blt turkey burger sliders
wouldn’t these be fun for a labor day cookout?
{not actual size}
mini sized burgers with bacon! and avocado ranch dressing!
they’re little in size, but big on flavor.
adapted from everyday with rachael ray (makes 8 sliders, about 4 servings)
1 avocado
1 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
about 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, chives & parsley
extra virgin olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 lbs ground turkey
1 small onion
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning (like montreal chicken. do people in montreal eat that?)
salt & pepper
16 slices white bread ::gasp! white bread!::, toasted
lettuce, for serving
2 tomatoes, sliced for serving
1. preheat the grill to medium high. in the bowl of a food processor, add the avocado, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, mayo, buttermilk, and fresh herbs. puree into a nice, thick, delicious, green dressing.
2. heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. add the bacon & cook until crisp, around 5 minutes. drain on paper towels.
3. add the ground turkey in a large bowl. grate the onion over the bowl, so the juice gets incorporated too. season with hot sauce, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper. add the bacon pieces & mix well. it’s gross, but dig your hands in. form into 8 patties, place on a plate & drizzle with a little olive oil.
4. grill the burgers, turning once, for about 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, or biscuit cutter, cut out circles of bread. feed some scraps to your begging dog. assemble the mini burgers, some pieces of torn lettuce, a slice of tomato on a bread circle, top with dressing, one more bread circle & serve.
pico de gallo
the perfect use for all of your summer tomatoes, it lets all the fresh flavors shine.
love it wrapped in a burrito, heaped on a quesadilla, on top of scrambled eggs, or simply scooped up with a good, salty tortilla chip. mmmmm.
from the pioneer woman cooks (makes as little, or as much as you’d like!)
tomatoes, finely chopped
yellow onion, finely chopped (equal to, or just a bit less than, the amount of tomatoes)
fresh cilantro, finely chopped (a lot, a lot, a lot, love it!)
jalapenos, seeded & deveined (if you’re a wuss)
limes
salt
1. in a bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, cilantro, & jalapenos. squeeze fresh lime juice over top, sprinkle with salt & stir until combined. devour within the next 24 hours, but that really shouldn’t be a problem.
roasted peach crumble
i know, i know, i know.
i’ve heard all the excitement brewing about the release of the pumpkin spice latte at starbucks. i know. & i get it. i love a good psl just as much as the next coffee addict, & the mister & i are both looking forward to football, fall beer, & our first anniversary, but it’s just that the calendar still reads august, the thermometer still reads 90°+, & i’m not quite ready to give up the last of summer’s sun ripened tomatoes, the box of mcbee peaches that just arrived, & the fresh herbs that i haven’t managed to kill yet.
because in november, when i’m freezing to death, clutching my delicious pumpkin spice latte, at least i’ll know that we made the most of every piece of summer produce that we could get our unmittened hands on. including these,
a elegantly simple take on peach crumble that’s delicious on it’s own, or topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
& the prep time is virtually nonexistent, so they’re perfect when you’re short on time, but still want a fabulous dessert!
from bon appetit (serves 6)
5 amaretti cookies (super crunchy almond flavored italian cookies-if you can’t find them, substitute with crispy cinnamon flavored cookies, about 3/4 oz in weight)
3 tablespoons almonds
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 ripe peaches, halved & pitted
vanilla ice cream, for serving
1. preheat the oven to 350°. grease a 9×13 glass baking dish. in the bowl of a mini food processor, combine cookies, almonds, flour, & sugar. pulse until coarsely chopped. add the butter & pulse until contents resembles coarse crumbs.
