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By Request, More Summer Cooking Favorites (Giveaway Coming!)

Perfect Turkey Burgers

Here are a few more summer BBQ favorites: How about you? What’s your favorite food to grill? I just had to share with you the juiciest, most delicious turkey burger on the planet. A burger so delectable, sweet and spicy. One that everyone loves. A healthier and juicy burger with gooey melted Pepper Jack cheese oozing everywhere. You’re going to want to toss these meat-treats on the BBQ this weekend. Invite your friends over, shout it out from the roof-tops… “I’ve finally found it!” (recipe below)

Oprah says: “I believe it may be the best turkey burger in the entire world.” And I couldn’t agree more. If you’re searching for the PERFECT turkey burger this it!

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*Watch your e-mail in the next few days for the next Giveaway!* (Hint: a fun to wear, Baked in Maine T-shirt or The Maine Summers Cookbook: Recipes for Delicious, Sun-Filled Days (Hardcover) by Linda Greenlaw

             

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Perfect Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

 Serves 6-8

  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 3 Granny Smith apples , peeled and diced
  • 1/8 cup canola or olive oil
  • 4 pounds ground turkey breast
  • 1 Tbsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. black pepper
  • 2 tsp. Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce
  • 1 lemon , juiced and grated zest
  • 1/2 bunch parsley , finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed or not.
  • Pepper Jack cheese, sliced
  • lettuce and tomato
  • Thin rolls, sliced

*Note You can find Major Grey’s Chutney in the “International section” of any large grocery store. Of course, if you’re in the U.K. you can find it anywhere..

Directions:

  1. Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola/olive oil until tender. Let cool.
  2. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours, so they firm up.
  3. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side (without turning) for 7 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Top with sliced Pepper Jack cheese. Grill your rolls. Add mayo, salsa or Major Grey’s Chutney to your roll. Pile on some lettuce and sliced tomato. Get plenty of napkins, you’ll need them!

Grilled Romaine Recipe

Grilled Romaine is one of my new favorite salads. Absolutely delicious and very simple to make. I love anything grilled, and just couldn’t wait to BBQ some lettuce! So easy, slice a head of romaine lettuce in half (the long way.) Brush all sides with olive oil and grill until slightly wilted. Dress with Ceasar dressing, add lots of Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Everyone loves it. Just love how it gets all sweet, juicy and caramelized. De-lish! What’re your favorite foods to grill??

Ingredients:

  • (serves 4)
  • 2 heads of Romaine, sliced in half, (keeping the stem ends attached)
  • Olive oil, for grilling and dressing
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • Roasted garlic, minced (optional)
  • Tomatoes (optional)
  • Black olives (optional)

*Or serve with your favorite Caesar dressing.

 

Preparation:

Brush the sliced Romaine (all-over) lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan. Toss on a hot BBQ (or oven broil). Cook (turning once) until the leaves char slightly and start to wilt.

Serve cut-side up. Sprinkle on more fresh Parmesan, add garlic, tomatoes, and olives (optional) Squeeze each with a lemon wedge.

 

Watermelon Summer Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 (5-pound) watermelon
  • 1 Vidalia onion
  • 1 cucumber, sliced (optional)
  • 1/4 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 6 whole mint sprigs

Directions

In a large bowl, combine everything; the watermelon, onion, cukes, feta and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper. Toss gently and refrigerate.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

The fresh ingredients listed are usually kitchen staples so this is easy to fix in a flash. I’m one for improvising so feel free to use what’s fresh, in season and available.

One of my favorite summer salads, so easy, quick, and healthy. All of my favorites: extra virgin olive oil, lemon, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta and fresh herbs. You’ll get plenty of raves with this one… Last August, my cousin Terry, her husband Steve, and daughter Sidney were visiting Portland, Maine (from New Jersey). In rush, I through together this delicious, Mediterranean style couscous salad with Terry in mind. A real hit, she was crazy about it.  I happily added this scrumptious fresh side dish/salad to my long list of favorites. I hope you like too.

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box NearEast couscous cooked (follow package directions)
  • 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4″ pieces
  • 1 cup of chickpeas
  • 1 handful black olives
  • 1 lemon and/or lime
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. dill (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, cilantro, dill or basil (your choice chopped)
  • 1/3 cup (or more) feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

 

METHOD:

Combine couscous, feta, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas and olives in a large bowl. Squeeze in lime or lime juice and I like to grate in a little zest before squeezing the lemon. Add everything else and toss gently.

Let me know what you think…

 

 

 

 

Watermelon Summer Salad

Nothing says the beginning of summer like watermelon. Sweet juicy delicious watermelon. A seasonal delight like no other. We all craved it as kids and still do. Here’s a surprisingly delicious and grown-up way to serve this simple cool refreshing salad at your next BBQ or dinner party.

We’re going to add some crumbled feta cheese, a few mint leaves, cucumbers or onions…

Bon Appétit!

