Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

I can't believe it's been a whole month since my last post! In my defense, I moved AGAIN, was out of town for a week, and didn't get internet until yesterday (does happy dance!!). I still haven't unpacked all of my things, though I've been trying to do a little bit each day. My kitchen however, has been unpacked and functioning since maybe my second or third day back in Cinci. I have no idea where my tools or clothes are, but I can tell you the exact location of all my kitchen utensils and appliances.

I've been doing some cooking, but between unpacking and preparing for an audition and school, cooking has been on the back burner. Since school starts a week from tomorrow, I plan on preparing several meals that can be frozen, so if I'm short on time, I have something homemade and ready to go! These turkey burgers were the first on my list. I simply froze the patties I wasn't cooking on a parchment lined cookie sheet, then threw them in freezer bags once they were solid.* I made them yesterday for lunch, and they were totally delish. Let's just say in the two minutes I was taking pictures of mine, Chris had prepared his, eaten it, and put his dish in the sink. Either he was starving, or he loved them.

Not only were these tasty, they were also super quick to make. Even if I was short on time during the week, I could have these going in no time. I adapted the original recipe a tad, by adding garlic and fresh oregano (from my balcony garden!!), which I think were excellent additions. The only thing I would do differently next time is perhaps get some of the moisture out of the spinach, as the burgers were a bit on the soft side. I ended up freezing them for 10-15 minutes before cooking, so they'd hold together, as was recommended by others who had tried the recipe.

Bottom line, these put plain old turkey burgers to shame, and I'm super stoked that I have another three in my freezer!

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg, lightly beaten

5 oz. frozen spinach, defrosted (about half a bag)

3/4 cup feta cheese

1 clove finely minced garlic

A few sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

Directions 

Using paper towels, remove excess liquid from defrosted spinach.**

Mix all ingredients with your hands or a wooden spoon, and form patties. If patties are too soft, put them in the freezer on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes. Cook patties in a greased skillet over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes per side, or until meat is fully cooked. Serve with hamburger buns, lettuce or spinach, tomato, red onion, and oh yeah, Dijon mustard on these is awesome. Do you know what's even more awesome then all of those toppings? More feta on top. Yeah.

The original recipe said this yields 4 medium patties, but I ended up with 5 large patties.

*When I want to eat them, I plan on letting them thaw just a few minutes then throwing them on the grill or skillet, just like I would a regular hamburger.

**I didn't remove the excess liquid from the spinach. They were a tad on the soft side, but obviously didn't bother me at all. If you're worried about it, go ahead and remove some of the moisture.

Recipe Source: Eat Live Run

Texas Cake

I'm so excited to finally have a cake recipe to post...but I'm even more excited that it's a chocolate cake. I ran out of cocoa powder about two or three months before my planned departure from Beijing, and being that it's very expensive out there I chose not to buy any more. That meant no baking with chocolate. For over two months. It was a very dark time in my life.

Now that I'm back in the states there has been a lot of chocolate consumption in this household, this texas cake being the most recent, and yes, the most delicious. We had this cake all the time growing up, and I can't remember the last time I had it. I've been helping out at home with a garage sale all weekend, so meals weren't really a priority. I actually had this cake for lunch today, along with some watermelon...I know...weird.

I'm not sure why we always called this cake Texas Cake, but the pioneer woman thought it was because the cake is the size of Texas (hellooo 13x18!!). We used her recipe, because it looked the closest to what we've always done, but did it in a 9x13 instead.

In other news, this week I'll be moving yet again, back to Cincinnati. I'm so excited to just be in one place for a while, and to see some of my old friends again. Maybe another cake should be in order? I think so!

Texas Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (you could also give sour cream a try!)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 stick butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar. This is kind of a loose measurement, add bits at a time until it's the desired consistancy. Any lumps will eventually break up, no need to sift.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a saucepan, boil water, then add butter and cocoa. Bring back to a boil, and let it boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Mix in the sugar until combined, then add the flour and salt, stirring lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, wisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Pour into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 25 minutes. Cake should look just set, but not jiggly.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and add the powdered sugar in batches until it reaches the desired consistancy. Stir in the chopped pecans, and pour over warm cake.

So easy, so addicting, SO delicious.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman

Summer Vegetable and Potato Salad

I am officially on staycation. I made it back to the states safe and sound last Sunday, and have thoroughly been enjoying my time at home. There's been swimming, cuddling with puppers, and of course eating. I've also done a little car shopping, am still figuring out my cell phone situation, and oh yeah, I'm sick. Thankfully I'm not the kind of sick where I have body aches and chills, but the pain in my lungs when I cough cannot be overlooked.

Though I've been eating well since I've been home, I haven't been doing any cooking. Call me lazy, but when my mom asks me if I want her to make biscuits and gravy, I let her. Needless to say, this salad is perfect for a lazy dinner. My mom and I made this together, so it took zero time to make, and was fresh and satisfying. Actually, it was doubly satisfying, as many of the veggies were homegrown. The corn was grown in a friends garden, and my mom grew the tomatoes and basil. Oh basil, I love you.

As we were eating, we were brainstorming about other additions or changes. I think grilling the corn would add some lovely char, and maybe even some grilled zucchini. Either way, this recipe is highly adaptable. We ate it as a main dish, and for me, it was quite filling. My sister was still a little hungry after, while I couldn't quite finish my serving. I was already thinking about my favorite chocolate chip cookies I was going to make, so maybe I was subconciously saving room for those. There will be ice cream sandwiches in my near future. I love summer.

