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)!

Better Home Cooking Basics: #71 Cool Down Summer Drinks with Frozen Fruit Instead of Ice.

If you didn't know - summer is here! I'm keeping cool with ice cold drinks except I'm swapping out traditional ice cubes for frozen fruit. Lately, I've been really into filling my glass with frozen strawberries, mango & peaches & then pouring a can of limonata (a fizzy lemonade) on top of all that goodness. As the fruit defrosts it adds more flavor to the limonata & cools it down at the same time. Then at the end I have a nice fruit cocktail to snack on. Plus, it looks really pretty.

I also use frozen fruit in my smoothies. That means I skip the ice cubes all together & just blend up frozen fruit. It adds flavor without watering it down. I'd opt for smaller sized fruit when making smoothies. Larger pieces like peach segments should be cut in half as they can sometimes get stuck in the blender & don't chop up as evenly as small chunks of mango would.

PS: Frozen fruit also works like magic for wine & cocktails. Try frozen grapes in your favorite glass of white wine or prosecco.

How are you staying cool this summer?

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Fusilli with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Ricotta Cheese

After college I moved to NYC to “grow up,” which means I worked three jobs in attempts to make rent & pay off student loans while having some fun too. Glamorous, right? One of my three jobs was waiting tables  in NYC’s Little Italy. During this time I survived on a few staples for dinner: cannolis, pasta dishes my boss would generously share with me & Chinese food from my favorite place a block away.

I really hadn't thought about these meals until I was watching Giada’s show on Food Network yesterday. She was in Italy making all kinds of pasta. The one dish that she made took me way back to my early twenties when I used to share fusilli (the long curly pasta) with tomato sauce & fresh ricotta with my boss. I easily ate this once or twice (maybe more) a week. Giada’s method was simple & straight forward so feeling nostalgic for it I recreated it from memory of what I learned earlier in the day. 

The one key method for making Giada's simple & super fresh tomato sauce sung out to my inner love of tomatoes - especially fresh summer tomatoes. She took fresh tomatoes & used a box grater to break them down for the sauce. Apparently if you do this in a fancy food processor or blender the heat from those kinds of appliances actually change the flavor of the tomatoes (& we don't want that). I had to try it. I did & I loved it. This maybe my new favorite way to make tomato sauce. It’s so easy & fresh that you’ll be making on the regular too. I think it’s time to get this dish back in my weekly rotation like when I first moved to NYC.

Do you have specific food that reminds you of your first “adult” years? I’d love to hear about them. Leave me a note in the comments below.

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

Better Home Cooking Basics: #67 Freese Your Bowl & Whisk Before Using Them To Make Homemade Whipped Cream.

’Tis the season for whipped cream. Fresh fruit with homemade whipped cream is simple & sinful all at once. When making whipped cream at home I use 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to each cup of heavy whipping cream. The sugar level really depends on how sweet you want it. One way to make the whipping go faster (especially if doing it by hand) is to freeze the bowl & the whisk (attachment) that you plan to use at least 15 minutes ahead of time. This helps to speed things along when it comes time to whipping. To make the whipped cream simply combine the whipping cream & sugar (if using) & beat the heck out of it with a whisk until it forms stiff peaks. It's quite the arm work out if you do it by hand but you can also employ your trusty mixer too if you're double tasking in the kitchen.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Summer Moments

Here are some details of my favorite moments as of late. Hope you enjoy them & have a wonderful weekend.

A gorgeous sunset sky after a stormy day in NYC on a walk with my twin sis.

Beautiful & romantic flowers at my friends' (Karen + Paul) wedding last weekend.

Blurry champagne equivalent to the warm & fuzzy love in the room at the same wedding.

Fun paper lanterns & lights that we danced under all night.

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

If you’re looking for a summer dessert this is it. I love rhubarb & have traditionally enjoyed it most in a strawberry rhubarb pie (mmmm). My aunt is allergic to strawberries so when deciding on what to bring for (Easter) dessert at my Grandma’s house I opted for this Rhubarb-Almond Cake. It’s light but moist. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. The rhubarb offers the right amount of tartness to make you want seconds.

Fresh & Simple Tomato Salad

I love tomatoes. I know we are lucky enough to be them year round now but nothing beats a fresh summer juicy Jersey tomato. The best part is that they do pretty much all the work themselves because they just taste that good.

My mom always made tomato salad growing up. I think I had forgotten about it until just recently & then I became obsessed. (When I say obsessed I mean it - we ate tomato salad for a week straight & I still want more.) I loved it then & I love it now & I think you will too. Plus the recipe is so completely easy you’ll have to try it at least once. If you love it as much as I do I have some surprises for you this week on how you can serve & eat it so check back!

