the liquid in the the pan has reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 8 minutes.
  
  
  Top with a handful of green onions and serve. (The hubby likes to go light on the green onion, but I pile mine on!)
• 
  
  
  Sometimes I feel like Grades and I are so wrapped up in our routine of work and school that I start itching to do something spontaneous. So last Thursday, we went to a Dierks Bentley and Eli Young Band concert! We totally partied on a weeknight! And it was fabulous. 
  I had been mulling over whether to splurge and spend around $85 for the two of us for a couple of days when I had a moment of genius. I checked Craigslist and sure enough, two $25 lawn tickets were waiting for me the morning of. I scarfed them up quickly and Grades and I spent the better part of the evening curled up in a blanket listening to some of our favorite songs. Dierks definitely had us on our feet a few times though! I couldn't believe how energetic he was on stage. It was amazing that he could catch his breath enough to sing so well. He truly sounded incredible.  

Rosemary Rolls in an Iron Skillet

I'm all for homemade rolls. I absolutely cherish them. But some days I just don't feel like waiting around for yeast to work its wonders and then go through a million steps. Not that it's not worth it—homemade rolls are always worth it! But these are my go-tos in a pinch! I'm always getting compliments on them—no one ever guesses that they're from frozen dough! That's the magic of fresh herbs and butter baby. 

I recommend Rhodes rolls. I first discovered their greatness while living in Utah where they are plentiful. I was so excited to see that they have one variety here in Cville! If you can find them, get the big Texas style ones, but I use the regular kind here.

You will need an iron skillet. I love presenting them this way—it always brings a rustic homestyle feel to the table. And some oohs and ahhs from guests! 

These rolls are flavorful and smell awesome. I love that they're versatile enough to go with pretty much any meal.

Just remember to give yourself enough time to let the rolls rise. You need 3 ½ to 4 hours, start to finish. I like to let them rise a good long time, at least 3 hours. 

Rosemary Rolls in an Iron Skillet

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Makes: 9 rolls

Ingredients:

• Frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes rolls, if you can find them)
• 2-4 Tbsp salted butter, melted
• Fresh rosemary, chopped
• Sea salt

Start by spraying your iron skillet with cooking spray. Place frozen rolls a decent distance apart to give them enough room to rise. You want them to be cozy without suffocating eachother. I did 9 to a pan. I wouldn't recommend more than that.

Then cover it with a clean towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray so it doesn't stick to the rolls. Place in a warm(ish) place if possible. Rolls need to be warm and happy if you want the yeast to jump for joy!

Then walk away for a good three hours or more. Check on them after an hour or so, and if you don't see much progress, try this: Set your oven to 200 degrees and let it heat up for a minute. Then turn it off and stick your rolls inside. It should be warm, but not hot enough to cook your rolls. Keep them in there for the remainder of their rising time. That will definitely do the trick!

And soon enough, they will look like theees! I love this stage. They're so dang cute.

At this point, melt a little butter (2-4 tablespoons) and melt it in the microwave. Baste your rolls very lightly (you don't want to crush the poor dears!) They're very delicate.

Then grab your fresh rosemary. Unfortunately I don't have an herb garden so I'm one of those suckers who pays $2 a pop for fresh herbs at the grocery store. Don't be like me.

Cut up the rosemary and sprinkle on top. Then top it with a few sprinkles of sea salt! I know you're skeptical, but a little bit of salt mixed with the rosemary makes magic.

Now pop them in the oven at 350 degrees and let them cook for 18-25 minutes, depending on your oven. Watch them closely, but be sure to get them a nice golden brown—that way you'll know the bottom is cooked.

When this is achieved, grab a hot pad and pull them out of the oven. Give them once last little brush of melted butter and serve!

Bruschetta

 I spent the last three hours monogramming cake pops. Can you believe it? Three hours. I've been selling cake balls and pops for special events here and there and it has been really fun! People just seem to fall in love with the little gems.

So since i've been ummm....sampling some of the ones that didn't turn out quite right, I started feeling a bit overloaded with sugar and started craving something fresh and flavorful. I just wanted a few bites of something savory, and bruschetta was just the ticket!

I surfed all over the blogosphere to evaluate different methods of making bruschetta, and I believe I found the perfect one! Although I understand that traditional old country, the way your italian grandmother used to make it bruschetta is typically drizzled with olive oil and lightly toasted in the oven, somehow that method just wasn't doing it for me. I wanted something a little more indulgent, without going over the top. 

And Pioneer Woman came to my rescue as usual. This bruschetta, my friends, is oh so special for a few reasons. One, because it uses multicolored cherry tomatoes, which makes it not only beautiful, but bursting with flavor. Two, because it's topped with fresh basil, and fresh basil always tastes like gourmet pizza. And three, because it's grilled on the stovetop in butter. The grilling brings it all to life. 

Bruschetta makes for an awesome appetizer to an italian dinner of pizza, pasta and/or salad. It adds beautiful color to the table. It's also great for a simple snack or party food.

So skip on down to your country store and find yourself some ripe red and orange cherry or grape tomatoes and get cracking! 

Bruschetta
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 pint red grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 pint yellow grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 16 whole basil leaves (chiffonade)
• Salt And pepper
• 1 whole baguette
• 6-8 tablespoons butter
  

Slice tomatoes in half. Chop up your garlic.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over low-medium heat and throw in your garlic. Toss it around with a spoon for about a minute, careful not to let it burn. Then pour it into a bowl (with oil oil) and let it cool for a few minutes. 

Meanwhile, roll up your basil tightly and slice it into strips. Or cut them with a scissors like me.

Next, put your tomatoes in a bowl and add your balsamic, basil, and a little salt and pepper. 

Stir it up and taste it. Add more of whatever you think it may need. I always seem to want to add more salt. It's a problem I have! Then, if you can, let it sit for an hour or two in the fridge to help the flavors mingle and maybe even start a few relationships.

When you're ready, grab your baguette and cut with a serrated knife at a diagonal to form pretty slices.

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat and add bread slices, in batches if needed. Toast for about 2-4 minutes on each side (check them after a bit to prevent burning) until golden and buttery. 

To serve, place baguette slices on a cake plate or serving platter and heap on your tomato mixture. Mmmm so pretty! I'm just loving the natural beauty of vegetables these days. 
 

Speaking of italian food, I ate this amazing tortellini-like concoction at the Virginian, one of the oldest restaurants in Charlottesville, for date night this past Friday. I found Gradon's dish quite uninspired in comparison to mine, but he loved it nonetheless! I guess he makes it a point to enjoy his greasy buffalo chicken burgers when he can, since I don't tend to make such things at home. 

 

Then we headed off to an art gallery to marvel at some pretty awesome altarpieces. We finished off the evening with a stroll around the ever-beautiful UVA campus, brushing up on some Charlottesville history along the way. Turns out, the Rotunda was a make-shift hospital during the civil war. Must have been the prettiest hospital in the world at the time!

Fluffy Honey Butter

It's kind of hard to mess up honey butter. The basics are in the name--it's essentially honey and butter. And it is DEElicious!

What sets this recipe apart from the rest is the fluffy consistency. It will never separate like your run-of-the-mill honey butter. The powdered sugar also makes it a bit sweeter.

You'll have to drag out your mixer, but it will be so worth it! This honey butter will transform any dinner roll into something special. Try it! You'll like it a whole lot.