melanie makes

chipotle corn turkey burgers.

 

not your typical easter meal, but perfect for our little family for lunch while in the midst of two little girls tag teaming on the tantrum front today.  me-oh-my.  love that i was able to mix a few simple ingredients together and pass the bowl along to my husband to make the patties and put them on the grill.  a big mouth burger with a hint of smoky spice to it.

CHIPOTLE CORN TURKEY BURGERS | 4 turkey burgers

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup creamed corn
• 1 canned chipotle in adobo
• 2 tablespoons cilantro + additional for topping
• hamburger buns
• mayonnaise

in medium bowl, combine turkey, corn, finely chopped chipotle and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.  form into four patties and grill 5 minutes on both sides or until fully cooked.  also grill buns, if desired.

to assemble burger, top bun with tomato, burger and whole cilantro leaves.  spread mayonnaise on bun top to complete burger.

adapted from everyday with rachel ray magazine.  at first glance, both my husband and i were worried about the patties coming apart on the grill as they were so wet.  never fear, with a gentle touch by the grill master they came out absolutely perfectly.

yogurt waffles.

 

these waffles... oh, these waffles.  they.  are.  amazing.  ironically, i don't think i've ever made them for breakfast before.  instead, they're most often a light dinner or lunch.  and i always double the recipe so that i have extras to put in the freezer for a fast breakfast for either of the girls.  they're a definite favorite of everyone in our house.

YOGURT WAFFLES | 5 belgian waffles

• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 3 eggs

whisk flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl to combine.  make well in center and add melted butter, milk, yogurt and eggs.  whisk to combine, just until smooth.

heat waffle iron per manufacturer's directions.  spray with non-stick spray.  in a belgian waffle maker, use ladle approximately 1/2 cup batter onto waffle iron and close.  cook until waffle is golden brown.

adapted from a recipe by art smith.  the original recipe actually calls for sour cream and thus is named "sour cream waffles."  i have a confession.  for the past six months or so, i haven't bought sour cream.  i find it redundant to purchase when i already have plain yogurt in the house.  i make yogurt on a weekly basis for the girls and it often goes into baked goods or on top of baked potatoes as well.  plain yogurt can be substituted quite easily for sour cream.  and it's better for you!

enchilada casserole.

 

there's a reason why i've never added this to my recipejournal before - there's really no good way to make this dish appear as appetizing as it truly is!  this is hands down my favorite recipe that my mom makes.  it's my number one request for when we visit and what i'd select as my birthday dinner if someone asked to make me something for the occasion.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE | 9x13 casserole dish
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• 1 bag taco flavored doritos
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 15 oz. can enchilada sauce
• 1/4 cup milk

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

brown beef/turkey with onion and drain if needed.  stir together chilies, soups, enchilada sauce and milk in medium bowl.  in 9x13 casserole dish, layer chips, meat, cheese and soup mixture.  repeat.

bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

comfort food at it's finest and so easy to put together.  i don't use cream of something or other soups very often, but for this dish i make sure i have some on hand in the pantry.  i've made it with ground turkey so often that now i think i prefer it to ground beef.

cake batter pancakes.

 

 

the perfect third birthday breakfast for my sweet girl.  how can you go wrong with sprinkles in pancakes, pancakes topped with sprinkles and last but not least, a vanilla sugar glaze?  nothing says happy birthday like a sugar high!

CAKE BATTER PANCAKES |12-15 pancakes
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• 1.5 cups flour
• 2/3 cup yellow cake mix
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1-2 cups milk
• sprinkles

combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in medium bowl.  add milk, egg and vanilla and stir until smooth.  your batter should resemble typical pancake batter.  begin with 1 cup of milk and add additional milk as needed to reach desired consistency.  scrape inside of vanilla bean into batter and stir to combine.  fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter.  pour batter onto griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.  once bubbles form on top of pancake, flip and cook until browned.  serve with vanilla sugar glaze and additional sprinkles.

