April 2010 Update

Recipes I Tried:
Caribbean Jerk Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
Creamy Taco Mac
Panko Crusted Fish with Lemon
Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Books I Read:
It by Stephen King
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts

(43 books down, only 157 to go!)

Items I Worked On:
#16. Reorganize kitchen cabinets
#17. Finish the yard (put up a fence and expand the vegetable garden)
#23. Clean and organize the garage.
#24. Organize the laundry room.
#32. Go to 10 different breakfast places.
#56. Watch 10 documentaries.
#67. Play all (22) Nancy Drew PC games (Currently playing Secret of the Scarlet Hand).

Items I Completed:
#25. Hang a clothesline in the backyard.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers (Recipe #32)

My husband and I both agreed these burgers were amazing! Which is a good thing, considering we still have four burgers left to eat. The pesto and feta added great flavor to boring ground turkey breast, though we both agreed next time we would add more pesto since the flavor didn't exactly stand out.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
(Source: My Recipes)

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon minced red onion
2 tablespoons pesto (see recipe below)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
2 cups arugula
2 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, toasted and halved

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; mix until combined. Divide panko mixture into 4 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick oval patty.

2. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Place 1 patty and 1/2 cup arugula in each pita half.

Tzatziki sauce: Combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat, Greek-style yogurt; 1/4 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper. Serve with sliced bell pepper and celery sticks.

Fresh Basil Pesto
(Source: Simply Recipes)

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Panko Crusted Fish with Lemon (Recipe #31)

Fish, especially saltwater fish, is high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are heart-friendly, and a regular diet of fish is highly recommended by nutritionists. Nutritionists recommend that fish be eaten at least 2-3 times a week.

With the exception of Tuna (which my parents told me was water chicken), I didn't grow up eating fish. But fish is so good for you, and I've come to discover it is actually quite good. We've been experimenting with fish a lot lately and have finally come up with the perfect recipe.

Panko Crusted Fish with Lemon

1 Fish Fillet
1 Egg
Panko Bread Crumbs
Cornmeal
1 Lemon, cut into slices

1. Scramble an egg in a bowl and brush onto the fish with a basting brush.

2. Mix equal amounts of panko bread crumbs and cornmeal together and gently coat the fish with the mixture.

3. Fry in a pan on the stove for a few minutes on each side.

4. Before serving, squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the fish.

Deep Sea: Imax

Narrated by Academy Award nominees Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet and produced by the makers of the IMAX movie Into the Deep, this stunning film is an exploration of the world beneath the sea and its bizarre and exotic inhabitants. From translucent jellyfish to giant octopuses to scorpion fish, viewers will be introduced to a host of unique creatures, all completely dependent on one another for their survival.

"Deep Sea" starts off strongly with a mysterious shot of ethereal jellyfish swimming in darkness. Then the next shot is of a huge grouper floating almost motionlessly, and Depp brightly tells us that "he's always hungry!" The film continues in that vein, with endless shots that were obviously staged for 3-D but appear oddly static and contrived on a television screen. And the narration, while performed by the two outstanding actors Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, is completely one dimensional. The narration is limited in effect if not outright silly in places, and seems to be aimed at small children.

Final verdict: Very beautifully done, but not enough in-depth information for my tastes. Also, I'm sure it would have been much more stunning on the big screen in 3D instead of on my crappy 15 year old TV.

Stuck

It appears as if I've turned into a bad blogger, but I assure you I have not. I happen to be stuck in that awkward phase of having lots of things in progress, but not crossing off any new items on my list. I think I may start doing updates on my progress at the end of each month to highlight some of the "in process" items that I am working on.

Original Pancake House

This is probably my favorite breakfast place in the entire world. Andrew took me here this morning for my birthday which is Tuesday. I don't remember what he had, but I had the granola pancakes and they were fabulous! They also have the best hashbrowns.

Creamy Taco Mac (Recipe #30)

Reminiscent of hamburger helper but without all the preservatives and ingredients you can’t pronounce. I used ground beef and only used half a packet of seasoning because that's what we had on hand. The result was good, but not as flavorful as I'd hoped, most likely due to my decreased seasoning.

Photo courtesy of Delish

Creamy Taco Mac
(Source: Delish)

1.25 lbs ground turkey (I used 1/2 lb ground beef)
8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes (I used 1/3 can)
1 packet mild taco seasoning (I used half a packet)
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper
cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

2. Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.