As I write this, the outdoor thermometer reads 63 degrees and it’s gray and kind of rainy. Perfect, I suppose, for Turkey Meatloaf Muffins.
However, flashback three days and I was in Hawaii, gazing in awe for the thousandth time at Ka’anapali Beach, feeling the 85 degree sunshine on my face, snorkeling with Nemo fish (my unscientific term), and wondering why I would think it’s a good idea to fly home. I mean, really? What is there at home besides laundry, grocery shopping and – gasp! – back to work.
Plus, once I get a chance, I’m actually really good at vacation.
But alas, reality and our flight check-in reminder collided and here we are, back in Minnesota. And if there was anyone who was really glad to see us back, it was Earl the Pug. 🙂
(Although it should be noted my brother and his family took very good care of Earl, who appears to be the senior citizen “alpha dog” when he visits them – my brother’s two bulldogs (English and French) and pug don’t bother Earl and – shocking! – don’t even try to steal his food!)
I have way too many photos and GoPro videos to sift through to write a vacation post right now. I need to give myself some time before trying to capture the trip in a blog post. In other words, stay tuned!
In the meantime, I enjoyed making these Turkey Meatloaf Muffins tonight, my last night of vacation before heading back to a very busy office tomorrow. I actually first tasted these turkey mini-meatloaves at a reception in Washington DC in July and I thought they were fantastic. I followed the recipe as is, and have a few notes at the end about that, as well.
Enjoy!
Lara
Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
Recipe source: Farbest Foods, Inc. (a turkey company in Huntingburg, Indiana)
- 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce (I bought a can of Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce)
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1.75 pounds of ground turkey (I used JENNIE-O® Lean Ground Turkey – about 1.5 packages)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- 3/4 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces (I used pork bacon because that’s what I had handy but feel free to try turkey bacon for this!)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin pan with some cooking spray.
In a skillet, saute the onion and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil for about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and let cool for about 10 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, red pepper, and brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, Panko breadcrumbs, onion/mushroom mixture, poultry seasoning, salt, papper, and garlic powder. Add 1/3 cup of cranberry/chili sauce mixture. Mix well, shape into balls, and place in muffin tins.
Place the pieces of bacon on top of each turkey meatloaf muffin. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and top each muffin meatloaf with the remaining cranberry/chili sauce mixture. Bake for 5 more minutes – or until the meatloaves reach 165 degrees F using a meat thermometer.
Let pan set for 5 minutes before removing the pan; then serve!
Notes:
- Teacher Man and I would’ve liked more sauce on top, so next time, I would double the cranberry/chili sauce mixture and be more generous.
- Joe liked the turkey meatloaves but not the sauce (go figure), so we decided we could warm up the sauce on the stovetop and serve it on the side so that each person would have the amount of sauce they wanted.
- Original recipe indicated this yields 20 muffins. I, however, am of the “go big or go home” variety in the kitchen, so my output was 15 muffins.
