Juicy Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with Yogurt Sauce, Peaches & Arugula

Last night I was on my own for dinner so that only meant one thing - there would be olives (because I love them & Chris hates them)! I’ve been on a Greek salad & Greek yogurt kick as of late so those were also making the cut. I opted to make a Mediterranean style turkey burger with a yogurt sauce that is pretty much like tzatziki sauce with olives in other words a creamy garlicky & salty sauce. Then I added some feta, sliced peaches & arugula to hit all the other notes I love (read: salty, sweet, spicy).

I have to admit I scoured Pinterest in hopes to learn how to make a juicy turkey burger & thanks to this blog post I will always add pats of butter & milk to my burger mixture. I also opted to grate the onions & garlic into my mixture so that you don’t get big chunks or bites of either but you do get the flavor.

How do you make your turkey burgers juicy?

PS: remember if you make this pasta be sure to snap a pic & then tag me in your photos on instagram (@mrshoh or #HeatherOMade)!

Zucchini Butter

Zucchini is a veggie (or is it a fruit?) that I always have in my shopping basket & during the summer I grab as much zucchini as I can. It’s a great grilling veggie but it’s also great when you slow cook it into this yummy zucchini butter. While it’s ‘slow-cooked’ it’s also really easy to make. You can cook it ahead & store it in a jar & then toss it with pasta, farro or smear some on toasted bread.   I tossed ours with some linguini, a little bit of pasta water & topped it with some grated cheese. It was tasty!

Garlicky Pretzel Pizza Rolls

On a day when it’s semi-cooler I suggest you make these. Perhaps a great snack for watching the World Cup. I made these for Easter - yes I know that was a while ago but they are timeless snack worthy of a post even if it comes in mid-June.

I started off with visions for replicating this recipe. Things didn’t work out as planned. I tried to make the dough suggested in the recipe that is supposed to be like Auntie Anne’s pretzels (I LOVE AUNTIE ANNE’S PRETZELS). Alas, the milk I used was too hot & I’m pretty sure that I killed the dry active yeast because although it was Easter, it did not rise again. Being that I was making these rather last minute I had to use what I had - so I used pizza dough i had in the fridge.  I used the same method as making pretzels (remember these yummies?) so I think they were pretty close to the initial recipe. The result was tasty & I don’t think anyone (but me) missed the Auntie Anne’s pretzel dough. The next time I make these I will try that recipe again (I WILL!!!). 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend :)

Pretty Parsley Potatoes

Ok, yesterday I blogged about vegan chocolate chip banana oat muffins & last week I was shouting from the roof tops how great roasted cauliflower is especially as a potato substitute. Today, I’m back to the potato.  My mother, who studied nutrition at Cornell - so yes she’s a mom with a super duper degree - always taught be to eat balanced (read: alway have a protein, a veggie & a starch on my plate). I still try to cook & eat this way now. Potatoes are one of my favorite carbs & I don’t feel badly about eating them especially if they’re pretty with just the right amount of salt & butter.


These potatoes are so pretty that who ever you serve them to will have no idea how simple & (at least I think) fun to make! They would be a great side dish to serve for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner if you really want to impress your date at home.

Cheesey Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If you follow me on instagram you may have already seen the giant pile of mashed potatoes I made for Thanksgiving. We always have several kinds of potatoes, but my cousin Marco insists it's not Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes - so it we had mashed potatoes & it was officially Thanksgiving.  This year I added two of my favorite things to our potatoes - cheese & garlic - & mashed them with a supped up version of the potato masher that my cousin-in-law, Mariah, said would've made Grandma O'Hara proud.

Keep reading for my recipe. How do you make your mashed potatoes? Do you use a food processor or go for the full arm work out with a traditional masher?

PS: remember if you have a ton of leftover mashed potatoes you can reinvent them with this recipe!

Corn on the Cob with Spicy Cajun Butter

It is officially corn on the cob season. You can grill it or boil it. If it's sweet & crunchy who cares how you get there. It' great without anything but even better with a spicy Cajun butter that you can use on your grilled veggies, chicken, steak or potatoes!

