Tuscan Turkey Burgers

I felt like having burgers again over the weekend, and Cara's Tuscan Turkey Burgers were next on my list to try. One of my basil plants is doing very well, so I picked a handful of leaves to make just enough pesto for this recipe. I skipped the balsamic reduction out of laziness, but I'll try to make it next time because it really would add a lot to the dish. As I made them, we still loved them.


Tuscan Turkey Burgers
Source: Cara's Cravings

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup pesto
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/2 of a small red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 hamburger buns
1 plum tomato, sliced
handful of field greens
4-6 oz fresh mozzarella
balsamic syrup (reduction)

Combine turkey, pesto, sundried tomatoes, onion, and garlic and mix well. Place stone on grill and heat up. Form turkey mixture into 4 balls, tightly packed. Drop on hot stone and flatten with a spatula. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella and close the grill for a few minutes to warm the cheese. Serve on toasted buns with field greens, tomato slices, and a drizzle of balsamic syrup.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies have a special place in our house, as they were one of the first recipes my husband and I made together. We love them and since he bought 4 packages of craisins months ago, I decided it was time to use one up with an old favorite. These cookies are great because they stay nice and soft, but, they do get flat (for me). Maybe next time I'll try chilling the dough to see if that helps. I always add some cinnamon and nutmeg to get them a little more depth.


Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Source: Ocean Spray
Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen (I got 3 dozen)
Adaptations in italics

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Per Serving (1 cookie): Cal 135 (6%DV), Fat Cal. 54, Pro. 2g (4%DV), Carb. 18g (6%DV), Fat 6g (9%DV), Chol. 15mg (4%DV), Sod. 138mg (5%DV), Vit. A 47RE (4%DV), Vit. C 0mg (0%DV), Vit. E 1mg (2%DV), Calcium 16mg (1%DV), Iron 1mg (3%DV), Folate 5Ug (1%DV), Zinc <1mg (1%DV), Pot. 54mg (1%DV), Dietary Exchange: Other Carbohydrate 1, Fat 1.5

BB: Curried Couscous

I think I may have had couscous once or twice, but I have never prepared it at home, so I was excited to try making it. Now, it is totally my new favorite thing. So many ways to dress it up and SO easy to prepare! 5 minutes in boiling water, which it completely soaks up? How easy is that? I am in love. If only it weren't all carbs. We loved this dish and the raisins were a particularly welcome burst of sweetness. I was pleasantly surprised (due to a lack of knowledge of cumin) that the dish is not spicy. See how the others did!


Curried Couscous
Chosen by Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester
Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, page 94

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Directions
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Flower Cake Pops

I knew I was going to have another opportunity make treats for a party, so a few weeks ago when I made the organic lemon cake, I made two layers, wrapped them well, and stuck them in the freezer. I had cake pops on my mind for those layers. I have made cake bites before, but with all the amazingly cute things Bakerella has been doing with cake pops, I wanted to try my hand at those.


I decided to start with something simple and do flowers*. I picked up the mini romance Wilton set of cookie cutters, and used the petal flower and tulip shapes. I decided to make two flavors, lemon cake with strawberry frosting, and german chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting. They were both absolutely delicious! To aid in telling them apart, all the chocolate flowers were purple and the lemon/strawberry ones were orange.


Here, in pictures, is how I chose to form them. After crumbling the cake and mixing with the frosting, I pressed the cake/frosting mixture into a jelly roll pan. The pan went into the freezer for about 20 minutes to set the cake. Then I used the mini cookie cutters as if I were making... cookies. :-) I pressed it into the cake, lifted it away with a spatula, then used the end of the spatula to gently apply pressure to the cake to unmold the flower. These got packed up in an airtight container, and put back in the freezer until I was ready to dip them (which for me was a few days later). To complete them, melt candy melts in the microwave or over a double boiler. Press a stick into the frozen molded flower, and then dip into the melted candy. Use a toothpick to help clear off excess, if desired. Sprinkle with colored sugar immediately, then set in styrofoam block to set. (There are no pictures of the dipping process because, gosh, it is messy!) I ended up getting 50-60 pops out of the cake mix, and was able to dip about 40 of them per 14 ounce bag of candy melts.






*I later discovered, flowers are not simple. It is no fun dipping cake pops when you care about the shape of the final product. Such a pain!!

