Another Tim Moment

Sunday was another drizzly, gloomy day and rather than stay in the house and pout about it – my husband decided he would make the weekly run to the local Wal-Marts with me.  (rare)  Before we departed for the store, I wanted to get the Sunday dinner roast into the crock pot and Tim cut up some onion and a couple of garlic cloves for me while I browned the roast.  Once the roast was in the crock pot, we grabbed our shopping bags (because we’re so green these days Ha!) and headed out the door. 

I don’t know about you, but my shopping starts on the non-food items side of the store and I finish at the deli and fresh veggie section next the registers on the other side.  Tim is a random wandering shopper so we tend to split things up while shopping.  He grabbed some motor oil and new filter for my car and then went to the beauty section to pick up some shampoo and conditioner.  He was gone an unusual amount of time and when he finally caught up with me I asked, “What took so long”?   He started ranting about the shampoos and conditioners and how stinky they are these days and blah, blah, blah.   I couldn’t imagine anything other than he was sniffing the girly stuff before finding what he wanted.    We finished up our shopping and driving home.  He was still sniffing his fingers and then said “Oh! That’s why!”  and started laughing.  “What?” I asked.   “Well, I couldn’t understand why anyone would make stinky shampoo that smelled like coconut and garlic and now I know.  I was rubbing it on the ends of my fingers to smell it and I had forgotten to wash my hands after cutting up the onions and garlic for the roast”.  

We had a good laugh.  Duh!

Recipe: Rosemary – Garlic Turkey Burgers

On a quest to find a healthier alternative, I experimented last night with a new recipe.   This one is really, REALLY good! And, easy. And, quick. And, dork cook proof – which is really the most important thing in my book of cooking reasoning.    And, despite the ‘chick’ food that turkey or chicken implies, my husband loved the burger. Loved it!

Rosemary and Garlic Turkey Burgers

3 or 4 Kaiser Rolls
1 pound ground turkey or ground chicken
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Tablespoon fresh Rosemary, chopped fine
1 cup mayonnaise
olive oil

Mix chopped garlic and rosemary with the mayonnaise. Add 1/2 cup of the mayo mixture to the ground turkey (chicken) and mix well, but careful not to overwork the meat. Note: this is a very sticky meat mixture and will probably work best on a stove top or electric griddle rather than an outdoor grill unless you have a cast iron plate for your grill. Grill meat until all pink is gone. Meanwhile, cut rolls in half and drizzle olive oil on each half. Then, spread a little bit of the mayo mixture on each half. Grill each half face down until toasty, golden brown. Spread a little more mayo mixture on each half, top on side with fresh spinach or lettuce of choice (you’ll want a dark leaf – not iceberg) and place meat on the bun. That’s it!

I served our turkey burgers with a pasta salad. It was light and yummy. Chick food rocks!

Y’all Enjoy!

Recipe: Dad’s Shrimp Scampi

Dad - 1990

My father-in-law’s name was C.E.   Those are not his initials – that is his name.  Simple.  Just C.E.   A tall west Texas farm boy who grew up in the dusty panhandle.   He went on to work in a local bank as a teller and eventually worked his way to the position of bank president in a small town in Arkansas.  He was quiet, soft-spoken when he spoke and fiercely protective of his family.  But to us – he was just Dad.  Everyone called him Dad.  I loved his laugh.  Not really a laugh – just a chuckle.   He made up nicknames for his grandchildren like hoch-in-bocker, toad frog, or spider-toe and they still remember that he called them that.    A special man and we miss him all the time.  We lost him in 1994 after a 3 year battle with prostate cancer. 

This week’s loss of Farrah Fawcett and every time we hear of someone taken by cancer, it brings back all those memories of losing Dad.  I wanted to remember him today by sharing one of his recipes.  Dad was a great cook.  A GREAT cook!  Whether he was in the kitchen or at the grill – a great cook.  I treasure my little recipe cards of his recipes written in his handwriting.  So – here we go. 

Dad’s Shrimp Scampi

1 lb. Shrimp – raw/peeled/de-veined
6 tablespoons butter (salted)
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Tabasco red pepper sauce to taste

In a wide frying pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in onion, oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.  Cook until boiling.  Pat shrimp dry with paper towel and add to mixture in frying pan.  Cook stirring occasionally until shrimp turns pink (about 5 minutes).  Blend in parsley, lemon peel, and Tabasco sauce.  turn into serving dish.  Garnish with lemon wedges.  Serve with hot rice or linguine.  Serves 4 to 6. 

Love you Dad!

Y’all Enjoy!