Turkey and Italian Sausage Meatballs

♫ When the moon hits the sky like a big pizza pie that's Amore ♫
Sorry...... I just felt so Italian after making and serving these meatballs that I had to break out in song. Ok, Ok, I will stop singing. I promise!
These meatballs were great served with spaghetti sauce and a piping hot plate of pasta. I kept commenting while I was eating them, that they were ssssoooo  good and even after I was about to self combust from enjoying way too many, I was still commenting on how great they tasted.
So go make these and see for yourself how delicious they are. Then say to yourself "thats uh one uh wonderful meata balla"!!!

*Serve with your favorite spaghetti sauce. This is a home made sauce I have been making for years and if I get some extra time, I will sit back down here and type out the recipe.

**Recipe adapted from:  Mario Batali's Meatballs

2 Cup panko bread crumbs
1 lb ground turkey
4 oz prosciutto, diced
16 oz sweet Italian sausage (casings removed)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 cup Fresh grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
2 dashes of nutmeg
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 -2 cups milk




Soak the bread crumbs in water to cover for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water.In a large bowl, combine the turkey, prosciutto, sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, Romano Cheese, Parmigian Cheese, Italian parsley, nutmeg, and olive oil and mix very gently with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Place the meatballs in your favorite spaghetti sauce and simmer them over a low-med fire for 30 minutes or until done.

Turkey Pesto Panini

Tonight seemed like a good night to try my Panini press that I got for Christmas. It worked great and made an amazing sandwich. John and I both loved it and I will definitely be making this one again. If you don't have a Panini press, you could definitely make this by grilling the bread in a skillet and then assembling the sandwich and cooking it in the same skillet you grilled the bread in.

I love to make home made pesto sauce, but I was under time constraints tonight and chose the store bought brand. It was really tasty and I would use it again!

To make this sandwich:
1 loaf french baquette (or I used french rolls)
Original flavored Pesto (store bought is fine)
Mozzarella cheese slices
Turkey slices
Tomato slices
Fresh Basil leaves
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Olive Oil

Lightly brush olive oil on the outside of the bread. On the inside of the bread, spread pesto sauce. On top of the pesto, layer: turkey, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Place sandwich on Panini grill. Push down on grill for approx 30 seconds. Let grill for about 4-5 minutes.

*If you don't have a panini press,  just lightly brush olive oil on outside of bread. Assemble the sandiwch. Place the sandwich in a skillet turned to med-high. Use a plate or something hard to press down on the sandwich for 30 seconds. Let the sandwich cook in skillet for approx 4-5 minutes.