Eating Dinner With My Family

It's like the chicken and the egg question. Am I slacking on the blog because I have been repeating, or am i repeating because I have been slacking either reason, the family is happy.  These haven't. Even made in a while and I was interested to see if they where as good after a year and a half of new food. It so good!  It might even have been better. The combo of the red thai curry and turkey is wonderful! Thai Curry Turkey Burgers 1-1/4 lb. ground turkey (not ground turkey breast) 2 Tbs. red or green Thai curry paste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable oil, for the grill 1 medium lime 2/3 cup mayonnaise 3/4 cup thinly sliced seedless cucumber 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 1 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar 4 sesame seed hamburger buns Sliced tomato, for serving Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. In a medium bowl, gently mix the turkey, curry paste, and 1/4 t...

It's Halloween and I am making some dips for our annual cul de sac party but luckily it's also a Thursday and I know exactly what fast/easy/tasty dish to make. The spicy sausage pasta. (The sausage was even on sale!  It's fate!).  The family really loves this!  (and soooo easy!)  I left the cheese off this one and we didn't miss it. Spicy Sausage Pasta  olive oil  smoked sausage  diced onion  cloves garlic, minced  low-sodium chicken broth  Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild  heavy cream  penne pasta  salt and pepper  Monterey Jack cheese, shredded  thinly sliced scallions Recipe and instructions here

I dove in to my pasta Pinterest board and picked this recipe. I have seen several cook the pasta and sauce all together and have been leery of them, but I figured what the heck, go for it. I think the idea is sound, cooking the pasta in flavorful water makes total sense, but I was worried the pasta wouldn't cook correctly.  I worried for nothing with this dish. It was amazing, and it was super fast, easy and one pot & one cutting board to clean up.  Next time, I think I will leave out the cheese.  I didn't notice it and it seemed to just clump up on utensils and plates.  Not bad, just why throw it in there if you don't need it.  This is going to be one of my favorites!  Not only for it's taste, but easy and fast cooking.  It has a bit of heat, so if you are totally against that, you could use just the plain tomatoes, and I think that would be fine too.  I think that this recipe is a great base to create other recipes on.  Same techni...

My daughter requested burgers tonight. I am, shockingly, running low on new burger recipes.  Ok not exactly low, but I only have recipes left to try are low in interest such as this "bikini friendly" burger.  I am innately suspicious of a 'light' burger.  Despite our concerns, we all liked it way more than we thought we would.  My son even rated it a 5!  Burgers are always easy and this one was no exception.  The most taxing thing was chopping the pickles and peppers.  Next time, I would half the peppers.  It might just be the pickled jalapenos we used, but this was really spicy.  It wasn't unbearable on the burgers, but we did want a bit more of the sauce, but didn't think we could take the heat. Turkey Burgers With Spicy Pickle Sauce   1/2 Cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 1/2 Cup chopped dill pickles 2 Tbl chopped pickled hot peppers Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 Lb lean ground turkey 1 Tsp smoked swee...

Another recipe from my free Bobby Flay iBook, Bobby Flay's Bold Flavors.  As a cobb salad fan, I loved this burger.  My boys, not lovers of blue cheese or avocado, liked it (which is a win unto it's self) but didn't love it.  The dressing for the lettuce is worth keeping alone, much less the magical blue, avocado and bacon blend:).   My daughter, who never eats much, or eats many carbs, ate almost an entire burger.  We did change hers up a bit.  She is three and we figured the pungency of blue cheese wouldn't work for her, and she won't eat anything green, so she had a plain turkey burger with some plain ole American Cheese.  However, let me reiterate, she ate almost an ENTIRE burger! Something to be said for the inherent yumminess of a turkey burger that I find many turn their nose up at.  Now I love a beef burger, but turkey is no slough in the burger department, as long as you use ground turkey , not ground turkey breast .  I know th...

I gave my son a list of possible dinner options for tonight, and he chose (of course) the one burger on the list.  I was ok with the idea, but I was sure my husband would be a little annoyed. (he has had to try too many burgers, too recently)  I know burgers are inherently good, and this one was no exception.  We all totally dug it.  I was really pleased that, as far as burgers go, it was a bit, and only a bit, lighter.  Why?  It had turkey instead of beef, no mayo (ok in the coleslaw there was mayo) and no cheese.  I did use ground turkey instead of ground turkey breast; it was cheaper and my boys like dark meat better.  The only really "bad" ingredient was the bacon. The biggest problem was it was a Dagwood like sandwich.  It was huge and unwieldy to eat.  I think less meat next time; I even used slightly less meat than called for. The ketchup  was nice.  It had just enough heat but not overwhelmingly so.  And,...