Strawberry Lemon Cake Pops
~two 8" or 9" rounds, or one 9x13 pan of lemon cake (store bought or homemade)
~16 ounces, about 2 cups, of strawberry frosting (store bought or homemade)

German Chocolate Cake Pops
~one 9x13 pan of german chocolate cake (store bought or homemade)
~16 ounces, about 2 cups, of coconut pecan frosting (store bought or homemade)

Other items:
~sticks
~colored candy melts
~colored sprinkles
~shortening (for thinning candy melts, if too thick for dipping)
~mini cookie cutters in flower shapes
~patience. Lots of patience.

Jerk Chicken Wings

The ingredients for this recipe fell together easily for me... scallions were on sale last week and I had stocked up, and drumsticks went on sale this week. Everything else I already had plenty of. As soon as I finished blending the marinade, I knew this had been a good choice. It smelled heavenly! We grilled them and they turned out great - flavorful and spicy. I am glad I cut down and just used one jalapeno, it was just enough heat for me.



Jerk Chicken Wings
Source: Everyday Food Magazine

12 scallions, tops and bottoms trimmed, chopped
8 cloves of garlic
4 dried bay leaves
1 habanero or 2 jalapeno chiles, chopped (I used 1 jalapeno)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4 teaspoons ground allspice
course salt and ground pepper
6 pounds chicken wings (I used 3 pounds drumsticks)
lime wedges, for serving

1. In a food processor, pulse scallions, garlic, bay leaves, habanero, vinegar, thyme, allspice, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons pepper until coarsely ground. In a large shallow dish, toss chicken with jerk mixture and refrigerate at least one hour (up to 1 day).

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken on foil lined rimmed baking sheet and cook until browned, 35-40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
To grill, cook over medium, covered, until cooked through, 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve with lime wedges.

Platinum Chef 13: Loaded Tortilla Espanola and Fruit Filled Brie en Croute

I am SO EXCITED to be doing another Platinum Chef challenge. As I near the two year anniversary for my blog, I think back, fondly, on my previous challenges. Getting involved in Platinum Chef was the inspiration for starting a blog of my own. Though I am freakishly only able to create new dishes when locked into 5 randomly chosen ingredients, I have enjoyed cooking and baking for this blog and being able to share recipes and ideas with whoever wants to read. For a trip down memory lane, here is my first Platinum Chef post. Ok, enough mushy stuff (that really belongs it the anniversary post, anyway).

This challenge brings us 5 ingredients, as always, and is hosted by Workout-then-cook.
Garlic
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Cheese
Strawberries

When I first read the list and saw asparagus, I thought UGH. I HATE asparagus. I almost instantly decided I'd have to hide the asparagus inside of something else. No plain eating asparagus for me. It must be buried to be edible. That negating anything I could come up with that involved strawberries. But garlic, mushrooms, and cheese? No problem! I decided on a loaded Tortilla Espanola, which I have been wanting to make for a long time. The results were fabulous, and my husband, loves eggs and actually likes asparagus, would have eaten the whole thing in one sitting if I let him. Sadly, I discovered that I just don't like asparagus, even when hidden in a potato tortilla. I totally picked mine out.






Loaded Tortilla Espanola

olive oil
3 large white potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/2 cup diced white onion
2 large white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
7 large asparagus spears, blanched and sliced into 1.5" pieces
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
10 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
goat cheese

In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add the potato slices, onion and garlic, cook over medium low heat without browning until tender, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove potato mixture to a large bowl. Wipe out skillet with paper towel, then return to head. Add asparagus and spinach to potato mixture, mix thoroughly. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Add vegetables back to pan, then pour egg mixture over vegetables, shaking pan to ensure all space is filled by eggs. Cook 10-15 minutes, or just until set. Finish in broiler, or use a baking sheet or large plate to flip tortilla over and return to skillet to cook the other side. Serve with goat cheese.


As I said before, this left me with strawberries as the lone ranger. The easiest pairing seemed to be cheese, and as soon as I said that to my husband, we both said, "Brie." We LOVE baked brie and decided to punch it up by filling with fresh fruit and honey. This is easy to throw together, and no real measuring is needed!








Fruit Filled Brie en Croute

~handful of sliced almonds
~honey or agave nectar
~2-3 ripe strawberries, thinly sliced
~1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
~8 ounces brie, rind trimmed and sliced in half
~1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

Lay out sheet of puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil. Place a small round of sliced almonds in the center and drizzle a little honey. Lay down half of the brie. Layer sliced strawberries, then pear, then drizzle with more honey. Top with remaining half of cheeses. Fold puff pastry up and over the brie, pressing gently to secure. Flip pastry wrapped brie so folds are on the bottom. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Serve with crackers.