Fettucine Marvini with Crab

If you're on a diet, skip this recipe & make this one instead. If you want something insanely delicious keep reading.

I used this buttery garlic linguine marvini recipe for the base of this recipe & I added some lemon zest & crab meat. I know you're not supposed to have seafood with cheese but it tastes good so I won't judge you if you don't judge me.

Super huge happy birthday wishes for my awesome sister-in-law, Marie! Happy birthday lady! Hope you have an amazing day & an incredible year! Love you.  xx

Gluten-Free Pasta with Crab, Citrus & Fresh Greens

We clearly eat some pasta at our house. Don't let the "O" and apostrophe in my last name fool you - this girl is Italian & her Irish husband is now too :) Well part Italian at least.

I'm always looking for new recipes to use with the staples I pick up at the grocery store. Yes, canned crab is one of those staples since there is only so much chicken & salmon we can eat.

I jazzed this recipe up with my gluten-free pasta & some fresh greens of course.

Click through for a citrusy take on crab & pasta. Yum.

The Baker Chick's Cinnamon Rolls

As you may know, it's more or less freezing outside. Earlier this week instead of going to the gym I made cinnamon rolls. When it's super cold out you really should just throw on your favorite soft pants, crank the oven & bake something sweet.

After perusing the internet & recipes by Paula Deene & The Pioneer Woman I came upon a new (to me) blog, The Baker Chick.  I immediately loved this blog & decided that her 90-minute browned butter cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting recipe was the one for me.

My one word of advice would be to read the recipe all the way through & to plan for a pan that the recipe calls for. I did not follow this advice & found myself with cinnamon rolls popping out of my pans! Fortunately, the outcome was still delicious, in fact dangerously so. After Chris & I taste-tested the fresh rolls out of the oven we knew we couldn't keep them in our house. I packed up two to-go containers of rolls to share with our teams of coworkers in the morning. There was no way we could have been trusted at home with them alone. They wouldn't stand a chance, we would have eaten them all!  Luckily our coworkers took care of the leftovers :)

Read more for tons of photos & The Baker Chick's full recipe. Be sure to check out her other recipes like these blueberry cinnamon rolls on the-baker-chick.com, too.

Double Tree Chocolate Chip Cookies

A co-worker made these cookies for my team & I long before I'd even tasted the original famous Double Tree Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I was instantly impressed & needed the recipe.  Since then I keep a stained piece of paper  in my mini recipe binder (that I've had since I was 12 ) with just the ingredients written down. I've made these cookies so many times that I have the process down pat, but I still need to double check my measurements - this is baking we're talking about after all.

There are four things that make these cookies as good as they are (besides the obvious chocolate chips & butter):

1. ground oats
2. cinnamon
3. lemon juice
4. the fridge/freezer

There is probably some kind of chemical reaction that happens - but I'm not going there because I'm not going to even pretend to know.  What I do know is that these cookies offer the perfect thickness & the right amount of yum to keep you making them over & over again.

Without further adieu, per Ms. Lindsey Barton's request, please click through to get the official recipe!

Veggie Fettuiccine Alfredo

I watched Mario Batali make this version of fettucini alfredo on TV a while ago & used it as inspiration for our Sunday supper with my own little flare of course.  Click through for my version of his recipe.

Have a great week & happy October (OMG!!! time flies).

Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup

I'm no stranger to the Food Network & have spent much couch time taking in the recipes from (my mother-in-law's fave) the Barefoot Contessa.  After watching her make this soup, I needed to make it.  I jazzed it up with some of my own garnishes.  Click through for easy ways to make a new take on a homemade crouton (hint: it's made from corn bread!) & a simple way to make sage fancy.

Oh & a super huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dulcie! Love you little lady! Hope this is the best year yet! XO

Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Last night was Fashion's Night Out, but I opted to go home & make butter out of nuts. (God I'm getting old!)

But seriously, ever walk by the fresh peanut butter machine in your grocery store & think I should do that at home with my food processor? [crickets, do I hear crickets?]

