Did you really expect me to post anything yesterday?  On July 4th?  On a family celebration day?  No...I didn't think so.

July 4th is generally a time for people to have picnics with their families....cookout...get some fried chicken...and celebrate America.  There is nothing more American than a cheeseburger or a hot dog or fried chicken.  Many of you, no doubt had family reunions or mini-family reunions or had a neighborhood block party.  We had none of the above.  Not that we are bitter...no really, we aren't.  With Matt working all the time, Sierra serving at the church or hanging out with friends and even Daniel's budding social life, we like to take advantage of time spent together.

So, all of that to say...what to have for our own, private affair.  Well, no hot dogs for us.  The ONLY person in the family that likes hot dogs is Matt.  The rest of us can't stand them.  So, fried chicken?  No thanks.  The kids and I had some Popeye's recently and it left us all feeling a little...well...yucky.  So, burgers.  Ok.

But this left me struggling a bit.  I am trying to support my husband in his endeavor to lose weight (and shed a few pounds myself).  So, I wondered how I can make a good burger as healthy as possible without taking away from the fun spirit of the 4th.  Enter Pinterest.

I found a turkey burger recipe that sounded very good and I thought I would give it a go.  Generally, when we make turkey burgers, we top them with sharp cheddar cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo (which combines together beautifully), but I found one that uses pesto, feta and roasted red peppers and I was sold.  BUT, I had to do it MY way.

I am going to give you a tip on cooking turkey burgers.  I know so many people say they just come out so dry and for years that was what I found, too.  Here's the secret....don't grill them!!  Grilling them takes too long which can tend to make them dry out.  I recently found that the best way to have a GOOD, JUICY turkey burger was to cook it in a panini press (or a foreman grill).  It cooks on both sides at once...sealing in the juices.  We have never been happier with a burger than we are now.

So, here is what I did.

Turkey Burgers

Ingredents:

Ground lean turkey breast
Greek seasoning 
Pepper
Feta
Roasted Red Bell Peppers
Refrigerated Pesto
Provolone Cheese (or a cheese of your choice)
Hamburger Buns

I had a package of ground turkey meat.  I generously seasoned the meat with Greek seasoning and pepper and mixed well with my hands (without over working the meat).  I divided the meat into 4 equal sections and formed patties.  I took each patty in my hand and formed a sort of bowl...and in the center, I put broken up feta pieces.  I folded it over and gently distributed the feta throughout the patty, forming a new patty.

I heated up my panini press to a medium high heat and put two patties in at a time (could have probably fit all four, but I wanted to insure even cooking).  I let them cook for a while and than flipped them (one side of my press seems to cook hotter than the next.

Preparing the burger.  Easy enough.  Instead of mayo or mustard or ketchup, I used pesto...generously spread on one bun.  Instead of lettuce or tomato, I put on roasted red pepper.  When the burgers were done, immediately put a slice of provolone on meat, put the patty on the bun, put the roasted red pepper on top of that and than the top bun. 

The result, HEAVEN.  This was one great burger.  The bursts of feta in the meat (I think it would be good with some chopped up arugula in the meat, too) were a treat...the flavors of the pesto and the red pepper was divine.  Everyone, yes even the kids, loved the burgers and we did not feel like we were missing anything without the red meat.

Now, I made sweet potato fries, but they came out mushy.  I have now tried two different recipes for them and I just cannot get the crispy thing going.  The kids and Matt still loved them....but wished they were crispy.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

And, since it was the Fourth of July, we finished off the evening with a trip to see Fireworks.  Our local area puts on quite a splash...but my poor son has always hated them (the sound is too much for his poor ears).  Matt had a grand plan to go to his office building which is on a lake...we could see the fireworks and the sound would be muffled.  That is what we did and for the first time in his life, my son enjoyed fireworks.  It was a great night for our family.  Here are pictures of our shenanigans at the lake as we waited for nightfall and the fireworks!

Did you miss me posting a recipe yesterday?  It was not from lack of cooking.  I did cook.  I cooked turkey stuffed red bell pepper.  It wasn't cause it wasn't good.  It was....good....not great.  BUT, I may or may not make it again.  I will ponder it before posting that recipe.

So, tonight's meal is a new one once again.  I found it when I was perusing the internet and thought...interesting.  Again, it sounded good, but it needed work.  It said to buy frozen mashed potatoes...yuck.  It said to pan cook the chicken...I never like that.  So, here's what I did:

I prepared mashed potatoes as we usually do it...boiled potato cubes, mashed with sour cream, butter, plenty of seasoning and shredded cheese.

