Turkey Burgers!

I love how fun and convenient burgers are, but I've never really enjoyed beef. Instead, I make my burgers out of a pound of lean and delicious ground turkey meat. It draws together the flavors of any spices you add! You can seriously get creative with these after you have the basic recipe down, which is...

...Turkey meat...

...One egg...

...And breadcrumbs. After this basic recipe, feel free to add whatever your heart desires, keeping in mind that your burger needs to keep its consistency! 

This is how I season mine:

I love adding fresh onions! Occasionally, I'll had shallots or spring onions as well.

Parmesan cheese adds a nice kick!

Garlic powder. You could add fresh minced garlic instead!

Dried thyme.

Ground red pepper.

Salt.

Ground black pepper.

Turmeric! Trust me, this makes the burgers taste amazing. Also, turmeric is a traditional Chinese medical herb that is a powerful anti-oxidant. 

Now just mix it all up with your hands. I recommend using disposable plastic gloves for this part!

Once it's all mixed, grab balls of the meat mixture that are about this large. 

And press them out into uniform patty shapes!

All pressed!

Heat up a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan or skillet.

Place the burgers in the pan and cook for about 7-9 minutes on each side.

Make sure they're cooked all the way through by cutting into the largest one. Just make sure there's no pink in the middle.

The result: delicious turkey burgers! They taste delicious with buns, or by themselves!

Enjoy!

Delicious Turkey Burgers

(Makes 5 patties)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey meat

1 egg

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 onions

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix with your hands until all the ingredients are uniformly incorporated. 

2. Separate meat into 5 equal balls, then shape into patties. 

3. Heat olive oil on a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties in olive oil for 7-9 minutes on each side, or until the middle is cooked all the way through

4. Serve with buns and/or condiments. 

Real Tuna Casserole

If you've ever flipped through a church sponsored cookbook, then you have probably seen the most basic tuna casserole recipe of all time: two cans of cream of mushroom soup, two cans of tuna, and some egg noodles. 

That recipe is easy. That recipe is also boring and tasteless. 

When you're learning how to prepare food, you shouldn't take shortcuts when making it homemade is just as easy and cost efficient!

This tuna casserole is a delicious recipe (it definitely convinced my boyfriend!) that will give your Great Aunt Sue's recipe a run for its money.

To start off:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. You want your water to be very salty. Like, ocean salty.

Measure out about 6 ounces of egg noodles, or similar pasta.

Pour it on in!

Allow this to cook until it's almost al dented. In other words, you want to make sure the pasta is still a little tough when you strain it.

Perfectly cooked pasta!

For the sauce, you'll need milk, peas, tuna, flour (not pictured)...

... onions, mushrooms... 

... chicken broth...

... and freshly grated cheddar cheese!

First, melt some butter and olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat.

Make some butter trail shapes in your saucepan to pass the time.

Throw in those onions and let them cook until they become soft.

Add some flour to act as a thickening agent.

Turn up the heat to medium and keep stirring this mixture constantly to prevent burning.

Once this is heated through for about 3 minutes...

... Pour in the chicken broth, little by little, and whisk constantly. This is very important so that you don't have an inconsistent sauce!

 

Keep whisking and adding broth until a nice, smooth soup appears. 

It should looks something like this! Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

Once boiling, add the milk.

And whisk it all together. Bring this to a boil. 

Throw in those veggies!

Stir it all up, lower the heat to medium again and allow this to simmer down into a nice, thick sauce.

Like this!

Then add the tuna, stir it all up, and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Ask your boyfriend for help with pictures!

Once everything is all cooked and incorporated, take your saucepan off the heat and add the cheese!

Mix it up until the cheese melts into delicious, goopy goodness. 

Add your noodles!

Transfer everything to a proper sized baking dish. I used a 9x13 rectangle, but any shape will do.

Sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the top to add a bit of crunch, pop it in an oven preheated to 350 F, and let it cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned. 

Right out of the oven. What a lovely casserole!

Happy eating!

Tuna Casserole 

(Serves 4-6)

*Inspired by this recipe from SkinnyTaste

Ingredients

6 ounces egg noodles, or similar pasta

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

1 medium onion

3 Tablespoons flour

1 3/4 cups chicken/vegetable broth

1 cup milk

1 can of peas, drained, or 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 (5 oz) cans of tuna

2/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Cook noodles in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or right before al dente. Strain, set aside.

3. Melt butter and olive oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat.

4. Saute onions in heated pan until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

5. Sprinkle in flour. Turn the heat up to medium. Stir constantly until a thick paste is formed.

6. Whisk in chicken broth little by little until a thick soup is formed. Turn heat up to medium high, and bring to a boil.

7. Whisk in the milk. Again, bring to a boil.

8. Add peas and mushrooms, turn the heat down to medium, and simmer until a thick sauce is formed, about 7-9 minutes.

9. Add the tuna and cook for another 5 minutes.

10. Take the pan off the heat, stir in cheese until melted. Gently stir in the pasta.

11. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish and evenly sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top

12. Cook in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is slightly tough.