Asian-Inspired Turkey Sliders

This recipe is super-easy and super-yummy! I know I say that about a lot of recipes, but trust me - I always mean it! If a recipe is too much work, or if it's not that good, I don't put it on the blog!

I've been trying to cook healthier food lately after finding out that Jeff has borderline-high cholesterol. Unfortunately, the healthy cooking seems to have no effect on Jeff, yet it results in unintended weight loss for me (a fact that has me worried about the almost-too-big strapless bridesmaid dress I have to wear in June and has my mother worried that I'm not eating at all). But I digress... back to the recipe!

I hear ground turkey is much better for you than ground beef (especially when you buy the super-lean kind), so I thought this would be a good recipe to try. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and delicious they were!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (I used the super-lean kind)
1 green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger
3 tbsp soy sauce (I used the low-sodium kind)
Sister Schubert's frozen yeast rolls (or whatever else you'd like to use as buns)
Lettuce (optional - I didn't want to buy a whole head of lettuce just for this! Haha)
Cheese (optional - I put mozzarella on mine, Jeff put some shredded Mexican blend on his)

Directions:
1. Cook rolls according to package directions.
2. Mix turkey, onion, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Add in the soy sauce and mix well (don't overmix or the meat will be tough!).
3. Heat up a grill or grill pan on medium heat. Form patties out of the turkey mixture (I used a 1/4 cup measurer to make sure they ended up the same size so they'd all cook at the same speed and look the same. I made 9 1/4-cup patties).
4. Put patties on the grill. Turn them over two times until cooked through. Depending on how thick your patties are, they should take 4-5 minutes to cook fully.
5. Cut rolls in half, add patties, cheese, and lettuce. Enjoy! (I cut the patties in half before putting them on the rolls just because I really like bread and the patties were a bit bigger than the rolls. Haha!).

The original recipe called for a wasabi mayo sauce (1/4 cup mayo and 1-2 tsp wasabi powder). We didn't use it, but go for it if it sounds good to you!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

I'm gonna go ahead and apologize in advance to anyone who doesn't have an ice cream maker, because you're probably going to crave some homemade ice cream after this post! I've had cute little red ice cream maker since Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad!), and I finally got the courage to take it down from the top of my fridge (where it lives happily next to my red KitchenAid mixer and my red KitchenAid blender) and try it out.

I decided to go with a recipe from The Fresh Fridge - strawberry cheesecake ice cream! Doesn't that sound delightfully springtimeish? It was DEE-licious. And also really easy to make with the help of my trusty red ice cream maker! To be completely honest, Jeff actually made it while I sat on a barstool and supervised worked on law school stuff (hence the lack of "in progress" photos). I had the ingredients all ready to go, but it was a busy law school day and Jeff wasn't really doing anything. When I threw out the words "strawberry cheesecake ice cream," he was pretty quick to walk over to the kitchen. :o)

Here's the recipe (adapted from that link up there):

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. strawberries (this is about a 1-pound container w/ all the green parts cut out)
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c sugar
1 c milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c heavy cream (I hear you can use half and half instead to make it healthier, but it won't be as creamy!)
Crumbled graham crackers (optional, use as a topping)

Directions:
1. Chop up the strawberries in a food processor or blender (a little pre-chopping into chunks will help). Then pour in sugar, milk, lemon juice, and cream. Pulse a few times until blended.
2. Add in cream cheese in 1 inch cubes. Pulse until well-blended. Note: at this point the mixture may smell JUST LIKE egg salad. Weirdest thing ever. This prompted us to make weird faces and check our milk for signs of spoilage. But the smell went away and it turned out awesome, so don't worry!
3. Add the mixture to your electric ice cream maker and follow your ice cream maker's instructions. The consistency should come out kind of like custard.
4. Spoon into an airtight container and chill in the freezer for at least one hour before eating.
5. Garnish with crumbled graham crackers, and enjoy!

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

This is one of those really, really great recipes that works for just about any occasion. Need a reasonably quick dinner idea? Bringing food to a family who just had a baby or is going through a rough time?  Having the in-laws over for dinner? Want to cook something ahead of time and stick it in the freezer for later? For all of those situations, this is a perfect recipe! And it tastes great too!

Yummm!

Recipe adapted from here. Makes a really full 9x13 pan!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 c heavy cream (or half & half if you want a healthier, not as creamy version)
1 pound penne pasta (or, you can be like me and use whatever you have lying around - for the photos in this post I used a combo of leftover cavatappi and rigatoni!)
9oz bag fresh baby spinach
12 oz precooked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (feel free to get the fancy chicken sausages - andouille or spinach & feta or Italian style or mushroom! The possibilities are endless!)
8 oz shredded mozzarella
1/4 c grated Parmesan

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, and basil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
3. Add cream to the skillet and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and/or pepper to taste.
4. Preheat oven to 400. Cook pasta in the big pot according to package directions. Don't overcook! Add spinach to the pot right at the end and cook until wilted. Drain, and return to pot.
5. Add tomato sauce mixture, sausage, and half of mozzarella to the pot. Toss to coat.
6. Scoop pasta into a lightly greased 9x13 pan (or two 8x8s). Top with the rest of the mozzarella and the parmesan.
7. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is browned and the edges are a bit crisp.

If you're planning to freeze it, stop BEFORE BAKING and cover with a double layer of foil. To cook after freezing: thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days, then bake at 400 for 75 minutes.

Enjoy!