Mexican Turkey Burgers

We eat very little red meat at our house- or at least try to. I love these turkey burgers for a quick easy dinner. I serve them with a salad with sliced avocados. These have tons of flavor. I use the salsa purchased in the produce section of most grocery stores- it is fresh, and so good!

Mexican Turkey Burger:
1 pound ground turkey breast
4 T chopped scallion (white part only)
2 t jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced(optional)
2 t minced garlic
3 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
pinch of salt
fresh salsa

Combine all ingredients except salsa. Mix thoroughly. Shape into patty. Broil for 4-5 on each side until cooked through. Top with salsa

(I cook mine in a skillet- with the lid on to keep them juicy, and brown on each side until cooked- just a few minutes on each side should do it.)

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

I could eat this plain. Infact, I might have once or twice.... Love it! And it keeps surprisingly well for several days.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

With a mixer, beat until fluffy:
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar

Add, the following, and blend until smooth:

1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk

Gently fold in:

1 container cool whip

Serve with various fruits and ENJOY! Try not to lick your plate :)

Creamy Bowtie and Asparagus Pasta

This has got to be my all time favorite pasta recipe! It is wonderful, although not the healthiest- you gotta splurge every now and then, right? And this is totally worth it- butter, cream, and bacon, what's not to love?? I serve this with baked chicken.

Creamy Bowtie and Asparagus Pasta

1 pkg. bow tie pasta
1/2 c. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
10-15 spears asparagus, chopped into 1.5 pieces, blanched (I throw mine in with my pasta the last few minutes I am cooking it.)
1/2 c. bacon, crumbled (the ONLY way I cook bacon is on a cookie sheet in 425 degree oven- so easy, and it gets nice and crispy- takes about 15-20 minutes, I also only buy thick-cut bacon)
1/4 c. toasted pinenuts (or to taste)
Fresh parsley, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente. Do NOT over cook.In wok or heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and saute a minute or so. Add Parmesan Cheese and bouillon cube(s). When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream and salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley & Parmesan cheese and toss together. Serve immediately

Bourbon Chicken

I came across this recipe while looking for dinner with ingredients I had on hand. This was perfect. All things I usually have, and it is GOOD! I serve this with fried rice, and asian style green beans. (recipe for those below as well)

Bourbon Chicken (http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/)

Ingredients:
2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons oil (for pan-frying)
cornstarch (for dusting, optional)
Sauce:1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon ginger (I used ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and if you choose lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Asain Style Green Beans:

steam green beans (I like mine with a bit of crunch)
once cooked, pour a teaspoon or so of seaseme oil, 1 crushed chicken bullion cube (I use the better than bullion- so I think it is a tsp. of that), and butter (about a tbsp.). Mix together. These can obviously be adjusted to taste. These are an easy side and something different!

Roasted Pork with Blackberry Sauce

A few days ago I was at a friend's house flipping through her Better Homes and Garden's magazine and saw this recipe. It looked delish! She told me I could tear it out- I did :) We tried it for Sunday dinner yesterday, it was fabulous. Easy with a lot of flavor. And it cooks quickly, in the oven, which I always like. I served this with mashed sweet potatoes and steamed green beans!

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin (I bought mine at Costco in a 2 pack)
1/4 cup blackberry preserves, melted and cooled (mine had not yet been refrigerated, so I skipped the melting and cooling part)
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil (I omitted this, I am not a fan of oil in marinades...)
2 tbsp. diion-style mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel (I omitted this in the marinade)
1/2 tsp. fresh snipped rosemary (omitted this too)

Mix marinade ingredients together and pour over pork (placed in plastic bag, or marinade dish).
Marinate refrigerated 2-5 hours (I did mine over night), turning bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 425, drain pork, reserving marinade, cook on wire rack placed on shallow pan for 35-45 minutes until slightly pink in center.
While pork is roasting, bring reserved marinade to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. (I added a few tablespoons of butter to the sauce, and the orange zest at this point).