Kicking Off the Weekend With a Toffee Giveaway...and Boursin-Infused Turkey Meatballs & Noodles

Happy weekend!!! To reward you for making it through the first full week of 2011, I'm teaming with Tungsten Toffee to give away some of their delicious chocolate-topped toffee! The toffee is hand-made in small batches using all-natural ingredients by the Curcio family in Colorado. Last month, Tungsten generously sent me a package containing all of their flavors to sample: Sweet Milk, Smooth Dark, Espresso Dark, and their unique Toffee Trail Mix. I love crunchy, buttery toffee...but had stopped eating it because it was either too hard or stuck to my teeth. That's not a worry with this toffee...it's light and buttery, but it's not the least bit sticky!

Want to try some of this yummy toffee? First, visit Tungsten Toffee and learn more about their toffee flavors. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me which flavor you'd like to try AND your e-mail address. The winner will receive a 1/2-pound package of their favorite toffee OR a 12-ounce bag of the toffee trail mix. You have until 11:59 P.M. this Thursday, 1/13, to enter. The winner will be announced Friday morning.

The theme for the past week -- for me, anyway -- was Getting Back Into the Swing of Things Post-Holidays. After a few weeks of holiday busy-ness, I was ready to get into my kitchen and cook a nice dinner. But...I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after a full day at work. I found a recipe that fit the bill perfectly: Boursin-Infused Turkey Meatballs & Noodles. This skillet meal was delicious and comforting, but boursin cheese gave it a more gourmet/upscale feel. If you've never tried boursin, it's a spreadable herb-garlic flavored cheese. This recipe was adapted from Cook's Country magazine. As usual, the good folks at America's Test Kitchen never steer me wrong!!

Boursin-Infused Turkey 
Meatballs & Noodles

Step 1:  Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl: 1 lb. ground turkey, half of a 5.2-ounce package of boursin, and salt & black pepper to taste. Combine well...clean hands are going to be the best way to get the boursin completely  incorporated into the turkey. You don't want to see visible pieces of the cheese by the time you're done.

Step 2:  Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a non-stick skillet with sides high enough to contain the entire dish since you serve from the skillet. Roll the turkey mixture into 1-inch meatballs -- I was able to get 14 meatballs. Cook the meatballs on med-high heat for about five minutes, turning halfway to brown on both sides.

Step 3:  Remove the cooked meatballs from the pan to a platter and set aside. Pour the excess fat from the skillet and add 1/2 cup diced onion. Saute the onion for about five minutes, then add 2 tbs. flour.

Stir to combine and cook for about one minute. Then add 3 3/4 cups chicken stock, 1/4 cup white wine, and an 8-ounce package of egg noodles. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce  heat to med-low, cover, and cook for five minutes...until the noodles start to soften.

Step 4:  Crumble the remaining half of the boursin over the top of the noodles. Stir until the boursin is evenly incorporated into the noodles. Place the reserved meatballs back into the skillet, pushing them down into the noodle mixture. Cover and cook for another five minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Step 5:  Sprinkle the top with chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve directly from the skillet. 

I have to say that we really enjoyed this meal!! The boursin made the meatballs tender, moist, and perfectly seasoned. It also made the noodles creamy without a can of soup in sight! This dish is definitely a keeper and will be making future appearances at Casa Garcia. Simply serve with salad, and you've got a complete meal in about 45 minutes!