May 27th, Memorial Day Burgers!

Everyone has their favorite Sunday Dinner that they look forward to. Mine is Hickory Smoked Whole Chicken stuffed with lemons, garlic, Rosemary and Thyme. I serve it with Butternut Squash Pesto. It is always a big hit; it is so elegant and lovely and yummy but surprisingly easy to make. For the Memorial Day Holiday I think folks usually want less fan fair for their Bar B Que gatherings. So this is an attempt at reconstructing this culinary delight in a whole new, casual way.

For this holiday, I am grilling Turkey Burgers made with fresh herbs & lemon and topped with a Butternut Squash & Garlic Mayo.

I toss 1 lb of ground turkey in a bowl, and throw in some finely chopped fresh Rosemary and Thyme as well as the juice and zest of one lemon.

Then I add a not so full tablespoon of breadcrumbs to help bind the burgers and one large minced garlic clove.

I loosely fold all of this together with some salt and pepper, then refrigerate while I prepare the squash. If you do the squash first you still want to refrigerate your meat; it just helps it not fall apart on the grille.

Wash your squash then cut into pieces. I cut a few rings as well for a side dish. I rub each piece with garlic, sprinkle salt and pepper on top and then top with olive oil. I also leave garlic pieces to cook along side the squash in the foil that we will place on the grille.

I let the squash cook on the grill for about 45 minutes. That time just depends on how large your pieces are. I have a dial on my grille that tells when it is at optimal heat so that is how I know my grille is ready. Your coals also give tells; though I am still learning those.

Now you are ready to make the burgers. I top again with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil for the grille.

I go ahead and put a few Butternut Squash rings on the grill as well. Turkey burgers do not take very long to cook. So you can't go and try to set up your new inflatable pool, which I may or may not have done, while these were cooking. 

As I lost track of time, when I checked them, they were magically ready.

Make sure that is a clean plate...

Now it is time to make the Mayo. We have let the squash cool. Then I put mayo, garlic powder, salt, pepper and the butternut squash in a bowl and whip it up.

So good!

Now we are ready to build a burger baby! Start with a toasted bun, and a dollop of your mayo.

I add the burger, a nice slice of tomato and a slice of grilled onion. Then another dollop of mayo.

Sorry for the blur...I was excited!

I will serve this today with a mixed green salad and the grilled Butternut Squash rings drizzled with nothing more than oil and vinegar.

The Butternut Squash Mayo is just a lovely exclamation point! I hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day and that if you are gathered with friends and family, I hope you enjoy good food, each others company, and the freedom we are afforded by the brave men and women who brought it to us.

Try them, then tell what you think!

Recipe:

Burgers

1 lb ground turkey

1 spring fresh rosemary

1 spring fresh thyme

1 lemon

1 large garlic clove

1 not so full tablespoon breadcrumbs

salt and pepper

Butternut Squash Mayo

1 medium sized butternut squash cut in pieces

3 tablespoons mayo

1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

Additional

good burger buns; sliced tomatoes, and sliced onions – grilled.

Mixed greens

Oil and Vinegar

May 20th, Inspired Dishes

This has been a busy weekend. My niece, Katie, graduated from 8th grade on Friday night; then rocked it out at Ram Jam with her band on Saturday night.

Here is a little dish on this fireball that inspires me. When she was a little girl she was a night owl. I bunked at my brothers for a few months when I moved back to Georgia a little over 10 years ago. When I would get home from a late night of work I could count on Katie to sneak out of her bed and come down the stairs, sucking her thumb threaded with her silky bunky, to snuggle with me while we watched Letterman.

When she turned 10, I took her to Last Resort for a 'fancy' birthday lunch and the server commented on how impressed she was with Katie's manners ~ she ordered the Crab Cakes by the full name instead of just saying, “I'll have the Crab Cakes”; she said please and thank you without any prompting and she managed to keep her elbows off the table the entire meal. All of which I am not sure I accomplished.

