Lovin' From the Oven

Mashed Potato Casserole

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Did everyone have a wonderful turkey day? I hope so! As always, I’m pretty sure I overdid it and bit off more than I can chew… literally! I woke up this morning still full. That didn’t stop me from eating leftovers for breakfast, though.

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Just in case you still have some cornbread leftover from last night, here’s a great way to use it up! Another bonus: you could also make an easier version of this with leftover mashed potatoes if you have some of that leftover as well.

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I’m totally guilty for making cornbread from a box, but it tastes homemade! Seriously. It’s easy to make and saves time when you’re trying to figure out how to make the rest of the dinner (story of my life). It definitely tastes better than if you were to buy it from the store because you can enjoy them warm from the oven. They’re fluffy, full of flavor, and have plenty of corn.

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You can shape them into however you want: muffins, mini muffins, or loaves. Get creative and use a fun pan for animal shaped cornbread!

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You can find where to buy Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Cornbread mix here. There’s also plenty of recipes to spice up your normal cornbread recipe.IMG_3035

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Mashed Potato Casserole

Ingredients

  • 6-7 small golden potatoes
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup Mexican shredded cheese mix
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 2 cornbread muffins, crumbed

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. After rinsing and scrubbing the potatoes, cut them into 1 inch pieces and boil for 25 minutes.
  3. Drain and then place into your mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the cornbread and mix well until creamy.
  4. Pour into casserole dish(es) and top with the crumbled cornbread muffins. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot!
https://lovintheoven.com/mashed-potato-casserole/

 

Beef Empanadas

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IMG_7426 As promised, here is the empanada recipe that I tried! I do have one confession, though. This recipe uses pie crust as the dough rather than making it from scratch. It was quick and easy to work with, but it definitely didn’t taste right. Don’t get me wrong, it was still good… just a little off. Empanadas aren’t that doughy. The crust was too thick and either not soft or crispy enough. IMG_7435 These would be great for a party appetizer, though. Just label them as miniature meat pies rather than empanadas, deal? IMG_7415 IMG_7405 Even though these empanadas had a huge shortcut by using store bought dough, they still required a lot of work. Each one had to be rolled out, shaped, pinched, and then brushed with an egg wash. How Abuela makes a hundred of these for a party is beyond me. My abuela makes them 1/4 the size of these ones and the dough is from scratch! Talk about passion. IMG_7407 Out of the twelve that I made, I could use maybe four for photos. The rest burst at the seam (as pictured above), didn’t quite get the right color, or the dough ripped somewhere. That’s a 33.3% success rate. Hey, I have to start somewhere, right? IMG_7443 The more that I think about it, the more I am in awe of Abuela. She’s amazing. IMG_7447 The meat mixture tasted right, though. I kept it simple and solely used ground beef, but I’d definitely add some hard boiled eggs and olives in my next batch. IMG_7454 Do you have a tried and true empanada recipe? I’d love to give it another try! Recipe adapted from The Food Network.

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Beef Empanadas

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef steak
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 package store-bought pie crust or your favorite pie crust recipe
  • 1 egg

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a medium-sized skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the beef, onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly so that the ingredients are well blended. Set aside and let the filling cool.
  3. Roll out the pie crust dough and cut out rounds using a 3-inch cutter.
  4. Put 1 tablespoon of filling on half of the round. Fold the other half of the round over and using a fork, press down on the edge of the dough making sure it is sealed all the way around.
  5. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Brush the top of each empanada with the egg wash.
  6. Arrange the empanadas on a nonstick sheet pan and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the empanadas to a serving platter and serve.
https://lovintheoven.com/beef-empanadas/

Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs

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Friends throughout the US, stay warm out there!!! I just finished my three day trip to Chicago twice, and I’ve never felt anything quite like -15 degrees. How do people live in that kind of weather? The moment you step outside, you feel the ice piercing chills straight down to your bone. Everything on your body is shaking and chattering at the same time. The smallest gust of warmth from an outdoor heater is enough to make you feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven.

Please take care of yourselves and be safe in this winter freeze. Turn on your ovens and let that aroma flow through your homes! Today, I’m making asian glazed turkey meatballs.

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Meatballs are actually really easy to make. I don’t know why people even bother buying them when it takes two seconds to make your own batch. You control what ingredients go into them and can adjust the flavor intensity.

I’m pretty new to making meatballs (or cooking, for that matter), so I definitely guessed on all of the measurements. In the end, the only thing that I thought that I put too much of were onions. They wouldn’t have been so strong if I would have caramelized them prior to baking them in with the turkey.

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See? There’s quite a bit of onions in each meatball. Use less than I did unless you don’t want to talk to people for the next 24 hours.

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These would make a great appetizer for a dinner party. All you would need are some toothpicks for everyone to dig in!

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Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 red onion, finely chopped (I recommend using less or caramelizing them prior to mixing in)
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • juice from 1 lime
  • sesame seeds, for garnishing

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the ingredients for the meatballs until evenly mixed. Roll into balls and place on baking sheet.
  2. Lightly mist the meatballs with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 17-20 minutes.
  3. Mix together the hoisin sauce and the lime. Toss the cooked meatballs with the glaze in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm.
https://lovintheoven.com/asian-glazed-turkey-meatballs/

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