VANILLA SUGAR GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean
• sprinkles

stir together sugar, milk vanilla and vanilla until glaze forms.  scrape inside of vanilla bean into glaze and stir to combine.

adapted from how sweet it is.  hello sugar!  why not give your newly turned three year old daughter sugar dressed as pancakes for breakfast?  these were really good.  the pancakes themselves aren't sweet which makes the glaze a perfect addition.  i was worried it would be over the top sugar, but it really wasn't.  i love the little black flecks of vanilla in the glaze and how they add that extra special touch.  i doubled this recipe so that we'd have leftovers for the girls to eat later in the week.  i don't think they'll last long!

asian bbq turkey lettuce wraps.

 

ever since my friend jamie shared the original recipe with me, my husband has requested we have these each week.  i cave and we usually have them every other week.  it's so nice to have finallly found the perfect lettuce wrap recipe!

ASIAN BBQ TURKEY LETTUCE WRAPS

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/3 cup hoison sauce
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 head iceberg lettuce

over medium heat, brown turkey.  stir in hoisin and bbq sauces, ginger root and garlic.  mix in pine nuts and green onions.

to serve, spoon turkey mixture into each lettuce leaf cup and roll tightly to enclose turkey mixture.

adapted from jillianmichaels.com.  go figure that the best lettuce wraps would come from there!  i usually try and double the meat mixture when making so that i can freeze half for another time.  there isn't much prep work but it's so nice to know that all the work for another meal is already done.  i serve this with a side of brown rice and fresh pineapple.  the two year old thinks this is a version of a taco since the meat is served in something you wrap it in.  she actually prefers the meat mixture on top of the rice.  fine by me!  i've also added shredded carrot to this as well for extra veggie with great results.

ravioli + spinach lasagna.

 

unfortunately, with the amount of daylight getting shorter that also means lack of light for photos of dinner.  boo!  but seriously, making lasagna on a weeknight?  score!  this is so easy and full of flavor.  i'm really doubting i'll go back to making the typical lasagna anytime soon.

RAVIOLI + SPINACH LASAGNA

• 1 pound spicy italian sausage, casings removed
• 12 oz. baby spinach
• 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
• 9 oz. package ravioli
• 16 oz. shredded mozzarella

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in large skillet, crumble sausage and cook until browned.  add spinach and cook until wilted.

in 9x13 pan, ladle enough pasta sauce to cover bottom of pan.  arrange ravioli to cover bottom of pan.  cover ravioli with sausage and spinach.  poor remaining pasta sauce over sausage and spinach.  add cheese to top of dish.

bake until bubbling in middle, about 45 minutes.  let cool 10 minutes before serving.

adapted from everyday with rachel ray.  all of us absolutely loved it - full of flavor and includes veggies equals winner in my book!  i had grabbed a package of chicken sausage to use for this but mistakenly grabbed the already cooked variety.  it didn't crumble as well as the other would have but it still worked perfectly fine for this recipe.  i chose a tomato + basil marinara for the sauce and loved the results.  we paired this with spinach and a salad and enjoyed it for two dinners.  looking forward to enjoying it again soon!  this would also make a great meal to take to someone as well.

chocolate chocolate chip zucchini cupcakes.

now you can sneak veggies into your dessert and no one will be the wiser!  i can speak from experience as when i made these in cake form last summer, i spent an hour convincing our neighbor, jim, that there was indeed zucchini in what he was eating.  the zucchini makes these cupcakes so moist and delicious and also adds a pretty green fleck to the cake as well.  and yes, i use the excuse that there is a vegetable in them to eat more than one.  okay, okay!  more than two!

