Crave Wednesday: Southwest Turkey Burgers

The theme of this year's holidays was family.  And we continued that trend with a family vacation over New Year's Eve.  We headed out to Palm Desert with Toxicesq, Thatmom, her boyfriend, and TMIL.

The place was still decorated for Christmas, or at least our building was.

Toxicesq brought up a bunch of China's old books, which Thatkid was quick to share with her.

We hit up all our usual haunts, the outlets, the zoo, and the airplane museum.

And Thatbaby had his first taste of barbecue.

We are sorely lacking in good barbecue in my area.  Which means I have to make it myself.  But I'm not terribly adventurous with the grill.  Last Friday marked the 7 year anniversary of Thatdad's death.  He was the big barbecue guy in our family.  His ribs and chicken were unparalleled.   And it's one of those things where I never thought to learn from him, because I didn't expect him to not be there.

So instead, I mostly grill burgers and chicken.  Not even barbecue, just grill.  I don't have a great sauce of my own.

But I can grill a mean burger!  With the right ingredients inside, the lack of a sauce doesn't matter.  This turkey burger gets most of its flavors from the chiles.  Poblanos are nice, because they're not all spice, the have a great smokiness to them. 

Southwest Turkey Burgers (From Cooking Light)

2 poblano chiles

1 oz French bread baguette, sliced

1/4 cup 1% low fat milk

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 lb ground turkey breast

cooking spray

2 Tbsp canola mayonnaise

4 hamburger buns, toasted

4 green leaf lettuce leaves

4 slices tomato

1. Preheat grill to medium high heat.  Cut poblanos in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes.  
2. Place poblanos, skin side down, on grill rack; grill 10 minutes or until blackened.  
3. Place poblanos in a paper bag; fold to close tightly.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Peel and dice.
4. Place bread in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup.  
5. Combine breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
6. Add cumin, 1/4 tsp chili powder and next 4 ingredients.  Mix gently until just combined.
7. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions; shape each portion into a 1/2 inch thick patty.  Press thumb in enter of each patty, leaving a nickel-sized indentation.
8. Place patties on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done.
9. Combine 1/4 tsp chili powder and mayonnaise. 
10. Top bottom half of each bun with 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, 1 patty, about 1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise mixture, and bun top.

 

Mommy Mondays: 8 months with 2 kids

Sometime between 11pm and 3am - Thatkid wakes up screaming.  Bad dream?  We don't know.  Thatboy goes in and he's already back to sleep.  He doesn't remember anything in the morning.

3:17am - Thatbaby wakes up to nurse.

3:54am - Rather than go back to sleep for an hour, I've been showering if Thatbaby's wakeup keeps me up to 4am or later.  So this morning it's close enough where I jump in the shower, get dressed and load up the car.

4:22am - back to sleep for me!

6:00am - Thatboy's alarm goes off, so we both get up.  He walks the dog and I work on my hair and makeup.

6:08am - Thatkid is up.  He decides to work on a puzzle in his room, so I go back to hair/makeup.

6:25am - Thatkid calls me to show me his puzzle, which also wakes up Thatbaby.

6:45am - We all sit down for breakfast.  Thatkid has toast, cheese, and a smoothie, Thatbaby has cereal, and I have a peanut butter and jelly smoothie.

7:03am - breakfast is over, it's time for everyone to get dressed!  Thatkid also brushes his teeth, his hair, and washes his face.

7:27am - We leave for school.

7:48am - Arrive at Thatbaby's daycare

7:54 - leave Thatbaby's daycare

7:59am - arrive at Thatkid's preschool

8:05am - leave Thatkid's preschool

8:30am - Last night when I was making lunches for today I realized our avocado and cucumber were....not appropriate for eating.  Which threw a wrench in our lunch plans, so I make a quick stop at the store to pick up... cucumbers and avocado! (And tortilla chips, and granola bars for Thatkid)

8:50am - Head to work.

9:00am - Arrive at work, make some lactation tea, and get to work while I pump. 

9:55am - My boss emails me that he wants to meet with me before our client meeting.