2. place the peaches, pitted side up, in the baking dish. stuff a heaping tablespoon of the crumb mixture into the center. bake for 35 minutes, until peaches are tender & crumble is golden brown. let cool a bit, serve each peach half with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & relish the last few days of summer.
asian turkey burgers
yesterday, i happened to mention to a coworker that i had a turkey burger recipe to die for & she asked me to email it to her. so, i went back & visited the ol’ blog archive to snag the link to pass along, but i took a good look at the post & yeah…..perfectionism reared its ugly head.
since we only had about 2 faithful readers back then & this recipe was originally printed in aarp magazine, i believe they deserve another day in the spotlight. you know, for those of you who have joined us since then. & the under fifty crowd.
from voila! (serves 6)
1 1/2 lb ground turkey
1 red bell pepper, minced
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, mint and/or basil, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce, divided
1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided
salt & pepper
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared wasabi
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
lettuce & tomato to top
1. in a medium bowl, combine turkey, red pepper, scallions, egg white, fresh herbs, ginger, salt & pepper, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. mix well to combine. it’s super gross, but use your hands. shape into 6 patties. set aside.
2. in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, and wasabi. cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet, over medium heat. add the burgers & cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked all the way through to the center. raw poultry is not cool. set on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
4. place patties on toasted buns, top with a bit of wasabi mayo, lettuce & tomato. take a bite & wonder if you should start regularly reading aarp magazine.
wine wednesday: drinking like kings
….errrr the kings. & ironically enough they have a collection fit for a king.
& they invite us over for parties.
& we never turn them down.
here’s just a taste of what we tasted the other day:
i die.
I. DIE.
oh & this one? it’s brown.
ONLY BECAUSE IT’S 81 YEARS OLD. EIGHTY. ONE.
OCHO. UNO. (thanks for the invaluable spanish lesson, chad johnson)
& it hadn’t lost anything but it’s original color.
that’s crazY y’all. crazy with a capital Y.
when foodies honeymoon: day two
our second morning in santa rosa we still got up fairly early, probably all thanks to the time change & no thanks to our accidental bender the night before. it was time to pack up & say goodbye to santa rosa. kinda sad, we really liked it there.
the next leg of our trip had us driving through sonoma. we stopped in downtown sonoma for lunch, which consisted mostly of samples from the sonoma cheese factory & that place was incredible. every flavor imaginable, garlic jack, pesto jack, habanero jack, chipotle cheddar, smoked cheddar…. & you could taste them all. we picked up a wedge of garlic jack, some salami, a box of crackers & had a nice little picnic lunch in the plaza across the street. walked around, sampled some chocolate, checked out the wine shops & left sonoma fat & happy.
onward to napa!
first stop: chappellet. but the road was so narrow & windy, we weren’t sure we would make it up to the hilltop winery & i’m pretty sure we could have hiked it faster than our car was moving. we made it though! barely! good thing too, because it was fun to see the inner workings of the winery AND we got to drink some fabulous ones all along the tour! 
lovely way to spend an afternoon & the weather couldn’t have been better. i just wish our guide hadn’t mentioned that rattlesnakes liked to hang out in the vineyards, because after that, i was obsessively watching every. step. i. took. a 2006 petit syrah left with us.
titus here we come! & if you’re not looking, you could easily miss it, because it’s just a small farmhouse, barn & lots & lots of vineyards, but a friend of a friend handles their marketing & was nice enough to meet us & show us around.
it was nice & nontouristy, walking through the vineyards, eating grapes off the vine & leisurely sipping the goods on the back patio of the little farmhouse. plus, we love titus wines anyway, so to be there drinking it was priceless.
a bottle of 2005 lot 1 was a lovely souvenir.
then to cole’s chophouse, because the man felt like he needed a steak.
the place was pretty swank, but not in a stuffy way. food? top notch.
& the man who was nice enough to snap this picture of us gave us some killer recommendations for the rest of napa adventures.
win.
locopops! mango chile popsicles
first order of business: locopops.
if you’re ever in the triangle area, (they’re in raleigh, durham & chapel hill) get yourself there.
