In Good Taste

Worknight Dinners: Dining Al Fresco, Creamy Penne with Asparagus & Artichoke

In the summer, one of my favorite activities is dining and drinking outdoors. Whether it's a rooftop lounge, a sidewalk cafe or a balcony overlooking a parking lot, there is something that just feels good about the warm summer breeze that makes the city air seem less polluted, fresher, hopeful.

There is also something that feels even better than eating and drinking in the above warm summer breeze.

As much as I like the great outdoors, I wouldn't call myself outdoors-ey. I've never been camping, I would rather get a massage than go for a hike and I would probably need to be bribed with large sums of cash in order to spend a significant amount of time in an environment where I'd have limited access to running water and indoor plumbing.

The Bread Baker ' s Apprentice Challenge: Artos Greek Celebration Bread (Week Two)

In the past year I've learned a lot of things. I've learned that it's possible to get along with people you won't always agree with. I've learned that I need to keep the door to my balcony open and exhaust fan on when I turn my oven higher than 450 degrees or the smoke alarm will sound. I taught myself how to make pizza dough from scratch and I learned a little bit about HTML coding (I still can't do it, but I know what it IS and that's more than I could have said a year ago).

I've learned how to successfully navigate the taxi lines at JFK Airport, a task that once seemed intimidating for me to do on my own. I've learned that the world won't come crashing down around me if I put on ten pounds (but my favorite jeans might not fit as well. That's what department stores are for). I've learned all these things since I began blogging approximately a year ago (a year ago yesterday to be exact).

Time to Par-tay: Your Favorite Hors d ' oeuvres and White Bean & Artichoke Spread

I think we've talked before about my love for finger foods. You can call them hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, tapas...but at the end of the day, they're all the same. Whenever I go to weddings or parties where dinner is served, I can usually be counted on to fill up during cocktail hour and ignore the main course.

So when I was recently tasked with developing the menu for my brother's upcoming graduation party, you can imagine that I was a hard sell for compiling a menu of heavy hors d'oeuvres rather than a formal lunch or dinner. As much as I like to cook for myself, my friends, my family, sometimes preparing meals or treats - even baked goods to bring into the office - can be intimidating. I tend to drive myself insane making lists and volleying back and forth between "well should I make this or should I make that?"

The more people you're serving, the less chance you have of pleasing everyone, which is of course, what I aim to do. Without sounding all perfectionist here, I think entertaining for moderately large groups is damn hard, unless you're cooking a meal like Thanksgiving dinner, where everyone knows pretty much exactly what to expect.

 

Worknight Dinners: Feta-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Even though it's been years since I've had an extended summer vacation - three months void of jobs, schedules or responsibility - there is something about warm weather, sunglasses and the coconutty smell of suntan lotion that lifts my spirits. I like seeing toddlers wearing cute little Bermuda shorts and love stepping out my front door without a jacket. I like flip-flops, the smell of freshly-cut grass and hearing the Good Humor truck's jingle when it circles my block.

There are a lot of nice things about Manhattan in the summertime. The weekends are quieter and wait lists at restaurants are shorter. The city isn't as frenetic and there's even time for a post-work frozen margarita on a hot July day or a glass of Prosecco at a sidewalk cafe. However the one thing that I miss about summer in the city is the ease of coming home from work and having a grill on which to cook dinner.

When I lived at my parents' house in the suburbs, I was always good for a vote towards an evening meal consistening of grilled salmon and vegetables or juicy chicken breasts slathered in tangy barbecue sauce. When it's eighty-bajillion degrees out and the last thing you feel like doing is turning on the oven, a grill is certainly a nice tool to have at your disposal.

Even though there's no room for a grill on my tiny balcony, I still do my best to recreate summer dinners reminiscent of laid-back cookouts. Grilling is a fast, easy and low-fat way to get dinner on the table - especially when the sweltering heat is convincing you to do anything but cook. Whether you're grilling on a George Foreman (as I've been known to do on occasion) or a Weber Summit, these turkey burgers, a recipe I adapted from a Weight Watchers cookbook, would be delicious - especially if you can make them in the backyard and eat them from a paper plate alongside a healthy serving of potato salad and fresh corn-on-the-cob.

Feta-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

I've made these on a gas grill, a George Foreman grill and under the broiler. Though the former offered the best texture and juiciest burger but any of the cooking methods are tasty and simple.

1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey (I used 99% lean)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. of dried)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
7 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
4 large leaves of red leaf or romaine lettuce
Red onion (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat cooking implement (grill or grill pan, broiler). In a medium bowl, combine turkey, oregano, garlic powder and feta; divide mixture into four balls and then press them gently into patties.

2. Grill or broil patties until internal temperature of burgers reaches 165°F, about 7 to 8 minutes per side.

3. Serve each burger on a whole wheat roll or bun with lettuce and red onion.

If you are going charcoal this year, check out these tips before you fire up!

The Bread Baker ' s Apprentice Challenge: Anadama Bread (Week One)

Something that you wouldn't know about me from reading my blog is that I'm secretly a lover of history. I watch the History Channel and I'm quietly enthralled by antiques - wondering who handled them and what they meant to that person.

I love driving by historic homes that have stood proudly for hundreds of years, thinking about the life of the family who lived within the walls - and how they ever managed without the internet. I like to trace legends and myths as far back as I can trace them - because even the most outlandish tall tales had to result from something or somewhere.

One difference between us today and our predecessors who lived two-hundred years ago is the food we eat. Our ancestors didn't eat Lean Cuisines for dinner and when they wanted something to eat they made it with the ingredients on hand.