My T-Day Recipes

made a "feast" on T-day this year for just Jarrod and I. But for once, EVERYTHING turned out really good. So I thought I would share these recipes with you in case you need or want any. :)

Herbed Bread Stuffing with Mushrooms and Sausage
Making your own bread cubes is easy and yields delicious results. You can prepare the toasted bread cubes two to three days before Thanksgiving; store at room temperature in a zip-top plastic bag. If there's space in the oven, bake the stuffing while the turkey roasts. Otherwise, bake it in the morning, and reheat it while the turkey stands.
1 1/2 pounds peasant-style white bread (I used a garlic loaf, not garlic BREAD, but a fresh loaf baked with garlic)
4 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage (I used Gimme Lean Soy sausage crumbles, which are really good, instead of turkey sausage. It comes in a tube like regular ground sausage)
2 teaspoons butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
Cooking spray
 2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
1 1/4 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400°.Trim crust from bread. Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until toasted.Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Combine bread cubes, sausage, and mushrooms in a large bowl.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add to bread mixture. Combine eggs and broth, stirring with a whisk. Add to bread mixture; toss to coat. Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until browned.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 1 cup) CALORIES 208 (27% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 1.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 68mg; CALCIUM 46mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.9g; SODIUM 635mg; PROTEIN 13.6g; FIBER 4.1g Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon-Horseradish Cream
Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each 

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
4 strips crisp-cooked bacon, finely chopped (I used turkey bacon)
¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream or lowfat Greek yogurt
 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Put Brussels sprouts in the basket and steam until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. 2. Mix bacon, sour cream, horseradish, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss to coat.

Roasted Beets with Feta
Yields: 4 servings
"This colorful and elegant side dish is so easy to make. I love making this with beets and shallots straight from our local farmers' market. Green onions or chives may be substituted for the shallot if you prefer."

INGREDIENTS:
4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
2. Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3. While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.

4. To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving. *Note I made the beets the day before and then sliced and heated them up before dinner and did the rest.

Honey-Brined Turkey
Bon Appétit | November 1999
 
by Janet Fletcher

The bird gets its incredible moistness from being soaked overnight in a brine enhanced by thyme, garlic cloves and honey."Because of the brining process, we don't recommend stuffing this turkey."
***Note when brining a turkey always make sure it's labeled "All Natural" or "Wild" or "Organic" because otherwise this will be too salty with the saline solutions that other kinds of turkeys are soaked in before selling.
Yield: Makes 14 to 16 servings

Turkey:
1 19- to 20-pound turkey
 8 quarts water
2 cups coarse salt
1 cup honey
 2 bunches fresh thyme
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons coarsely cracked black pepper
2 lemons, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth.

For turkey:

Line extra-large stockpot with heavy large plastic bag (about 30-gallon capacity). Rinse turkey; place in plastic bag. Stir 8 quarts water, 2 cups coarse salt and 1 cup honey in large pot until salt and honey dissolve. Add 1 bunch fresh thyme, peeled garlic cloves and black pepper. Pour brine over turkey. Gather plastic bag tightly around turkey so that bird is covered with brine; seal plastic bag. Refrigerate pot with turkey in brine at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Drain turkey well; discard brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out. Squeeze juice from lemon halves into main cavity. Add lemon rinds and remaining 1 bunch fresh thyme to main cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub turkey all over with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste turkey with 1 cup chicken broth. Continue to roast until turkey is deep brown and thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, basting with 1 cup chicken broth every 30 minutes and covering loosely with foil if turkey is browning too quickly, about 2 1/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent turkey loosely with foil and let stand 30 minutes.

*Note I made this with a 15lb turkey. To brine something this big you need a large pot or a bucket. Then put the lid on it and set out in garage (if you have cold winters) or in a fridge with a lot of space.You can do the bag, but it will be big too.Also my 15lb Turkey only took 2-1/2-3 hours to cook.

Pumpkin-Maple Pie 
We've made our pumpkin pie even richer by adding maple syrup. 
Crust: (I didn't use this crust recipe- see below)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray
Filling: 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
 Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle surface with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball).

Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, to a 12-inch circle. Freeze 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Fold edges under; flute.Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare filling, beat 1/2 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients (1/2 cup sugar through eggs) at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add milk and pumpkin; beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 50 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

 CALORIES 267 (25% from fat); FAT 7.5g (sat 4.1g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.5g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 72mg; CALCIUM 129mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.5g; SODIUM 152mg; PROTEIN 6.3g; FIBER 2.6g Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1999


Essential Eating Well Pie Pastry

Makes about 14 ounces dough, enough for one 9- to 11-inch pie or tart.

* Note I added 1/4 cup fresh ground flax seed swapped for 1/4 cup of the wheat flour. I also used less butter. It was perfect!

Ingredients

¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter (½ stick), cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup ice water, plus more as needed
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar

Instructions

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces. Add oil and stir with a fork to blend. Mix 1/4 cup water, egg yolk and lemon juice (or vinegar) in a measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add enough of the egg yolk mixture, stirring with a fork, until the dough clumps together. (Add a little water if the dough seems too dry.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times. Form the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Tips-Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Essential EatingWell Pie Pastry

Nutrition Information Per 8 servings: 166 calories; 8 g fat (4 g sat, 1 g mono); 41 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 1 g fiber; 82 mg sodium; 16 mg potassium.

Per 10 servings: 133 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 33 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 65 mg sodium; 13 mg potassium. Per 12 servings: 110 calories; 5 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 28 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 54 mg sodium; 11 mg potassium.

Well that's about it. I also made potatoes but I don't really use a recipe for those. I used 5lbs red potatoes, boil them, then mash with buttermilk, a teensy bit of butter (like 1-2 tbls depending on how many potatoes), some roasted garlic (roast whole head wrapped in foil with a little olive oil for about 40 min then squeeze out cloves), and salt of course. These are easy to make a day before and reheat the day of.

But all these recipes, even with my substitutions noted, were really really good! I highly recommend them.

Delicious Stews for Fall

OK I will try to keep up this blog again at least once a week! But I would love to know if anyone reads it. It would be nice. :) Otherwise- I'm not just writing this for myself! ha ha.

Well I have a couple soups/stews to share with you that we've been munchin on. One is veggie and one is not. The first I used my kale from the garden in it the second I needed to use my tomatillos and jalapenos from the garden so it was perfect. Both are delicious, and i was skeptical of the squash soup with the olives but I must tell you it's fabulous(if you have an aversion to bell peppers, just leave them out). I had it with some rosemary bread, yummmmm...

White Bean, Butternut Squash, Kale and Olive Stew

Bon Appétit | January 1996

Yield: Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
3 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups canned vegetable broth
1 1/2 large bunches kale, thick stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch strips
1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
5 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, halved
Freshly grated Romano cheese

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add squash; sauté Add bell peppers and stir to coat with onion mixture. Add broth. Cover and simmer until squash is just tender, about 10 minutes.

Mix kale and sage into stew. Cover and cook until kale wilts, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add beans and olives and stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer stew to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle generously with cheese.

I am not posting right now

OK I am seriously not posting anything lately because I am fairly certain no one is reading this. In which case I feel pretty narcissistic. I will probably get back to this. But if you want to peruse my past postings, most of them are not about me but more about the projects I've worked on this past year or other things I've been doing and like to share how you can do them yourself (cooking, organic gardening info,sewing, etc...)

My Verdict on the "Nicole" line by OPI

Ok saw this stuff at the local walgreens and liked the color Turbo Teal. I vaguely remembered reading something about OPI making a formaldehyde free line of of their nail polish. I'm not a super nails done kinda girl but once in awhile I get bored and paint my nails like a lot of others. I like it. My toes look prettier than they have ever looked. Even covered in dirt from the garden and splattered in raspberry jam from making jam tonight. In fact I think my raspberry jam kinda goes with Turbo Teal. http://www.nicolebyopi.com/ourphilosophy I think I am gonna paint Gypsy's nails now too to match. We just got finished filing hers down with the dremmel tonight. Although I am not sure if she will sit still for this...

Make Your Own Organic Insecticides, It's Easy

Well here is some useful info for you gardeners out there. I've been a busy bee in the garden this summer (which means no new things in the store really) and this weekend is no exception. Came across these recipes in this months issue of  Organic Gardening magazine and thought I would share for those who also like playing in the dirt.