 

 

Watermelon Summer Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 (5-pound) watermelon
  • 1 Vidalia onion
  • 1 cucumber, sliced (optional)
  • 1/4 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 6 whole mint sprigs

Directions

In a large bowl, combine everything; the watermelon, onion, cukes, feta and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper. Toss gently and refrigerate. Simple..

Enjoy!

 

Grilled Chicken With Blueberry BBQ Sauce

One of my favorite summer dinners has to be grilled BBQ chicken, grilled corn and zucchini. I do love all BBQ sauce, but who says BBQ sauce has to red and tomatoey anyway? Let’s change it up with a delightful homemade blueberry BBQ sauce that’s naturally sweet, savory and just a little bit spicy. A healthier (low-sugar!) alternative to bottled sauce. And guaranteed to be the hit at your next dinner party. PS. This easy to make healthier sauce is so scrumptious you’ll want to make extra and serve it over everything!

Bon Appétit!


PS. If you have any grilling tips to share, please leave a comment below, seriously.

Grilled Chicken With Blueberry BBQ Sauce

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries (I used wild Maine Blueberries)
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard, or sub. Dijon mustard

Directions:

For Blueberry BBQ sauce..

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, whisking frequently, for an hour or so..

 

Grilled corn and zucchini take about 10 minutes each to cook. The

Recipe for: Grilled corn

 

Recipe for: Grilled Zucchini

 

*BBQ: Tips for chicken:

You all know that I LOVE to cook. But I have to admit that grilling is not my favorite. I just don’t like standing there over the hot grill when I could be running around doing something else. So I always try to find someone else to take “the grill guy” job. I’m just too damn busy and I’ll run-away from the grill. Not a good idea, the un-attended food will burn. I need someone else to blame. Anyway…

1. Here’s the best way to BBQ chicken that I’ve found. First of all, I like a whole chicken, cut-up. This way you get two of everything, 2 breasts, 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 thighs etc. I find that cooking bone-in chicken (and with the protective skin) is so much juicier. Another thing, I find poaching (or boiling) the chicken (for 15-20 minutes) is the answer to the question “is this done yet?” Not only is the chicken moist and perfectly cooked but less apt to dry-out (or burn) on the grill.

*For boneless chicken you absolutely must marinade before cooking, or at the very least cover with lots of canola oil. Try to marinade your chicken (in a niiice Italian dressing) a day before cooking, or as soon as you think of it.

A good rule for perfectly cooked BBQ chicken is to grill on low, and cook it slow….

**Yes, that’s right. Lower and slower is the golden rule with grilled chicken.

2. Spray or oil the chicken pieces liberally before tossing it on the grill. You’ll want to grill at a medium-low temperature for 5-10 minutes (on each side). Don’t try to move the pieces around before they’re cooked, unless it flares-up. In that case, move the chicken off the flame and turn the temp. down. I’ve been known to douse the flames with a little beer. Everyone watching will say: “WOW! That was so cool!” Now, you can see why I’m not the go-to grill-girl.

3. Next, brush the sauce (or marinade) on the cooked side of the chicken after you turn it. Or the sugars in the sauce will flame-up and burn. A a few grill-marks are a good thing, a lot of char is bad. You may want to serve some blueberry BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. I’m hungry, let’s eat!

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Here’s a super-easy recipe for fresh delicious homemade basil pesto. Even if you’ve never ever made pesto before. Even if you’re not Italian. You won’t even need a food processor. We’re going to make handmade gourmet pesto just like an Italian Grandmother. So, go gather-up these fresh ingredients: gorgeous green basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and garlic. I hope you’re as thrilled with this hand-crafted pesto as I am. I LOVE it!

Spinach Salad With Cucumber, Tomatoes and Feta

 

I do love spinach, but I never liked spinach salad until I had this Mediterranean-style salad adapted from “Recipes for Health” from The New York Times. A glorious colorful salad made healthier with lots of garden vegetables, instead of the usual bacon & eggs. A  lovely, light dressing of olive oil and fresh lemon juice keep the guilt away too. Adding some fresh cucumber, tomatoes, herbs and feta cheese really make this modern-day spinach salad wicked good. I promise!

Bon Appétit!

 

Spinach Salad With Cucumber, Tomatoes and Feta

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 small red onion, sliced (optional)
  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced (optional)
  • 6 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 pound tomatoes, cut in wedges, or cherry tomatoes.
  • 1 small cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced.
  • 8 calamata olives, pitted and cut in half.
  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced.
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill.
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint.
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
  • salt & pepper to taste.
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
  • 2 ounces feta cheese, cut in small dice or crumbled.

 

Method:

*Tip: Place the onion in a bowl, cover with cold water and let sit for five minutes. Drain, rinse and dry on paper towels. (The reason for soaking the onion is to wash away some of the compounds that cause tears and the too strong onion flavor.)

1. Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, pepper, dill and mint in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.

3. Add the spinach, and feta. Toss together thoroughly and serve.


Bon Appétit!

Enjoy!


Yield: Serves 6-8

Advance preparation: You can prepare the ingredients and dressing several hours before you toss the salad. Keep them in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per serving: 160 calories; 10 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 8 milligrams cholesterol; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 215 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein