ready.set.grill.

With Labor Day around the corner I felt like I needed the All-American "healthy" meal. Tonight we feasted on some serious burgers and fries. This burger has a little bit of a Mex to it, but I think if you're looking for something new you might like it.

Turkey Mex Burger

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 c. of Breadcrumbs
1/2 c. Chopped Onion
1/2 c. Chopped Red Bell Pepper
1/2 c. Chopped Green Bell Pepper
2 tsp. Fajita Seasoning (I made my own mix, but you can always do the pre-packaged from the store.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 TBS. Tomato Paste
1lb. Ground Turkey
1 Egg White
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Cheddar Cheese

Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and bell peppers; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in fajita seasoning and salt. Cool.

Combine breadcrumbs, onion mixture, tomato paste, turkey, and egg white in a large bowl. Using damp hands, divide turkey mixture into equal portions, shaping each into a 3/4-in-thick patty. Heat pan over med heat. Add patties; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Top patties with fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese, and for something real different try salsa instead of ketchup! Yum...Aaron gave this 4 thumbs up! (I made about 5 patties, could have made 6 if I had made them smaller.)

The Fries are super easy. Cut your potato wedges, place them in a bowl. Sprinkle them with some EVOO, salt, & pepper. Let them sit for 15 minutes. Cook in the oven at 410* till tender or around 20 min.

Of course we had a salad for a side... not that you would be surprised! Happy "early" Labor get your grill fired up!

frazzled.

So, this has been a long week. In fact a long three weeks. This is about how I feel right now. I'm... tired, glad it's Friday, excited to see my dear friend Rebekah, and nervous about our long run tomorrow. And I'm glad I don't own these glasses. (sigh) That just made me feel better. Happy Weekend!

the sun comes up, and the sun goes down.

One of the great things about Shreveport is the sunsets and sunrises. We are practically in Texas…so it really is just beautiful. The past few mornings when I’ve gone for a run I have loved the sunrises. It has , for once, felt amazing outside, and every time I come above the hill I see it. You how when you put your i-pod on shuffle sometimes it’s the worst shuffle you’ve ever heard, and other times its amazing. Well let’s just say I have had some pretty good shuffles. And even better when I get to the spot where the trees part, and I can see the sunrise it’s the perfect song! I know some of you think this is ridiculous to inform you about this over my blog, but I assure you that this is very important. The best song that has hit the sunrise yet has been “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”, by the Police…don’t know why but I was enjoying that a lot that day. Tonight, I think I’ll eat dinner poolside, and watch the sunset…a great ending to day.

weather

The weather. Why is this the easiest and most popular thing to talk about? Why do we like to talk about it so much? The weather can potentially change my mood, what I’m doing, how I do my hair, or what I’m wearing. I’m serious! You try having this hair you have to preplan.

As I was walking Biscotti I was thinking about how I could breathe because the humidity was only 60%, and that put me in a good mood. Come September I will walk outside smell the air, and smell a grill and leaves this = football and fall, which = good mood. It’s funny how no matter if we are “big talkers” or people that like to “keep to ourselves” we can always talk to a stranger about the weather. My bagger at Kroger did that to me the other day.

“How about that weather? It sure is too hot out there for me!”

She doesn’t know me, but knows that the weather is a comfortable topic. Or how about when you’re in a big group, and then it suddenly gets quite, and someone brings up the weather. It’s like all of a sudden everyone goes (in their head),

“Whew! No more awkward silence. Glad someone brought that up.”

I’m not going to talk about the weather today. Perhaps, I’ll just actually talk to people about them and what is going on in their lives. Try it. Let me know how it goes for you too!

most recent before & after...

As many of you know Aaron has been a busy bee around here doing some updates. (Notice how I said Aaron, because he truly has done all of the hard stuff!) We thought we would show you some recent pictures. I wish they came out clearer so you could really see the transformation, but I really so feel like we live in a totally different house. So today, we toast to Aaron! I raise a bowl of Life cereal with fresh blueberries on it in honor of you! I love you!

Mantel Before

We just remembered we had not taken a picture yet while we were painting... promise the yellow is not that bold!

Doorway, carpet, light fixture before

Living room after; Aaron built a new mantel.

After

Doorway 2 the size.

New sitting area & formal dining.

After... still trying to find art.

