Monthly Menu: Turkey Cheeseburger, Curly Fries, & Cucumber Tomato Salad

     I was recently asked if I knew of any good turkey burger recipes...so I did some searching and found one that looked pretty good.  Supposedly it is Oprah's "Favorite" turkey recipe, so if it's good enough for her, then why not give it a try! And I'm glad I did, it was very delightful and tasty!
August 5th: Turkey Cheeseburgers, Curly Fries, and Cucumber Tomato Salad

Found the recipe on Food.com.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup scallion (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup celery (finely chopped)

3 granny smith apples (peeled and diced, I used only 1)

1/8 cup canola oil

4 lbs ground turkey breast (I only used 1/2 lb, since I didn't want to make a lot of patties)

2 TBsp salt

1 TBsp ground pepper

2 TBsp Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce (I omitted this, since I don't like Tabasco)

1 lemon (zest and juiced)

1/2 bunch parsley (finely chopped)

1/4 cup Major Grey Chutney (pureed)

How to make it:

Sauté the scallions, celery, and apples in the canola oil until tender, let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.

Add sautéed items and the salt, pepper, Tabasco, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and chutney.

Shape into eight 8-oz burgers.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper.

Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill.

Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is throughly cooked.

Let set for 5 minutes then Enjoy with some fries and a salad!

Strawberries & Cream Muffins

     Living here in the desert I have noticed that the produce does not last long! Seem like we have to eat all the fruits and veggies up quick before they go bad.  So, today I tried to use up the strawberries before they got gross and had to toss them.  I found a great recipe on Eat Meets West for Strawberry & Cream Muffins.

Ingredients:

Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 TSsp unsalted butter (melted)

2/3 cup cream

1 1/2 cups strawberries (chopped)

Crumb

1/3 cup all purpose flour

3 TBsp packed brown sugar

3 TBsp unsalted butter (softened)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a muffin tin with muffin papers.

Sift together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, and vanilla until combined.

Slowly add the flour mixture then the melted butter, stirring until just combined.

Carefully fold in the strawberries. 

Set aside.

Combine the ingredients for the topping and mix them to create a crumble texture.

Fill the paper liners 2/3 full, then sprinkle with generous amount of crumble.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack then Enjoy!

Monthly Menu: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, & Buttery Peas

     The other day I pre-made three mini meatloaves and froze them.  Today, was meatloaf day, so I just thawed one out and put it in the oven.  It was very tasty!
August 4: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Buttery Peas

Found the meatloaf recipe on Sweetie Pie's.

Ingredients:

Loaf

1 lb ground beef

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup onion (chopped)

1/2 cup bell pepper (chopped)

1 egg (lightly beaten)

8 oz canned diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 quick-cooking oats

Topping

1/3 cup ketchup

2 TBsp brown sugar

1 TBsp mustard

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a loaf baking pan.

Shape into a loaf.

Mix ingredients for the topping and spread on the loaf.

Bake for 1 hour then Enjoy!

Monthly Menu: Baked Chicken, Sautéed Squash, & Mac and Cheese

     I know it's August third, but it's only day 2 of our Monthly Menu Planning since we went out to eat last night to celebration the hubby's promotion.  
August 3rd:  So, for today's scrumptious meal we dined on Baked Chicken, Sautéed Squash, and Mac N Cheese...oh so good for such a simple meal!

Baked Chicken recipe from Betty Crocker.

Sautéed Squash recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

 (Boxed Betty Crocker Mac and Cheese)

Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

1 TBsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 whole chicken (cut up)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 435 degrees.

Melt butter in a rectangular baking dish (13x9x2 inches) in the oven.

Stir together Bisquick, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Coat the chicken with the Bisquick mixture.

Place skin sides down in the dish (dish and butter should be hot).

Bake 35 minutes, flip chicken.

Bake about 15 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Let cool a bit and Enjoy!

Sautéed Squash

Ingredients:

1 TSsp olive oil 

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic (finely minced)

3 medium zucchini (sliced about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, in rounds or half moons)

3 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, in rounds of half moons)

2-3 tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

How to make it:

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onions start to turn translucent, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the zucchini and squash, tossing well with the olive oil mixture.

Saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes.

Continue cooking and stirring until the zucchini and squash are tender and tomatoes have broken down, about another 2 minutes.

Toss the hot mixture with the parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and Enjoy!

National Watermelon Day

     Today, is another fun and crazy holiday...today we celebrate the WATERMELON.  I personally, don't really care for the pink fruit, but that doesn't stop me from celebrating the holiday! Actually, no one in my family like it, so instead, I decided to make some fun Watermelon inspire cookies that I found a great recipe from Six Sister's Stuff.

Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter (softened) 3/4 sugar 1 egg (room temperature) 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour (sifted) 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt red and green food coloring 1/3 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

How to make them: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix till combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture into butter mixture. Set aside 1 cup of dough. Tint remaining dough red and shape into a 3 1/2 inch long roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the freezer to set up. With the 1 cup of dough that is set aside, tint 1/3 of it green and wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the fridge until firm. The 2/3 of the remaining dough will be left its natural color and wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the fridge until firm. On a lightly floured surface, roll the plain dough into a rectangle that is about 3 1/2 inches by 8 inches. Unwrap the chilled red dough and roll it up into the plain dough, making sure to wrap it snuggly. Roll it around the counter to seal the two layers together well. Wrap back up and freeze until firm. On a lightly floured surface, roll the green dough into a 3 1/2 inch by 9 inch rectangle. Roll the chilled dough up snuggly in the green dough. Roll to seal the layers together. Wrap up in plastic wrap and chill in freezer until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap dough and cut into slices just under 1/4 inch. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Lightly press mini chocolate chips into the red part of each cookie slice. Bake 9-11 minutes or until firm. After taking them out of the oven, immediately cute cookies in half while hot. I used the edge of a spatula for a nice even cut just pushing down. Let cool on rack and Enjoy!

HAPPY NATIONAL WATERMELON DAY!

Vanilla Bean Scones

     As you know I love baking up some muffins, but today I whipped up some lovely Vanilla Bean Scones.  Similar to the ones you find at your local Starbucks, but I think these are way better.  Super moist and of course, home made!

Found this recipe on Rumbly in My Tumbly.

Ingredients:

Scones

2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Vanilla Bean Glaze

2 cups confectioner's sugar (sifted)

4 TBsp milk

2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla extract if you want a white glaze, if using brown vanilla glaze will be cream/off white color)

1/2 vanilla bean (use the other half from earlier)

How to make them:

Scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with a small, sharp knife.

Add the seeds to the sugar mixture and beat to incorporate.

Mix in half of the flour, followed by the milk.

Stir in remaining flour mixture until dough comes together into a firm, slightly sticky mass.

Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces and roll into tennis-sized balls.

Place on a lightly floured surface and flatten each ball into a disc about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

After all balls have been flattened, cut each into quarters and arrange on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 11-15 minutes, until scones are light golden brown at the edges.

Cool on a wire rack before glazing.

Glaze

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sifted confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and the seeds from the other half of the vanilla bean.

Mix glaze until it is very smooth and has a pourable consistency.

Add a few extra Tablespoons of confectioner's sugar if it is too thin and an extra Tablespoon of milk if it is too thick.

Pour over cooled scones and Enjoy!

Monthly Menu: Orange Teriyaki Pork Chops, Steamed Rice, & Sautéed SnowPeas

     So, recently I've taken up on monthly menu planning again.  With Liam going to school pretty soon, I thought having a scheduled menu for the month would definitely answer the question..."what's for dinner?"  I decided to look through Pinterest for some new recipes.  I found some great ones to try out.  I also plan on pre-making some meals to freeze to have on a later day.  

     August 1st: I kicked off our menu with making Orange Teriyaki Pork Chops, Steamed Rice, and Sautéed Snow Peas.  

I found a great recipe for the pork chops from Instructables.

Ingredients: 4 to 6 boneless pork chops (the thin ones work great) 3 green onions (thinly sliced) zest of one orange juice of one orange (about 1/3 cup) 1 TBsp butter 2 to 3 TBsp Teriyaki Sauce 2 to 3 pinches of brown sugar

How to make them: Add the butter to a pan and cook the green onions and zest until they start to get fragrant and soften. Add 1 tsp of teriyaki sauce at this point and stir till combined. Pull them out of the pan and pop them into a small bowl, set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops. Brown them quickly in the same pan over medium-high heat. Be careful not to over cook. Once the pork chops are brown, turn the heat down to low and pour in the orange juice. Add 1-2 TBsp of teriyaki sauce to your liking. Add the green onions and zest back into the pan. Add 1-3 pinches of brown sugar to the pan. (depends on how sweet you want it) Stir all together and let simmer for 15-20minutes with a lid cracked. Take out pork chops with completely cooked. Continue to reduce the orange juice mixture into a sauce to thicken up to your liking. Serve the Pork Chops over some Steamed Rice along side some sautéed Snow Peas and Enjoy!

Friday Foodie Favorites: Noosa Yoghurt

     So, I really like the idea of trying new things, especially food.  It you haven't figured out by now, I'm a bit of a foodie.  Cooking, Baking, or Eating...I LOVE food! With that in mind I thought I would dedicate Fridays to all my new Favorite foodie items I have discovered.

     Today, I want to share with you my newest Favorite yogurt, or as the Aussie's spell it Yoghurt.  I found this A-MAZ-ING Noosa Yoghurt at Target!  There are 8 awesome flavors: Honey, Blueberry, Mango, Raspberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Peach, Passion Fruit, and Lemon.  I've tried most of them, but so far MY favorites are the Mango and the Passion Fruit.  

    This morning I made this wonderful refreshing Noosa Passion Fruit Yoghurt Parfait with layers of Noosa Yoghurt, Granola, and fresh Mango.

Oh so delicious! 

It makes a great breakfast, healthy snack, or sweet dessert!

 I would totally suggest you grab a tub for you to enjoy yourself!

Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

     The other day I was curious as to what holidays fall in August, so I searched Google and found a great site, Holiday Insights with a huge list of holidays..the bizarre, unique, and special!  Well, I found out that today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!!!  So, with that in mind... HAPPY NATIONAL ICE CREAM  SANDWICH DAY!!   Instead of buying the typical chocolate and vanilla ice cream sandwiches you can find in the frozen section of WalMart, I decided to make my own using some Heath Chocolate Chip Cookies I had baked earlier in the week and sandwiched some Vanilla Ice Cream in between them!  Perfect for National Ice Cream Sandwich Day don't you think?  

Heath Chocolate Chip Cookie & Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches 

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)

2 1/4 cups flour (sifted)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup Heath chocolate covered toffee pieces

Tub of Vanilla Ice Cream

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl of an electric mixer, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until well blended and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a medium bowl.

Add flour mixture into the butter mixture a little at time, stopping to scrap the sides down.

Mix until well blended and thicker.

Fold in the chocolate chips and Heath pieces.

Scoop batter onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on cooling racks.

When completely cooled, scoop some ice cream on the bottom of one cookie.

Then place another cookie on top of the ice cream to make a sandwich.

Wrap the sandwich up in some cling plastic wrap and place in the freezer to harden up.

When ice cream is set you're ready to Enjoy!

Summer Bucket List: Magical Moon Sand

     Well, we are still doing our Summer Bucket List since Liam doesn't start Kindergarten till mid August.  So, today we did another fun activity using our hands....Moon Sand!  I found how to make it on Early Activities & Projects.  It was so simple and lots of messy fun!

 Here's what you need:

Corn Starch

Shaving Cream

Food Coloring gels

Cookie cutters

How to make it:

Pour out some cornstarch, as much as you like.  

Then squirt out some shaving cream (about the same amount of corn starch) on top of the corn starch, you can always add more.

Drizzle whatever color of food coloring gel you want your Moon Sand to be.

Mix all the ingredients by squishing it with your fingers.

Keep squishing till it forms into a moldable dough.

That's all, now have fun!

Liam didn't care for the squishing part, so he left it to me to do!

Liam had fun once it was a dough.

Look a moon made out of Moon Sand!

Nice Fishy Liam!

Not much to clean up!

That was a really neat project!

Lots of fun and interactive!