Mushroom and Turkey Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells

I had some leftover mushroom marinara I needed to use up so I decided to make some stuffed shells with mushrooms, spinach, and turkey Italian sausage. It was a super simple recipe to make and tasted fantastic. If you don't have time to make your own marinara, just use your favorite sauce from a jar. I served the stuffed shells with homemade French bread for a delicious and hearty meal.Stuffed

Mushroom and Turkey Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells

I had some leftover mushroom marinara I needed to use up so I decided to make some stuffed shells with mushrooms, spinach, and turkey Italian sausage. It was a super simple recipe to make and tasted fantastic. If you don't have time to make your own marinara, just use your favorite sauce from a jar. I served the stuffed shells with homemade French bread for a delicious and hearty meal.Stuffed

My cut-price Christmas turkey

As you can see I managed to get my cut-price turkey - just. I had a moment's panic when we went to Sainsbury's at 3pm and found there wasn't a single turkey left.

But Waitrose had several including this under half price offer on a 5.5kg organic bronze which was reduced from £57.77 to £27.19. I could have got a cheaper one still for about £9 from their Essentials range but this seemed too good a deal to pass up. Some more free-range birds came out as I was queuing to pay.

The checkout assistant told me that last year the last turkey in the store - an outsize organic bird - had been reduced from £74 to £5.99 just before they closed at 7 o'clock so if you hold your nerve - or are prepared to cook something other than turkey if you miss out - you can probably get one cheaper still. But I'm pretty pleased with my bargain.

Have a very happy Christmas everyone, however you spend it x.

My cut-price Christmas turkey

As you can see I managed to get my cut-price turkey - just. I had a moment's panic when we went to Sainsbury's at 3pm and found there wasn't a single turkey left.

But Waitrose had several including this under half price offer on a 5.5kg organic bronze which was reduced from £57.77 to £27.19. I could have got a cheaper one still for about £9 from their Essentials range but this seemed too good a deal to pass up. Some more free-range birds came out as I was queuing to pay.

The checkout assistant told me that last year the last turkey in the store - an outsize organic bird - had been reduced from £74 to £5.99 just before they closed at 7 o'clock so if you hold your nerve - or are prepared to cook something other than turkey if you miss out - you can probably get one cheaper still. But I'm pretty pleased with my bargain.

Have a very happy Christmas everyone, however you spend it x.

Southwestern Casserole

I saw this Cooking Light recipe on Myrecipes and decided to make it for dinner. I adapted it a bit by adding more spices, more green chiles, cilantro, and avocado. This recipe was simple to make with very little clean up. It was delicious, hearty, and filling without all the guilt - I love that. If I wasn't cooking for my kids, I would add some jalapeño to the meat mixture for a bit of a kick.

Southwestern Casserole

I saw this Cooking Light recipe on Myrecipes and decided to make it for dinner. I adapted it a bit by adding more spices, more green chiles, cilantro, and avocado. This recipe was simple to make with very little clean up. It was delicious, hearty, and filling without all the guilt - I love that. If I wasn't cooking for my kids, I would add some jalapeño to the meat mixture for a bit of a kick.

Salt-Crusted Turkey

Each year that I host Thanksgiving I brine my turkey. Usually it's a simple salt and water solution that the turkey soaks in overnight. The salt pulls the moisture to the surface of the bird and keeps it that way, resulting in a very delicious bird.

This year, I'm switching things up a bit. Rather than soak the bird in brine, which calls for a large enough vessel to completely cover the turkey, I'm salt-crusting. There are many recipes out there for a salt-crusted turkey, but they are for a crust which bakes around the bird and is then broken away once baked. My own thoughts were to crust the bird with salt and herbs, marinate for several hours in the refrigerator, and then roast as usual.The ending was pure bliss. The turkey was moist and delicious and the salt and herbs wasn't overpowering. The gravy was even wonderful after augmenting with salt-free stock and water.

I suggest trying it beforehand with a smaller bird like a roasting chicken, but do try it, my whole family loved this and there's no way I'll be able to have Thanksgiving this year without it.

First thing's first, though, and you need to start with a quality turkey. I prefer Butterball, I've never had one yet that wasn't perfect and I know each time I purchase one I'm getting the best there is. So, I started with the right turkey and the recipe goes a little something like this:

For a 10-12 pound turkey, combine 1 cup Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons ground sage, 2 teaspoons crushed thyme and 1 teaspoon crushed tarragon. Mix well and coat the washed and dried turkey with the mixture, inside and out, leaving a crust surrounding the bird. Refrigerate, covered lightly, for 4 hours or up to 8.

Properly crusted bird

Roast the turkey according to directions and when it's done, break away and excess salt crust, being careful not to let it fall into the drippings in the pan, and discard. baste the finished turkey with pan drippings or extra salt-free stock.

Perfectly roasted

Carve as usual and make sure to add enough water or salt-free stock to the drippings, tasting frequently, to lower the heavy salt content, if you choose to make gravy that way.

Now, here's the fun part of this post - I have 2 FREE BUTTERBALL TURKEY CERTIFICATES to give away and all you need to do is post here in the comments about your favorite turkey preparation or holiday memory and I will choose 2 winners on Friday the 20th of November.

