The original recipe calls for mint, call me crazy, but I’m pretty much all set with mint being in my food, so I left it out.  I left out the almonds too because I didn’t have any on hand.

You will need:

• 1 pound pasta.  I think ziti or rigatoni works best.
• 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• About 5oz baby spinach.  I used almost an entire package of Olivia’s Organic
• 1 shallot or ¼ chopped onion.  Both work.
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock.
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, smashed up like a paste or use a garlic press
• About ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. I eyeball it.

Start by getting your pasta boiling in some water with salt.  You will want to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to finish off the pesto.

In a non-stick skillet, heat about a tablespoon of evoo and sauté the artichokes until they are cooked through and turn off the heat.

In a food processor, add the spinach, shallot/onion, garlic, salt and pepper and the stock.  Turn it on and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of evoo.

This is where it can go either way.  The first time I made this I just added the pesto to the skillet with the quartered artichokes like the recipe said. While everyone like it, my 10yr old suggested it would be better if I put the cooked artichokes into the food processer with the pesto.  I personally agree.

Chunky:  Add the pesto to the artichokes in the skillet.

Smooth:  Add the artichokes to the food processor and blend for about a minute and then dump it all into the skillet.

Turn the heat on and start stirring.  You’ll notice the pesto is pretty thick.  Slowly add the cup of pasta water to your desired consistency. I use the entire cup.

Finish it off with your grated cheese and taste.  I usually drizzle in another tablespoon of evoo into the pesto or just add it to the pasta instead to coat.  Then toss your pasta with the pesto and you are done.  Enjoy.  My girls love it.

We eat this dish hot, but I lately I’ve been making an extra batch because Haley likes it as a cold pasta salad sometimes and will take it to school for lunch.  You can add a jar of Trader Joes Roasted Peppers and even some grilled chicken.

Once I substituted quinoa for the pasta.  That night I was asked to pack an extra container to share with her friends.

For the quinoa I just buy the box at Trader Joes.  Add 3 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until you see the spirals form.  Then drain the excess water lay a dish towel over the pot, cover and let sit for another 5 minutes or until fluffy.

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2. Smoky Chicken & Cranberry Pasta
3. Easy Pasta Salad

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• 8oz lasagna noodles
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed with press
• 1 bag (12 oz) broccoli florets
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (15 – 19 oz) white kidney beans (cannellini) drained and rinsed
• 3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup freshly grated romano cheese, plus additional for serving

1. Heat 5 to 6 quart covered saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat, add noodles and cook until just tender
2. Meanwhile, in non stick 12 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add garlic amd broccoli and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Add broth, cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until broccoli is very tender.
4. Stir in tomatoes and remove from heat
5. Drain lasagna noodles, add to broccoli mixture in skillet and sprinkle with Romano. Toss to coat noodles. Serve with additonal Romano if you like.

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2. Spaghetti Pie (Or, the best thing you will ever make, EVER!)
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Simple Italian Grilled Turkey Cutlets

(inspired by this recipe)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 pkg (6 pcs) turkey breast cutlets

Coat grill pan with no-stick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat.

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper in medium microwavable bowl. Mircowave on High for 1 minute. Stir.

Dip chicken in olive oil mixture to coat evenly. Place on hot grill pan.

Cook 2-3 minutes per side until no longer pink on the outside.

Related posts:

1. Badass turkey burgers with brie and grilled apples
2. Garlic and Herb Croutons
3. Booger Chicken

Garlic and Herb Croutons
1 loaf sourdough bread
1 to 1 1/2 sticks butter
4 good size garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tbsp italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cube the bread. Melt butter in large sauce pan or small-ish stock pot. When butter is melted, add in the minced garlic and turn off heat. Stir in italian seasoning and toss in bread. You may have to do this with only half the bread at once, depending on the size of your loaf, repeating the process for the other half. Toss bread well to coat and spread out in an even layer on a sheet pan. Put in oven and let bake until golden brown and toasted. In my oven this takes about 60 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may want to start checking on them around the 40 min mark.

Let cool and enjoy!