 ~All-Purpose Spray~
"works on a multitude of pests, including slugs and Japanese Beetles"

• 1 garlic bulb
• 1 small onion
• 1 tsp powdered
• cayenne pepper
• 1 quart water
• 1 tbls liquid dish soap

Chop the garlic and onion in a blender. Add the cayenne pepper & water. Steep for one hour. Strain through a cheesecloth. Add liquid dish soap so the spray sticks to plant leaves. Mix well. Spray the mixture on both sides of the leaves. Store remaining spray in a labeled jar in the fridge. Note: Certain plants are very sensitive to soaps and can develop leaf burn. Always test on a leaf or two the day before spraying the whole plant.

~Hot Pepper Spray~
"Easy to make hot pepper spray repels insects and curious cats and dogs when they eat treated plants. Wear rubber gloves when preparing and uding the mixture. The peppers can cause irritation."

• 1/2 cup hot peppers
• 2 cups water

Puree peppers and water in a blender. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth. Apply every 5 to 7 days until pests are gone.

~Tomato-Leaf Spray~
"the alkaloids found in tomato leaves are toxic to soft-bodied pests such as aphids. Bonus: This spray also will attract the beneficial Trichogramma wasp, which preys on corn-earworm eggs."

• 1 to 2 cups tomato leaves
• 4 cups water

Gather tomato leaves from the bottom of the plant so won't interfere with tomato production. Mash or chop the leaves and add 2 cups water. Let steep overnight. The following day, strain out the leaves and discard. Dilute the liquid with 2 more cups of water. Spray on the effected leaves, especially the undersides of the lower leaves where aphids congregate. To lure Trichogramma wasps, spray the entire corn plant.

Clean your Veggies! And eat them too

Well sorry I am not posting so often. I am so busy in my garden in the summer, and I celebrated my 30th bday in CA with my nephew and rest of family on the last week of June. I'm a busy girl right now! Although not busy with my crafty stuff :( Hopefully I will have time soon. I was washing my kale and snap peas from the garden in a bowl of water when I was reminded of the Oprah Earth Day show which I totally LOVED that she did and had all these fantastic topics and information for the masses who may not have otherwise accessed it. I remembered there was a friend of Julia Robert's (who was also on the show) on there who had a recipe for a veggie spray to clean your veggies and fruits. I am going to get the stuff to make it tonight, but I thought I would share it with you as well if you are interested.

Sophie Uliano's Veggie Cleaner Spray

From the show Oprah's Earth Day Event

If you can't buy organic produce, you need to make sure you wash it thoroughly. Use this spray to make sure your fruit and vegetables are squeaky clean.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 TBLS baking powder
• 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract*

Combine all ingredients in a large container or large bowl (baking soda will fizz up at first). Then, transfer to a spray bottle with a pump. Spray mixture on produce, and rinse thoroughly after 5 to 10 minutes. She said on the show that it takes 5-10 min to get all the pesticide residue and waxes to come off from your veggies and fruits. But also with organic you need to wash as well because of the manure, compost and possible other things they may use for fertilizer and/or pests that aren't necessarily safe to ingest (ie. diatomaceous earth I use in my garden). IF you are interested in Sophie's website and other green ideas check out her awesome website Gorgeously Green!

Garlic Scapes! How do I love thee? Let me Count the Ways

Garlic scapes are these curly things that grow from the tops of your garlic in the garden. They usually pop up early-to mid summer and they are actually how the garlic "seeds". The best time to cut them is about as soon as the start appearring, but be sure to gaze at them often, because they blend into the foilage and are hard to notice at first! I had to sit and stare at mine a few minutes before I noticed they were everywhere. Though if you don't plant more than a few garlic plants, you won't have to look so hard. I have two big patches of garlic growing in the garden right now as we love garlic and the flavor is SO much more amazing when you grow your own than buy that garlic at the store. There's no comparison.

But I really look forward to when the scapes are ready to harvest. Even if you choose not to eat them, it's best to cut them off when they start growing as they take away energy from the plant growing the bulb underground. You may be lucky enough to find these at your local farmers market. There are plenty of recipes for garlic scapes out there, but not many very unique ones. You will see a lot of the same ones out there, sauteed with butter and salt, pepper is most common and easy. Since they are mdly garlic flavored, but with texture of asparagus, they are good that way. I have a bag full of them to eat right now and I have been adding them to soup but last night I decided they would make a great pizza topping and I am glad I tried it! They were AWESOME on pizza! Here are the two recipes I tried and both were really good. I was nervous that the red sauce would overpower the flavor of the scapes but they blended beautifully and tasted out of this world.