When I first heard Katie perform her music it was on the main stage at AthFest ~ which is a pretty big deal in the music scene of a pretty big deal music town ~ Athens, GA. I never even knew she wanted to sing or could sing. I was nervous. Then, once she cranked up on her lead vocal performance of Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker, all the crowd started to flock to the stage from the art booths and beer gardens and BMX demonstrations and my hands were shaking while I tried to take a video because I was crying pride tears. The more I see her perform the more inspired I become. Maybe I had something to do with preparing her for the rock star life with all those late nights of snuggling.

Now, I am tooling around the yard and house searching for inspiration for what to cook for dinner today and I happen upon this:

...and this...

...and this...

...and this...

...and finally this...

...so I made this...

...because I have been inspired to prefect these...

...and that is a good way to spend a few days!

May 13th, Mother's Day Pancakes

Today is Mother's Day so in honor of my mother I am digging deep into my cooking archives all the way back to the first time I ever cooked for the public. I was 10 years old and was making Butterfly Pancakes for my 4H presentation. I earned a 2^nd place ribbon but am confident these pancakes were first place material; I just couldn't figure out how to hold my mirror at the end so the judges could see the magic.

Thank goodness we don't need the smoke and mirror trick now!

The coolest thing about these pancakes is that they have been a staple of my arsenal all these years since that 10 year old, red ribbon day. They have stood the test of time.

I have loved cooking them as a young daughter for Mother's Day and Father's Day breakfasts in bed. I have made them for the kids when I was a nanny, hoping to impress them. And my favorite has been to create them with my nieces and nephews over the years, hoping they could see in the wings just how much I adore each of them.

So to get started, you gather up your favorite pancake mix.

Or in my case, I picked Hungry Jack Wheat Blend because it was on sale, you only need to add water and it sounds more nutritious.

With this recipe you can choose to have syrup or not since we are going to make a sauce to die for it, you don't really need it.

OK, so the pancake mix is for the wings, now we need a body. So start your link sausages up in a pan. They take the longest to cook. Even longer then the sauce.

For the sauce...it's back...Rhubarb!

You will also need strawberries, sugar to taste (I love to taste the authenticity of the Rhubarb, but some folks need more sweetness, fine either way), a lemon slice and medium high heat.

And just stir occasionally to help it along. You may be tempted to add a liquid, but remember, Rhubarb has a lot of moisture so you really don't need any.

Let's see, the sausage are getting close, the sauce is simmering; let's start our wings! Just follow the directions on the box.

Because it is a celebration, I am going to cook my pancakes in some butter. But a spray Pam is just fine.

Ah, you can see all the imperfections of my pan...just think of the lovely mouths this pan has fed...or poisoned, depending on the nature of their visit and how much wine I may have had.

Now, pour in your batter, and wait for the holes to appear.

This obviously is not my test cake...that one was a hot mess....but I encourage you to go a head and count on one test cake when you are measuring in the beginning. This way you can practice the perfect flip.

I would have shown you that in slow motion but I can't flip and hold the camera at the same time. If I could I would surely be on Food Network, or America's got Talent.

Now, let's take our Butterfly out of its cocoon. I stacked two pancakes here.

Incidentally, it is laid out on my Mom and Dad's wedding china.

Then cut the stack down the middle and turn each half out to make the wings.

Add the body.

The antenna.

I am using Rosemary today, which I also added a pinch of to the sauce (ancient Freckle Face secret).

Now, we can add the sauce and decorate the plate.

I wish I could explain to you just how decadent this sauce is. I made enough to go on Vanilla Bean ice cream that I may treat myself too later; since after all, I am a God Mother...Leave the Gun, take the Rhubarb sauce...

Happy Mother's Day!

May 6th

Rhubarb three ways! Who Knew?

Rhubarb holds a dear place in my heart. It reminds me of a place, both in land mass and time, where I was completely happy and unaffected by the burdens of life. That place was Battleview, North Dakota and that time was childhood...pancakes topped with Rhubarb sauce, Rhubarb Custard pie...the rich black dirt where the Rhubarb grew, sticking to my fingers...burying King Kelly of Rockland County, our German Shepard, in the same rich soil...I thought it would make him come back to us, like the Rhubarb, year after year.