Instead of pan cooking the thighs, I seasoned them with greek seasoning and broiled them.  

I prepared the tomato sauce as indicated in the recipe...really no changes except maybe a bit more seasoning.

I served it with the thighs cut up, put the tomato sauce on top of it with the mashed potatoes on the side.

The result??  Yumminess, of course.  Well, Sierra didn't care for it...she does not like fire roasted tomatoes...she has something wrong with her.  Daniel got a piece of zucchini from his plate and ate it and said to me "oooo...did you try the zucchini?"  I said, "Yeah, it's good, huh?"  His eyes big, he replied..."Uh Huh!"

No pics of the process today.  I have to get into the habit.  :-)

Here is the original recipe:

Chicken Thighs With Chunky Tomato Sauce
Southern Living AUGUST 2008

• Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
• Cook time:29 Minutes
• Prep time:10 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (22-oz.) package frozen mashed potatoes
• 2 pounds skinned and boned chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced onion

• 1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic, undrained
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut up
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation
1. Prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions. Keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with Greek seasoning. Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet over medium-high heat 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from skillet, and keep warm.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add zucchini and onion to skillet, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes, and cook, stirring often, 7 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and next 3 ingredients.

4. Serve chicken over potatoes. Spoon sauce over chicken and potatoes. Serve immediately.

I came across a recipe yesterday that sounded oh so appealing, though a little bit bland.  As soon as I saw it, I said...MUST MAKE THIS!!  As I looked at the ingredients, I thought...BORING.  I mean, really boring.  I knew, without a doubt that somethings would have to change for this to make it to my dinner table.  BUT, I also knew that with these changes, the recipe would be vastly improved and yumminess would prevail.

Part of the recipe entailed seasoning cut-up chicken breasts and zucchini with italian seasoning and than skewering them and grilling.  Wow.  Original.  Are your tastebuds watering??  No??  Mine neither.

BUT, what if I made a marinade?  What if I made a marinade and let my chicken pieces swim in it for a couple hours BEFORE skewering and grilling?  What if I marinated the zucchini for a bit before, too?  Are your tastebuds watering yet??  Mine is.

I always bought premade marinades, but recently really looked at what is in those marinades and realized it goes against EVERYTHING we are working towards with my husband's weightloss endeavor.  One day, I looked around my kitchen to see what I had that looked like it would make a good marinade.  White wine vinegar.  Olive oil.  Lemons.  Plenty of seasonings.  Shallots.  Garlic.  I thought...ok.  Let's see how this goes.  I prepared a marinade and marinated some turkey breasts for k-bobs.  The result....INCREDIBLE!!  Very fresh and less heavy.  Very summer.  Shallots are my new best friend.  Oh my word, the addition of this tiny, onion-like creature is so great.

So, I thought I would make this same marinade for the chicken and zucchini for tonight's dinner and I am sharing what I did with you.  Now, I tried....I really and truly tried to MEASURE things for you....but....well..........

Marinade Recipe:

1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
generous amount of:  Garlic Salt, Italian Seasoning, Pepper
2 juiced Lemons
Minced Shallots, a palm full
Minced Garlic Clove

The rest of the ingredients:

About a Pound of Chicken, Cut in Bite Size Pieces for Skewering
3 Small Zucchini, Cut in Half Lengthwise and than Sliced
Package of Frozen Tortellini
7 oz. Container Refrigerated Pesto
Couple Largish Roma/Plum Tomatoes, Chopped and Seeded
Parmesan Cheese

Whisk together.  Pour over bite-size chicken, but leave some out for the zucchini.  I used about 1/2 the marinade for the chicken.  Let it marinate for a couple hours in the fridge.  I put in a bowl and lay plastic over it.

About 45 minutes before grilling, marinate the cut zucchini.

Skewer chicken and zucchini.  I let Matt take that over.  He prefers to put all the chicken together on skewers and than zucchini on others.  Use your judgement on timing.

While it is grilling, cook tortellini according to package directions.  When chicken and zucchini are done and the tortellini is done, toss chicken, zucchini, pesto, tomatoes, and cheese together.  

Ok, so now that all that is out of the way, here is what we end up with...

Was it any good?????  

Uh....

YEAH!!  We all agreed we could have ordered this at a restaurant and been ooing and aaaing.  I mean, I could not recommend it enough.  This.  Was.  Incredible!!