Tag: turkey

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Goodbye, Garden

By Fran Hill

If the recent frost and hard freeze had you scampering to clear the last of the tomatoes from the garden, I have got you covered with a recipe for some excellent sauce to make with those babies. This Home-Canned Pasta Sauce has been a favorite with us for several years, and everyone loves it. Basil and garlic enhance the tomatoes for a most delectable gravy. And after all the chopping, simmering, jarring and processing is done, how about some meatballs?

Usually, when I reach into the freezer with meatballs on my mind, I grab a package of ground beef, but the other day, I felt like something a little different and chose ground turkey. The resulting meatballs were tender, flavorful and, best of all, super simple to prepare. Nestled in a bed of pasta and blanketed with some of that fresh sauce (or purchased sauce, I don’t judge), these are a perfect lighter option for a cozy comfort food meal for the now cooler evenings.

Turn the last of summer’s tomatoes into a light and delicious pasta sauce.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly with your hands. Using a small cookie scoop, portion and roll the mixture into about 20 walnut-sized meatballs. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. (Serves 4)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Turkey With A Twist

By Fran Hill

I love Thanksgiving. Just the thought of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberries makes my mouth water. When it comes to my menu, I am a traditionalist. I’m not interested in any new amazing twists to my recipes. Basic roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and green beans don’t need any fancy sauces. After all, we have gravy. Lots of delicious gravy.

Likewise, I don’t need any you-won’t-believe-how-good-this-is makeovers for my leftovers. I think that a hot turkey sandwich smothered in — you guessed it — gravy, or one layered with dressing and cranberries on a sweet dinner roll is perfection. And who doesn’t love turkey soup simmered with homemade noodles a couple of days later? Yep. I am content with the basics of Thanksgiving dinner.

However, sometimes my thankful heart is just a little bit bigger than my stomach. My bird may barely fit into the oven, and even after passing the carved turkey around the table yet one more time, there is still a lot of roasted poultry left for the coming days. That’s when I get creative.

Pesto is one of my favorite summertime staples, and tossed with diced, cooked turkey, it creates a fresh take for leftover sandwiches. Roasted red peppers also brighten the flavors and make it one more thing for which to be thankful.

If you’ve had enough of the traditional Thanksgiving fare, turn leftover turkey into a fresh and flavorful sandwich.

Pesto Turkey Salad Sandwiches

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup pesto sauce

3/4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups cubed cooked turkey

1/2 cup diced celery

focaccia bread, cut in half horizontally, toasted, and sliced

3-4 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers (from bottle)

romaine lettuce leaves

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in turkey and celery.

Spread 1/2 cup of salad onto half of bread slices. Top each serving with chopped roasted red peppers, lettuce leaf, and remaining bread. (May sub rotisserie chicken for the turkey for a quick year-round alternative. Makes 5 sandwiches.)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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I Am Thankful

By Fran Hill

I am thankful. I didn’t spend the past month daily professing my gratitude on Facebook, but I am thankful. I have been blessed beyond measure, even in times of struggle. On reflection, perhaps I am most thankful for those struggles. They make me who I am, and I am thankful. Very thankful.

I could be true to my over-sharing, rambling nature and go into detail of my struggles and my blessings, but do I really need to? We all face challenges. We all feel the thrill of success and the hurt of loss. We all have people in our lives that make them better, and some that don’t. We are all human, and though our experiences may vary, at the end of the day, we are all thankful for what we have and also for some of what we don’t. Life isn’t easy, but life is good. I am thankful. Very thankful.

On Friday, with my fridge brimming with Thanksgiving leftovers, I will be thankful for leftover turkey to throw together a simple lunch during a day of chores and errands. Poblano, ham and turkey quesadillas, quite thankfully, rock. I will serve them with some of the basic canned salsa that I preserved from our summer garden, but might add some chopped jalapenos to the leftover cranberry sauce, too. The roasted chiles meld with the cheeses and the saltiness of the cured ham and really kick up the turkey. I am thankful. Very thankful.

Poblano, Ham and Turkey Quesadilla


2 fresh poblano peppers
Olive oil
Mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used a mix of mozzarella and Monterrey Jack.)
Queso fresco, crumbled
Thin sliced deli-style ham
Sliced or shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey
Flour tortillas
Unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and drizzle with oil to cover. Roast for 10-15 minutes until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred, turning them occasionally. Remove the pan from the oven. Immediately place chiles in a medium bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed chiles; cut into strips. On each flour tortilla, layer cheeses, ham, turkey, and poblano strips equally over one half. Fold the filled tortillas in half. Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add a folded tortilla and toast until the cheese melts and tortilla is crisp, flipping halfway through. (I covered skillet while first side was crisping to help hold in the heat to melt the cheese.) Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding butter to the skillet as necessary.


Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their two dogs ranch near Colome.

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Fowl Balls

By Laura Andrews

One of my jobs here at South Dakota Magazine is to call people to verify dates, time and activities for the events you see in each issue’s Traveler section and in our online calendar. It’s fun to talk to people and learn what’s happening around South Dakota, but every now and then, an event puzzles me. For example, do you know how to race minnows? The concept was new to me, but it’s one of the activities at the Rhubarb Festival up in Leola. So I asked Leola’s City Finance Officer, Candice Kappes, what a minnow race was. Her response?”They race minnows.”

Ok, but HOW? Minnows can’t run. You can’t mark them the same way you’d mark a turtle or a plastic duck, and I have no idea how you’d make a racecourse in a tank of water. Turns out Candice has never seen the races either, so she’s going to check them out at the festival on June 1 and let me know how it works.

When I called folks in Huron to find out about Turkey Races, I came across another stumper. I wasn’t puzzled by the races themselves — they’re simple, goofy fun designed to raise money for local causes. Two-person teams, often wearing costumes, coax live racing turkeys from the local Hutterite colony across the finish line. The group with the fastest turkey wins a $1000 nest egg. There are other activities, too — Ringer the Ringneck Pheasant and other local characters compete in a mascot race. The land ski races are similar in awkwardness to the classic sack race — four-person teams strap their feet to two 2x4s and see how far they get.

But the part that puzzled me was the fowl balls.”I’ve never heard of those before — are they some kind of turkey meatball?” I asked. There a brief moment of hemming and hawing on the other end of the line. Turns out fowl balls are the avian equivalent of Rocky Mountain oysters. Aha!

John Hott, Plant Manager of Dakota Provisions, introduced Huron to the testicular tradition. They’re known as turkey fries back in his home state of West Virginia, but acquired the”fowl ball” moniker at Sioux Falls Stadium, where they were once served during Canaries baseball games.

Hott’s ball-handling method is simple:”We cut them into bite-sized pieces about the size of a piece of popcorn chicken, then bread them and deep fry them.” Hott uses a hot and spicy Cajun seasoning to give the nut meats some pizzazz. Then they go in the deep fryer. Wait until the balls bob to the surface, then cook for another ten minutes or so.”I like to go off of the color. You want to make sure they’re a nice golden-brown color,” Hott advises.”Once they start floating, you’d think they’d be done, but obviously you don’t want to bite into a raw testicle.”

The fowl ballers are offering a new product this year. In honor of the Huron Baseball Association, recipient of this year’s race proceeds, they’ll be serving bats — smoked turkey drumsticks injected with Cajun seasoning — along with the balls. Ask for ’em at the fowl ball stand at Turkey Races in downtown Huron on Friday, May 17.

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South Dakotans Flock to Poultry Crawl

By Heidi Marsh

Did you know it takes approximately half the soybean harvest in Minnehaha County to feed our state’s poultry? Neither did I until last night when my husband Craig (the agronomist) and I attended a Poultry Crawl in Sioux Falls.

The Crawl, hosted by Ag United and the Poultry Association, was a progressive dinner that served poultry-based dishes prepared by three of Sioux Falls’ most popular chefs. We started the evening with a delicious turkey wrap and chicken skewer appetizer at K Restaurant. Chef Sanaa, owner of Sanaa’s Mediterranean restaurant, delighted us with a rice and turkey main dish. The night ended at Josiah’s Coffeehouse, where Steve Hildebrand gave credit for his delicious pie crusts to none other than good eggs!

The food was outstanding, but even more enlightening was the discussion with South Dakota poultry producers. Representatives from Dakota Provisions turkey in Huron, Dakota Layers eggs in Flandreau, Hy-Line North America genetics and others offered their expertise about the industry. Here’s just a few tidbits I learned:

  • If you enjoy the Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT from Panera, you’re eating turkey that’s raised on a South Dakota Hutterite Colony and processed in Huron.
  • Flandreau is being overtaken by hens! The hen population at Dakota Layers is over 500 times larger than the city population … that’s 1.3 Million busy little layers.
  • South Dakota currently ranks first in goose production.
  • City chicks in Sioux Falls? You bet! You can legally raise chickens in your backyard as long as the flock is maintained and kept in a coop. Visit HomeGrown Sioux Falls for more information.