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2. Booger Chicken
3. Badass turkey burgers with brie and grilled apples

Olive oil

3 packages of Mexican cheese

2 packages of large tortillas

1 can of black beans

1 can of artichoke hearts (halved or quartered)

2 large green bell peppers (or add in a red pepper)

1 large Vidalia/sweet onion

1 bag of baby spinach

2 med. sized summer squash

3-4 cloves of garlic

Prep

Cut peppers and onions into strips and sauté with olive oil. I like to sauté them separately because they cook differently. Once they are al-dente, remove and let cool. They will release a lot of liquid so make sure to let them cool for a little bit.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and then into half moon shapes: Sauté with olive oil.

Mince garlic and sauté with olive oil until tender (med heat). Put the entire bag in the pan and cover until the spinach starts to wilt… mix with garlic and set aside.

Drain black beans and artichoke hearts. You can chop the artichoke hearts into smaller pieces if you want.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Cooking

Start setting up your tortillas. I usually put 2-3 in the oven at a time. Once you are ready, spread a fair amount of cheese on the bottom and sprinkle what ingredients you want in each. Top with more cheese and place onto the rack of the oven. They need about 4-5 minutes (maybe more) each side. You will have to flip them in the oven so get a metal spatula ready. Once they are ready, let them cool and cut in half and then in thirds.

Top with sour cream and guacamole!

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Empty defrosted fruit punch, limeade and strawberries in bowl. Empty Ginger Ale over these items. Add ice. ENJOY!

For a yummy adult beverage keep a bottle of Bacardi Limon on the side for people to add to their liking, MMMmmmmm!

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Turkey burgers can be dry. There are lots of ways to prevent this, many involving a lot of ingredients and work. This recipe solves the problem by adding copious amounts of brie. Pretty badass, right? Wait till you hear what you DO with the brie. Oh, it’s on. I’m sure the brie negates whatever reduction in fat you might normally get from using turkey instead of beef, but that’s not what this recipe is about, and it’s damn good, so whatever. I got this recipe from somewhere, but honestly can’t remember where. If you’ve seen it before please let me know in the comments and I’ll gladly give credit and link to the original.

What you’ll need

I’m not sure of all the portions, but I’ll do my best. This is for two large or three smallish burgers. Adjust as needed.

• 1 package ground turkey (about 1.25 lbs)
• 3 Granny Smith apples (really 2-4 apples, depending on size)
• 1 wedge St. Andre cheese (OK, I know I said brie. But St. Andre is very similar and isn’t as melty, which makes it hold up a little better. Brie will totally work, but will be runnier.)
• Watercress or other greens (optional, we ditched this part long ago, but it does add freshness and crunch. Not to mention fiber.)
• Large ciabbata rolls (or whatever you like your fancy burgers on. Straight up buns would work, I guess, but don’t really fit with the high-brow nature of these burgers. We actually gave up on buns too in our carb-cutting frenzy. These stand up just fine with a knife and fork, but if you’re gonna do buns I recommend Trader Joe’s ciabatta rolls, slightly toasted.)

What you gotta do

These are best on the grill, but can also be done indoors in a pan (for the burgers) and in the broiler (for the apples).

Divide the turkey into four equal patties (or however many, but an even number). They should be kinda thin and not too small, and they need to be all the same size. I usually salt and pepper the patties. You can also salt and pepper the meat and mix before making patties. If you wanted to get really crazy, add some chopped garlic to the meat. I never do this, because I’m lazy, but it would be good.

Slice off some medium sized of cheese. (Like how precise I am with the amounts?) The hunks need to be smaller around than the patties. Why? Here’s where it gets good. Take the cheese and put it on half of the patties. (Only half? Please be patient.) Now take the other two patties and put them on top of the cheese. (What? Did he say ON TOP of the cheese? That’s right.) Seal the turkey around the edges so the cheese is hidden inside. You should now have two meaty cheesy Uncrustables. Set these aside.

Now for the apples. Slice them kinda thin. Not floppy thin, but thin. Arrange them on a cookie sheet and brush them lightly with olive oil.

