Extra Schmaltz!

For various reasons, Melanie likes ground turkey more than ground beef, and so I've been making turkey meatballs a lot. Obviously the problem with turkey is that it can be really dry since it's so lean, but one day we made a random hippy turkey burger recipe and it taught us the he secret to making ground turkey not be gross: ground mushrooms!  If you grind up the mushrooms and mix them in, they kind of cook away but keep whatever you're cooking moist and give that umami flavor that's also missing from turkey. People who don't like mushrooms won't notice their presence at all unless they're specifically looking for them. This recipe is also designed to cook up really really quickly - you can have these done in the time it takes you to boil the water for the noodles. The spices are loosely based on Lillian's meatball recipe but only use dry spices for convenience. They still come out a little dry, but especially with a wetter sauce (marinara, vodka, etc....

This is a really easy slow cooker pot roast that doesn't take much time to prepare, and is easy to get going when you leave to work. The most labor intensive part is skinning the onions, but our local grocery store often has them pre-skinned. Ingredients 2-3 pound beef roast (we like London broil a lot) 1-1.5 pound small mushrooms (our store sells them bulk, so its easy to pick out the small ones) 1 pound pearl onions, tops bottoms and skins removed 1/2 bottle brown ale (preferably malty, low bitterness) 1/2 c. water or broth 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp (or less) dried rosemary S and P If time allows, brown meat, them combine remaining ingredients in slow cooker, and cook until you get home from work. Serve with mashed, baked or roasted potatoes, or add potatoes directly to the pot for a one dish meal. The juice is pretty flavorful, but if you like you can reduce it. I recommend drinking one of the beer's brethren alongside the meal. I prepare this the night befo...

This hearty soup can miraculously turn bits and bobs from your winter larder into a satisfying, savory meal. This is one of the few examples of cooking with pickles--don't turn your nose up! Their zingy flavor blends pleasingly into the soup and adds some delightful crunch. The soup is made with a variety of meats, especially cured ones such as ham, smoked turkey, bacon, mild salami...whatever you have on hand. You can also add uncured pork, beef, or chicken. Garnished with capers and jalapenos. Also suggested are: olives, lemon slices, pickled mushrooms, smetana/sour cream. Use 3 lb of a variety of smoked and fresh meats, such as: Cubed pork shoulder Bone-in stew beef cut, such as round or chuck Slab bacon Smoked turkey Ham hock Smoked sausage (Krakovska from Kramarczuks is good for this) 2 medium onions 3 large carrots 1 c. dill pickles, chopped 1 c. frozen green beans (optional) 4 roma tomatoes, or 1 can crushed tomatoes 1/2 c. pickled mushrooms, or fresh mus...

This recipe is adapted from something in the local co-op's circular. The sausage we used was sweeter turkey-chicken sausage (similar to the stuff you get from Cost-co) Ingredients: 1 Tbsp butter 3-4 cloves minced garlic 1 lb. sweet sausage in small pieces 1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms (Preferably dry) white wine 1 1/4 c. heavy cream/half and half (this takes longer to cook obviously) Fresh parsley (approx 3 Tbsp - 1/4 c. minced) Parmesan cheese S&P (optional: a small shake of cayenne) Sautee garlic in butter briefly on low flame, then add mushrooms. Sprinkle with white wine and salt & pepper. Turn up heat, add sausage, and cook until browned. Add cream, parsley and some more white wine, then reduce until thick. Serve over pasta with shredded Parmesan on top.