Something Old: Greek Turkey Burgers

We have made these many times before. They are delicious and easy every time, whether it's a weekday evening or a dinner party. In fact, Chase and I once made these for a dinner party because the supplementary ingredients you mix in essentially double the number of burgers you get out of one pound of ground meat. That and we wanted to share this recipe with all of our friends.

Happy Monday cooking!

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Greek Turkey Burgers February 8, 2010

Oh my god. These are the BEST BURGERS in the world!

Chase and I have made these before, but that was before I was writing Culinary Adventures. Hearty burgers sounded like just the thing for this Sunday night dinner, and indeed they were.

These burgers are topped with a tzatziki, a delicious Greek yogurt dip. It is the icing on the cake for these burgers. (Probably shouldn’t mix food metaphors).

For those of you who like your burgers made by cows, I’ve tried these to great success with ground beef instead of turkey. Since beef is a stronger flavor, just add a dash more oregano and parsley!

Anyway, two recipes below. First the tzatziki, then the burgers themselves!

Tzatziki

¼ cup cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp fresh dill, chopped

2 tsp fresh lemon juice (more to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Direction

1. Mix all ingredients together. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey

½ cup chopped onion

1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

½ cup finely chopped fresh spinach

3 Tbsp crumbled Feta cheese

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Direction

1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together by hand. Then form into about 5-6 patties.

2. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and turn to medium to medium-high heat.

3. Place patties in the skillet about 1 inch apart (you may have to cook in more than one round). Let cook for a few minutes on the first side before flipping.

4. Flip the burger to brown the other side. Continue to flip occasionally until the burgers are cooked through (with turkey, there's nothing safe but well done).

5. Remove the finished burgers from the skillet and onto buns. Top with your favorite burger toppings, including the tzatziki.

6. Enjoy!

Burger ingredients.

Tzatziki waiting so patiently to be atop burgers.

Browning away in the skillet.

Happy cooking!

Something Old: Sloppy Joes

Hello again!

This has been a pretty great weekend. Connor flew in to apartment hunt (congrats on the new job!), and it was strange but wonderful to see someone from Oklahoma again. We played plenty of cards and ate plenty of food, although we ate out instead of cooking (I'm slacking!)

And it's a shame I was slacking. I have plenty of recipes in the arsenal that are short and simple, and no less delicious. This week will be for those recipes. Today's recipe is a one-pan gig, and the two recipes that will go up together on Thursday have all of 3 ingredients apiece. Simple indeed.

Happy cooking!

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Sloppy Joes January 3, 2010

This is a recipe I grew up with. It was a staple in my mom’s dinner repertoire, and therefore one of my favorite comfort foods. Excepting the French Dip, I know of no simpler warm sandwich.

Feel free to play with the amounts of ketchup and mustard, according to your tastes. Mine’s usually ketchup heavy; it’s my favorite condiment! And Chase loves adding cheese to his sandwich. Moral of the story, this recipe is easy to make, easy to modify, and tasty to boot.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 can chicken gumbo soup

2-3 Tbsp ketchup

2-3 Tbsp yellow mustard

Shredded cheese (optional)

Hamburger buns or rolls

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown the meat.

2. Add the soup, ketchup and mustard to the skillet and stir.

3. Cook over medium heat until thickened (5-8 minutes).

4. Serve on buns or rolls, with or without cheese sprinkled on top.

Recipe my mom wrote for me to take to college.

All the ingredients in the pan, waiting for a good stir.

Happy cooking!

Something Old: Magic Chicken Salad

Somehow, it's Monday again. Or rather, it's Sunday night but it will be Monday when this is posted. The weekend never is long enough.

Tonight, Chase and I are cooking meatloaf, a recipe I'll share on Thursday. For today, though, make yourself a great batch of chicken salad for lunches this week. Or for many other things. Chicken salad makes for great sandwiches, but it's also wonderful on top of green salads, or as an appetizer on crackers. Probably more things, but I'm partial to lists of three.

Happy cooking!

ps- I'm so happy the weather is finally cooling. Fall/Winter recipes are my favorite!

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Sarah's Magic Chicken Salad January 5, 2010

This morning, Bobbi asked me if I have a recipe for chicken salad tucked in my arsenal. Scandalously, I did not. So after work tonight, I committed myself to a little experiementation to make my own chicken salad recipe.

