Turkey Sliders...it's what's for dinner!

The picture isn't great, but the meal was! The whole fam gave this one a ten! It's not your typical burger-this one has a little flare to it. If you love basil and feta, you'll be in burger heaven!

Turkey Sliders

1 package Pepperidge Farm Slider buns
1 package-about 1.20 pounds lean ground turkey (I used 7% fat)
2/3 cup crumbled feta
1 Tb fresh basil-chopped

(I use Gourmet Garden pictured above. You can find it in the produce section. I freeze it and when I need it for a recipe I let it sit out for about 10 min. to slightly thaw. It's as good as fresh and never goes bad!)
1/4 heaping tsp sea salt
1/4 scant tsp freshly ground pepper

In a bowl, mush ingreds. together with your hands. Be careful not to over mix-it will make them tough. Form into patties -shape and size to your liking. Just remember they shrink considerably! Throw them on whatever grill you've got. I used my electric grill.

These toppings really make these sliders divine!

-Sliced cucumbers-it really adds a nice crunch and flavor!
-Thinly sliced red onions
-Ranch Dressing-I used Hidden Valley Light.

I'm gonna go wipe my mouth from all the excess drooling...excuse me!

Zucchini Zucchini Zucchini!

Say zucchini over and over again really fast...it starts to sound like skinny-funny, huh? Anyway, it's that time of year when zucchini is coming out of our ears! But I don't mind, I truly love this vegetable. So many things to make with it, and so little time before it starts to rot!
Here's my wanna make zucchini recipe list for this season:

-Lora's Zucchini Soup
-Shanadee's Chocolate Zucchini Bread
-Taste of Home's Zucchini Chicken Pasta
-Pioneer Woman's Zucchini Fritters
-and last but not least, find a killer Fried Zucchini recipe-like the one I had when I was 10 years old, I haven't found one as good since! Laura, you're the only one who really understands this! You were at the restaurant with me and we both know we haven't been the same since!




Zucchini Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
adapted from Taste of Home-makes 2 dozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees-place cupcake liners in 2 muffin pans.

3 eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp almond extract-optional
2 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cup finely grated zucchini

In a med. size bowl beat eggs-add sugar, oil, oj, and extract. Mix well. In another bowl whisk all dry ingreds. and add to egg mixture stirring well to combine-fold in zucchini.

Add filling to muffin pans. Fill 3/4 full in each cup. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.

Brown Sugar Frosting

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter-room temp.
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil over med. heat-cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat-add vanilla and whisk in powdered sugar until it's nice and smooth. It will be sort of runny. Kindof in between a glaze and frosting. Frost cupcakes right away or frosting will start to harden.

A CAPITOL FOURTH!

Our good friends, the Thompsons came for a visit in the beginning of July. They were here for 2 short weeks and still didn't get in all the sites! They were our own personal tour guides (they did a short internship here years ago) and helped us appreciate even more how amazing it is to live in an area full of such rich history! We are now seasoned tour guides and ready to take reservations for anyone willing to blow their budget and come for a visit! We promise we won't get lost on your guided tour because we will soon be equipped with a GPS system, a necessity (we've now learned) for these parts! Just be prepared to gain at least 5 pounds, because I really like to feed my guests good! There's a lot of walking, so you can walk it off as you go! Just get ready for a finger lickin' site seein' good time! Anyone...anyone? Maybe this will entice you...

This is Aimee's 4th of July tradition - I always feel like the biggest copycat around her, but I don't care because this is the best fruit pizza I've ever had! She adds a little gourmet splash at the end, and drizzles raspberry sauce over each slice! To die for! It was such a hit, we had to make another one!

STAR SPANGLED FRUIT PIZZA
adapted from Aimee

1 cup butter - room temp.
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract - optional - I don't care much for it-I know, I'm not normal!

In a mixer cream butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add the additional ingredients, mix well-it will be sticky. Patiently :) spread mixture evenly into a lightly sprayed rimmed cookie sheet.

Bake @ 325 Degrees for 12-15 minutes-don't over bake! The top should be just starting to brown. Let cool completely.

FROSTING

1 1/2 blocks (12 oz) cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla

In a mixer, mix until nice and creamy and spread over cooled cookie.

RASPBERRY SAUCE

1 small container of frozen SWEETENED raspberries (in freezer section by the frozen fruit)
Puree in a blender or food processor. Drizzle over each slice! This really makes it!!!!

Summer Sandwich Lovin...Happened So Fast!

Meet my sister Zana, her tummy, and a yummy sandwich!