BB: Outrageous Brownies

I've heard a lot about this brownie recipe, as it is a favorite of many fellow bakers. For over a year, I have loved the Chewy, Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Brownies from my copy of Baking Illustrated, and have been afraid to try anything new. I guess having brownies as the next Barefoot Bloggers recipe helped give me the chance to make them!


I used them in my husband's favorite brownie concoction - Caramel Butterscotch Brownies. I cut the recipe in half to have enough for the layered brownies, and ended up with enough leftover to make 6 lil' muffin brownies. I have to admit, this brownie recipe wasn't up to the challenge. Part of it is my fault, as I certainly underbaked them, but they definitely had too much butter. We'll be sticking with our favorite brownie recipe from here on out!

Outrageous Brownies
Chosen by: Eva of I’m Boring
Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 172

* 1 pound unsalted butter
* 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
* 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
* 6 extra-large eggs
* 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
* 2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3 cups diced walnut pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Gnocchi with summer vegetables

I had flagged this for later in my latest issue of Everyday Food Magazine, but after a wrong turn in the grocery store led me down the pasta aisle - and smack into a giant section of packaged gnocchi - it became a flagged for NOW recipe. The zucchini looked particularly good that day (also tempting me to make stuffed zucchini), so it was a go! This was a delicious dinner full of vegetables and flavored with wonderful fresh basil from our plant and my addition of some spicy turkey sausage. The only thing I didn't care for was the "sauce" made with gnocchi water. Next time I'll toss with a little marinara sauce.



Gnocchi with summer vegetables
Adapted from: Everyday Food Magazine (changes in Italics)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini or summer squash or one of each, quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
course salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15-16 ounces) gnocchi (I was fortunate to find 8 whole grain gnocchi - hooray for additional protein and fiber!)
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 links spicy turkey sausage

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add sausage and heat until cooked through. Remove from skillet and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Add squash and garlic to skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet along with sliced sausage. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Organic Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling

I had a party to attend and offered to make a cake. I wanted something light and summery, and I thought this cake would go well with the requested pink frosting. The cake had a light lemon flavor to it, and the filling was absolutely delicious! The raspberry flavor was not muted, and played so well with the lemon. It got rave reviews at the party! See the buttercream I used, here.



Organic Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling
Source: Good Things Catered

For the cake:
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp meringue powder
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 extra large organic lemon, washed thoroughly then zested and juiced separately
1 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 egg whites, beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
three drops of almond extract

For the filling:
2 c. powdered sugar
minuscule pinch of salt
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 tsp natural raspberry extract
1/2 tsp butter flavor
4 oz. fresh raspberries

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two cake pans.
-In bowl of electric mixer sift and add flour, sugar, baking powder, meringue powder, salt, and zest of full lemon.
-Stir with mixer to combine, about 30 seconds.
-Add milk, oil, juice from lemon, beaten egg whites and extracts.
-Beat on medium to combine thoroughly, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.
-Remove from mixer and stir with silicone spatula to thoroughly combine (making sure there is no flour mixture left unincorporated at the bottom of the bowl.
-Fill prepared pans 2/3 of the way full and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (about 25-28 mins for 8 inch pans)
-Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes in pan and then turn onto wire racks to cool completely.
-Meanwhile, in the bowl of stand mixer, combine shortening and extracts and stir on low until relatively combined.
-In a separate bowl, combine sugar and salt, then add to mixer while still on.
-Stir, scraping down sides of bowl, until thoroughly combined.
-Add raspberries and stir to combine.
(Add water if needed to reach desired texture.)
-Once cakes are completely cool, cut uneven tops off cake.
-Form an icing dam around the edge of the top of one of the layers.
-Fill with raspberry filling and flip the top of the other layer onto the top of the filled cake.
-Ice as desired.

Buttercream Icing

Buttecream icing and I haven't been getting along. I tried a few recipes, hated them, and basically didn't know where else to turn. I had to make a cake for an upcoming work party, so I went off in search of a new buttercream icing recipe. I stumbled on the Repressed Pastry Chef and thought, with this glowing review, how can I not try it?? In terms of flavor, I LOVED IT. In terms of texture, it didn't go on the cake as smoothly as I wanted, but perhaps I added too much water, not enough, or just plain stink at icing cakes so that's my problem. I will play with it on my next cake and see how it goes. Anyway, I'm in love.



Buttercream Dream Icing
Source: The Repressed Pastry Chef

1 stick salted butter - room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
4-6 tablespoons very cold milk

Directions
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk... one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.