Transitions for the Contemporary Cook

First Published Oct 7, 2016

Update: So what happened between the plan laid out in this post, and today? Too much. Health issues and scares, money issues, a terrible economy, and attentions needed elsewhere - like getting plumbing fixed, and cars fixed, roofing fixed... It's still a decent plan, and it may yet materialize.

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

Cooking for those with special dietary needs requires an added level of attention to the process of making meals. That's what I've been writing about in this blog – addressing special dietary needs in my own family. I've posted about some of the problems encountered during the years, and I've posted recipes.

Now, my husband and I are a few short years from retirement from our day jobs and our kids are pretty much grown. Our lifestyles are changing, and so to our eating habits.

Of course, Bob and I still adhere to the low-fat, low-sodium mantra of good health. And our son follows the gluten-free diet faithfully. Our daughter is now and always will be a vegetarian.

But I don't have to cook every meal now, and food makers and manufacturers have stepped up their game to capture the gluten free market. Bob's Red Mill, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and others all provide high quality baked good mixes; I don't always have to bake from scratch. Flour blends are also readily available and in some cases, are cup-to-cup substitutes for wheat flour.

Fresh and healthy, with a bit of dessert

So I'm going to move along, and explore the world of food from a different perspective. There's still dietary restrictions to deal with, but healthy eating is now a standard and gluten free is the media darling. For those of us dealing with specialty diets for the last decade, the rest of the world is just catching up.

Now, I want to look at how we can simplify the process of providing meals, in particular to a mature family. Cooking for kids and busy parents is different from cooking for adults, but the techniques and methods aren't mutually exclusive.

JustAz.com Productions has various projects in the works; among them, a series of videos for Contemporary Cooking focused less on recipes and more on ingredients. We'll also be looking at some renovations in the just az gardens, focused on providing some fresh herbs and vegetables for this cook.

 

Over the next few months, we'll transition from the more singular focus of recipes and techniques to a broader approach toward providing meals, looking at more than just cooking in the kitchen. Healthy take-out, make-ahead meals, and product reviews are all on the menu. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Turkey Meatballs in a Slow Cooker

First Published April 23, 2014

Update: I still use this recipe. I may change it up on the aromatics and herbs now and then, but the basic recipe remains the same. 

You can watch the demonstration video on YouTube:

Comfort Food: Turkey Meatballs in a Slow Cooker Control the Fat, Control the Salt

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

 

Original Post: Comfort food is a necessary part of life, no matter what sort of diet you need to follow. Comfort food gives us a kind of inner hug, a bit of a respite from the pressures and obligations of the day. A plate of pasta smothered in a sweet and tangy red sauce and topped with two big meatballs is just such a dish.

The recipe here is suited to my and my husband's particular taste, but it's easy enough to adjust and adapt this recipe to your own palate. I use sweet and earthy herbs for both the meatballs and the sauce, a classic combination of parsley, basil, oregano and rosemary. You can change up the flavorings to suit your taste; for example, you can substitute the rosemary for sage, or add fresh basil to the sauce.

The recipe is a guideline, rather than an absolute. Make this classic comfort food your go-to dish for those times when only comfort food will do.

Ingredients:

Meatball Mix

1 ½ pounds ground turkey

*Herbal mix

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

*Herbal mix: 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and parsley; ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Sauce

3 cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon each of dried basil, oregano and parsley; about 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

Aromatics: 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 sweet pepper: cut into large pieces

Directions:

Combine the ingredients together for the meatball mix.

Pull off portions of the mix and roll into meatballs, making them just smaller than a golf ball.

Place them on a broiler pan.

Brown them under the broiler for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients in the insert of your crockpot. When the meatballs are browned, put them in the sauce, sinking them in so they cook thoroughly.

Put the inset in the cooker, set the temperature on low and cook for three hours.

Remove the meatballs from the sauce and set in a dish. Remove the wilted aromatics and discard. Pour the sauce in a saucepan, add the meatballs and keep warm while you get everything ready to serve.

A Word about Sodium and Fat

I use a lean ground turkey, with a low fat content. The higher the fat content of your ground turkey, the more breadcrumbs you should add to the meatball mix. If there's a lot of fat, and not enough breadcrumb, you could end up with a crumbly meatball and greasy sauce.

If you use a low fat turkey, consider adding a teaspoon of salt to the mixture. I don't add it because there's salt in the tomato sauce and that's enough for us. But a teaspoon of salt in the meat mixture will boost the flavors.

And a Final Tip

Bring all the ingredients to room temperature: the egg, the meat, and the veggies for your aromatics. This makes for more even cooking, and results in fuller flavor.