Who Shut The Spring Off?!

March 28, 2015

Whoever it was – I want it back, so you better bring it! I was waiting for four months to get out of a winter coat so I’m not losing my ground so easily! Snow? Really? I’m just going to close my eyes, stay inside and pretend it’s not happening. Not on March 28!

But, I guess it’s OK, there’s stuff to do at home anyway. And April looks to be very busy so a little R&R at home is a good thing right now. The kid started having little anxiety attacks that once he leaves for college, that he’ll have to go without my home cooked meals (and do his own laundry) so he’s extra clingy and food demanding. And he’s asking if I’ll be bringing him some baked goods every weekend.

Kid, as much as I love you, I’m not making 6-7 hour (one way!) drive just to bring you muffins every Saturday, you’ll have to rely on college food! Maybe once in a while I’ll mail you something. The rest of the times, if you really miss mama’s cooking, you’ll just have to come home. No, that does not mean you are getting a car! I know you have a license and drive every week. You recently drove me home (and I did not die!). Yes, you did a great job, with all the swag and confidence and easy moves – you were quite a “smooth operator”! But in no way does it mean you can now get a motorcycle for your 18th birthday! You’ve been asking about it since you were 13, the answer has not changed, it’s still “hell NO!” So just stop asking!!

Why don’t you instead come and sit next to me, so I can hold and kiss you while I still have you at home with me. Pretty soon you’ll be gone and may never return home after that, thinking about it making my heart ache how fast all the years flew by from that very first moment when I held you in my arms (you had red hair and dark blue eyes, and a feisty little spirit) to that day that will come in August when I have to drop you off at your college and pretend that crying was not on my mind at all, and no, I will not embarrass you like that, I promise.

So come sit with me, let’s have this brunch together, I know it’s your favorite, I made it specially for you.

“Mama, you cook so good for me! I will die without you, I will die!” No, baby, I promise you, you will not!

What’s Cooking This Week

Most people try to make seasonal recipes, I do too mostly, especially if it’s related to fresh fruits and vegetables that are better during some particular season, but other times, I just don’t pay attention to that. If I want pumpkin bread in July, I don’t see any reason why I can’t. Cranberries and persimmons are considered winter fruits, but I can still find persimmons in some stores, plus frozen cranberries are usually not an issue either (with these snow flurries today, you’ll feel that this recipe is actually quite seasonal). And, if you can’t find persimmons, you can substitute peaches in this recipe. The relish will keep in the fridge for at least 7-10 days, and you’ll find that it goes well with a lot of other dishes.

Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Spicy Persimmon-Cranberry Relish

1 lb ground turkey

2 small red apples, grated

1/3 cup cheddar, shredded (I used dairy free daiya)

2 tsp dry chives

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp parsley

salt, pepper, olive oil

1 bag of fresh or frozen cranberries

2 small persimmons, cut

1/4 cup of sugar

2 Tbsps of fresh ginger, ground

2 Tbsps of bourbon

1 tsp of paprika

1/2 tsp of allspice

Zest from 1 small orange

You can make relish the day before and keep it in the fridge or make it earlier and cool off before serving. In a medium pot, combine cranberries, sugar and bourbon and simmer until berries start popping and releasing juice. Then stir in spices, zest, ginger and cut persimmons, cook until all is soft (but not overdone) stirring often. Set aside or cool off and put relish in the fridge.

To make the burgers, combine turkey meat with salt, pepper and spices, then fold in grated apple and cheddar shreds into the mixture, divide into burgers, you’ll get 5-7, depending on size.

Yes, that’s a bottle of wine in the background. Don’t you find everything comes out better if you’re drinking wine in the process?! 🙂 Heat up some olive oil and fry the burgers, don’t make the heat too high as both apple and cheddar tend to burn easily, you don’t want your burgers to be too burned.

Serve them immediately, top with some relish and use your favorite bun. I’m having mine with Udi’s gluten free bun, kid likes his with an onion bun.