We bought the inexpensive pre-made pizza dough at Trader joes, but any crust you prefer would work fine. We baked one on the pizza stone and the other we used a grill method, first baking it for about 5 min at 400 degrees, then sliding on the top rack of the grill (on low) and putting the cover over it. Keep an eye on this though, if it gets too dark on the bottom move it back to the oven to finish it. But it adds nice flavor and cooks it like it's in a woodfire oven. :)

My First Quilt Was a Challenge

<----My nephew Noah Napping with his grandma in his new quilt . Well I first say sorry I haven't posted in a couple weeks. I had no idea it had been so long! I don't know if many people even read this, but I got caught up with all kinds of business the likes of which I can barely remember. It is a blur, but I ended up flying to California to stay at my parents and visit with my brother, sis-in-law and nephew for his 1st bday party on the 28th. My bday is on July 3rd so we celebrated together. For Noah's bday I really wanted to make him a quilt but I had NEVER made one before. THose of you who are familiar with the process know it's not for the weary. I waited too long to make it as I was busy (as previously mentioned) and I had about 2 weeks to throw something together. I had fabric in mind for it and since I am a total beginner I used this very simple pattern from about.com to started. I used the diagonal pattern and I wanted to use sock monkey fabric, banana print, brown paisley for the backing and the sock fabric print for the border. After I got all the squares together using my serger (as some quilters do not recommend serging a quilt because of accuracy, I was too busy to worry about that stuff!) I realized that it was going to be huge, so I cut off about 5 rows of squares on the bottom entirely. IN the end it was about 36" square. After that I attached border strips using the sock fabric print, and then "bagged out" the quilt to finish it easily rather the more fancy, accurate way of finishing. I figure Noah may end up dragging this thing around anyway, so accuracy was not too important, and serging was important for durability. Quilting it was a challenge as I could barely fit all that stuff in my sewing machine and still sew straight. You must need a special foot for quilting but I was too flustered to even look for one, I just had at it on my regular little Brother sewing machine. I quilted the quilt in diagonal lines for easiness and to avoid highlighting my sometimes, inaccurate seams by not "stitching in the ditch". I bought my first cutting mat and rotary cutter for this project, they were on sale at Joann Fabrics 40% off so that was good enough excuse for me to get one. I have to say, if I cut all this with scissors it would have taken MUCH longer! Cutting all the pieces was the most tedious part of it. Ironing and sewing the patches was the next hardest part. I did little parts at a time. I cut one day, sewed the front another, sewed the backing another, and layered/quilted the last day. IT was necessary as I have no patience with myself. Overall, it's a cute quilt! Not perfect by any means, I would have liked to have the bananas on the backing and the paisley where the bananas are in hindsight. But there was no way I was gonna tear that thing apart and start over again! I also made Noah a sock monkey, I put it together in the car while we drove to the Seattle airport (1-1/2 hour drive) so it was very, ahem, home-made looking. I didn't get a picture of it but you wouldn't be impressed anyway.

Planet Green Channel

The first "all green channel" http://http://planetgreen.discovery.com/ Planet Green I don't know when this channel started airing officially but I am sick today at home and I cannot change the channel! Everything on is interesting and fun to watch. Even if I am aware of many of the things they are doing I am really enjoying seeing people adjust their lifestyles and not to mention all the hot guys, and sexy people in general talking compost, green building, etc... Right now there is the show on with hottie Adrian Grenier called Alter Eco, http://http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/alter-eco/ and they are building a house the green way but meeting interesting people and showing cool edofriendly shops while they are doing it. OK i know that being green is getting trendy, and this is kinda cheesy for those of us who have always been into protecting the earth, but if this is what it takes to make things more positive for our future let's just let this run its course and hope that it turns out positive. BEsides I can't get enough of these hot guys like Leanardo DiCaprio http://http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/greensburg/ talking green ! And they have http://http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=36144fd6c6cc39bfcb995f6b75346b16f0f84e9a funny commercials! And did I mention SEXY HOT GUYS???? (Yes guys, that machositic "I can't give up my giant truck" primative attitude is NOT attractive to most women).