Thirsty Thursday: Vegetarian Wine Pairing

I love veggies, as you’ve probably picked up from reading any of the posts here.  When Tamara from Bottle Rush offered a wine pairing for one of my favorite veggie comfort foods I took notes.  This week we’re sticking with another light red to embrace the warm weather: Barbera d’Alba. Tamara says it’s a great match for one of her (& my!!) favorite comfort foods - eggplant rollatini. Why is it so great? Because “the acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese but at the same time beautifully complements the tomato sauce.”

Cheers to another Thirsty Thursday!

Remember, if you are interested in seeing a specific dish you’ve seen here (or elsewhere) paired with the perfect wine, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Dairy-Free Fudgesicles

I always buy a big bunch of bananas with the anticipation that we will eat them before they turn completely brown. Lately, they’ve been turning brown on me more often than not. So we cut up the sugary sweet & pretty mushy bananas, put them in a zip top bag & freeze them. I use them in smoothies instead of ice & to make dairy-free chocolate ice cream. 

I mixed things up a tiny bit & made a different rendition of my go-to dairy-free chocolate ice cream & made homemade fudgesicles. The best part is - they only require 3 ingredients (4 if you count water) & they take just minutes to mix up. There's no dairy or sugar involved. You can make them in the morning, pop them in the freezer & they’ll be ready for an after (or before) dinner treat.

Peach-Rhubarb-Blackberry Pie

If I had the choice between cake & pie I’d pick pie 99% of the time. I’m a pie girl. My mom always made pies & I just love fruity sweet desserts so pies satiate my sweet tooth for the majority of the time.

My mom & dad were up to visit at my sister’s apartment this past weekend. I wanted to bring something so I automatically chose to make a pie. Chris & I made a trip to  DePiero’s Farm to see what was fresh & came across sweet peaches & rhubarb. With a a nod to strawberry rhubarb pie - one of my faves I concocted a peach version of it. I had some blackberries at home so I added those too.

Overall it was a pretty tasty pie. My peaches were pretty juicy so the filling had a bit more liquid than I would have loved but we still enjoyed it all the same.

Summer Hair Product Picks

I’m a bit of a beauty product junkie, an occupational hazard. I’m constantly testing out the next best thing for work (& pleasure). Every summer I hunt for the perfect product to achieve beachy hair even if I’m not at the beach. My usual obstacle is most “beachy” hair products dry my hair out, but there is hope & I've found it in three products!

These three game changers, plus a cute hair scarf have become staples in my daily hair routine. None of them weigh my hair down so I can use them by themselves or layer them together. What’s even better is that they are all double duty products & really deliver.

Here are the reasons I’m loving these summer hair products:

Olivine’s Love + Salt Beach Hair & Body Mist

• is scented like nostalgic days at the beach.
• adds beachy tousled texture without over drying hair. can be used as a body mist too!
• texturizes without drying thanks to the coconut oil in it (You know how much I love coconut oil.)
• made with ingredients I can pronounce & eat (like Himalayan Salt!!)
• 5% of each sale goes to Every Mother Counts

Acure Leave-In Conditioner Argan Oil + Argan Stem Cell

• ultra-hydrating leave-in conditioner providing weightless body & shine.
• protects hair at the cellular level & helps to strengthen it at the root. 
• a few spritzes helps to revitalize waves at the end of the day.
• it can also double as a facial mist!

The lovely ladies at Lauren + Vanessa introduced me to Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream 10-in-1 Complete Correction

• use it alone or layer with other products.
• 10 benefits in 1 easy step for perfectly polished hair.
• worked through damp hair helps moisturize, smooth, shine, soften hair.
• I apply this & then let my hair air dry without any worry of frizz.
• it even provides UV protection for when you’re getting beachy waves naturally!

What are your go-to products this summer?

Simple & Tangy Grilled Aspargus

I like skinny asparagus. Chris likes fat asparagus. I guess opposites do attract. We usually end up with the  asparagus on the skinnier side because - well because I’m married to a great man who likes whatever I cook & lets me have my way more often than not.

I love asparagus quickly cooked on the grill & then simply dressed with a little vinaigrette. Most of the time we end up snacking on them before the rest of dinner is done & we eat them with our fingers.

