Meat loaf is one of our great comfort foods but I wanted to make it a little more healthy - with ground turkey. The problem is giving it enough flavor and keeping it moist. This is a combination of my regular meat loaf recipe and the turkey burgers posted earlier in the blog. We liked it even better than the regular meat loaf.

Turkey Loaf

Serves 4+

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
2 cups Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups milk
3 Tbls. pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 carrots, diced
4 oz. crimini mushrooms, diced
2 Tbls. fresh basil, minced
1 Tbls. fresh sage, minced
1 Tbls. fresh mint, minced
zest of one lemon

Soak the stuffing mix in the milk until soft. Combine all of the ingredients. Place in a loaf pan or free form in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

These are great little pastries to serve with sorbet or ice cream or even by themselves. I used bittersweet chocolate chips instead of the milk chocolate and strawberry preserves instead of the raspberry. Just use your favorite chocolate and fruit combination.

Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers

Makes 32 small pastries

1 17 1/4 ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup raspberry jam
3 1/2 oz. fine quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper (or silpats). Cut each pastry sheet into 16 squares. Place 1/2 tsp. jam and 1 tsp chocolate (I used 5 chips) in the center of each square. Brush the edges of each square with the egg. Fold each square in half to form a triangle, pressing the edges to seal. Brush tops with remaining egg and transfer to a lined baking sheet.

Bake pastries until golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes and serve warm.

This appetizer is the first to go - people love it. I make it with regular andouille sausage, but I'm sure any kind of sausage would be great.

Chicks in Blankets

Makes 32

1 17.3 ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
3 Tbls. whole grain dijon mustard
4 fully cooked chicken and apple sausages or chick andouille sausages (about 12 ounces) cut into 32 rounds
1 large egg
2 tsp. milk

Pierce the unfolded puff pastry sheets with a fork. Cut each sheet into 16 squares. Spread 1/4 tsp. mustard in the center of each square. Place a sausage round on top of the mustard. Fold 2 opposite corners of the pastry square over the sausage, overlapping slightly, and press to seal. Place sealed side down on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet. These can be make up to 8 hours ahead up to this point (cover and refrigerate).

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl for glaze. Brush with the glaze. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until pastry is puffed and golden, about 12 minutes longer. Serve warm.

This is kind of a fake risotto using Orzo that's easy to make. It's from the March 2007 issue of Bon Appetit.

Carrot Orzo

4 Servings

6 ounces peeled carrots (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 Tbls. butter
1 cup orzo
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tbls. chopped green onions
1 tsp. minced rosemary

Place carrots in processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo and carrots and saute until orzo is golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, broth, and garlic; cook uncovered over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, green onions, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.

These were a hit for Super Bowl. The marinade was great - next time I make it I'll reduce it a little bit more and use it on a pork tenderloin. I found it on the Food Network site - it's Rachael Ray's recipe.

Asian Glazed Wings

2 Tbls. oil
12 whole chicken wings, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup plum sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
2 inches ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 Tbls. tamari
1/2 to 1 tsp. red chili flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Liberally season the chicken wings with the salt and pepper. Add it to hot oil in a large skillet on high. Brown the wings for 3 minutes per side. In a small pot, combine the plum sauce, orange juice ginger root, tamari and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat. Pour the simmering plum glaze mixture over the browned wings. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping the wings half way through the cooking time.

Remove the wings from the oven. If the glaze is not syrupy and thick, place the skillet on the cook top and reduce it until it is. Toss the wings around in the glaze and finish with the fresh cilantro and basil.