"Porcupines"

Porcupines?!?!? You have got to trust me on this one. I was first introduced to these when I was about 7. Due to both of my parents work schedules, days off of school due to snow days/teacher in-service when we were younger were spent at a sitter's house. Go figure, lunch time was my favorite part of the day, and I could always be found in the kitchen (on a step stool) helping with whatever I could get my hands on. Lunches ranged from the standard PB&J to home-made chicken noodle soup, complete with made-from-scratch noodles! One of my favorites though? Porcupines.

Maybe it was the fact that they sounded so cool. Or the fact that we NEVER had anything called "Porcupines" at home. And so began a love affair with a simple, yet tasty meal. This is also a great meal to have your children prepare! Let them be in charge of the stirring.

For a complete meal, serve with peas or green beans.

Porcupines

(serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

1 package ground turkey

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked

1 cup chopped spinach (I used fresh - frozen can be used as well - just be sure to drain)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans condensed tomato soup, diluted with 1 can of water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, onion, rice, and chopped spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, and form into "porcupines". These should resemble medium sized meatballs. Place in casserole dish.

3. In a separate bowl, mix both cans of tomato soup with 1 can of water. Pour over "porcupines", and cover with lid (or foil).

4. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for minutes, then serve. Reserve the sauce, and use as gravy.

*Best way to eat these, in my opinion, is to break the porcupines into bite size pieces, and then smother in gravy. Enjoy!