"Better Than Jon Fairbanks in the hot-tub" Tortellini Soup

This may be my most scandalous post yet... but I'm sure you have heard of "Better than S--" cake. Well this soup is in the same vein. This soup is one of my new favorites and Jon Fairbanks was really one of my favorite boyfriends. A lot of times the recipes I post are named after guys I just went out on one or two dates with. But Jon was my boyfriend for about 4 months and in those months there was an infamous "incident" in a hot-tub that my dear friend and roommate, Kj, witnessed and reminded me of when I was in Texas visiting her last month. (In fact she reminded me of a few other choice, juicy events from my college days that I haven't disclosed yet but believe me when you see a dish bearing the name Steve Stockard- it will be a complete guilty pleasure with almost no nutritional value;)! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. You were forewarned!) But back to why I am naming this soup after Jon Fairbanks. Jon was and I'm sure still is a great guy. He has honest, a gentleman and HOT! And this soup is all those things. Not really sure how a soup can be a gentleman but somehow it works. And even though things eventually had to end, when they did Jon was nothing but forthright and open. I was sad the relationship ended but grateful for the experience. And this soup will leave you with the same feeling. When you look into your empty bowl with just the spoon sitting in there you will be sad the meal is over, but completely satisfied with the experience. Who knew that both soup and old boyfriends could be so filling?!?

1 lb. italian turkey sausage (You can use regular sausage but it is completely fine without it.)

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

5 C. beef broth

1/2c. water

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 c. thinly sliced carrots

1 1/2c. sliced zucchini

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. parsley

1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce

2 C. cheese tortellini

Parmesan cheese for the top.

Brown meat and then remove from pot. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and zucchini in the oil from the meat. You may need to add a little extra oil if you have really lean meat. When veggies are translucent- about 5 minutes- add sausage back in with broth, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add tortellini and cover and simmer for 35-40 mroe minutes. Top with cheese.

I have a secret ingredient I put in almost all my soups, except maybe chili. I have kept it secret because it is kind of obscure, but it really does put your soup over the top. It is a parmesan cheese rind. It gives your soup a smooth, creamy flavor and adds a bit of saltiness. If you buy the more expensive parmesan cheese and save the rind once you are done using the cheese, you can save it in your freezer for soups. And it goes well in this soup. You just put it in with the rest of the liquid ingredients and let it simmer. Sometimes it dissolves completely and other times you have to fish it out. I have heard that you can buy parmesan cheese rinds at the deli counter at Harmans but I have yet to check it out myself. Oh and for the record, Jon's secret ingredient was his abs. I saw those in the hot-tub!

Mike I Dare you to make these Turkey Burgers

Julie and I were in charge of cooking club this month so I have a three recipes to post and three boyfriends to name them after. That's a band of boyfriends but not to worry- my past can handle it. Oh, and no boyfriends were harmed in the naming of these recipes.

Mike I Dare you to make these Turkey Burgers

So confession time- Mike Dare was not my boyfriend- he was my roommate's. But she was on a mission and Mike missed her so he and a friend took me and another roommate out on a date so he could be reminded of her. So I was a good substitute for his real love. So if the men in your home have a devoted, true love to beef hamburgers then I dare you to make these turkey burgers. They really are quite good and a good alternative to ground beef. Your family may find that if they are not near the one they love, they love the one they are near.

1 lb- lean ground turkey

1/4 c. bread crumbs

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. horseradish cream

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 good pinch black pepper

6 slices of Havarti cheese

guacamole

lettuce

cucumber slices

mayo

6 Hamburger buns
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together soysauce, horseradish cream, garlic, lime juice, sesame oil and pepper. Add turkey and bread crumbs and mix together just until combined and seasonings are dispersed well through meat. Be careful not to over work or burgers could get tough.

Divide meat into six burgers. Meat should be soft. Preheat grill. Place patties on hot grill and cook until good and brown on bottom, about 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for another 4- 5 minutes. Once they are done I transfer them to a part of my grill that isn't on- like a rack on the top or a side that isn't on. Then I put a slice of cheese on top and let it melt while I toast the buns on the grill for a minute.
Then I put a layer of mayo, guacamole, lettuce and cucumbers on the bun with the burger. Then enjoy.

As for the potatoes in the picture- you'll have to wait for Julie to post her recipe for "Chad's Crazy Coconut Couch Potatoes- Maughan" (said like 'mon' with a Jamaican accent if you please.)