Pasta Bolognese My Way

Earlier this year my parents came out to visit us in Washington state. We went to Seattle for dinner one night and ate at this wonderful place called The Pink Door http://www.thepinkdoor.net/ . I ordered some homemade spinach lasagna, Jarrod ordered some sort of pork chop, and upon the servers reccomendation my parents both ordered pasta bolognese. I don't eat beef but of course I've heard of the dish, it's pasta with meat sauce I thought. BIg deal. But all my parents kept saying was "this is so good" and had Jarrod give it a try which had him saying the same thing.
   So ever since I've been wondering the big deal is. This weekend I whipped out the ol pasta machine and decided to make my own version to see if it was any good. The recipe sounds so simple I couldn't imagine what was so great about it. So first I made a wheat noodle version of tagliatelle, since that's the type of noodle the dish was served with at the restaurant. Tagliatelle is a wide egg noodle, wider than fettucine.
Then I made my own version of the sauce after reading several different highly rated recipes of the beef version, I adapted them to make my own recipe. The sauce smelled wonderful cooking and the noodles were a pain to make, as is all homemade pasta, but well worth the effort as always.
While you don't have to make your own noodles, I highly reccomend you buy fresh made noodles or at the very least, get those fettucine noodles in the refrigerated section to make this dish. The results were out of this world yummy, I don't know why because the ingredients are very simple. I do admit that the use of milk in the sauce seemed very weird to me and I was skeptical, but not anymore. From now on this will be a treat in our house.

Cara's Pasta "Bolognese"
Serves 4-6

For the Noodles Makes 1 1/4 pounds.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1 cup whole wheat flour
5 large eggs

Mound flour in center of a large work surface, and make a well in the middle. Crack eggs into the well. Using a fork, beat eggs; slowly incorporate flour, beginning with inner rim of well. When flour is incorporated, gather dough together to form a rounded mass. Begin kneading dough with the palms of your hands. Once dough comes together, scrape up any dried bits of dough; discard. Lightly flour work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before using. Divide dough into 4 pieces; keep 3 pieces covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Flatten dough to a shape somewhat narrower than pasta machine opening. Lightly dust dough with flour. Feed through machine's widest setting. As pasta emerges, gently support it with your palm and guide it onto the work surface.
Fold dough in thirds; roll out again. Repeat process 5 times. Pass pasta through the next finer setting, repeating the folding and rolling process 6 times. At the third setting, repeat process only 3 times. If pasta sheet becomes too long to work with easily, cut it into 2 pieces. Dust pasta lightly with flour to prevent sticking, if necessary. Roll dough through progressively thinner settings, without folding, until you have reached the thinnest or next-to-thinnest setting. Using the widest-cut attachment of the pasta machine, cut pasta sheets into 1/2-inch wide strips. To cut pasta by hand, cut each pasta sheet into 10-inch lengths. Brush lightly with flour, roll up sheet, and, using a sharp knife, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips; unroll. Use tagliatelle immediately, or dry on a floured work surface and store in an airtight container for up to three days.

For the Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, chopped fine
3 celery ribs, chopped fine
1/2 pound ground lean turkey
1/2 pound Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, removed from casings
1 cup milk (any FF, 2%, whole, whatever you prefer)
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1 cup dry white wine
 28- to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes including juice
 1/2 cup tomato sauce

**To make a vegetarian (lacto/ovo) version use Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage grounds and/or Veggie meat grounds in place of the turkey. I am sure it will be just as tasty!

In large heavy saucepan heat oil over moderately high heat and sauté onion, carrot, and celery, stirring 2 minutes. Add turkey and turkey sausage and cook, stirring, 2 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Season mixture with salt and pepper.
Add milk and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until most milk is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.
In a blender or food processor coarsely purée tomatoes with juice and stir into sauce with tomato sauce.
Cook sauce at a bare simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour and 15 minutes (sauce will be thickened) and season with salt and pepper. Sauce may be made ahead and cooled, uncovered, before being chilled, covered, 2 days or frozen 1 month. In an 8-quart kettle bring 7 quarts salted water to a boil.
Cook pasta until al dente (about 6 minutes for fresh, longer for dried) and drain in a colander. In a heated large bowl immediately toss pasta with sauce. This is essential to toss the pasta with sauce because the noodles will absorb some of the flavor.

After making this I've decided I need to get an electric pasta machine. That hand cranker is quite a pain in the ass after awhile!