Tired of Turkey yet? Order some wholesome Tomato Sauce from the Singing Tomato!

Tired of turkey left overs?   Well, I have the answer for you!  Go wholesome, healthy Italian!!

I am taking orders for December!  Due to the holiday I have a limited menu to choose from.

• Please have your below orders in by December 6th.
• Unfortunately I cannot deliver anything this month outside the west side (i.e. between west of downtown and Bellevue.)  If you order and you are not in that area - we will need for you to schedule a pick up visit.  
• Orders will be ready the week of December 10th.
• To order please email me at thesingingtomato@yahoo.com

Menu Items for December:

Rosaria's Sunday Gravy:  slow simmered tomatoes, garlic, carrot, olive oil, onions, oregano and parsley!  So yummy!
Price - $7.00 per quart

Bolognese Sauce - a saute of red onion, carrots, and garlic in olive oil to release the flavors and then slow simmered with tomatoes and organic ground beef.  Add your own pasta and badda bing - you have a dinner in 8-10mins.  (also can be made with ground turkey.
Price - $15.00 per quart

The Luciano Meatballs!  - Organic beef blended with parmesan, onion, garlic, italian spices and an egg and then slow simmered in tomatoes all day like they did back in Brooklyn!
Price - $15.00 for 8 meatballs (organic beef)
Price - $10.00 for 8 meatballs

WAY EASY Green Beans - healthier than the casserole

I must confess, I have never liked the holiday tradition of green bean casserole.... Ok please don't fault me - just a taste thing. Also, with all the cream based soups in it & the fried onions - not sure how good for you it is... So I came up with this version and it tastes great and presents very pretty. You can use fresh green beans if you already have a steamer at home & have the hang of it. Me? I am not a steaming expert yet so....

Ingredients:
2 steam in the bag green beans (the fancy long kind)
1/2 stick of real butter
4 cloves garlic minced through a press (if you are a garlic person, like me, use more)
1T EVOO
S&P to taste

Steam the green beans as directed.
Meanwhile, back at the stove....In a large sauté pan or a fry pan melt your butter on medium/low. Once melted, add EVOO, and minced garlic, S&P. Sauté together until garlic is fragrant - don't burn. If you burn the butter - start over.

When beans are done, (this is why you need the large sauté pan) dump the beans into the sauté pan and toss to coat with the garlic butter mix. Once well coated put in your serving dish and serve.

Tips - this should take all of 10mins. So this will be the last thing you do before dinner.

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins! EASY!

I have a Thanksgiving Day tradition since childhood. We have a big fancy continental breakfast while watching the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade. However, trying to go wheat free can be a downer on this breakfast tradition when you want to be eating muffins and pastries along with the family. So I went in search of the great pumpkin muffin. I came across several recipes but on their own they weren't very flavorful but when I started mixing things together and matching spices - I came up with this one that tastes, to me and friends who I have used as market researchers, like the inside of a pumpkin pie. I LOVE them, put I am a pumpkin lover, any time of the year. I use them in place of toast with my eggs on the weekends or snacks at work. You can put them out to non-paleo eaters and I am thinking they will love them too. Great as a breakfast item, snack or roll them out with the turkey on Thanksgiving instead of dinner rolls. And they are easy to make too.. These days I have found coconut flour at Publix and Kroger - but it is still cheaper on Amazon. Here you go...

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz)can organic pumpkin
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup of coconut oil (melted)
6 eggs
1T of vanilla extract
1/4C honey
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 t ginger
1/8t clove
1/2t Pumpkin pie spice
dash of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 – line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners (12)
In one medium mixing bowl, whisk together coconut flour and spices together, add baking powder. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, pumpkin, oil, vanilla, & honey together, combine well.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and then pour the pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients. Using a stand or hand mixer on low mix together well, scraping down the sides so everything is mixed in well.
Divide batter into the muffin cups.
Bake for 20minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tips:
Coconut oil - to melt put in the microwave in your glass measuring cup in 30sec intervals. You will know if you need more as it melts. Also, do this and let it stand a little in the microwave after done so it can cool down a little. That way when you mix it in with the eggs - it's not too hot and wont accidentally cook the eggs.

Making them look muffin like: Since we are not using rising flour these won't rise and look muffin like unless you make them look that way before cooking. To get the look - use an ice cream scoop instead of a spoon when putting the batter into the muffin cups. They will go into the oven with super cute muffin like rounded tops.

UPDATE! Blue Diamond Garlic Mashed Potatoes!

So I have been working on this since I posted it last year. I believe that I have PERFECTED the mashed potato - if I do say so myself (insert smirk here). In fact, I served them to my Dad, a self proclaimed mashed potato expert, with my 1st attempt at beef burgundy. He was still talking about them the next day. And thus I present the piece du resistance, the new and improved Blue Diamond Garlic Mashed Taters!

Ingredients:
1 - 5lb bag of yukon gold potatoes
2 - 1lb bags of frozen cauliflower florets
2 sticks of REAL butter (or 1 package of Kerrygold Butter)
8 C water (or enough to cover the potatoes & cauliflower)
1/4C "Better than Bouillon" Chicken bouillon
1 container Allouett garlic and herb (I use light - it makes me feel better since I am using so much butter but that's just a head game I play with myself - you can use the whole fat version)
S&P

You're gonna need a BIG pot - go find the one you use for a shrimp boil or chili party and use this. Wash and quarter the potatoes and put them in the pot.
Then dump in the cauliflower
cover with water and then add the chicken bouillon
Bring to a boil and boil about 45mins until everything can easily have a fork go through it.
Drain and put veggies back in the pot.
cut up the butter and put in the pot, add in the Allouett. Mash up everything until well mixed and creamy. S&P to taste.

