Parmesan Turkey Burgers and Yellow Squash

My sister made these burgers for the first time years ago.  I never even thought about making burgers out of other ground meat (besides ground beef) until she had me try these.  The recipe is quite basic, but feel free to try adding or substituting other ingredients to it.  Different toppings also can add new and exciting flavors.  Ryan and I are constantly making up "new" burgers.  We love experimenting.  For a base, we switch between ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork.

The Original Parmesan Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 turkey burgers

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/8 t salt
• 4 hamburger buns
• Red onion rings

Heat grill for direct heat.  Mix together the turkey, Parmesan cheese, chives, pepper, and salt.  Shape into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick.  Grill patties for about 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, or until no longer pink in the center. Grill onion rings, if desired.  Serve patties on buns with onion rings.  Add extra toppings, if desired.  Be creative.  The first night Ryan and I ate these we added BBQ, tomatoes, and pickles to them (pictured above).  The second night, we just added Fire-Roasted Salsa to them, which made them pretty much the best turkey burger I've ever had!

Whenever we grill burgers, we like to also grill some vegetables to go with the main entree.  The day we made the turkey burgers, we grilled up some yellow squash.

Grilled Yellow Squash

• 1 yellow squash, cut in half length-wise
• Pepper
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Sprinkle pepper and seasons salt on squash.  Grill flesh side down until tender.  Flip over and grill for one more minute.

Fire-Roasted Salsa

Seriously, some of the best salsa I've ever tasted!  Delicious when it's still a little warm from the grilling.  Also delicious after it's been chilled.  Make it and enjoy it!  The first night we ate this salsa, we put it on Ultimate Grilled Quesadillas.  The second night, we used it as a topping on Parmesan Turkey Burgers.

(Pictured with guacamole and pickled Jalapenos)

Fire-Roasted Salsa

• 4 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Jalapeno pepper
• 2 Anaheim pepper
• 2/3 Onion (any variety) 
• Cilantro (handful or to taste)

Heat grill.  Slice open and seed the Anaheim peppers.  Slice the top off the Jalapeno. Quarter the onion; poke toothpicks through to keep layers in tack.  Place everything but cilantro on the grill over high heat.  Grill Anaheims skin side down until skin is charred. Grill the Jalapeno, onion, and tomatoes until charred on all sides.  Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency (we like ours a bit chunky).

Sangria

Mmmmm...thank you, Ryan, for making this! :)  Delicious!

Sangria

• 2 lemons, cut into slices
• 2 oranges, cut into slices
• 1-2 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 2 bottles of Rojo Mojo Shiraz (or other red wine)
• 4 T sugar
• 4 shots of brandy
• Ginger ale

Note: When you are slicing the fruits, discard the seeds, if possible.

In a pitcher, squeeze most of the juice out of the lemons and oranges.  Pour in the pineapple and lime juices.  Pour one bottle of wine over the fruit and juices.  Stir well.  Pour the other bottle of wine in the pitcher, and stir again.  Pour in the sugar and brandy.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Let set in fridge for at least a couple hours (best overnight).  To server, mix wine with ginger ale to taste.

Rosemary Red Sauce on Pasta

The following recipe was created by H.  He made me edit it.  Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of my plate before gobbling it up, so all I got was a picture of the next day's lunch.  Sorry, it's not as presentable as I'd like, but at least you can kind of see what it looked like.  Vicky (aka - the reason this blog exists) recently informed me that she is a visual person and really likes the pictures, so I'm trying a bit harder.  :)  Please pretend this meal is on a silver platter with rosemary springs decorating the edges...or something pretty like that.

Rosemary Red Sauce on Pasta:

• 1 to 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 Onion (any variety), chopped
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• about 1.5 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped. (equivalent to 1.5 tablespoons)
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• 2 or 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 t Fresh Ginger, minced (optional)
• 1 T Red Pepper Flakes (use less if you don't like spicy food)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Zucchini, sliced
• 1 T Sun-dried Tomatos in olive oil
• Whole Wheat Pasta, try Penne Rigate or Rotini, prepared
• Fresh Parmesan

Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick pan on medium-low heat.  While oil is heating, chop the onion, red pepper, and rosemary.  Sauté for a couple of minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add the diced tomatoes and stir.  Crank up the heat to medium.

Add some salt and pepper. Somebody once said it was a good idea to season at each stage of cooking. Also, add the red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.  

Let the sauce cook for 3-5 minutes.  While the sauce is cooking, slice the zucchini.  Place all your zucchini slices on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let them cook/steam for about 2 minutes, then flip them over.  Sprinkle this side lightly with salt and pepper.  They'll need to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until tender.  

Once the zucchini is done, you're finished.  Serve on the pasta; add a little Parmesan.  Enjoy!

Fresh Garlic Facts

I found this information about fresh garlic on Recipe Zaar.  I thought it was helpful, so I'm sharing it with you.
Spice: garlic 

Season: available year-round

How to select: Choose firm, plump bulbs with dry skins. Avoid soft or shriveled cloves and garlic stored in the refrigerated section of the produce department.

How to store: Store fresh garlic in an open container in a cool, dark place. Unbroken bulbs can be stored up to 8 weeks. Once broken from the bulb, individual cloves will keep 3-10 days.

How to prepare: Crushed, chopped, pressed, pureed, minced or roasted

Matches well with: beans, beef, beets, cabbage, chicken, eggplant, fish, lamb, lentils, mushrooms, pasta, pork, potatoes, rice, shellfish, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini

Substitutions: 1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped garlic = 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder = 1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes = 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic = 1/2 teaspoon garlic juice

Egg Hotdog

I know what you're thinking--that sounds disgusting!  But this was something I grew up eating, and I loved it!  It was a Coughlan family breakfast tradition.  My brother was also known for eating it as a midnight snack.  As a child, my mom would only buy the turkey hotdogs.  Eventually she decided it was okay for us to eat pork, but honestly, I prefer the turkey dogs.  The original recipe is only eggs and a hotdog sliced up.  But for this platter, I changed it up a bit...

A little backstory on the face plate.  My old roommate, Lindsay, gave me the plate for Christmas.  Pretty much the best gift ever!  I forget to use him most of the time, but it's always a blast to make up new faces when I do remember.  :)  Thanks, Lindsay!  Maybe some day my imaginary children will use it.  For more information on the face plate and other fun products, please visit Fred and Friends.

Egg Hotdog

• 2 eggs
• 1 turkey dog
• grated cheese
• smoked paprika
• salt
• pepper

Turn burner on medium-low.  Spray a small skillet with a non-stick cooking spray.  Cut the turkey dog into slices.  Place slices in skillet.  Let cook for a minute or two.  While the turkey dog is cooking, crack eggs into a bowl.  Scramble.  Add salt and pepper.  Pour eggs over turkey dog slices in skillet.  Cook until eggs are almost done.  Sprinkle with cheese and smoked paprika.  After eggs are cooked, place strategically on a face plate.  If you don't have a face plate, use eggs to make a face on a regular plate.

It's me. I'm the hamburger.

Ryan sent me a link today.  With it, he stated, "I saw it, and thought of you."  Here's the link.