I know we like burgers and seem to have found many good recipes for them and this one is no exception.  The thing I love about this one is that it seems pretty light, for a burger that is.  The site I got it from said it was like 600 calories. (as always click the recipe title for the link to the source when I know it)  That isn't bad for a burger.  They are plenty of ways to shave calories too. (lighter mayo, smaller burgers, no bun etc...)  I am not a huge fan of turkey, but the curry paste (I used red) makes the turkey really flavorful.  I think this is one we are going to have to repeat and soon;) Thai Curry Turkey Burgers 1    -1/4 lb. ground turkey (not ground turkey breast) 2    Tbs. red or green Thai curry paste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable oil,for the grill 1    medium lime 2/3 c  mayonnaise 3/4 c  thinly sliced seedless cucumber 1/4 c  fresh cilant...

Another installment in my burgers for the boy quest.  I know how much he loves burgers.  It might be genetic since I craved them when I was pregnant with him.  Since I want to try to not repeat recipes for a year, this has made for some interesting burgers.  I think the lamb one from 3/1/12 has been my favorite so far, but there has been some heavy competition!  This one was really good and should have been "light", but I used full fat mayo and added the Swiss cheese that the original recipe said the chef does when serving it in his restaurant.  I loved it, the boy wolfed his down so fast, I was amazed, but my husband (who I expected to fall in love with it) was not that impressed.  He kept saying there was an odd smell he couldn't get past.  Being a bit stuffy still, I couldn't smell it, but that is a good thing since I don't like the smell of raw, cooking or cooked poultry. I loved the smokiness the chipotle lent it. ( I did go a little...

Having the ingredients for last night's dish still not completely used up, and my husband having later hours tonight, I thought this panini would be a good solution. It uses the ingredients and it is quick to make late when he gets home.  It was very tasty, not as good as last night's dinner, but a very fast, tasty, and somewhat different dinner.  I think  the use of naan as panini bread is a fabulous idea, and I am now in love with Major Grey's Mango Chutney.  Paninis are a great way  to have a fast hot meal that can be varied almost infinitely. Grilled Turkey And Cheddar Sandwiches With Mango Chutney 2 c  grated sharp Cheddar 1/4 c  finely chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 c  Major Grey’s mango chutney 4    naan breads 12 oz sliced turkey breast 1    Tbs. unsalted butter,melted 1/8 t  ground cumin [Note: Indian flavors meet panini sandwiches with delicious results. Naan is slightly puffy Indi...

Now I am not the biggest fan of turkey burgers, but my family is.  I really have loved every Bobby Flay recipe I have tried so I figured I would give this one a go.  It is super quick and super delicious.  I used ground turkey not ground turkey breast.  Not only does it make a tastier burger but it is much cheaper. (bonus!) I made these with slightly less meat (1.3 pounds) and we didn't grill them.  My husband cooked the burgers in a cast iron pan.  (along with toasting the buns)  The onions he sauteed in some bacon fat.  (they tasted fine on the burger, but alone I was not a fan.  Not only did they add to the fat content (and not the flavor imo) but they tasted nasty if you ate one by its self. Last minute, I decided to make some potato wedges to go with them.  Found this Paula Dean recipe.  I didn't have cornbread dressing so I used some bread crumbs.  Not great, but an acceptable substitute.  I think there is some work ...

This recipe is an OLD one I haven't made in a very long time.  It came out one of those (I now think horrible) little cookbooks you find in the grocery checkout line. Despite it's origins, this is a tasty and quick meal.  The original fillings lost in time, but this is ours:) Grilled Loaf 1    loaf of fresh bread not cut 1/4 c  of pesto sauce (or more if you like) 1/2 lb Sliced deli turkey 1/4 lb Salami 1/2 lb Provolone Cheese 1    Onions,Caramelized 1/4 c  Roasted Red Pepper,Sliced And Patted Dry 1.Slice top off of the bread 2.Hollow out the loaf leaving a ½" wall 3.layer the fillings starting with the meat, then cheese, then sauce, then veggies. Repeat ending with cheese Wrap in foil and bake in a 250 oven for about an hour Can also be thrown on a grill and cooked that way over indirect heat for about 30 minutes Cooking time will vary based on size and shape of bread.  Even a cool center wouldn't be dangerous t...

I love this recipe.  The best part for me is that I make two dinners at once.  The Arrabbiata sauce is awesome and can be just used by itself on pasta.  So I made this recipe (all four of us ate and we had leftovers)  but split the shells between two baking dishes.  One I cooked tonight, the other is in my freezer for a future dinner.  To increase the veggie content, we had a salad with "Outback" honey mustard dressing.  The recipe came from one of those secret restaurant recipe cookbooks.  Its pretty close and very tasty. Turkey And Artichoke Stuffed Shells With Arrabbiata Sauce 1    (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended,Barilla) 3 T  extra-virgin olive oil 1/2    large yellow onion,chopped (about 1 cup) 3 ea garlic,chopped 1 lb ground turkey 1/2 t  kosher salt,plus 1/2 teaspoon 1/4 t  freshly ground black pepper plus 1/4 teaspoon 1    (8 to 10-ounce) package f...