Front Burner

Yes, everyone knows how to make a good BLT. And even how to add turkey to fill it up a little. But I promised this picture would make it to the blog, so here is my husband's Front Burner debut...

Saturday morning I made an excess of bacon with our eggs for breakfast and Joe saw that as a perfect opportunity to craft a delicious lunch. I was busy making a tart to take to work and asked if he wouldn't mind making me one too. He feigned annoyance but got hard to work creating the "perfect" sandwich, adding to the traditional BLT some turkey and avocado... a delicious combo. But when I turned around and saw him staging a photo shoot with his beloved sandwich I had to stifle a laugh... this is MY blog after all...

Amazing flavor if you enjoy the taste of cilantro. These burgers were fantastic and got approval from all 3 mouths I have to feed (as well as my own...) And finally I got an appealing picture of a burger! Poor Brendan sat down at my place at the table and I turned around and shouted "buddy, that's not your plate!!" Joe just looked at him with a "she's kind of crazy" look and said "sorry bud, that's mommy's picture plate..."

Cilantro Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tsp. bottled minced garlic

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 rolls, buns or sandwich thins

sliced tomato

4 lettuce leaves

1 recipe Orange-Cilantro Mayonnaise (below)

In a large bowl, combine turkey, cilantro, chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Shape into 4 (3/4-inch thick) patties. Place patties on grill rack directly over medium heat. Grill for 14-18 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once halfway through grilling. Place patties on bottom side of buns, top with Orange-Cilantro Mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce.

Orange-Cilantro Mayonnaise

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro, 1/2 tsp. finely shredded orange peel, and 1 teaspoon orange juice.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

6-8 bacon strips (or approx. 2 cups chopped cooked ham)

1 small onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 (16 oz.) carton egg substitute (or an additional 6-7 eggs)

4 eggs

1 cup milk

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns

1 cup shredded cheese

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dry dill weed

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, crumble and set aside. In same skillet, saute onion and bell pepper until tender. Remove and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk eggs, egg substitute and milk. Stir in remaining ingredients and add reserved bacon and onion mixture. Transfer to a 9x13 dish coated with cooking spray. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

One of Brendan's favorite things to help with in the kitchen is making cookies. At the age of almost 4-years he has become quite the helper and I welcome his company in the kitchen. He scoops, he pours, he measures... and he can tell you matter-of-factly that as soon as he turns 5 he will learn the art of cracking eggs. These were fun to make and great to eat!

*I used Nestle Chocolatier Bittersweet Chcolate but only had 4 oz. so I added some Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips and would probably add about a 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract to give them a little extra coconut flavor.

Chocolate Coconut Devils

2 2/3 cups lightly packed sweetened coconut (one 7-oz. bag)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa, spooned in and leveled
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups superfine baker's sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

Place the flaked coconut in a food processor and pulse 6-8 times or until medium chopped. Set aside. Strain together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a medium glass bowl set over simmering water (or a double boiler), on low heat, melt the butter. Add the copped chocolates and heat until just melted, gently stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and keep warm.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until light. Gradually add the superfine sugar over about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Stop the mixer and pour in melted chocolate mixture, then mix on medium speed just until combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients. Remove the bowl from mixer and let the batter rest for about 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Then sprinkle handfuls of coconut over the batter, folding briefly with a large rubber spatula after each addition. Do not combine thoroughly. Some of the coconut flakes should still be visible.

Drop by heaping teaspoons onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tops are just set. Cookies will firm as they cool. Let stand for 1-2 minutes then loosen from pan with spatula and transfer to cooling racks.

variation: fold in 1 cup chopped toasted pecans with the coconut.

* recipe provided courtesy of "Great Cookies: secrets to sensational sweets" by Carole Walter