Ok, so maybe I'm alone here but I'm into eating non-chemically things, I think they just taste better (& give me better peace of mind & don't have crazy side effects). So I give you HeatherOMade Almond Butter with Cinnamon. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Make it!

1. Add whole almonds to food processor.
2. Blend well. At first it will look like almond powder, keep blending.
3. Scrap the sides of the food processor occasionally.
4. Add cinnamon & salt when large clumps form.
5. About 15-20 minutes later you'll have rich creamy almond butter.
6. Store in an air tight container in your fridge.

Things I plan to do with my almond butter:

• eat it with slices of green apple
• make these yummy treats
• swirl it with vanilla ice cream
• spread it on some bread & top it with honey & sliced bananas

Blueberry Cobbler

After our shrimp boil we finished off the night with some fresh blueberry cobbler & ice cream (read: yum).  I came across this recipe that makes the basic cobbler a bit more figure friendly using a base of butter, greek yogurt, oats, sugar & whole wheat flour for the crumbly delicious topping (as opposed to the butter & sugar combo usually found in a cobbler recipe). I added some vanilla extract to the berry mixture & sprinkled some cinnamon on top of the crumbles.

You really can't go wrong with this recipe, be sure to check out SproutedKitchen.com for more yummy healthful recipes or better yet order the cookbook that's what I plan to do.

Shrimp Boil

Hi from the beach! Sorry for the radio silence but I've been busy with some r & r as of late.  Each year it's tradition to spend time at the beach with our family.  Along with said tradition is the food we cook & eat together.  As of last year we've started the shrimp boil tradition (using this recipe).  It's a one pot wonder (or two if you opt for a veggie pot like we do) that appeals to people with all different tastes (no really you'd be surprised!).

You basically boil all of the ingredients together, drain them & throw them on to the table that's been covered with newspaper & then you dig in with your hands - no utensils necessary.  We opt to eat outside & to keep it super casual with a simple salad & some cornbread (& lots of paper towels!).  When we're finished we crumple up the newspaper  & toss (there will be no leftovers I promise). 

This dinner is even easier to eat, make & clean up if you have super helpful family members like I do that help you peel, chop, drain, pour, melt butter & clean the pots, so make it a family affair.  Huge thanks to my fam for helping out!

What's your summer tradition?

Read on for some more pics & helpful tips.

Parsnip Puree

"Let's talk about parsnips" - I believe those were the exact words that came from my friend Kara's mouth when I saw her a few weeks ago.  I can always count on Kara for a good conversation about how yummy veggies really are.  It's no secret I'd chose a veggie over meat any day, they just taste better to me.

Parsnips, if you've never had them, look like white carrots but are a little spicier & sweeter.  Turns out parsnips are packed with good-for-you-things like vitamins C, E, K, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese & tons of other things to make my mom proud that I eat them.

I like to eat parsnips mashed or pureed (think mashed potatoes, mmmmmm mashed potatoes - but with parsnips instead). Check out my recipe after the jump.

Blackened Fish + Green Bean Quinoa

After a super decadent Fourth of July bbq at  Brian & Dulcie's house [read: there was lobster... enough said] I felt it was fitting to post about a decadent, yet simple way to make fish.  Make it blackened.  Basically you take a filet of fish dip in melted butter, coat it in spices & cook it on each side until it's cooked through & is white & flakey.  I went off this recipe using pollock & served green beans mixed with quinoa, fresh mint & basil for a simple yet filling meal.

Hot Molten Chocolate Cake

Everyone always has room for dessert when it's hot molten chocolate cake, with ice cream of course.  This dessert is not as hard as it looks to make but there is some love involved. It's not what I would call a call-me-maybe-dessert, this isn't for a first date.  This is for the date when you celebrate you first wedding anniversary. This is a you-count-big-time-in-my-book-dessert.  For those of you that I've made this for - you know who you are- & yes I'll make it for you again.

This recipe is built out of some I found online & through some basic trial & error.  But lucky you, you don't have to do the leg work because you get my full recipe after the jump, so read on for some more photos & the recipe!