27

Oct

How about a turkey burger, shall we?

The following is to be whispered in Texas…I’ve never been big on beef burgers. I appreciate the American cultural significance…drive-ins and roller skates and all that. I also love the varieties of meats (and non-meats) used, as well as the creativity in ingredients, pairings, the such (see HOPDODDY on the Restaurants page). The idea of burgers are kind of amazing. I like eating anything on a deliciously hot and fresh homemade bread/bun. However, my body’s not so big on the beef. (Okay, I’ll admit it, I can’t do beef anymore…ever.) But, before you go and feel sorry for me by eating a 2 lb. Cow-on-a-bun in my honor, please don’t. Save your limited artery-clogging space for chocolate macaroons (I’ll post them later) or a variety of pumpkin-infused sweets (which I’ll also reveal someday…promise), something sweet and delectable…not a mooing entree!

So let’s make a turkey burger. Simple, easy, tasty.

Quickie Turkey Burgs (Trivia: Burg is German for “castle”)
serves 4 grown-ups (1 burger will be bigger than the others…for the sweaty griller)

1.25 lb. lean ground turkey
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB dried basil
1 t. chili powder
Dash of salt
Dash of thyme
4-6 crackers, crushed
1 TB mayo (optional)
1/2 t. crushed red pepper (optional)

Carefully mix all ingredients together in a bowl, using a spoon or your hands. Form 4-5 patties and put on a plate. Let flavors come together by chilling raw burgs in fridge for 1 hr. Grill and eat.

Potent Notables: Turkey burgers tend to fall apart on the grill. That’s why I’ve added a few club crackers (crushed) and some mayo (egg whites keep the meat together, just like in baking). You can use breadcrumbs, most any absorbent bread/crackers crushed, or an actual egg white if you’d rather.

Happy eating! Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

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01

Jun

Grilled Pizza

Grilled pizza with Greek shrimp (which’ll come tomorrow)

Neither Matt nor I have ever put pizza on the grill, but we tried it last night. A success!

We found this recipe for a Chicken Margherita Pizza and modified it some. And we used this pizza crust. These definitely aren’t the prettiest pizzas in the world, but they were really tasty!

Here’s the technique:

When allowing the quick dough to rise in a covered bowl, make sure to spray the dough with cooking spray, as well as the bowl. I’d never done that before. Also, when you roll the dough out to form into your pizza shape, spread a little olive oil on the surface that you’re kneading it on. That way, it won’t stick to the grill and become a doughy mess.

Grilled Margherita Pizza
1 batch of easy pizza dough (see below)
1 cup pizza sauce
6 grape/cherry tomatoes
10 thin slices of mozzarella
1/2 cup (or more) chopped basil
2 garlic cloves, minced

In a saucepan, heat pizza sauce, tomatoes, and garlic.
After dough is rolled out into 3 or 4 pizzas, put it directly on the grill for 2 minutes or until dough get bubbly. Then, flip and add ingredients in this order: sauce, basil, cheese. Leave on grill until cheese is melted. Eat!

Easy Pizza Dough (this recipe is in the link above…I followed it very carefully)
1 packet yeast for pizza dough
1 cup warm water (around 100-120 degrees F)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Pour yeast packet and sugar into warm water and stir. Wait 5 minutes.
 In the meantime, mix all other ingredients in a large bowl. Add yeast water and stir until dough forms.
Once dough is forming, knead for 2 minutes on a floured surface. (If dough is too runny, add flour, 2 TB at a time to firm a bit.) Spray a second bowl with cooking spray, as well as spraying the top of the dough. Cover with saran wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes…(this is a good time to heat up the grill)…transfer dough to a baking sheet or counter with olive oil on the surface and on your hands. Separate into 3 or 4 balls (depending on how large you want your mini pizzas) and form into round crusts (about 8 inches in diameter). See above for rest of pizza recipe.

Happy Wednesday! Relax on this first day of June and bite into this melty, cheesy pizza!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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29

Aug

Say Yippee for Ziti!

After a long day at work yesterday, Matt & I made a classic that, strangely enough, I’ve never made before. BAKED ZITI! I don’t think either of us have any Italian in our blood, but we felt quite Italian, pulling fresh rosemary and basil and throwing a big pasta together. Then we watched MTV’s Jersey Shore…come on, so Italian! Haha We kind of threw stuff together for this:

EaZiti

1 TB olive oil
1/4 chopped onions
3 cloves garlic
3 cups frozen spinach (5 cups fresh)
1 lb. ground turkey
2 TB rosemary, chopped
2 jars (4 cups) your favorite marinara sauce
1 lb (ish) whole grain ziti
8 oz low-moisture lowfat mozzarella, slices
8 oz low-moisture lowfat mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Italian blend shredded cheese (Romano, Peccorino, Parm, etc)

1) Prehead oven to 400. Boil large pot of water, salting a bit.

2) Meanwhile, pour olive oil in skillet on med-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add frozen spinach to thaw, and then add ground turkey (if spinach is fresh, good turkey first and then add spinach). Slightly chop turkey into chunks (size of meatballs or so). Sprinkle in rosemary while turkey is cooking and toss all ingredients together until turkey is fully cooked. Drain excess liquid.

3) Add pasta to boiling water, cooking about 6 minutes or until al dente (cooked but still slightly firm).

4) Pour both jars of marinara in a large bowl and add turkey mixture to it. Tear mozzarella slices into large bites and stir into sauce. (Add other spices if you like, like dried basil, oregano, etc.)  

5) Drain pasta and add to sauce mixture. Stir well and pour entire mixture into a 9X13 pan.

6) Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and Italian cheeses over the top.

7) Bake for 20-30 minutes. Pasta is ready when cheese on top is all melted and a little “crispy” on the edges. Pair with a salad and some tasty bread!

A Crazy Easy Bread

As with some of my favorite recipes (mine and others’), they were created “by accident” because the original idea didn’t work so well. Luckily, something good came out of it! This one was supposed to be twisted breadsticks for my parents’ anniversary dinner…the dough was not cold enough, so they didn’t work out, but this came out instead.

1 can of pizza dough
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 TB rosemary, chopped
1 TB basil, chopped
2 TB butter/margarine
 
1) Roll out dough and sprinkle garlic and herbs throughout. Knead together and roll into a ball.

2) Bake as directed on package. Spread butter on top and allow to melt all over. Serve warm.
 

I love pasta because it tastes better after the day it was made. Hmm, I see a lunch plan…

~Laurel~

16 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

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