Spicy Summer Supper

Turkey Fajita Burgers
This is an adapted Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meal. It's one of our favorites.

Patties:
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 palm-full McCormick’s Grill Master grill seasoning
½ palm-full ground chipotle chili powder

Mix together and form into 4 patties. Drizzle just a touch of extra virgin olive oil over the patties. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 6 minutes per side.

Seared Peppers and Onions:
2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 medium onion, sliced into thin rings
1 cup salsa verde

Cook peppers and onions over high heat till tender. Add salsa and stir till warm.
Place burgers on wheat buns and top with cheese and seared peppers and onions.

Bacon and Black Bean Smash
4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
2 cans black beans
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalepeno, seeded and diced (optional)

Render bacon over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and jalepeno and cook, about 1-2 minutes. Drain 1^st can of black beans and add to skillet. Mash with potato masher. Drain 2^nd can of black beans and add to skillet. Don’t mash, stir until incorporated.

Delicious Corn Salad
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup red onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 package (2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 10 oz. Bag Chili Cheese Fritos

Mix and serve. If preparing ahead of time, mix all ingredients except Fritos and add them just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta

1/2 pound raw turkey sausage, Italian-style, casings removed
2 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
2 medium yellow pepper(s), cut into 2-inch long thin strips
1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted recommended
1/2 small tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or less to taste
1/4 tsp table salt
8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, fusilli
1/3 cup basil, fresh, chopped

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, to make sauce, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, stirring and breaking up meat with back of a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.

Heat oil in same skillet. Add yellow peppers and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly colored and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and garlic; cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt and browned sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

While sauce simmers, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and basil; toss to mix and coat. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

I love Weight Watcher recipes since I'm on the plan to lose the baby pudge. I found this one on their website and made it a couple of nights ago. Sooo good and only 5 WW points (for those of you counting)! -K

Scalloped Potatos

Ripped from allyou magazine

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a shallow 3-qt baking dish. Peel 2.5 lbs of russet potatos and slice 1/4 in thick, dropping slices in large bowl of cold water as you go.
2. Melt 1 tsp. butter in a large saucepan over med heat. Add 1 minced garlic clove and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups whole milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg; bring to simmer. Drain potatos well and add to milk mixture. (milk may not completely cover potatos.) SImmer, stirring occassionally until potatos are nearly tender when pierced. (about 10 minutes.) Stir in 1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese.
3. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp butter. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with tip of knife and top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

pics

Lets see if this works: heres a pic of the buckeyes...----->

and because a true chocoholic never wastes a drop of choc, i dipped my gluten free cookies (not homemade) into the remaining choc!)
<----cookies

Buckeyes

Swipped from a magazine, Woman's Day or Family Circle, I dont remember.

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups conf. sugar

2 cups semisweet chocoalte chips

1. Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper, set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets. If mixture is sticky, wet hands with cold water and continue rolling. Place baking sheets in freezer for 30 minutes or until balls are firm.

3. Microwave chips in glass bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring midway.

4. Pierce each ball with a toothpick and dip into chocolate 3/4 of the way deep, wiping excess chocolate on rim of bowl. Place on waxed paer, repeat with remaining balls. Return undipped buckeyes to freezer for 10 minutes if they get too soft.

5. Chill in fridge for 45 minutes, until set. Put buckeyes on a pretty paper plate, wrap in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

French Bread Rolls

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and modified it to suit our family. These are a great substitute for french bread and also make great sandwiches. They're very easy to make and you could use a bread machine for this recipe, although I like to make bread by hand. It's a lot of fun! Your kids would probably love to help and get their hands messy; I know mine do.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
4 c. bread flour
corn meal for dusting
1 egg white

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together yeast, sugar, and water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Add oil, salt, and 2 cups flour, mix well. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls off of the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn over to coat. Cover with a damp towel, allow to rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Preheat oven to 400F. Punch down dough and return to floured board. Divide into approximately 16 equal pieces and shape into round balls. Place on greased baking sheets 2 inches apart. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until double.
4. Brush each roll with egg white and dust lightly with corn meal. Bake on center oven rack for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. For a really crusty outside, brush again with egg white halfway through baking time.

If your are planning on serving these with pasta, they are great with some fresh basil kneaded in during the first kneading.