You will think THESE ARE AWESOME!!!!

Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey!

Hi All - in the honor of Thanksgiving, I am reposting my No Fail Thanksgiving Turkey recipe.  This is the recipe I used to make my VERY first turkey and it came out PERFECTO!  Where did I learn this recipe you may ask?  My mother?  My grandmother? Nope.  The sales lady in the appliance department at Sears.  Yes seriously.

Picture it, Nashville, 2009, November.  We had just moved into our new home only 4months earlier and money was pretty tight.  We kept all the ugly yellow appliances and the thought was we would replace them when either they die or we re-save up the money.

We invited both sides of the family to our new home, as we were very proud of it, for Thanksgiving for me to cook the turkey for the very first time.  Then the fright of frights, only a mere 4 days prior to Thanksgiving - MY RANGE DIED!  ACK!  I was in tears, Darren was consoling me and off we went to Sears to pick out a new oven.

At Sears, this angel - I don't even know her name - helped us find the perfect range.  While she and I were working up the rush order, I asked her about stuffing the turkey because I had heard all these different ideas and thought I would get hers.  

She said, "GIIIIIURRRRL!  NO NO NO!  You do not stuff a turkey!  You yankees do turkey all wrong."  I was so taken aback.  I looked at her and asked her to impart her Southern wisdom on me...  she shared the following recipe with me.  I followed it to the letter and my very first turkey was absolutely the most moist, flavorful turkey even my mother said she had ever had.

And now I share this with you:

• 1 whole fresh frozen Turkey (calculate your pounds by thinking how many guests you are having and then divide by 2.  Like, you're having 16 people for Thanksgiving – you will need an 8-10lb turkey.  And remember to get a little extra in case extra people show up and for sandwiches and turkey pot pie in the days after Thanksgiving).
• 4-5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored & sliced into chunks
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 sticks of butter – room temp so it's soft (YES REAL BUTTER – you can use light butter but the package should say BUTTER)
• 2T lemon juice
• 2t thyme

Ok – thaw out your turkey in the fridge.  The bigger the turkey the more time you will need to thaw – I have a 15lb one this year and I am taking it out of the freezer on the Sunday before.  Do not believe the package that 48hrs if enough time.  They lie.

Preheat your oven according to the package.

Once thawed remove all packaging, and put Tom Turkey in the sink start rinsing and get all the insides out – this is gross so you may want to get your mom or your man to do this if you are weak of heart.  Some people cook these up for the dog – I throw them away b/c they are gross.  Rinse everything and put Tom in the pan you're going to cook him in, breast side up.

In a large mixing bowl put the carrots, apples and cut up 1 & ½ sticks of butter up in chunks.  Add the lemon juice & 1t of thyme – mix it all together so it is tossed nicely.  Then take a large spoon and spoon the mixture into both ends of Tom's center cavity.  To have him full of apples, carrots and butter.  Once full – close him up but tucking his legs around the opening or using some cooking spears – metal is best.

Then salt & pepper him on the outside and sprinkle the other teaspoon of thyme all over him.  Then grab the other stick and a half of butter and massage it into him all over until he is well covered.  Then cover him and put him in the oven.  

Now read the package and do the math to figure out how long to cook him b/c it's based on his weight.  You will bast  him every 30mins.  Cook him covered for half the time and uncovered for the other half  that way he stays moist.

Also, you may want to try my Blue Diamond Mashed Potatoes with this.  Even my dad - a die hard mashed tater expert LOVES these - even though they are healthy!  

Nov. Menu - Orders Due by Thursday Nov. 15th!

Hello my little maters!   Our November menu is abbreviated because of the holiday and I am cooking for the family.  Don't worry though - you can still get your basics and a great breakfast treat (Paleo Pumpkin Muffins) before the holiday!  And I will be reposting my perfect every time turkey recipe.

Email your orders to thesingingtomato@yahoo.com with your name & phone number.   Thanks!

Signature Sunday Gravy – slow simmered tomato sauce (ingredients: tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, carrot, garlic, oregano, parsley, onion) gluten free, no sugar added, Paleo diet friendly.

Price: 1 quart – $7.00

Bolognese Sauce – a slow simmered meat sauce made with tomatoes, ground organic ground beef. (ingredients: tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, carrot, garlic, oregano, parsley, onion) 

gluten free, no sugar added, Paleo diet friendly. 

Price: 1quart - $15.00

Meatballs – Handmade and slow simmered all day in crushed tomatoes and Italian spices.

(ingredients: organic ground beef or turkey, parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, baking powder, egg, tomatoes) low carb, gluten free, Paleo diet friendly

8 meatballs dressed in the tomatoes they were cooked in.

Price:

Turkey - $10

Organic Beef - $14

Spaghetti Squash Pasta – Spaghetti Squash prepared for easy service to replace starchy pasta.  Add your favorite sauce or just butter, olive oil, fresh garlic and tomatoes for a great healthy Italian meal!

(Ingredients: spaghetti squash) low carb, gluten free, Paleo diet friendly

Price: 1 large squash prepared (serves 2-4) - $10

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins – Ingredients: Pumpkin, coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, honey, baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, sea salt.

Gluten free, Paleo Diet Friendly, lower carb

Price: 1 dozen - $18.00