The Erin Burger (or Chicken Burger with Pear Chutney)

I am a huge fan of burgers. If I go more than a week without one, I start to get cravings that won't go away until I get a big, juicy cheeseburger. That being said, I am generally NOT a fan of turkey burgers. I've tried them all kinds of ways and they just never do it for me.

Except for this burger.

It has such unique, fresh flavors that there's nothing not to like about it -- pears, apples, chutney, fresh parsley,  lots of fresh lemon and even cinnamon!  We just had to name it the Erin burger since it's got so much sweet and fruit in a savory burger and that's just her "thing." You may be saying, uh...the recipe says "Chicken Burger" not turkey. I have always made it with turkey and have always liked it but I decided to try it this time around with chicken. As I said, I've never really liked turkey burgers but Erin got me trying ground chicken for some burger recipes a few years ago and I found that I really liked the chicken much much more than the turkey so I figured trying it with the only turkey burger recipe I like would be delish and I was right! Although, you really can't go wrong with either meat with this recipe.

You may be wondering where the cheese is and I'm telling you it doesn't need it! Believe me. I consider it almost sacrilegious to have a burger without cheese on it but I'm begging you to try the recipe just once exactly as is...no condiments, no cheese, just the chutney. Also, if you're a low-carber...this burger has so much flavor you won't even miss the bun!

~Leah

The Erin Burger (or Chicken Burger with Pear Chutney)

Author: Leah (adapted from Trump's turkey burger)

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 14 mins

Total time: 2 hours 14 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Burger


• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions


• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery


• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced


• 1/8 cup canola oil


• 4 pounds ground chicken or turkey


• 2 Tbsp. salt


• 1 Tbsp. black pepper


• 2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce


• 1 lemon, juiced and grated zest


• 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped


• 1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed


• Pretzel buns or your favorite hamburger bun or roll


• Chutney Topping


• 1 Anjou pear, peeled and diced


• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon sea salt


• 1 1/2 cups Major Grey's chutney

Instructions

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


2. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.


3. While the burgers are chilling, make the chutney topping.


4. Preheat oven to 350°.


5. Toss the diced pears with the cinnamon and salt. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes.


6. Cool and mix with the chutney.


7. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.


8. Serve on pretzel bun or your favorite bun or roll and top with chutney mixture.

Notes

Yes, these are ginormous burgers and if you decide to make them smaller, please adjust your cooking time as they will get dry FAST. You MUST oil your grill...these do not have much fat and they will stick. Also on that note -- don't mess with these once they're on the grill. Put them on, set the timer, flip them, set the timer, take them off. They can fall apart easily so you really don't want to be messing with them.

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Sherbarita Poptails

I have to admit that popsicles don't usually do it for me. A frozen, sugary, goopy mess of syrup doesn't typically sound appealing. Until one day when I had leftover sherbet and some of my beloved margarita mix. I am ALWAYS down for a margarita but I didn't think  I would win any parenting awards sitting in my backyard at 3 in the afternoon sipping a margarita while my kids were running through the sprinkler.

Enter...POPTAILS! Have you heard of these brilliant little things!?! They're "popsicle-cocktails" or "momsicles" or whatever you want to call them. I call them fantastic. Its a small little cocktail frozen into a popsicle form. You can make them ahead of time and serve them at a summer pool party or a late afternoon play date (just don't mix them up with the regular popsicles!) or keep them for the nights your husband (or wife) is working late. Whatever your reason, give these a try. You can add a little extra tequila, but not too much. It may sound appealing but it will prevent your pops from freezing completely. This lime sherbet & margarita blend is delicious! Happy summer!

~Wendy

Sherbarita Poptails

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Wendy

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 4 hours

Total time: 4 hours 5 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 c. Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix w/ Tequila


• 1 c. Lime Sherbet, softened


• 1/4 c. tequila

Instructions

1. Mix all three ingredients and pour into 4 popsicle molds.


2. Freeze for at least 4 hours until hard set.


3. When ready to serve, run the mold under warm water for a few seconds before trying to remove.

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Avocado White Bean Wraps

Anything better then a summer meal you can make ahead? AND not turn on the oven or stove? Big winner right here.

Oh, wait.....it's vegetarian too! And has more has fiber then you'll know what to do with.

Not convinced yet?