Because this is neither “cooking” nor “baking,” but what I can only call “making,” there is plenty of room for your own experimentation with measurements. Like pepper? Add an extra dash. Mayo fan? Use a little more. You get the point. “Making” means the recipe tells you which flavors to add for a great dish, but the amount of these flavors can vary based on your tastes.

Now as I sit here typing to you, I am enjoying the most delicious chicken salad I have ever eaten.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups cooked chicken, cubed

½ - ¾ cup Miracle Whip (light)

1 Tbsp minced onion

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp paprika

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine Miracle Whip, paprika, pepper and salt.

2. Add onion, celery, pecans and cranberries into miracle mayo. Mix well.

3. Add chicken and stir gently until all ingredients are well coated.

4. Finally, add fresh lemon juice and give the chicken salad a final stir.

5. Serve on bread or roll with dark salad greens, on a green salad, on crackers, on a boat, with a goat. (sorry)

PS for Bobbi- If you like grapes in your chicken salad, add those instead of (or in addition to!) the cranberries. Just make sure to cut grapes into pieces about the same size as your celery pieces.

The ingredients. The magic is in the lemon!

Leftover grilled chicken works great, presuming it's minimally seasoned. Fried chicken

works as well, as long as you take the skin off.

But the EASIEST way to acquire chicken is to buy frozen, fully cooked chicken. Thaw

according to microwave directions and let cool before adding to your mix.

Three chopped quarter cups.

All together, ready for eating.

Happy cooking!

Something Old: French Dip Sandwiches

Welcome again to Monday, food friends!

I had a great weekend with friends. Lots of eating, baking, dancing (kinda), and watching new shows. Even had a girly sleepover. All kinds of fun things.

Unfortunately, Chase has been out of town and will continue to be out of town for a couple of days. When I was searching around the old posts for S.O. recipe, I realized that this would be the perfect thing for me to make for my solo Sunday dinner. Simple, cheap, and most importantly, easy to make for one. Granted, it's also easy to make for 2 or 6 or 10, but so few recipes are single-eater friendly.

Never fear. French Dips are here!

Happy cooking!

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French Dip Sandwiches January 2, 2010

Simplest warm sandwich in the world.

This sandwich was included in sets of recipes from both my mom and grandma, so I knew it had some history and had to be good. And indeed it was! Chase and I made it one week when we were both stressed and needed something warm, tasty, and simple. Perfect sandwich for all of those things.

ps- Pick your favorite kind of bread or roll for this, but I really like it on something with a nice chewy crust to add great texture.

Ingredients

Deli-sliced roast beef (about 4-5 slices per sandwich)

1 package McCormick's Au Jus Gravy mix

Provolone cheese

Bread of your choice

Directions

1. On the stovetop, prepare Au Jus Gravy mix according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, slice and toast your bread.

3. Once Au Jus is prepared, place roast beef slices one at a time into the gravy until they are heated through (they will look crinkly).

4. Place heated beef on one slice of bread and top with a slice of cheese. Place in toaster oven or under broiler to melt cheese.

5. Serve finished sandwich with a cup of Au Jus.

My favorite crusty bread.

Making the Au Jus (swirl).

Almost ready for eating, and perfect with a side of apples.

Happy cooking!

Something New: Meatball Subs

Little introduction is needed for a classic recipe. Chase and I were craving meat and melty cheese, so this happened. And it was delicious.

The meatball recipe was mostly based on this one, minus some heat. And of course they were great on spaghetti too.

Happy cooking!

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Meatball Subs

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

¼ cup parmesan cheese

⅓ cup milk, or 1 large egg

1 ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp dry onion flakes

¼ tsp garlic powder

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¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped mushroom

4 Tbsp cooking oil

1-2 cups marinara sauce

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Sub sandwich bread

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the top set of ingredients. Form into 2-Tbsp balls.

2. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Place the meatballs in the skillet and cook the meatballs thoroughly, turning occasionally. (Or cook for 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven.)

4. When the meatballs are almost done cooking (about 5 minutes left), place the last 2 Tbsp of oil in a small skillet over medium heat.

5. Cook the onions and mushrooms in the small skillet until fork-tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Place the fully-cooked meatballs onto your sandwich bread. Top with a handful of mozzarella. Place in a toaster oven to toast until the cheese is melted.

7. Remove from toaster and top with onions, mushrooms and marinara sauce. Enjoy.

Delicious meatball ingredients.

Or will be delicious as soon as it's cooked!

Happily frying away.

Extra flavor.

All together now, into my mouth! Happy cooking!