Barbeque Turkey Sliders

I recently started dabbling in wine. I’ve always been more of a vodka girl personally, but it just seems so socially grown up to drink a glass of wine at a party. Who says peer pressure stays in high school? A while back I managed to finish my first glass, but it was Moscato so I hardly think that counts. My next attempt was a Riesling. I got a local wine called 14 Hands and found it to be delightful. I’m still a long way from attempting a musky red wine, but I feel I’m maturing.

My kids noticed the wine bottle (because it has pretty horses on it) and were asking about it as we sipped our glasses. My son questioned if we were drinking juice, and we told him it was made from grapes but that it was actually wine, not juice. Then my husband clarified further saying “Mommy doesn’t really like wine because it tastes a little bitter, so this is a sweet wine. Do you want to know what it’s called?”. Enthusiastically Donovan shouted “Swine!”, with a huge grin on his face. Sure that must be the correct answer, my daughter chimed in “Yeah! Swine!”. Apparently, the lessons in compound words have really taken root. Sweet wine = swine. They crack me up.

Actually, as I passed by the wine section at the store this week, both kids perked up at the sight of the bottle with the horses on it and said in unison “Look Mommy! Swine! Are you going to get some?”. Ah, grocery shopping with preschoolers. Always a thrill.

So what does this have to do with a post about Barbecue Turkey Sliders? Not much really. Actually, nothing at all. Except that my kids notice things at grocery stores. Like the little tiny burger buns I used to make these sliders. Madison thinks they are the most adorable things in the whole world. So, of course I had to get them.

The kids helped me make these too. We shaped up all the meat together along with Zack’s mom who was visiting from Oklahoma. Donovan’s meatballs were really more like meat-patties, but he tried.

Then they went into a skillet with a little melted butter.

And got all golden and crispy and delicious on the outside.

Throw some barbecue sauce in there and get those babies all drenched in it. You can use your favorite bottle of sauce, or make your own.

Now we assemble. First, some golden toasty slider buns.

Then a meatball. Mmmmm. Saucy deliciousness.

Top with a little slice of mozzarella. Please don’t judge my cheese skills. Mozzarella is hard to slice well.

Besides, it’s just gonna melt all over anyway. Melty cheese never hurt nothin!

And finally the other side of the bun. Aren’t they adorable?

You’ll get about 20 sliders out of this recipe. They are perfect for lunch, dinner or as an appetizer. Maybe at a football party. Like when the NFL regular season kicks off next week. Yeah, these would be perfect for that. Watch some guys throw around the pigskin, eat some sliders. Wait a minute! Pigskin and eating sliders…what could you possibly drink while doing those things? I dunno…some swine perhaps? Perfect!

PS: There’s just a couple more days to enter the drawing for free chocolate! For all the details, click here.

Barbeque Turkey Sliders

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound ground turkey

4 tablespoons butter (for spreading on buns and greasing your pan)
1/2-1 cup BBQ Sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Sliced mozzarella cheese

In a medium bowl, mix together all meatball ingredients using your clean hands.
Using melon baller/ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs.
In a large or 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the meatballs and sauté until cooked through, about 8 minutes. (Use a spatula to move the meatballs around the skillet as they cook.) Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside on a clean plate.

Heat BBQ sauce either in a saucepan on the oven or microwave safe bowl in the microwave until hot. Add meatballs to hot sauce, turning to coat.

Arrange slider buns in a single layer on a cookie sheet (insides facing up). Butter buns on both sides and sprinkle with garlic salt. Broil 2 minutes or until golden.

Assemble sliders by placing one meatball and sauce atop each bun bottom. Top with a slice of mozzarella and top bun half.