They taste awesome. Plus, I'm a fan of any recipe that turns simple, super healthy ingredients into something absolutely craveable. I found these on eatingwell.com a few years ago and they've quickly become a favorite of family and friends. The chilies in adobo sauce has smoky flavor and is quite spicy. Keep this in mind and adjust quantities to suit your tastes. The recipe calls for only a small portion of what comes in the can. I recommend freezing the remaining chilies to make more wraps down the road, or this salad. It's also one of those ingredients that I can't always find at every grocery store, so will often buy 2 or 3 to have on hand. You'll thank me for the tip. Enjoy!

~Erin

Avocado White Bean Wraps

Author: Erin (adapted from eatingwell.com)

Prep time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 T. cider vinegar


• 1 T. canola oil


• 2 tsp. canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, finely chopped


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 2 c. shredded red cabbage


• 1 medium carrot, shredded


• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed


• 1 avocado


• 1/2 c. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded


• 2 T. minced red onion


• 4 wraps or tortillas

Instructions

1. For dressing, whisk together cider vinegar, canola oil, chipotle chili, and salt.


2. Toss red cabbage, carrot, and cilantro in dressing.


3. Mash together beans, avocado, cheese, and onion.


4. Assemble wraps with a thick spread of avocado mixture and cabbage. Serve.

Notes

If you are bothered by browned avocado and wanting to prepare these ahead of time, mash avocado into beans, cheese, and onion right before serving. Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce is found in a very tiny can in the International food aisle.

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Thai Peanut Cabbage Salad

If you've always had a hard time figuring out side dishes to serve at your BBQ or to bring to a friend's then look no further! I started making this recipe as a newlywed 12 years ago when I found it in a Pillsbury recipe book at the grocery store checkout. Little did I know what a gem I had stumbled upon! It was a HUGE hit and every time I make it, I get asked for the recipe. It's really easy as far as a salad recipe is concerned considering all of the ingredients involved. In this wonderful day of culinary conveniences, you can buy all but three of the ingredients ready to go (well, really two if you want to shell out the money for already chopped peanuts, but to me that's easy enough to do with a food processor...and even then, I usually just do it with a knife).

It's great for feeding a small group for a little luncheon or -- by multiplying the recipe -- a big crowd. It doubles and triples (and even quadruples -- yes, I have quadrupled it) well. I've been meaning for years to make it for dinner by adding some grilled chicken or some chicken satay but I never seem to get around to it. If any of you give that a try, let us know in the comments how it was!

~Leah

Thai Peanut Cabbage Salad

Recipe Type: Salad

Author: Leah (from Pillsbury recipe booklet)

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• DRESSING


• 1/4 c rice wine vinegar


• 1/4 c oil


• 1/4 c peanut butter


• 2 T sugar


• Seasoning packet from soup mix


• SALAD


• 1 (3 oz.) pkg. oriental flavor ramen noodle soup mix


• 2 c shredded green cabbage


• 2 c shredded red cabbage


• 1 c shredded carrot


• 1/3 c chopped cilantro


• 1/3 c sliced green onions


• 1/2 c chopped peanuts

Instructions

1. Combine all dressing ingredients; beat well with whisk.


2. Break noodles into small pieces in large bowl. Add cabbages, carrot, cilantro and onions; mix well. Add dressing, toss. Sprinkle with peanuts

Notes

You can serve this immediately and the noodles will be crunchy or you can make it ahead and they will soften. I personally like to make it the morning of an event...that way they're not too crunchy and not too soft...but it tastes delicious with them in any form.

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Streusel Coffee Cake

I have managed (so far) to keep it out of the blog, but my life has been recently turned upside down. A few months ago we put our house on the market, in preparation for a move to a home with a little more space for our family of 5. 

The catch was we hadn't exactly FOUND that home yet.

So here was the plan.....get our house on the market and hopefully under contract, so we'd ready to jump on the perfect new place when it came along. Buyers in our neck of the woods have been in huge competition with each other over relatively low inventory. So houses go fast and are most likely to go to buyers who don't require a home sale contingency. Long story short? Our house sold in less then 18 hours, and we found ourselves living with my mom and dad.

And we are in a great spot, really. My parents have been so awesome opening their home to me, my husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a whole lot of stuff. My dad reads Hardy Boy books to my oldest son, and gets my little guy out of bed when he awakes pre-dawn. My mom does countless crafts and marathon coloring sessions with my daughter. As I keep reminding them when things do get a little chaotic, "we are making memories here, people!"

The other huge bonus to living here has been a chance to collaborate in the kitchen with my mom. It's way more fun to experiment with new recipes (and revisit childhood favorites) with a partner. Last weekend she made this coffee cake and I knew I had to share. Hands down, THE BEST after school snack I ever remember coming home to. It comes together very easily in a (larger sized) food processor. It's perfect for a breakfast or brunch....and a mid-afternoon snack.