(That's Zana's shirt, not her skin :)

This is the perfect sandwich to shake you out of the same ol' sandwich blahs! Don't get scared when you read the ingredients. I personally have never bought Russian dressing in my life, but it seriously makes the sandwich. I've served it to family, friends and an unborn baby boy, and they all agree, this is the perfect summer sandwich!

Turkey Coleslaw Sandwich

6 Kaiser Rolls
1/2 lb Oven Roasted shaved turkey from the Deli
6 slices Havarti cheese
Russian Dressing-I used Ken's Steakhouse, it looked the creamiest (If you can't find creamy Russian Dressing, use a good quality Thousand Island-I hear they're pretty similar:)

1 bag of shredded cabbage - recipe follows

In a medium bowl empty the bag of shredded cabbage - add 3 Tb sugar, 1 Tb apple cider vinegar, and 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use light). Toss well to combine.

Lightly butter rolls and broil until lightly browned.

To assemble sandwiches, spread a thick layer of coleslaw then the turkey and a slice of cheese. On the top bun, spread a generous amount of Russian dressing. Happy Summer Eating!

IMPRESS THE GUEST CHICKEN!

My friend Michelle and I have been exchanging our favorite recipes for years. She gave me this one awhile ago and said her classic statement along with it, "Make this, you'll love it - trust me!". I hesitated because it called for honey mustard sauce, and I don't care too much for mustard. I finally gave in a few weeks ago and have made it twice since! That says it all! This is one of my new FAVORITE chicken dishes! As for the honey mustard sauce well, all I can say is...come to mama! SOOO GOOD! You want to impress your guests? Make this, you'll love it - TRUST ME!

Honey Mustard Chicken
a.k.a Aussie Chicken from Outback Steakhouse

Honey Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup regular mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup light corn syrup-I used only 2 Tb
1 Tb dried minced onions-I used reg. minced onions lightly sauteed in butter.

In a small saucepan whisk together all ingredients. Heat to a simmer. Take off heat and set aside.

Next you'll need:

6 pieces of thickly sliced bacon-cooked
6 chicken breasts-thawed
1 reg. sized container of sliced small White butter mushrooms(I lightly saute them in butter, Michelle doesn't, so you choose!)
6 med-thick slices of Colby Jack cheese or one 1/2 pound package grated
Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken on counter and cover with plastic wrap. Pound each breast to an equal height, about 1/2". Dry each piece of chicken with paper towels-you want them really dry. Heat up your non-stick skillet to med high heat. Lightly sprinkle both sides of each breast with seasoned salt. Lightly cook chicken a few minutes on each side. You want the middle to be a little pink. Transfer chicken to a sprayed 9x13 pan. Lightly drizzle each piece with a little sauce. Break 1 slice of bacon in half and place on each piece of chicken. Evenly dump mushrooms over chicken and top with the cheese.

Place in oven and cook until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked. About 15 minutes. When serving pour more sauce over chicken and put the left over in a gravy boat. Try not to hog the sauce, or your guests will get annoyed! Unfortunately, I know this from experience! This dish goes perfect with garlic mashed potatoes! ENJOY!

Oh, the Many Possibilities of Meatballs!

This meatball goes great with any recipe. From spaghetti to Swedish meatballs-you can't go wrong! I always double the batch, then freeze them. Makes tons! I can get about 3 to 4 dinners out of it!

Favorite Meatballs-

Panade(the glue that holds them together)

1/4 cup bread crumbs or 1 slice good quality white bread, crust cut off, torn into small pieces.
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup half & half

In a small bowl combine above ingredients. Mix well-set aside.

1 pound Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage-use the Mild flavor if you don't like a slight kick!
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup grated yellow onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp baking POWDER

In your Kitchenaid bowl, beat together the panade mixture, the pork and all seasonings until well combined. With the dough hook, mix in ground beef until just combined. Don't over mix this part, or meat will turn out too tough!

Shape the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to keep you hands wet while doing this. It helps keeps the meat from sticking to your hands.

Place on rimmed cookie sheet. Bake at 410 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook!

Some of my favorite recipes to go with these...coming soon!

Fast Broiled Broccoli, and I mean FAST!

We love broccoli at our house, but I can't stand the smell that lingers around the WHOLE house after I steam it! This method of cooking keeps "that" smell contained pretty much. It's done just like the fast broiled asparagus. I buy the big bag of fresh broccoli from Costco. It's amazing how fast we go through it! Now I can eat my broc and not have my house smell like fungus mungus anymore!

Fast Broiled Broccoli-

Broccoli florets-cut into uniform pieces
olive oil
kosher flake salt

In a bowl add broccoli. Slowly drizzle a small amount of olive oil over and toss. Be careful not to add too much oil! Sprinkle with salt to taste. Spread on cookie sheet and place on top rack in oven. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes. They're done, you're done!