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI CUPCAKES

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1.75 cup sugar + additional for topping
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup sour milk
• 2.5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips + additional for topping

preheat oven to 325 degrees.  line tin with paper liners.

mix all ingredients together.  fill each cupcake cup 3/4 full.  sprinkle top with additional chocolate chips and sugar.  bake for 20-25 minutes.

adapted from a recipe from the mother of a former employer.  the original recipe was for a 9x13 cake.  a 9x13 cake and only two adults to eat it is a recipe for disaster.  no pun intended.  way too much cake and too much effort for me to eat it.  in cupcake form, these are perfection.  this recipe makes 24 cupcakes.  perfect for me to keep a dozen out for us to eat right away and to freeze the other dozen to enjoy later.  or to surprise someone else with.  you could make these more decadent by topping with a chocolate buttercream frosting but i prefer the crunch of the sugar topping instead.

faux cherry cheesecake.

when i was young, this was the dessert that my mom would bring to functions.  our church's annual chicken pie dinner, potlucks, etc.  she called it cherry cheesecake and i didn't realize it wasn't an actual cheesecake.  apparently she's not a big fan of cheesecake and so this is what she'd make instead.  and i adore it.  love.  it's so easy and it's so good.  when i was pregnant the first time, towards the end of my pregnancy i was making this once a week for at least the last month.

FAUX CHERRY CHEESECAKE

• 1 oreo pie crust
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1 tub whipped topping
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

mix together whipped topping, cream cheese and powdered sugar and use as filling for pie crust.  top with pie filling.  refrigerate for at least four hours.

the original cheesecake my mom would make used a graham cracker crust.  it was good and just fine.  but then when i was in high school or undergrad she started using the oreo crust.  over the top good.  and this is the only way i make it.  i don't usually use all of the filling or the pie filling as then things tend to overflow the edges of the crust and make a genuine mess as well as make the crust soggy. 

hearty blueberry muffins.

i've been all about blueberries this summer.  they're the perfect finger fruit to keep out on the counter and graze on as i walk through the kitchen.  why is it that i'm always walking through the kitchen anyway?  these muffins lower the guilt factor of combining a fruit with something sweet like a muffin.  super hearty, these will keep your belly happy and full.

HEARTY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1.5 cups blueberries
• 1/4 cup rolled oats

preheat oven to 375 degrees.  line muffin tin with paper liners or grease so that muffins remove easily.

in a bowl, whisk together flours, 1/2 cup wheat germ, baking powder, salt and 2/3 cup brown sugar.  make well in center of bowl and add milk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  mix until just combined.  fold in blueberries.  divide batter among muffin cups.

in small bowl, combine remaining wheat germ, brown sugar and rolled oats.  sprinkle over tops of muffins.

bake for 20-22 minutes.  sit in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer rack to cool.

adapted from whole living magazine.  yum!  these definitely have a more hearty texture than the cornmeal variety of blueberry muffins that i've been making recently.  love the bite of the oats on top.  my version has a bit more brown sugar in the topping to make the finished muffin just a bit sweeter.  so glad that i went ahead and doubled the batch on my first attempt at these.   love that there are some in the freezer for whenever i'd like another!

greek pasta salad.

i love making a large bowl of pasta salad and then eating it for several days.  it makes a great meatless meal and the two year old thinks its the greatest thing ever as more often than not it contains all of her favorites - noodles, tomatoes and cheese.  i don't make greek items very often as my husband turns his nose up to feta cheese but this was a perfect dish to make while he was out of town last week.

GREEK PASTA SALAD

• 1 box penne pasta, approximately 1 pound
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  in large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, onions and olives. 

in small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, basil and garlic.  season with salt and pepper.  pour dressing over salad.

cover and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.  top with cheese before serving.

adapted from greek pasta salad on bhg.com.  loved the saltiness of the olives paired with the lemon in the dressing.  i actually ate a bowl of this for lunch on the afternoon i was preparing it for that night's dinner.  the two year old thought this was great as well and enjoyed her first experience of feta cheese.  she did however not touch her cucumbers.  haven't figured out that aversion yet.  will definitely be making this for the two of us again.