~Erin

Streusel Coffee Cake

 

Author: Erin

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Cake


• 3 c. flour


• 4 tsp. baking powder


• 1/2 tsp. salt


• 1 c. sugar


• 1 c. butter


• 2 eggs, lightly beaten


• 1 c. milk


• 2 tsp. vanilla


• Topping


• 1 c. brown sugar


• 4 T. flour


• 4 T. butter


• 4 tsp. cinnamon


• 1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are great, but could be optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.


2. For topping, in food processor, pulse together brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and nuts until crumbly. Transfer to another bowl.


3. Add to food processor flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse 2-3 times. Cut in butter and pulse until you have a corn meal consistancy (2-4 times).


4. In a small mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla together well. Add to flour mixture in processor and pulse 2-3 times just to mix.


5. Put half of batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of topping. Add rest of batter and sprinkle with remaining topping.


6. Bake 35-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Notes

The batter will be thick so spread it to corners of the pan with a scraper. I end up dolluping the second layer of batter into the pan, so as not to totally destroy that first sprinkle of topping. And I wouldn't judge if you decided to make double the streusel topping...I MAY have experimented pretty successfully with those proportions. :)

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Summer Quiche

As I've mentioned before I'm a big fan of breakfast for dinner. Unfortunately my husband is not. The only two things I can get away with are frittatas and quiche. In the summer (when I'm never in the mood for anything heavy at dinner) I sneak quiche onto the menu at least once a month. I usually throw whatever veggies I have at the time into them. This one I actually planned ahead! The zucchini, tomatoes and basil are a great combination. I served this alongside a chicken salad for dinner and felt plenty full. My husband ate the leftovers for breakfast the next two mornings, so I guess he liked it too! :)



Save yourself time and use a premade crust, or be an over-achiever and make your own, either will work. The only unique part of this quiche is that you don't add the tomato and zucchini until half way through the baking time. If you add them earlier they will sink to the bottom. The taste will likely be the same but it won't be as pretty!

~Wendy

Summer Quiche

Author: Wendy

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie crust


• 6 whole eggs


• 1/2 c. milk


• 1/2 c. half and half


• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese


• 1/2 c. sliced zucchini


• 1 Roma tomato, sliced


• 1-2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped


• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. Press your pie crust into a pie pan, set aside.


3. In a large bowl beat the 6 eggs until fluffy, add in the milk and half & half. Stir until combined.


4. Add in the cheese and salt and pepper and stir.


5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 20 minutes.


6. Remove the quiche from the oven. Top the quiche with the sliced zucchini, tomato and basil.


7. Put the quiche back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes until set and cooked through.


8. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

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Caponata

I have great memories of visiting my extended family in south Louisiana. I realize it sounds like I no longer have the opportunity, and my Aunt Liz assures me this is not the case. She has said the kids and I are welcome anytime...but there's the whole "traveling with 3 under age 7" that exhausts me. Taking kids on vacation = a whole lot of work.

It used to be that visiting New Iberia, LA meant breakfast in bed, complete with a flower on the tray. I do believe that ship has sailed...for now at least. I'll go back when the kids are older, perhaps even leaving them at home with Dad. Now there's an idea! I'm telling you, there is no better place to relax and recharge. Especially with the kind of food I have come to expect from Aunt Liz's kitchen and Louisiana in general.

My aunt's recipe for caponata makes an amazing, sweet-and-sour vegetarian appetizer to serve with good crackers. It comes from Franklin, Louisiana and St. Mary's Episcopal church's cook book, A Cook's Tour of the Bayou Country, courtesy of Mrs. Maunette Risher. This recipe makes a lot, and the good news is it freezes beautifully. Makes a great appetizer to have on hand for last minute company. Caponata is also delicious on fish or chicken so plan to use it that way too. Enjoy!

~Erin

Caponata

 

Author: Erin

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: Lots!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants


• 2 onions


• 2 bell peppers


• 3 stalks celery


• 1 can tomato sauce


• 1 can tomato paste


• 5 gloves garlic


• 1 1/2 c. olive oil


• 1 c. red wine vinegar


• 1/3 c. sugar


• oregano


• salt


• pepper


• 1 jar salad olives

Instructions

1. Steam and chop peeled eggplant.


2. Saute onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in olive oil until soft.


3. Add eggplant, spices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, and sugar. Blend well and cook for about 30 minutes.


4. Remove from heat, add olives, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Notes

This recipe makes quite a bit. But good news is that it freezes wonderfully. Awesome to keep on hand for company.

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