Ground Turkey and Apple Stuffing

Thanksgiving is HANDS DOWN my favorite holiday! The food, the company, and the kick-off to the holiday season just puts me in the best mood.

My morning always starts with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I love live performances, especially from the casts on Broadway! And the Rockettes are always a must to watch for their perfect kicks and poise. I have never been to see the parade in person, but my spot from the couch isn't too bad. It's cozy inside!

I am used to a BIG thanksgiving. Some may even call it a "Big Fat Italian Thanksgiving." Do we really need wedding soup, pasta, and meatballs with our turkey? That is a question I have learned to keep to myself. The answer is yes. It's not a meal unless there is pasta.

My least favorite job on Thanksgiving is making the turkey. Man, it is stressful! First, you have to buy it, then thaw it for days, then attempt to wash somewhere sanitary, and finally dress it up, bag it up, and hope you buttered it up enough. It's a marathon. Then the worst part is when I underestimate how long it will take to cook and everyone is waiting all day for that thing to be done. Hangry guests are the worst kind! So if you are the person in charge of the turkey this year, I commend you for your hard work!

I have come to realize that planning ANYTHING is just not feasible in 2020. My original plan for Thanksgiving was to spend it with my parents and my sister. We had all been social distancing to be together. It was a hard and disappointing decision to stay away for Thanksgiving, but we had to stop this vicious cycle of COVID from spreading through the family. One 14-day quarantine after another after another could lead us all the way to the new year. So this year, my Thanksgiving dinner with be with my lovely little sister and the rest of the family on Zoom.

I am honestly so thankful that I grew up in a household where I learned how to cook. It has become a creative outlet for me, especially during medical school. I will be making Thanksgiving for two this year. If you're curious to know what we are having, I will share with you our little Thanksgiving menu.

To our disappointment, my sister and I could NOT find a turkey at the grocery store, so we opted out of it! I will make a cranberry pork tenderloin instead. It is one of my favorite recipes that my mom gave me. As for our serving of turkey, it is in the stuffing! You can stuff it in your turkey or bake it separately. As a little festive twist, I am going to bake it in a pie pumpkin. For just the two of us, it is going to be perfect. You can find the recipe below. I am so excited to share it. This year I am also making this sweet potato casserole. With the pecan and sugar topping, it is almost like a dessert. Shout out to my good friend, Meg for the recipe. My sister is going to roast some asparagus with some parmesan cheese, prosciutto, olive, oil, salt, and pepper. It will be a good meal!

I have also been doing some baking this week. I have already made mini apple pies, mini pecan pies, banana bread, pumpkin cookies, and a chocolate roll. It feels so good to get creative in the kitchen and put my studies away for just a little bit. But no worries, I will be back in the books again in no time.

There are so many things I am thankful for this year. A lot about my life has changed in the past 12 months. I am thankful for my family, especially my parents who are my biggest supporters. I am thankful for the amazing group of friends that I have made in medical school to carry me through the ups and downs. My sister is also a person I could not do life without. I am thankful for the little things in life, like walks outside, like letters in the mail from thoughtful people, and heartfelt conversations. I am blessed to continue my medical school education through a world pandemic. I am learning so much.

So however you may be celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you laugh, love, and enjoy the day. Please, for me, be safe, careful, and thankful! Remember to count your blessings. There is so much goodness about this life that we can share with others. The best is yet to come. Wishing you all well!

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Ground Turkey and Apple Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. ground turkey (I used 85% lean, 15% fat)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 celery stalks, diced

• 2 large carrots, diced

• 1 large sweet onion, diced

• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed

• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon allspice

• 2 large apples, peeled and diced (I used gala but a more tart apple will work well too)

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 12 oz. herbed stuffing mix (I am using this one from Pepperidge Farm)

• 1-2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large non-stick pot, brown the ground turkey. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. In the same pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, and butternut squash. Cook until carrots are soft and onions are translucent.

4. Add mushrooms and garlic. Sautee until mushrooms are soft.

5. Remove from heat. Mix in salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, vegetable mix, apples, and cranberries. Toss together gently.

7. Add stuffing mix and 1 cup of chicken stock. Mix until well combined but not too soggy. Add extra chicken stock if needed, 1/4 cup at a time.

8. Pour the stuffing mix into a large casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes to crisp the top.

To bake in a pie pumpkin: Core pumpkin and coat with olive oil (inside and out). Fill with unbaked stuffing mix. Bake covered at 400 degrees for 45 minutes hour. (I used a dutch oven for this. It seems to be the easiest way to handle the pumpkin.) Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let cool and enjoy!