**Turkey for this post and turkey certificates were given to me free of charge. this post contains my unbiased opinions of Butterball and I was not sent compensation in any other way.

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins topped with Spinach and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

My kids and I were shopping at Trader Joe's and they were passing out samples of their frozen turkey meatloaf muffins that were topped with spinach and mashed potatoes. We all really loved them so I decided to re-create them at home for dinner. It was a fun recipe to make and they tasted even better than the store bought version.Turkey Meatloaf Muffins topped with Spinach and Roasted Garlic

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins topped with Spinach and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

My kids and I were shopping at Trader Joe's and they were passing out samples of their frozen turkey meatloaf muffins that were topped with spinach and mashed potatoes. We all really loved them so I decided to re-create them at home for dinner. It was a fun recipe to make and they tasted even better than the store bought version.Turkey Meatloaf Muffins topped with Spinach and Roasted Garlic

Linguine with Turkey Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Arugula, and Ciliengini

There is a restaurant in our town called Mingo that my husband and I just love. They have great food, wonderful ambiance, and terrific service! They also have a linguine dish that makes me drool. It's so simple, hearty, and delicious that I truly crave it on a weekly basis. I decided to try to recreate it at home and I was very proud of myself because it turned out delicious and very close to

Linguine with Turkey Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Arugula, and Ciliengini

There is a restaurant in our town called Mingo that my husband and I just love. They have great food, wonderful ambiance, and terrific service! They also have a linguine dish that makes me drool. It's so simple, hearty, and delicious that I truly crave it on a weekly basis. I decided to try to recreate it at home and I was very proud of myself because it turned out delicious and very close to

Penne with Sausage, Peppers, and Homemade Marinara

I am a lucky girl because I have a kind and generous neighbor named Jack. Not only is he a great guy he also has a green thumb and a very big garden. I looked out my window recently and there were two huge bags of fresh veggies waiting for me - yes, Jack even delivers. In the bags I found zucchini, cucumbers, corn on the cob, and a ton of beautiful tomatoes. I decided to make a simple marinara

Penne with Sausage, Peppers, and Homemade Marinara

I am a lucky girl because I have a kind and generous neighbor named Jack. Not only is he a great guy he also has a green thumb and a very big garden. I looked out my window recently and there were two huge bags of fresh veggies waiting for me - yes, Jack even delivers. In the bags I found zucchini, cucumbers, corn on the cob, and a ton of beautiful tomatoes. I decided to make a simple marinara

Turkey Italian Sausage, Kale, and Pasta Soup

It's been chilly the last few days here in Oregon and as sad as I am to see the summer go, I am excited for fall to begin. I really love cooking and baking in the cooler weather and one of my very favorite things to make is soup. I found a soup recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen that sounded really hearty and delicious. It was easy to make and had very little clean up. We all really loved this soup

Turkey Italian Sausage, Kale, and Pasta Soup

It's been chilly the last few days here in Oregon and as sad as I am to see the summer go, I am excited for fall to begin. I really love cooking and baking in the cooler weather and one of my very favorite things to make is soup. I found a soup recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen that sounded really hearty and delicious. It was easy to make and had very little clean up. We all really loved this soup

Deluxe Pizza

I wasn't in the mood to make a big dinner after a day of back to school shopping. The kids requested pizza so we grabbed some dough and sauce at the store then used ingredients I had on hand for the toppings. Our pizza was filled with turkey Italian sausage, turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, onion, artichoke hearts, black olives, and fresh tomatoes. It was hearty, filling, and so delicious

Deluxe Pizza

I wasn't in the mood to make a big dinner after a day of back to school shopping. The kids requested pizza so we grabbed some dough and sauce at the store then used ingredients I had on hand for the toppings. Our pizza was filled with turkey Italian sausage, turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, onion, artichoke hearts, black olives, and fresh tomatoes. It was hearty, filling, and so delicious

Turkey, Havarti, and Avocado Bagel Thin Sandwich

I am in love. Yes, I've said this before but this time I really, really mean it. This is my new favorite sandwich. My friend Sara introduced me to seeded bagels and I just loved them. I found some seeded bagel thins at the store and couldn't wait to make my first sandwich using them. I picked up some tasty roasted turkey and low fat Havarti from Trader Joe's. I used avocado instead of mayonnaise

Turkey, Havarti, and Avocado Bagel Thin Sandwich

I am in love. Yes, I've said this before but this time I really, really mean it. This is my new favorite sandwich. My friend Sara introduced me to seeded bagels and I just loved them. I found some seeded bagel thins at the store and couldn't wait to make my first sandwich using them. I picked up some tasty roasted turkey and low fat Havarti from Trader Joe's. I used avocado instead of mayonnaise

Italian Sausage and Mushroom Stuffed Manicotti

We had friends coming for dinner and I needed to use up the turkey Italian sausage and mushrooms I had in the refrigerator so I decided to make manicotti. I found some marinara in the freezer so this meal turned out to be pretty easy to make. It was hearty, delicious and a big hit with everyone, kids included. This will be on our dinner table again and again.Turkey Italian Sausage and Mushroom