Lights, Camera, Action!

I can cook. I also dabble in travel photography. But God love me, I am a terrible food photographer. I envy all of the bloggers out there who have mastered it. Please, please share your secrets with me. Perhaps I chose a poor first subject? I guess pumpkin turkey chili isn't the most glamourous subject, but it happened to be what was on the menu this evening.

Turkey-Pumpkin Chili-recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans, drained

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until tender. Add turkey; cook until browned.

Add tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, cover; stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

• After a long week of cooking and making a complete mess of the kitchen, there's nothing like cooking a meal that uses only one pot. I know it's the first few days of spring, but today was unseasonably chilly, so I grabbed my chance to make this soul-warming chili with an unusual twist: pureed pumpkin!
• It was a pleasing meal, but both hubby and I thought it needed more seasoning. I added a little shredded parmesan before I served it.
• Cute story about the green table the chili is displayed on. The table is actually a square piece cut from an old barn door. We spotted it while on vacation in Asheville, NC about five years ago. It wasn't being sold at a store, it was actually the very table we sat at during our last lunch before heading home. That afternoon, after 4 years of dating, I decided to pin the boyfriend down on when exactly we would move in together (and later get engaged.) The conversation went from timing of the move to what furniture we needed. We both agreed that we needed a kitchen table and also were impressed at the uniqueness of the one we were sitting at. We asked the waiter where they got it, and it turned out the owner made them! They sold it to us and shipped it to Washington, DC for a very reasonable price. Now, when we sit down for meals we are at the very table where we decided to spend our life together. Nice, huh?

An Alternative to Chicken Nuggets

I'm trying this recipe for lunch today. I'll let you know how it goes!

Turkey Tenderloins with Maple-Mustard Sauce

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard, divided

1 pound turkey tenderloins, center tendons removed, cut into finger-sized strips

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1. Set oven rack at lowest level and preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together buttermilk and 2 teaspoons mustard in a large bowl. Add turkey and toss to coat. Combine cornmeal, flour, cumin, thyme and salt in another large bowl. Roll the turkey strips in the cornmeal mixture. 2. Brush oil on a rimmed baking sheet, and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Transfer the turkey strips using tongs onto the hot baking sheet and return it to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the undersides of the strips are golden brown. Turn the strips over and bake until the turkey is golden brown on the outside and no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes longer.3. Combine maple syrup and the remaining 1/2 cup mustard in a small bowl. Serve the sauce alongside the hot turkeynuggets.

From Eating Well Magazine

• This is the first recipe I'm posting on the blog that I haven't tried before. The concept is a good one, an alternative to chicken nuggets for the family. Picky children will definitely enjoy how crispy the coating is on the turkey nuggets.
• I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so I used fat free milk. I don't know why this happened, but the coating came off the nuggets very easily when I took them off the pan. Could this be because I coated them with milk rather than buttermilk? Hmm, I'm not sure. Someone who tried this recipe on the Eating Well website suggested putting the turkey into the fridge for 20 minutes (after coating with cornmeal) before putting them in the oven.
• The recipe for the dipping sauce was simple and great. I will definitely use stoneground mustard mixed with organic maple syrup as a marinade for chicken in the future.
• Overall, I wasn't wow-ed by this recipe. But, it wasn't that bad, either. A little heavy for lunch, though. Make it for your kids for dinner. I think they'll like it a lot.