Ag United hosts a variety of similar events all with the goal to educate and promote South Dakota farm and ranch families. Visit their website for more information.

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Lean and Mean

By Fran Hill

Dieting makes me cranky. Grumpy. Mean. I like food. I like food a lot. And, I eat. I eat a lot. Therefore, sometimes, I think that I need to diet. And, sometimes I am cranky. And grumpy. And mean.

However, dieting should not be about deprivation and cranky meanness. Good food can be lean and healthy. Making a few substitutions for higher fat/calorie choices is all I really need to do, and Turkey Meatloaf is a great option for a lower fat meal.

I know, I know. South Dakota is beef country. We like our steaks and burgers. But, trust me. The sautÈed onions and Worcestershire seasoning really do elevate the flavor of this turkey meatloaf. It isn’t a soggy beef wannabe. It is a hearty, tasty, and filling dinner that you will be happy to have on your plate. Toss a salad, roast some new potatoes, and add a green vegetable to the menu. Turkey Meatloaf can be the perfect center of a lean meal. No cranky. No grumpy. No mean.


Turkey Meatloaf

(adapted from Ina Garten)

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 325F. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan. SautÈ onions until translucent. Add salt, pepper, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste; mix well. Allow sautÈed onion mixture to cool to room temperature.

Combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on a greased sheet pan. (I really prefer to bake my meatloaves in this manner and not in a loaf pan. No sticking in the corners; no sitting in grease, if it is a less than lean meat choice; perfect browning all around.) Spread the ketchup evenly on top. (I have used chile sauce instead of ketchup for an extra kick; barbeque sauce might work, too.)

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meatloaf is cooked through.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and two dogs reside near Colome.

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Gobble, Gobble : Turkey and Apple Sandwiches

Today we welcome a new food columnist, Fran Hill, to the South Dakota Magazine site. You may remember her from our Mar/Apr 2010 issue. Fran’s been sharing recipes and stories from her kitchen in Colome on her blog On My Plate since October of 2006. In her first column for us, she shares some of her leftover turkey secrets.


By Fran Hill

With Thanksgiving comes turkey, and with turkey comes leftovers. It is only natural for my food thoughts to turn to turkey sandwiches.

I love a mini turkey “slider” (although, truth be told, I was eating these long before “sliders” became popular and hit every trendy menu from here to eternity). King’s Hawaiian Rolls are purchased just for sandwiches with leftover turkey. Dressing (yes, dressing with giblets, celery, and lots of sage) gets piled on with slices of turkey and big dollops of cranberry sauce. The sandwich gets tossed into the microwave just for a few seconds to heat the dressing, and I am almost in danger of throwing out my jaw in order to open my mouth wide enough for the first bite. It is pure post-Thanksgiving heaven for me.

However, there are several other sandwiches that rank highly for the turkey that makes it past the Thanksgiving table. A Turkey and Apple Sandwich slathered with Cranberry Mayonnaise is awesome, too. I love the crunch that crisp, fall apples provide against the creamy tartness of the cranberry mayonnaise. Spinach is a nice addition, and thinly sliced red onion or even a slice of sharp cheddar are also great.

What is going to be on YOUR turkey sandwich?

Turkey and Apple Sandwich with Cranberry Mayonnaise

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2-4 tablespoons cranberry sauce (homemade or canned; I have used both because who makes cranberry sauce from scratch when you want a turkey sandwich in May?)

Dash of cayenne pepper

Sliced turkey (leftover roasted is the best, but deli turkey works for those non-Thanksgiving cravings)

Baby spinach, thinly sliced red onion, sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever floats your boat on your sandwich)

One tart apple, thinly sliced

Whole grain bread (I used Ciabatta sandwich rolls this time, but any good, hearty bread is suitable.)

Combine the mayonnaise, cranberry sauce and cayenne in a small bowl. Taste. Add a little salt, if you desire, or more cranberry sauce to up the pucker. Spread a portion of the Cranberry Mayonnaise on one slice of bread. Layer sliced turkey and your choice of fixings on the mayo-slathered bread. Top with the thinly sliced apple (and more mayo, if you desire). Crown each sandwich with another slice of bread. Enjoy.