Now you have a decision to make. Are you heading outside or staying in the kitchen? These are definitely better on the grill, but I’ve done them indoors many times and they’re good that way, too. Let’s assume you’re grilling. Get your grill hot. You probably should have done this while you were prepping all the food, especially if you’re cooking with coals. But what, am I supposed to tell you everything? Take some responsibility. Once the grill is hot, spray it with a bit of oil to reduce the stick factor and put on your burgers. Leave room for the apples. Close the grill and wait about 12 minutes. Exactly how long to cook the burgers you have to play a bit by ear. Depending how hot your grill is, it’s about 10 to 15 minutes per side. This is turkey, so you want it cooked. Leave the lid closed except to flip the burgers and add the apples. They’ll cook faster and more evenly. Only flip them once. This is a good rule of thumb for any burger, but definitely true with these. You don’t want to break them and let all the cheese drip out – until they’re in your mouth. How to know when they’re done? Guilty confession: I almost always end up cutting into one of them to check for doneness, because I am not a grilling Jedi. If you do this, try not to cut into the inner sanctum of cheese. Then take the one you cut for yourself, if you’re a good person, or give it to the guest you like the least, if you’re not.

When you open the grill to flip the burgers (after about 12 minutes) put on the apples. You left room, right? The apples are gonna cook faster than the burgers – about 3 minutes per side. Shorter will make them yummy and juicy, longer will make them a little bit crispy. Both are good, depends what you want. If you’re doing buns, put them on the grill somewhere in here, depending how toasty you like them. If you don’t have space on the grill, put them in the toaster oven. If you don’t have a toaster oven, you’re missing out on one of the great conveniences of the late 20th century. Get one. Now’s also a good time to rinse your watercress if you’re gonna use it.

Take your apples off the grill and set them aside. Check your burgers for doneness (and if you have a trick for this that doesn’t involve making an incision, please share in the comments). Once they’re done, build your burgers: bun, watercress, cheese-infused-meat, apples, bun. You could swap the position of the greens and the apples – follow your bliss here.

I usually serve these with a crisp white wine, a nice Sauvignon Blanc or even an unoaked Chardonnay. A light red will also do nicely, Pinot Noir is a favorite.

If these burgers are not amazing and badass, you probably did something wrong. That could be because you got sick of reading and stopped halfway through because I wouldn’t shut the hell up, so I’ll take partial responsibility. Enjoy.

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1. Grilled Italian Turkey Cutlets

Here’s what you need: 2 whole chicken breasts. Ok…I cheat and use a Rotisserie chicken, it’s easier and I like the texture better.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth I use canned, since I don’t cook my own chicken. If you cook your own, just reserve the broth.

Topping:
1 1/2 cups Stove Top Stuffing Mix
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tbls butter, melted

Stew chicken, cool and bone. Reserve broth(or, go to store…buy chicken and broth…and wine)

Cut up chicken into small squares, place into greased 1 1/2 quart container. Mix soup, milk and 1/4 cup broth and pour over chicken. For Topping: combine stuffing mix, 1/2 cup broth and melted butter, sprinkle over top of soup mixture.

Cover container with foil and bake in pre-heated oven 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

* I usually throw a can of french cut green beans between the soup mix and stuffing. It’s a good way to hide veggies from kids and you don’t really taste them. This is such a huge hit and so easy to make!

Enjoy!

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Ingredients:
1- Brownie Mix (9×13 size)
1- Cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1- stick of butter (must be butter)
2- cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1- teaspoon vanilla
Mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Brownie:
Make the brownie mix according to the box. Put in a 9-in round cake pan that is greased and floured on bottom only. (I spray with PAM and line bottom only with Parchment Paper.) Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, flip onto serving plate. Cool completely on plate.

Melt butter and add chocolate chips pour over cooled brownie. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Take out of frig 15 minutes before serving. The chocolate will have a nice shine as it gets to room temp.

Whipped Cream:

Whip- Whipping Cream and vanilla until it starts to thicken. Gradually add the powdered sugar until thick.

You can put whipped cream in the center and sprinkle with garnish or you can pile it on the individual pieces. Enjoy!

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1. Booger Chicken
2. Garlic and Herb Croutons