PS: Happiest Birthday Maggie! I love you! xoxo

Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Pudding Tart

When given the option of a dessert I usually choose a fruity or some spicy cinnamon option. Chris will always choose chocolate. It’s not that I don’t like chocolate - I do - but I like it when it’s mixed with other things like hot molten chocolate cake with ice cream.  Whenever I say I’m going to make a dessert, Chris cheerfully asks, “chocolate chip cookies?” to which my usual response is “no I want to try this fruit thing.” Like the amazing husband that Chris is, he’ll eat it anyway, even if it wasn’t his first (or second) pick for a dessert.

During the summer months I try to eat as many of the ripe fruit that the season has to offer & in turn cook or bake with them too. My sister made a version of Magnolia’s Bakery Banana Pudding last year & I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Naturally, I needed to make it. After reading a bunch of different recipes & putting my own twist on things (the original calls for instant pudding mix & I opted to make my own) I came up with this strawberry, blueberry banana pudding tarte & as Chris put it “it’s pretty good for a non-chocolate dessert.”

If you’re making this for the fourth of July (because of all the pretty colors) I would definitely try freezing it over night so that it doesn’t melt in warmer temps while it’s out for display on the dessert table or traveling with you where ever you may be headed.

Fresh & Unique Summer Salads

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

I’m salad obsessed these days.  Here are a bunch of my faves that are as fresh as they are unique.   I’ll be working back them into the rotation for summer dinners. Grab the links below:

1. Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing 
2. Crunchy Spring Salad  
3. Bang Bang Grilled Shrimp Salad 
4. Carrot Curl Salad

Simple Herb-Roasted Tilapia

Summer nights call for light but satisfying dinners.  I like to try to cook  and eat as much fish as I can, especially in the summer. Maybe it's a mental thing but it doesn't leave me feeling sleepy or overly stuffed after I eat it - but completely satisfied.  You can make this recipe on the grill or bake it in your oven. You can prepare it early and cook (and eat) it later.

Beach Vacation Gratitude

As our beach vacation comes to a close I really can not believe the gorgeous weather that we have had, every day & sunset was more gorgeous than the next.  We are still soaking in the last drops of sunlight & beach time with our family.  It's been so relaxing it's definitely going to be a bit of a struggle to get back to the regular bump & grind.

Hope you're enjoying the last weeks of summer! Happy Friday & happy birthday to my nephew, Matthew & to one of the best gals & mom's I know, Rose. Love you guys & hope you have an amazing day! xo

Grilled Corn & Lime Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grilled corn
  (approx 2 ears)
• 1 lime (juice & zest)
• 7 fresh basil leaves
  (cut into ribbons or tear)
• 1 clove garlic
  (grated into super fine pieces)
• 1/2 red onion (finely chop)
• 3 plum tomatoes
  (seed & chop into small pieces) 
• 2 big handfuls arugula
• salt
• pepper

Nothing is better than grilled Jersey corn in the summer (yes, NJ has more to offer than MTV's diluted & polluted view of the people that supposedly reside here, there' actually farms, food & other fun things).

To make this salad,  grill up some corn & cut it off the cob (no corn stuck in your teeth now - you're welcome) & toss it with all the other ingredients!  You may have noticed this salad has no oil so yeah it's light & delicious perfect for hot summer nights or an outdoor lunch. Bon appetit!

What do you eat when it's super hot out? 

Garlic & Lime Grilled Shrimp

When it's as hot as it's been the only way to cook is on the grill & then run back inside to the air conditioning to eat.  Shrimp is so quick to make I feel I could make it every day, Chris wouldn't mind, believe me.  I served up this shrimp along side a tomato panzanella salad for a fresh summer dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp  (peeled, deveined, with tails on)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic (minced)
• salt & pepper
• 3 limes (cut into wedges)

Make it!

1. Add shrimp, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper to an air tight container (use a plastic food storage bag or container) & chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (over night will work too & it will definitely keep the vampires away when all of the garlic flavor is absorbed).
2. Skewer shrimp & lime wedges.  I used metal skewers but if you have the wooden ones just be sure to soak them in some water for at least 15-20 minutes so they'll burn less.
3. Grill over medium-high heat, for about 7-10 minutes.  Be sure to flip the skewers with tongs at least half way through so they cook evenly on both sides.
4. Shrimp are cooked when they turn opaque (white) & slightly pink.
5. Remove from grill & skewers. Squeeze the grilled limes over the shrimp & enjoy.

 

Best Sun Protection: A Floppy Hat

I have to say in my older age I'm more into covering up these days in the sun than sunbathing. This hat is the perfect accessory for doing just that. Now I'm searching for the best safe sunscreen. What's your favorite sunscreen?

PS: HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR FRIEND MAGGIE! love you :) xoxox