Favorite Turkey Burger

This is my favorite turkey burger recipe, courtesy Martha Stewart. If you don't have Gruyere cheese, Swiss is a good substitute; I've also used Feta. We always have ours with tomatoes, romaine, ketchup and mustard in pita pockets.

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1/3 - 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

salt + pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the turkey with the cheese, scallions, breadcrumbs, mustard and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties. Grill.

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

This is another Rick Bayless recipe from Everyday Mexican.  


2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes (yes, I know weird, potatoes in a taco, but it added a certain sweetness to the dish, also Patrick thought they were pineapple.)
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder (I used a pork loin)
1 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
3-4 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and sliced 1/4 inch long (find by the Mexican food, oh, and I used 4-- quite spicy)
1 T. chipotle canning sauce (from your can of chiles)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 med. white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
warm corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese
2 avocados, pitted and cut into pieces
limes

Spread potatoes over bottom of a slow cooker and top with pork.  Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, chiles, sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, and garlic.  Pour mixture evenly over meat and potatoes.  Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours, or until pork is tender.  Shred pork using a fork, add queso fresco, and mix with everything else.  Serve onto heated corn tortillas (microwave, 10 seconds) top with avocado and serve.

** I felt this recipe needed a hint of lime, so I squeezed a wedge onto each taco.  Lime makes everything better.
*** Patrick also thought the pork would be good on a tostada.  We've used soft corn tortillas for this purpose.  Just place them under the boiler and flip when they start to brown.  So much better than store bought tostadas.

Pumpkin Pancakes

yes, I am on a pancake-making kick. These were really good (I think adding chocolate chips is essential, but justin always has his without). The batter is super thick, which threw me off at first, but I figured out you have to spread the batter on the griddle with a spoon and make them a little smaller to ensure they cook all the way through. go here to see the recipe.

2 cups flour

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

Mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Scoop the batter onto the griddle and brown on both sides.

Banana Pancakes

This recipe can be found here.

1 cup flour

1 tbsp white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter, melted

1-2 ripe bananas, mashed (I usually mash 1 banana and cut the second into tiny chunks, just a preference thing)

optional - chocolate chips, chopped pecans

Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla and mashed bananas.

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, batter will be slightly lumpy.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-low heat. Pour batter onto the griddle and cook until pancakes are golden brown.