These days, whenever Rhubarb hits the produce section of my local grocery store it baffles the checkout girls. “What is this?” is usually what I hear, or “no, it isn't unripe celery”, is what I have to say. I love a vegy that baffles! And yes, it is actually a vegy. But when it first came to the US it went westward with the settlers as an ingredient for pies or jams so here it is classified as a fruit. In Central Asia, I think it has some medicinal purposes; and it is eaten raw, dipped in sugar by the Scandinavians. However, I might be making these things up because I want it to be thought of as worldly.

I made a Rhubarb Cheesecake a few years ago and one of my nieces, Jessica, just loved it and asks me all the time to make it again. So in honor of her upcoming dance recital, I am going to make a Rhubarb Swirl Cheesecake. When I made it before I had never made a cheesecake, I am not much of a baker. It is too restricting to me. I am a dash here, pinch there kind of cook. Baking is way to precise for me. But, Jessica is worth the focus. Then, I am going to try making beef brisket tacos with a sweet and heat slaw that uses Rhubarb and Jalapenos!

I am going to start with the cheesecake because that is what I have the best chance of screwing up.

First we are going to rinse, then chop the Rhubarb, very small pieces.

I have seen Rhubarb desserts made with large pieces that make it look like celery that is too big for its soup. It can be off putting. I feel like food is 75% presentation so, you do the math.

I use a few lemon slices because I think it helps the Rhubarb keep its color though I don't really know; but also, it is a nice compliment to Rhubarb. Then, just a couple teaspoons of sugar. Rhubarb is very watery so you don't need liquid necessarily to heat this up. Just a few drops of lemon juice, your sugar and your 'vegy'!

I bring it to a boil and it goes fast; in a matter of minutes it is exactly how I want it and I remove it from the heat and set it aside...

...by the way, you would not believe the smell in here! It is so pure ~ sweet, floral and crisp. I am instantly transported to 9 years old.

You can quickly make the crust. Melt butter and add crushed graham crackers...I use sugar and cinnamon topped graham crackers from the cookie isle at the grocery store.

Then, I just mash until it is pretty fine. I then press it into the springfoam pan and bake for 7-10 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Now I take my room temperature cream cheese, two and a half packages (8 Oz), a cup of sour cream and a dash of vanilla extract and blend it.

I use sweetened condensed milk in lieu of sugar, just half a can. I am not actually sure why other then the fact that I don't normally have sugar in the house so I have gotten used to using the sweetened condensed milk.

Then, add two eggs.

Just blend for a minute.

Now, pour half into the pan,

Add half of the Rhubarb sauce, and swirl:

Then do another layer and you are ready to prepare for baking.

Wrap foil all around the bottom of your pan, then place in a pan with water covering the bottom:

Now it is ready to bake at 350 for one hour. Or until the center is almost set.

Once it is cooked, I let it cool for ten minutes, then run a knife around the pan to release the spring foam. I cool another hour and then I top it with a sour cream and Rhubarb glaze. I may or may not have burned the top, but you will never know with this rich solution!

Now it goes into the fridge for several hours.

OK, now for our Beef Brisket Taco's with Rhubarb & Jalapeno Slaw...

I just rub some spices on my brisket ~ paprika, tumeric, salt, paper, garlic powder, chyanne pepper and the secret ingredient ~ I rub it down in sweetened condensed milk. Then pop it in a 300 degree oven to cook slowly.

My slaw is really simple:

Green cabbage, shredded; chopped cliantro, diced jalapeno and diced Rhubarb tossed is red wine vineger and olive oil, salt and pepper.

.Once the meat is cooked, I toss it with cilantro and diced shallots.

Now it is time to eat!

Delish!

And Dessert...

I better wrap it up so there is some left for Jessica! Sooo yummy!!

Oh and for Rhubarb the third way I see from Webster's that using Rhubarb in the slang it means a heated debate, quarrel or fight. Anyone who has ever had to sit in a meeting with me where we are discussing something I am passionate about knows I am pretty capable of Rhubarb!