Kay Wheeler Moore

Welcome to my blog

Hello. . .

The Newfangled Country Gardener is for anyone who has a garden, would like to have a garden, or who simply enjoys eating the garden-fresh way. I don't claim to be an expert; in this blog I'm simply sharing some of the experiences my husband and I have in preparing food that is home-grown.

About the author

Kay Wheeler Moore is the author of a new cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden, that features six generations of recipes that call for ingredients that are fresh from the garden. With home gardening surging in popularity as frugal people become more resourceful, this recipe collection and the stories that accompany it ideally will inspire others to cook the garden-fresh way and to preserve their own family food stories as well. The stories in this book center around the Three Red-Haired Miller Girls (Kay's mother and aunts) who grew up in Delta County, TX, with their own backyard garden so lavish that they felt as though they were royalty after their Mama wielded her kitchen magic on all that was homegrown. Introduced in Kay's previous book, Way Back in the Country, the lively Miller Girls again draw readers into their growing-up world, in which a stringent economic era--not unlike today's tight times--saw people turn to the earth to put food on the table for their loved ones. The rollicking yarns (all with recipes attached) have love, family, and faith as common denominators and show how food evocatively bonds us to our life experiences.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Colorful salad pizza is a meal in one

I had a new kitchen utensil and was eager to use it. My daughter had been to a party that featured cooking gadgets and had bought for me a chopping instrument to smooth out ground meat or turkey crumbles (see below). Accompanying my purchase was a featured recipe. Hubby and I were keeping the grandmunchkin over the weekend; I knew he liked pizza. I thought this salad pizza would be a good way to encourage his veggie intake.

It encouraged the rest of us as well. Wow, what a great dish—and an easy one. Refrigerated roll dough formed the crust. After browning the dough in the oven the cook piles on a sour-cream layer and then a cooked ground turkey mixture that has been stirred with salsa and seasonings; then the healthy toppings. After the crust nothing else gets baked. A wonderful, colorful meal is ready in minutes. 


Mexican Fiesta Salad Pizza

2 packages (8-ounces each) refrigerator crescent rolls
1 1/4 pound lean ground turkey
1 1/4 cups medium thick and chunky salsa
1 (1-ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)
2 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, coarsely chopped
additional salsa (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange 14 of the triangles in a circle on lightly floured round baking stone (I used a regular, rectangular cookie sheet) with wide ends even with edge of baking stone and points toward the center. Place the remaining two triangles in the center; pinch seams to seal. Roll dough to create a smooth surface. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely. In 12-inch skillet, cook ground turkey over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until it no longer is pink. Break turkey into crumbles. (Recipe recommends using a Mix ’n Chop cooking utensil that is sold by the recipe source, The Pampered Chef.) Drain if necessary. In a medium bowl combine salsa, seasoning mix, and garlic; mix well. Add to turkey in skillet; toss to coat. Spread sour cream over crust. Spoon turkey mixture over sour cream. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and olives. Serve immediately with additional salsa, if desired. Makes 8 servings. (Source: The Pampered Chef.)

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