Food goodness

I'm always looking for a new way to make turkey burgers, and these were pretty good. I had intended to put them on the grill, but the thunderstorms (stupid weather!) made that impossible and I cooked them on our Foreman grill instead. (Also, and unrelated -- if you live in this area and you haven't been to the Penzey's yet, go. Go right now. Trust me.) adapted from Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 red onion, half chopped, and half thinly sliced 1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, defrosted 1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm of your hand 1/4 pound feta crumbles 1 package (1 1/3 pounds) ground chicken or ground turkey breast 1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning (I used the no-salt kind) 1/3 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise salt and freshly ground black pepper

This would be really good with fresh corn, if you've got some nice fresh corn. I didn't feel like dealing with the fresh corn, though, so I used defrosted frozen corn. From Food & Wine, Aug. 2007 6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth 1 bay leaf 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, very finely chopped 1 1/2 cups arborio rice (12 ounces) 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup white corn kernels (from 2 ears) 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed Salt and freshly ground pepper In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil with the bay leaf. Keep the stock warm over very low heat. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring until opaque, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook over moderate heat, st

Bon Apetit, July 2005 1 pie crust (I used frozen) Streusel 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract Filling 1 cup (scant) sugar 3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of salt 2 1/2 pounds sour cherries, pitted For streusel: Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; rub in with fingertips until small clumps form. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.) For filling: Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to chilled crust, mounding in center. Sprinkle streusel over, covering completely and pressing to adhe

I got this one from the Food Network. It was quick, easy and really tasty. Gaby slurped up all the noodles, and it makes good use of all my basil. We'll be making it again this week. Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, toasted 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound dried or fresh farfalle pasta In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, salt, and pepper and process for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add the cheese, pine nuts, and garlic and, while the processor is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a mostly smooth sauce is formed. Transfer pesto to a bowl and set aside. (Note: Pesto may be made 1 day in advance and kept, refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a

Due to circumstances the details of which are now lost to time, I once pissed off a woman in my Arlington neighborhood and needed to make amends. I sought the advice of the sage and amicable Gwen. We decided that a loaf of homemade banana bread was in order and this is the fabulous recipe she provided. 6T of softened butter 1/2 C sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 med. mashed bananas 1 1/2 C flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt nuts/chocolate/coconut (In my most recent loaf, I used 8 T butter because I'm asking for heart disease, 4 large bananas because I'm trying to whittle the quantity of bananas in my freezer to a manageable number, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste because I consider it cheating if my spice cabinet gets ignored when I'm in the kitchen. I also used bread flour because that's what I had on hand and added an extra tsp of baking powder because my butt told me that a rising agent is what all purpose flour has that bread flour doesn't. (??) Due s

Geoff sent me the link to an article from the NY Times (registration required, but it's free) entitled "Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less." Enjoy! http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

from Betty Crocker, The Healthy Heart Cookbook (2005) Geoff added some sliced portabellos to his pizza. He thought it was a good addition. I'm not a fan of fungus, so I left that off. We both liked the end results. I'm sure you could add meat or cooked chicken to this, and it would be great, too. 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves (not oil-packed) (we used fresh, sliced tomatos) 1 can (15-16 oz.) great northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained 2 medium cloves, finely chopped 1 package (10 oz.) ready-to-serve thin Italian pizza crust (12" diameter) (we used 2 mini crusts) 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 1 cup firmly packed washed fresh spinach leaves (from 10-ounce bag), shredded 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Colby-Monterey Jack cheese Preheat oven to 425. Pour enough boiling water over dried tomatoes to cover; let stand 10 minutes. Drain. Cut into thin strips; set aside. Place beans and garlic in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Spread beans over

from The Joy of Cooking (2006 version) Geoff and I made this, and put it into croissants for delicious party hors d'oeuvres. They were gone by the end of the party, so in my book it was a hit. We'll probably make this again, just for ourselves. Makes 4 servings 2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, or cashews (we used walnuts) 1/4 cup dark or golden raisins (we used golden) 3 scallions, chopped 1 apple, cored, peeled, and coarsely chopped 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced 1/2 to 3/4 cup curry mayonnaise (recipe follows) salt and black pepper to taste Combine chicken, nuts, raisins, scallions, apple, and celery in a medium bowl. Mix in curry mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves (or in a sandwich). Curry Mayonnaise Makes generous 1 cup 2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil 1 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon honey 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon chopped mango chutney (op

I had a few overripe bananas on the counter, so I turned them into banana muffins today, with Gaby's help. They are really good. My notes in italics. Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled 2 extra-large eggs 3/4 cup whole milk (I used 2 percent) 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas) 1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana) 1 cup small-diced walnuts (I omitted) 1 cup granola (I didn't have granola, so I used grape nuts and a Kashi cereal I had mixed) 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. (I didn't do this, I just sprayed the muffin cups with Pam) Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with

From Cooking for Two or More by the Pampered Chef Test Kitchens (but I found it on thenest.com). When Geoff and I went to the grocery store on July 4th, we couldn't find some of the ingredients the recipe calls for. I've put our substitutions in parentheses. Also, be aware that this recipe only makes enough for 2 people. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried brown lentils 2 1/2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 bay leaf 1 plum tomato, diced 1/4 cup finely diced red onion 1 (1-ounce) block feta cheese, finely diced 3 tablespoons snipped fresh mint 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 garlic clove, pressed Mixed baby salad greens (optional) Paprika (optional) Directions: Place lentils in colander; rinse and pick out any stones or other debris. Bring water to a boil in (1.5-qt.) saucepan; add lentils, salt and bay leaf. Simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain lentils; remove and discard bay l

This recipe was a little fussy but worth it. From Epicurious/Icebox Desserts : Lavender honey is especially fragrant and flavorful, but any other favorite honey is fine in this wholesome-tasting pie. (We couldn't find lavender and used wildflower.) I think fresh peaches sweetened with a little honey and cinnamon are the perfect accompaniment, but plums, berries, or any other fresh fruit of your choice may be substituted. Use organic, whole-milk yogurt if at all possible. The Stonyfield Farm brand is widely available at supermarkets and natural foods stores. Makes 8 servings. Brown Sugar Oatmeal Crumb Crust: 11 whole graham crackers (to yield about 1 1/3 cups crumbs) 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt Filling: 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 3 tablespoons cold water 1 cup whole-milk yogurt 1/2 cup lavender honey 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled Topping: 2 medium-size