Turkey Burgers and a Marathon

I just finished a marathon...26 miles. Now, it took 4 days, but I'm finished!..Okay, the truth is Dan and I have been walking at Crown Hill. We had been doing six miles every night and today we did eight, which brought us to our marathon status. Someday I will run a real marathon, my goal has always been to do it before I turn 50. I have SEVERAL years before that happens, so the goal is absolutely attainable, it's just a matter of doing it. Now on to the turkey burgers. I had been obsessing about turkey burgers for about a week. Don't ask me why, it was just something that popped into my head one day and wouldn't leave until I made some. So, Friday after our 6 miles I made turkey burgers. I can't really give you a recipe for these particular turkey burgers because it was one of those throw this and this and this and voila it's a turkey burger. But, here's what I did.

I mixed ground turkey with diced fresh mushrooms. The mushroom will help to keep the turkey burgers a little moister. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, season salt, garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne. Cook them on the grill until they are done.

I sauteed yellow pepper and red pepper strips with sliced red onions until they were tender, then tossed in some balsamic vinegar.

Finally, I took some cabbage, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper and tossed it together in a bowl.

The picture is Dan's burger, to which he added some dijon, jalapenos and light mayo. They really were delicious.

It's all about the blueberry...

Life is so busy right now, but it's summer, so I'm happy to be on the move. I spent the week here in Colorado...Colorado Springs and Pueblo. I worked in Denver yesterday and last night Dan and I went to see "Rent" at the Buell Theater. It was very good. The guys who originated the roles on Broadway and also starred in the movie had returned to the touring production. This morning, I decided I needed to use up the blueberries that had been in my fridge all week. I personally love the combination of lemon and blueberries, so I toyed with the idea of some kind of lemon blueberry cookie, but I tend to not have a lot of luck with cookies here at a higher altitude. What I decided was to return to the old stand by...a cupcake. I mixed up some batter then after they were out of the oven went to walk with Dan at Crown Hill. (This way I have worked off the cupcake before I ever eat it.... )I think we did roughly 6 miles. As we walked I considered the idea of adding a citrusy syrup to the cupcakes...the recipe is what evolved after I got back home and finished up the cupcakes. They make me think of summer and I'm so happy it's here.

Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes

1 stick butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and lemon juice. (Mixture may look curdled at this point, but will smooth out when you add the dry ingredients). Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Brush tops of each cupcake with the following mixture;

2 Tablespoons Barcardi Limon

3 Tablespoons simple syrup

Let cool completely. Meanwhile make frosting.

Lemon Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat all ingredients with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with more fresh blueberries.

Zuchinni...

Okay, let me first say, hello, my name is Greg and I am a slacker...admitting it is the first step, I know. But I appear to only have been a slacker on the blog, so I guess that doesn't make it time for a full blown intervention. I've had a busy month, weekends packed with stuff to do, weeks filled with travel for work. I just haven't done much cooking. Let's see, a quick update...I made a surprise visit home to see my mom for Mother's Day, back to Denver on Monday and off to Rapid City, South Dakota on Wednesday. Back to Denver on Friday, then off to Arizona for the next week. Over the weekend, I helped Dan a bit with his back yard, met his friend Ann who came in for the week from England. Lots and lots and lots of rain over Memorial Day weekend, Denver Art Fair downtown, Boulder Creek Festival on Monday...tea in the tea house in Boulder and all the while rain. Then Wednesday off again to New Mexico. I finally broke and had to take a vacation day on Friday, just to rest and do the things that keep getting put off. So, during my trip to Arizona, I had some Zucchini Patties that were served with roasted red pepper hummus. The zucchini was so ground up that the only way you might know it was in there was to read it on the menu. I decided to try to make my own and wanted to actually see the zucchini. Here is the result. I'll be home for a couple days then off to St. George, Utah on Wednesday. The Belmar Farmer's Market starts this coming weekend, so it's getting to be that time of year where inspiration is just a vegetable or two away!

Zucchini Patties

1 small zucchini, finely diced

1/2 small onion, minced

1 egg

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup dried italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients well in bowl. If the mixture is too runny, add more flour as needed. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons butter in a large skillet. Drop batter into pan. Cook on each side until browned. Drain on paper plate and serve with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

Some kind of noodle...

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon here in Denver. The weather this morning seemed promising. The sun was shining, I went for a jog. Then the clouds moved in and the rain started. I've had one of the best weeks I think I've had in a long time. Work was good this week (I was due for a good week!) My new bed arrived yesterday and I love it. Last night Dan and I ate at Fruition.

It's down on 6th Avenue in Denver and it was so good. For an appetizer I had the Lump Crab. They were tiny little creme fraiche crepes, filled with blue crab and covered in this delicious sauce. Dan had the Fruition Salad, he said it was very good. For dinner I had scallops...DELICIOUS! Dan had Pork Shoulder with Spaetzle. It was good too. Dan made dessert...Plum Tart. I had thought that I would "borrow" his recipe to share on the blog this week (of course giving him all the credit...I mean come on even Martha doesn't come up with all that stuff herself). But I had some inspiration of my own this afternoon, all from digging through the kitchen cabinets (maybe next time, Dan...) I made myself some Thai Iced Tea, which if you have never made it before, it makes the house smell so good. Then I got out the wok and started in. I don't really have a name for what I made, but I threw in everything I liked and wrote it all down and voila...I present....some kind of noodle dish.