{french tart & mexican chocolate on the first warm(ish) day of the year}
based on the paleta, a mexican frozen treat, these cream & fruit based pops are sourced locally for their unique regular & guest star flavors and are just plain tasty.
so imagine my excitement when locopops published their popular mango chile recipe in details magazine!
from details (makes 8 4oz popsicles)
1 lb very ripe mangoes
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste (i went more. it’s what i do.)
1. peel the mangoes, cut the flesh from the pits, and purée with the remaining ingredients.
2. pour the puréed liquid into ice-pop molds and freeze for 8 hours.
next matter of business: the popsicle mold
you see, when i get excited about making a locopops recipe at home, i’m not gonna wait 8 hours for them to freeze, because by then, i could have already gone to locopops. 16 times.
so. we bought this.
{photo credit}
it freezes popsicles in, oh, around 10 minutes & is just the coolest new summer toy around.
chicken paillard with fresh fig salad & blue cheese
don’t let the title fool or intimidate you. this is quick, easy & full of fresh flavors that makes it the perfect summer meal.
we loved it so much, we’re having it again tomorrow.
adapted very slightly from tyler’s ultimate (serves 4)
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
salt & pepper
FOR THE CHICKEN & SALAD
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb bacon
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb blue cheese, crumbled
1 bunch arugula, stems trimmed
1 pint fresh figs, halved
fresh tarragon for garnish
1. in a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. set aside while you cook the chicken.
2. place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap & pound them very thin. once pounded, season each side well with salt & pepper.
3. heat a large saute pan over medium heat (we used a cast iron skillet). add the bacon to the pan & cook until the fat has rendered, about 3-4 minutes. remove from pan & place on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess grease. don’t pour out all of the bacon fat in the pan, drain some, but leave a little.
4. drizzle some olive oil in the pan with the bacon drippings. add the flattened chicken to the pan & cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, browning each side & cooking through. take the chicken out of the pan & let drain on plate lined with paper towels, or with the bacon.
5. add the vinaigrette to the pan to deglaze & let it heat for a few minutes. stir well to get all the bits off the bottom of the pan.
place chicken on a platter, top with blue cheese, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, add the arugula & fig halves. drizzle with dressing & sprinkle with fresh tarragon leaves. dig in!
this ain’t your usual friday the 13th
today is cause for celebration!
“why?” you ask? it’s usually a day full of bad luck.
but no, not today…
because today is the 5th anniversary of pop the cap in north carolina.
it’s the day the 6% alcohol limit on beer was lifted. the day that killian’s lost it’s title as highest gravity brew on the shelf. the day we looked beyond the bud light & doors opened to thousands of new beers, great breweries, beer stores, bars & restaurants. the day our great state got some flava & launched several of the previously mentioned places onto lists ranking them amongst the best. in. the. world.
{without pop the cap, we wouldn’t have this collection. at least not without driving to other states to get them. ignore the bear. he likes rum.}
so raise your glasses with us today in celebration!
maple brown sugar granola
the best granola i’ve made to date. 
{the pecans taste like pecan pie!}
making your own granola is one of the simplest ways to save $$ on your weekday breakfasts. just by making a small investment on the ingredients, that will last you several batches, and making this super simple recipe, you’ll see that you’ve been had if you’ve ever picked up one of those tiny bags of granola for $5 at the grocery store.
this technique is easy, fairly quick & completely customizable, since you can swap out dry ingredients depending on what you like or don’t like.
win.
based on the technique from two peas and their pod (makes about 6 cups)
4 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1. preheat the oven to 300°. spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. in a large bowl, mix together the oats, pecans, flax, salt, cinnamon & brown sugar.
2. in a small separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup, canola oil, agave nectar & vanilla. pour over the dry ingredients & mix well. your hands will work best.
3. spread the granola evenly over the prepared baking sheets. bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the mixture is nice & golden brown. i like mine fairly dark, so i leave it in closer to 30 minutes. let cool & store in an airtight container, it stays fresh for about 2 weeks.
