Last homecooked meal of the week...

... leek & goat cheese quiche, and silky butternut squash soup.

As for the rest of the weekend - we're eating all the leftovers in the fridge ;o)

Spicy-smoky slow-cooker turkey chili

We haven't been particularly healthy in our eating habits for the past week or so, but we started off the new year pretty well. The same week that I made turkey burgers, I used the rest of the ground turkey in the fridge to make a spicy-smoky turkey chili in the slow-cooker. I adapted a non-slow-cooker recipe to get the following:

Spicy-Smoky Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

(Makes 4 really big servings)

·         2 Tbsp olive oil

·         1 onion, chopped

·         5 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

·         1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

·         1 habanero peper, seeded and chopped

·         2 lb ground turkey

·         2 Tbsp chili powder

·         2 tsp chipotle red pepper flakes

·         1 Tbsp smoked Spanish paprika

·         1 Tbsp ground cumin

·         2 tsp dried oregano

·         1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

·         1 (1oz) envelope instant hot chocolate mix

·         1 tsp kosher salt

·         1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

·         1 tsp liquid smoke

·         1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, drained

·         1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes with japaneo peppers, drained

·         1 (8oz) can low-sodium tomato sauce

·         1 (15oz) can black beans, drained

·         ½ C “normal” beer (like an amber)

·         ½ C frozen shoepeg corn

·         1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce

1.       Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and peppers, and cook, stirring, until the onion becomes translucent. Remove to a bowl.

2.       Add ground turkey, then cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink. Add the cooked vegetables and combine.

3.       Add chili powder, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, black pepper, hot cocoa mix, and salt; stir.

4.       Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans. Add the beer and frozen corn, and combine.

5.       Move mixture to slow cooker, cover, and set on low for 6-8 hours.

6.       Stir in hot pepper sauce, if desired, cover and let sit for a few minutes, then serve. Feel free to garnish with any or all of the following: diced fresh tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, etc.

A loaf of bread and a batch of cinnamon rolls... from scratch

We had our first major brush with winter weather this week - a typical DC mix of snow, ice, and rain, creating a big, ugly, slushy, frozen mess. The kiddos were, of course, very thrilled to have three full days off from school. In honor of snow day #1, I decided to make some bread from scratch, entirely by hand, foregoing the bread machine and even the Kitchenaid.


I adapted a couple of recipes from my files to make a big, beautiful loaf of white sandwich bread and a cake pan full of yummy cinnamon rolls. One batch of bread dough will yield either two loaves of bread, two 9" cake pans of cinnamon rolls, or one of each.

White Bread and/or Cinnamon Rolls

(Makes two loaves, 18 cinnamon rolls, or one loaf and 9 cinnamon rolls)

·         2 C warm water (110 degrees F)

·         1/3 C white sugar

·         1½ Tbsp active dry yeast

·         1½ tsp salt

·         ¼ C extra-virgin olive oil

·         5 C bread flour

Cinnamon Roll Filling

·         1/3 C dark brown sugar

·         1/3 C white sugar

·         2 tsp cinnamon

·         1/8 tsp salt

·         < 1/8 tsp ground cloves

·         2+ Tbsp melted butter

1.       In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then stir in the yeast. Allow to proof until a creamy foam develops – about 30 minutes or so – the longer the yeast is allowed to proof, the lighter & foamier it gets, the lighter the texture of the bread will be.

2.       Mix salt and olive oil into the yeast, then mix in the flour, one cup at a time. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

3.       Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, and turn to coat evenly. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. (I set the oven to “warm” and set the bowl on top of the stove to aid the rising process.)

4.       Punch dough down, knead for a few minutes, and divide in half.

5.       At this point, you may

a.        shape each half into a loaf and place into well-oiled 9”x5” loaf pans. OR

b.       roll out each half into an approximately 12”x9” rectangle, with the long side facing you. For each rectangle: Brush with melted butter, sprinkle evenly with half the cinnamon roll filling, then roll tightly, pinching the seam to seal it. Using a serrated knife, slice into approximately 1 ½” slices. Gently pat into shape, and place into 9” cake pan brushed generously with melted butter. OR

c.        make one loaf and one pan of cinnamon rolls, as described above.

6.       Allow to rise for 30 minutes or so, until dough has risen to 1” above loaf pan or to top of cake pan.

7.       If baking bread: Bake in preheated 350 F oven for approximately 30 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If baking cinnamon rolls: Cover cake pan with aluminum foil, bake in preheated 350 F oven for about 12 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 12-18 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Juicy turkey burgers

 In the "eat healthy, be healthy" spirit of the new year, I opted to make turkey burgers rather than beef burgers for my very first home-cooked meal of 2011. It turned out quite well; G pronounced it to be the best turkey burgers he's ever eaten. I'm not sure how often he's chosen turkey burgers over the regular kind, but I'll take that as the compliment it was meant to be.

I started with the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Quicker Turkey Burgers, which calls for store-bought lean ground turkey combined with a bit of ricotta for moisture, and modified it to add a little more flavor. Here's my version:

Jieun's smoky-spicy turkey burgers
Serves 2.

1/2 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C ricotta cheese
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I used smoky dried chipotle pepper flakes)

Combine all ingredients and divide into two portions. Lightly toss mixture from one hand to the other to form a ball, then lightly flatten into a 1-inch-thick patty.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until very hot, 3-4 minutes. Swirl about 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Add turkey burger patties and cook, without moving, until bottom side is dark brown and crusted, 3-4 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned but not yet crusted. Reduce heat to low, position cover over the pan, slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, and continue to cook an additional 8-10 minutes, flipping burger patties occasionally to promote even, deep browning. Cook until thermometer inserted into the center of the patty through the side registers 160 degrees.

Serve with toppings of choice. (I served with redleaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro, jalapenos, and avocado.)