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So I want to make tacos, but normally I use ground beef and the Taco Spices that come in a packet. I want to step it up so I got ground turkey instead and I want to spice it myself. Does anyone have suggestions? I am assuming I will saute some garlic first then toss in the turkey with s&p and some chili powder, but there just seems like there should be more than that. Can anyone give me tips?

Now, I am no taco expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I would guess Cumin and Coriander are definites. And I am a huge cilantro fan so I'd always sprinkle some on top. Hope that helps a little!

Try a meat that's not ground, but shredded or cubed. Look up "carne asada". Let a hunk o' beef slow cook in your crock pot all day with some garlic, cayenne, cumin, chopped chilis, s&p and a little water for some steaming affect. (Throw a shot of tequila in there too).

Temp-test it for safe done-ness, then shred it into a bowl. Toss the shredded meat with some fresh lime juice and cilantro, and try THAT in your tacos!!!!

Not to burst your bubble, but my chef hubby calls most packaged ground turkey "beaks and a**holes." And it tastes accordingly, IMHO.

Really? I must be a turkey boor, because we made some really nice turkey burgers last week and it seems a shame to me to buy nice expensive meat and then spice/fry the bejasus out of it. If I'm buying a nice turkey, I'm roasting it or something, not making quickie I-don't-want-to-cook meals with it. I'm not going to throw away the stuff I've got.

But thanks for the carne asada idea, I'll have to try that in the future.

I just want to chime in support of Anne, I also use ground turkey in my tacos to cut down on saturated fat. Not to burst Bx's bubble, but the assumption that all ground turkey is being purchased in a package is inaccurate. I buy freshly ground turkey at my butcher or make my own from roast leftovers, not prepackaged beaks and butts. And it tastes just fine. I agree with the cumin and chili powder and don't forget a little salt to boost flavor.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good avgolemono soup recipe? I worked at a Greek restaurant and absolutely fell in love with this soup. I know it can be made in a number of variations, each time I have it it's different.

I'm sick and have a sudden craving, and I'd love to make it!

Cheers,
K

Have a martini. All I said is that *most* pre-packaged ground turkey is crap. I never mentioned fresh ground turkey from a home-roasted bird or butcher. Did I. Thank you.

I have a tiny little food prep question that really can't be considered "cooking":

When we got home last night, only one of the bags of groceries ended up getting put away -- somehow we got distracted and the other languished on the floor all night.

The ONLY weird thing was that the 2% milk never got put in the fridge. So far, pending what people on here think, I've put it into the fridge in the hopes that perhaps the fact that it was never opened might make it salvageable, albeit with a much shorter shelf life. I just didn't really didn't want to put it on cereal without being cold so I didn't even open it to smell it yet.

So... what do you think? Throw it out? Or it will be fine?

My fiance is supposed to have a low sodium diet, so we have taken to making homemade tacos. They are noticeably better than the packets, although I do get nostalgic for the salty, packet tacos.

We have found some low sodium tortillas and taco shells. You just have to look.

As for the spices, he uses: cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and chili powder. I am not sure of the amounts. He just plays with it. He uses lots of garlic.

I prefer ground beef, but I think we've used ground turkey.

A lot of times we've noticed that super lean ground beef has less fat and calories than ground turkey. It really depends on the brand of ground turkey.

My opinion is that I would only use turkey ont he tacos if avoiding red meat.


I love carne asade, but the above recipe is for when you are craving the type of tacos you had as a child.

Curtis,

The "temperature danger zone" is between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F. Cold foods that are left above 40 degrees for more than four hours are deemed to be unsafe. But you know what, sometimes you have to live on the edge. Throw it in the fridge, get it cold and try it out at your own risk if you want. The pasteurization and irradiation may have prevented anything nasty from growing. However, what worries me most is how the milk has been handled before you bought it. If it had been handled improperly your improper handling may have been enough to cause something nahsty. Kind of a gamble.

Bx--don't believe everything a chef tells you (all that heat in the kitchen makes them delusional) Just kidding!!!

Curtis,
I'm of the "don't chuck it unless you have to" camp. I'd open it after refrigeration, take a whiff, and take a little taste if it passes the smell test. If ANYTHING is off, chuck it. If not, use it quickly.

You also might consider cooking it into something...maybe rice pudding?

Re: avgolemono soup

This is what my godmother always made me when I was little and too sick for my usual favorite (pastitsio), and it always makes me feel better, too! Add ginger ale and it's practically fail-safe.

8 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of orzo
4 eggs, separated
juice of 3 lemons

Bring the stock to a boil. Stir in the orzo, lower the heat, and simmer about 18 minutes, until the orzo is cooked. Meanwhile, whip the eggs until they form soft peaks, add the lemon juice, and then whip them some more. (You can use a blender if you're sick.) Now, this is the only vaguely tricky part: temper the egg/juice mixture by adding about two cups of hot stock in a constant stream, whipping constantly so the eggs don't curdle. Once the eggs mixture is tempered, pour it into the rest of the stock and serve.

art & Michelle -

Thanks for your responses, because I was a little nervous. Little update: I did go ahead and chill it and then I did taste a little of it before floating some ice cream in it last night, and it was fine! But I will use the rest pretty quickly.

Canning reminds me of my childhood. My Aunt had a blueberry farm in Michigan. Our whole family would visit her during the blueberry season and stay a week or so.
We would take big baskets out into the fields, and pull endless blueberries off the trees. I never thought it was a chore. I loved doing it.
After our visit, we would wash and pick out the bad ones to start canning. We had so many blueberries, we had jams to last until next season began again.
I would love to make blueberry jam again. Every time I see blueberries, I'm reminded of my childhood and this memory.

Curtis,
If you still feel at all queasy about the milk, you could also cook it down into "ricotta" cheese or dulce de leche - which keeps a long time in the fridge.

Thanks regarding the soup. That is same recipe I tried the other night, but I wasn't really happy with how foamy (for lack of a better word) it turned out. I wonder if I beat the egg whites too much. Or, perhaps using more egg yolks to whites might help as well.......

Anyone have tips for how to prep a pie pumpkin? I got three as my CSA finished off at the end of the summer and I am wondering about the most efficient way to make pies out of them.