Udon Noodles and Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in bite size pieces

8 oz. Udon noodles, cooked according to directions

3 scallions, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

2 medium carrots, diced

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons Asian Chili Sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Heat the 2 tablespoons sesame oil in wok. Cook chicken until cooked through and remove to plate. If needed, add a bit more oil to the wok. Saute the ginger, garlic and carrots until they begin to soften. Add the scallions and cook about 2 minutes more. Add the soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, Chili Sauce, brown sugar and vinegar. Return the chicken to the wok. Add the water chestnuts and the cooked noodles. Toss to coat and allow to heat through.

Thai Iced Tea

6 black tea bags

4 cups water

4 star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

4 cardamon seeds

4 cloves

Steep all the above and let cool. Discard tea bags and spices. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to serve, pour sweetened condensed milk into the bottom of the glass. Pour the tea in the glass and stir in the milk. Add ice if desired.

Back so soon...

I wrote a recipe last weekend and still wasting the day away in the kitchen, I decided to test it out and make sure it turned into something I would want to share. Oh my my, this was some good chicken. I boiled up some pasta to go with it and dinner was served.

Chicken Calzone

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded out to uniform thickness

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, diced

3 oz. pancetta, diced

4 slices mozzarella cheese

6 button mushrooms, sliced

1 medium tomato, diced

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, saute the pancetta until it starts to crisp. Add the spinach and mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Divide spinach mixture between the 4 chicken breasts. Top with slice of mozzarella (can substitute shredded), then fold over like a calzone. Heat about 3 tablespoons olive oil in the same skillet you cooked the filling in. Brown chicken on all sides and place in casserole dish covered with aluminum foil and keep in a 225 degree oven for about 20 minutes while you make the sauce.

Again, using the same pan, saute 2 teaspoons garlic. Add the white wine and chicken stock. Let the sauce reduce until slightly thickened. Add the sliced mushrooms and tomatoes and cook until mushrooms are tender and tomatoes are heated through. Add the 2 teaspoons basil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over warm chicken and serve with pasta tossed with olive oil and basil.

The answer to a bad week...coffee & chocolate

What a week! I've been through hail storms, tornado warnings, blizzards, cancelled flights and an 8 1/2 hour drive from Lubbock, Texas back to Denver. The weather is miserable here, but always one to look on the bright side, it provides me a great opportunity to waste away the weekend in the kitchen...my de-stresser. I had been thinking about chocolate cake, but I know that I don't need to make an entire chocolate cake and have it sitting around the house. I didn't want to do cupcakes...what to do? what to do?. What about a cakey, kind of cookie? Perfect. I hesitate to share this recipe, because I got it right on the first try and I really think it could change your life. Chocolate and coffee together in a cookie...in the words of Ina Garten, "how bad can that be?"

Chocolate Coffee Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and turn mixer speed to low. Add the cooled coffee. Stir in the dry ingredients until well combined. Drop by spoonfuls on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on wire rack until completely cool.

Chocolate Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons brewed coffee

3 tablespoons milk

Beat until well combined. Dip each cookie in frosting and let set up.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Happy Easter

So, I have a bit of a confession to make. While I always hope that my blog posts will inspire others to cook and be creative, this post is headed towards being a bit of a downer. So, I hope the recipe inspires you, and I hope what I'm about to share makes you think about those you love and how you inspire them...maybe even if you don't realize it.

Tomorrow is Easter, and I'm a bit sad. Not sad because it's Easter, but for a couple different reasons. The first being that for the first time in my life (all 40 years) I will not be having a holiday dinner with my family. There are certain dishes we have every year for Easter that I won't be getting. We always have ham. The potatoes and vegetables changed from year to year, but the 2 things I love the most about Easter are...are you ready for this?...deviled eggs and our traditional apricot dessert. I know, I know...deviled eggs? I honestly think that eating deviled eggs at Easter was the only time I eat deviled eggs all year long. I just don't trust any old deviled eggs, only my moms. I did take the time to make the apricot dessert for myself. There are somethings I won't give up, even if I am 900 miles away from my family. I've included the recipe, so I hope you all try it.

Now for the second reason I'm a little sad. This weekend marks ten years since my grandma passed away. I mention this because in a sense, she is the reason I do this blog. I got this love of cooking from spending time with her in the kitchen. As a little boy, I would spend many of my summer days with her. She was always baking something, she had a pretty healthy sweet tooth. But the thing she taught me, which I didn't realize until years later, is that family and food and being with the ones you love, either preparing a meal or eating it, can be a precious gift. The memories we create around holiday meals aren't the only ones that last, it's everyday. A simple lunch could hold a memory that lasts a lifetime. I have a lot of her things, measuring spoons, dishes, recipe boxes and they remind me of her, but even if I didn't have those things, just being in the kitchen keeps me connected to her. I miss her a lot. There are those times in life when I would give anything to be that little boy again just having a cookie with my grandma.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter. Here's the recipe for the apricot dessert. The one good thing about this Easter and making the dessert for myself...I don't have to wait until tomorrow to eat it!!!

Apricot Dessert

1/2 of an Angel Food Cake

1- 46oz. can apricot nectar

7 level tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with angel food cake pieces, broken into bit size. In a medium saucepan, combine nectar, cornstarch and sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened. Pour the thickened mixture over the angel food cake. Refrigerate until firm. In a large bowl, whip the cream, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Spread over chilled cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.