*Update: I'll be submitting this recipe to a monthly food blog event No Croutons Required. This is a monthly event featuring vegetarian soups and salads. I've been following for a little while, but this is my first entry. This month's challenge was to come up with a dish that is especially suited for summer. I think this dish fits the bill perfectly!

Summer Vegetable Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 pound small yellow or red new potatoes, sliced

2 fresh ears of corn, cooked, or 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

4 roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges, or you can use 12-15 halved cherry tomatoes like we did

1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or red onion

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup feta cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Directions

In medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 5 minutes, or just until tender. Drain and cool. Cut corn from cob. On large serving platter arrange the potatoes and tomatoes. Sprinkle with corn and 1/4 cup basil.

For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake well. Pour dressing over potato mixture. Sprinkle salad with feta cheese and basil leaves. Makes 8-10 servings.

Serves 4 as a main, 8-10 as a side.

Recipe Source: All-Time Favorite Recipes from the 2012 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, a supplement to the Better Homes and Garden magazine.

Classic Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

I know..I've been totally MIA these past few weeks, and I hate to say it, but it may also be the case for the next two weeks as well, as they are my last two weeks in China. I'm running low on food, and am starting the process of packing up my life before making the big move back home. Once I'm home though, my mom, sister, and I have big plans to make homemade jelly, and of course goodies for 4th of July. So stay tuned! Some serious pool time is also in my near future, and I can't wait. 

In the meantime, I do (finally) have a recipe to share, and it comes from good ole Betty Crocker. I grew up with the 1992 edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook, and when I went off to college, my mom bought me the same edition (thank you ebay!), as well as when my sister went off to college a year later. I'm not sure if this exact recipe is in the same cookbook or not, as I had to leave my cookbooks in the states, but they turned out exactly how I remember them. They're slightly cakey and sweet with a crunchy crumb on top. Whenever I eat a muffin, I usually pull the bottom off first then eat the muffin top, but with the streusel on top, it made that a little more difficult and messy. Like I care, these totally hit the spot.

Classic Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cold butter

Muffins:

3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Line 12 regular sized muffins cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, prepare the struesel by mixing the 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter using a fork or pastry cutter, until mixture is crumbly; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and egg until well blended. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt all at once and stir until just moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently stir in blueberries. Divide evenly among muffins cups and sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon streusel.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If muffins were baking in paper liners, immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. If muffins were baked in a spray pan, leave in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm or cooled. 

Recipe Source: Betty Crocker

Biscuits for Two

I'm lucky to have grown up in a house with a mother who could cook. We grew up eating lots of fruit and veggies, and most of our food was made from scratch. That being said, we weren't "deprived" of boxed macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, potato chips, etc. but overall there was balance.

In the past few years I've gotten more and more into cooking (obviously). Along the way, I feel like I constantly called my mom to ask her for help and recipes. The thing about my mom though, is that she does a lot of "cooking from the heart". She's experienced, so it's easier for her to do this, and I sometimes got fluffy answers. Here are some examples:

Me: "I don't want to kill the yeast, how warm should the water be?"

Mom: "Cozy"

Another of my favorites is in regards to her Thanksgiving stuffing:

Me: "How much stock do I add"

Mom: "Enough to where it's not too wet, and not too dry. You definitely don't want it to be dry though." 

Me: "Um...okay"

Oddly enough, it usually works for me. Maybe it's because I understand her, but I want to start writing down these recipes in a way that's a little more precise. I want to do this not only for myself, but for the rest of my family, and anyone who reads my little ole blog! I'll be labeling these recipes "Mom's Recipes".

I thought these biscuits would be the perfect recipe to start with. My mom made these biscuits all the time, and understandably so. They're so easy, flaky, and wonderful. They're also pretty much fool proof...trust me. My favorite way to eat them is with her sausage gravy. I have been craving biscuits and gravy like you wouldn't believe and will definitely post a recipe when I'm home in July. It would be an injustice to the world not to. In the meantime, here is this wonderful little recipe. This is enough for two people (4.5 biscuits), but she always made more then this, so I think it's safe to say it can easily be doubled.

I know this post is getting long, but I should mention that I'll be submitting this to BYOB: Bake Your Own Bread.

What's your favorite way to eat a biscuit? Honey, jam, with gravy? I always do a combo, like one biscuit with jam, the other with honey. With sausage gravy though, it's always just the gravy.

Biscuits for Two

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising flour*

1 rounded tablespoon shortening or butter, cold

1/2 cup milk or even buttermilk if you have it**

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper; set aside.*** 

In a medium bowl, cut shortening into the flour using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers. I always use my fingers, because it's easier for me.

Add milk, and stir until just combined. It should just clean the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead about five times, flattening the dough until it's about 3/4 inch thick. Do not overwork the dough. Using a glass or a round cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. Place on prepared baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

*If you don't have self-rising flour, you can make your own by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup all purpose flour.

**You could also add more milk and make them drop biscuits.
***As noted in the comments below, my mom never greased her pan or used parchment. Then again, she always used a well seasoned cast iron skillet, which is pretty much non stick. "Follow your heart".