Matt Nicosia Florentine Meatball Calzones with Creamy Tomato Dipper

The only reason Matt Nicosia was chosen to grace the title of this recipe is because Matt was Mediterrean and "Florentine" is Mediterrean. So if I come across a fabulous Greek dish that I feel I must post, I will be out of luck because Matt was the only Greek I dated. But he was tasty and so is this dish.
10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung of excess water
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, half grated and half finely chopped. I usually grate my onion with a microplane but if you don't have all the fancy tools I have:) then you can use a regular grater. But if you like your knuckles at all I would probably just chop it up finely.
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 eggs, 1 lightly beaten
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/8 tsp nutmeg
S & P
2 10 oz. tubes refigerated pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 14 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes- If you use diced tomatoes- use a potato masher- you know all the fancy tools I have- to smash the tomatoes up in the pot.
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp dried
1/4 c heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425. Combine spinach, ground turkey, grated onion, half of the garlic, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, both cheeses, nutmeg and S&P. Work the mixture together with your hands until combined and set aside. Spread the pizza doughs out onto the counter. Cut in half widthwise and in thirds lengthwise, making 6 squares out of each tube of dough. Take a scoopful of the meat mixture (about 1/4c.) - I use an ice cream scoop- nothin' but fancy tools at my house- to make a meatball and drop it onto the corner of one of the squares. Continue in this way until there's a meatball on each square. Brush the edges of each square with a little of the beaten egg and fold the opposite corner over to close in the meatball and make a calzone. Fold and press the edges to seal the meatball inside. Brush the tops lightly with egg. After you've finished doing this to all freakin 12 of them, bake until dark golden brown- about 15 minutes.
While the calzones are baking, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the chopped garlic and remaining garlic to the pan, season with S & P and cook until tender- about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes- use that fancy potato masher if you need and let simmer while the calzones bake. Add the basil and cream right after you take it off the heat to serve with your tasty and healthy calzones- your kids won't know they are eating spinach- I promise.

E-Train's Turkey Broccoli Pasta Bake

Last Thanksgiving Eric and I made this recipe up to help use up some of our turkey leftovers. I thought it would be incredibly rude of me to name a dish Eric helped make up after an old boyfriend so I did a little shout-out to Eric's college days with one of his younger days' nicknames- "E-train". He was also a "hard guy" in high school- Some of you 1992 MHS graduates might know what this means but I didn't think "hard guy" lent itself well to the title of a pasta dish. Eric served his mission in Italy therefore we make and eat a lot of pasta in our house. And Eric is an excellent cook. When we first got married we took some homemade rolls that Eric had made to a family party and my Grandma pulled Eric aside and said, "Isn't it so nice to have a wife who can make homemade rolls." Eric didn't correct her but I sheepishly told her Eric had made them. She responded, "Well, even better." Needless to say Eric knew a lot more about cooking than me when we got married. But ahhh- the apprentice has become the master over the course of 12 years! Ok- enough chit chat- here's the yummy recipe if you have any turkey leftovers, left.

1 lb penne or ziti pasta- cooked

4 cups shredded turkey

2 cups steamed broccoli

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 medium onion chopped

small can of mushrooms or you could use fresh - but we didn't have any.

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

4 Tbs flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup cream

1 Tbs White wine vinegar

1 crushed clove of garlic

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil and butter together over medium high heat. Add onions, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until onions are soft- about 4-5 minutes. Add flour to make a roux- cook for a minute or two. (If you use fresh mushrooms you may have to add more oil to make the roux, because those babies just soak up the oil!) Add chicken broth and cream. Let thicken, then add vinegar, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and S& P to taste. Let cook for a few minutes. Combine pasta, turkey, broccoli, and roux. Pour into a 9 x 13 sprayed with cooking spray. Then top with Swiss cheese. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is browned on top.

"Robert Hales was such a Turkey Meatloaf"

No, I didn't date the General Authority Robert Hales- but the Robert Hales I did date told me he was his son and I believed him for a long time. Until I was watching General Conference one time and Elder Hales was talking about his family. He mentioned his three daughters but said nothing about a son. I immediately marched over to his-the Robert Hales I had dated-apartment and found him sitting there with a sly look on his face. Therefore this dish is named after him. So if that Robert Hales googles his name and finds it in this recipe- I don't think he will be surprised. He was a turkey- albeit a cute and funny one! Anyway- I thought this recipe would be a good November one. I really like the combination of turkey and cranberry and the leftovers makes a really good sandwich. (Incidentally- A leftover turkey meatloaf sandwich sounds like something a 1950's wife would pack her husband for lunch in one of those little tin lunch boxes with a Thermos of milk. But don't let that stop you from trying it. Trust me- it makes a tasty sandwich!)
1 lb ground turkey
1/3 c milk
1/3 c bread brumbs- or a leftover piece of bread
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small carrot- grated
1/2 onion- grated
1 egg
Topping:
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c cranberry sauce
1 TBS prepared mustard
1 TBS brown sugar
Pour milk over bread crumbs. Add turkey, salt, pepper, thyme, carrot, onion and egg. Mix thoroughly. Form in a loaf pan. Mix together ketchup, brown sugar, cranberry sauce and mustard and pour about 1/2 over meat. Save the rest to top the meatloaf once it is done. Bake at 300 for 1 1/2 hours until meat is no longer pink.