Don't be fooled she really doesn't enjoy the new floors!

bottletree bakery came to our house... cereal took a back seat

This summer we have been blessed enough to have some fabulous blueberries. Wish I could say we have grown them, but we have definitely left that to pros. Our last big bunch that we bought, I decided I wanted to make some fresh blueberry muffins. So, I busted out the great “Square Table” cookbook, and found Bottletree Bakery’s famous blueberry muffin recipe…and said, “I can always try”. I did and I conqured! In case you don’t know about Bottletree, it is a great Bakery in Oxford, MS and is one of Oprah’s favorite places. I added some tries in (), they work just as well. I have also reduced the ingredients in the topping too; you really only need this much. Try the recipe!

Muffin:

• 3 ½ c. Whole Wheat Flour
• ¾ c. Sugar (Healthier do: ½ Splenda & ½ Sugar)
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• ¾ tsp. Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ¾ c. Veg. Oil
• 1 ½ c. Buttermilk (Don’t have buttermilk? Add 1tbs. of lemon juice to each c. of milk.)
• 1tsp. Lemon Juice
• 1tsp. Lemon Zest
• 2 c. Blueberries
• Streusel Topping:
• ½ c. Sugar ¼ c. Unsalted Butter, melted
• ½ c. Flour

· Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl sift dry ingredients, set aside. In another bowl combine oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, & zest. Gently stir in berries into the flour mixture. Make a well in the center & pour in buttermilk mixture. Stir until barely blended. Spoon into muffin tins.

· For topping, mix ingredients together, and sprinkle muffins with topping. Bake 20 minutes, Makes 18.

we planted. it grew. we feasted.

Aaron was determined to grow a veggie garden this year. I didn’t think it would do very well, but I was proven wrong. I had so much squash this past week I had to make something new from it. I was sick of grilling it, putting it in pasta salad, veggie enchiladas, etc. I needed something new. I can’t take credit for making up the recipe, but I will tell you this combo was fabulous! For hours afterwards I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was. I know it sounds crazy, but you need to try this. It took some time, but so worth it. Aaron gave it a thumbs up! Here is the link to the two recipes: Seafood Stuffed Eggplant http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=printerFriendly&recipe_id=1065488

Yellow Squash Ribbons with Red Onion & Parm: (I added zucchini to mine for more color)http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=printerFriendly&recipe_id=1065511

My finished product! Hope you enjoy it as much as us. I changed around the eggplant dish a bit... but I'm sure this way is just as good!

food network should have called me back

I love to cook. It is probably one of my favorite things to do and read about. I like to look at recipes and deconstruct it in my head, and try to think of a tastier and healthier way of making it. Sometimes I go by the book and other times I just make it up as I go. The thing is I’m typically only cooking for Aaron and I, and Aaron just flat out loves food. He loves everything, but doesn’t like when I put a lot of carrots on his salad! You know how they say, “you’re your toughest critic”, well that is what I am. I know when stuff does not taste good, and I know when it needs something to it. You know how when you’ve eaten something really good you just keep thinking about it? That is currently what is happening. I’m a little proud. This dish I made up and later I'll post the one I reinvented. I figured I had to share them, because that would just be plain selfish if I didn’t! So get your taste buds ready and put your napkin in your lap, because you are going to want to try this!

Shrimp Pasta

• Whole Wheat Pasta
• 2TBS EVOO
• 11/2 lbs. Shrimp
• 1c Chopped Broccoli
• ½c Chopped Onion
• Dash of Salt & Pepper
• 1 Garlic Clove Minced
• ½ tsp of Red Pepper
• ½ tsp of Basil
• 1TBS of Italian Seasonings
• 1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
• ½ Jar of Tomato Sauce
• Cook pasta, and then set aside to keep warm.
• Heat 1TBS of EVOO in large skillet, sprinkle salt on shrimp, and then add them to the skillet. When they are done set them aside in a separate bowl.
• Then heat 1TBS of EVOO, and add Broccoli, Onion, Garlic, and remaining seasonings. Sauté till Onions are translucent.
• Add Tomatoes & Sauce to the pan, and let them come to a boil. Cook until the sauce becomes thick (5 Minutes), and then add the Shrimp. Cook for at least 1 more additional minute.
• Serve over Wheat Pasta!