10:16am - meeting with client

12:10pm - Meeting over, so I eat my lunch and pump.  Since I couldn't make lunch last night, I ended up grabbing a steak and ale pie from the freezer.

12:30pm - work.  I go through some medical records and some research projects.

3:00pm - last pump break of the day.  I also use this as a snack break.  My favorite snack right now is yogurt with granola.

3:25pm - leave work.

4:00pm - pick up Thatkid from school.

4:15pm - pick up Thatbaby from daycare and head to Thatkid's baseball practice.

4:30pm - arrive at baseball practice.  Thatkid practices baseball while Thatbaby takes a nap.

5:42pm - leave baseball and head home.

5:57pm - arrive home.  Unpack the kids and all my stuff.

6:10pm - nurse Thatbaby while Thatkid watches some television.

6:22pm - Thatboy arrives home from work and changes out of his workclothes.

6:30pm - Dinnertime!  Tonight we have Greek burgers, sans buns.

7:00pm - Thatboy gives Thatbaby a bath while I start clearing up and getting things ready for the next day.

7:17pm - I go in to nurse Thatbaby while Thatboy spends some time with Thatkid.

7:51pm - Thatbaby is asleep and Thatboy is giving Thatkid a bath.

8:01pm - Thatboy and I join Thatkid for a bedtime story.

8:19pm - Back in the kitchen.  I make collard green wraps for lunch the next day with the cucumber and avocado I picked up.

I also make blackbean and quinoa patties for dinner the next night.  Thatboy washes dishes.

8:42pm - Time for a little workout!

9:06pm - Pump.  My supply has been awful the past few days, so I take this opportunity to power pump.  Bleh.

10:06pm - Wash pump parts, lay out my clothes for the next day, read a chapter of my book, and head to bed.

My Animals: Fish House Punch

We're lucky enough to live really close to a bunch of different animal habitats.  Zoos, aquariums, and of course, the Safari Park.

We are really good at taking advantage of this fact.  In truth, I'm a little jealous of my kids growing up in such an environment.  I used to love going to the zoo as a child, and we never never lived especially close, so it was a rare treat to go.

Meanwhile, in one month my children went to three different zoos!

It started when my inlaws all came to visit.  They'd never been to the Safari Park and wanted to visit.  We were more than happy to oblige. 

Thatkid loves spending time with his cousins.  And they are so good with him.  We all got a little up close and personal with one of the tigers.

And my guys lemur-ed it up while the older kids went and visited the actual lemurs.

We also got a very close encounter with some rhinos.  They were sleepy guys.

Shortly thereafter we went to Palm Desert, which always means a trip to the Living Desert.  Feeding the giraffes at the Safari Park costs $110.  At the Living Desert it costs $5.  So when Thatkid asked if he could feed the giraffes, we had no problem saying yes.

When we got back to San Diego, we met up with the LOs at the zoo.

Thatkid is going through a "take my picture" phase.  I felt like his own personal paparazzi as he posed beside every statue at the zoo and asked me to capture it on film.

He also roped Little LO into the act.

The two of them cracked me up.  Thatkid was less interested in the real animals than he was in the animal statues, and Little LO was happy to join him.

But please take my word that we did see real animals.

Fish House sounds like an animal habitat, but in reality it's the nickname for the oldest men's club in America. And while San Diego may be known for their animals, Fish House is known for their highly potent punch.

This drink is not for the weak-livered.  Given the name, I like to imagine it as something pirates would drink to fight off scurvy.  And because water was a commodity on the high seas, with rum being much more common to transport.  Add in some cognac and brandy and you'll have your own sea legs!

Fish House Punch (From The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

3/8 cup dark rum

1/8 cup cognac

splash of peach brandy

1. Dissolve the sugar in the lemon/lime juice and 1/8 cup water.
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and "brew" by letting it sit 2 hours.
3.  Pour over ice and serve.

Crave Wednesday: Lamb and Turkey Pita Burgers

I think this was our most laid back Valentine's Day to date.  In part, because it was on a Sunday.  And really, all holidays should be on a weekend. 

Which didn't mean we got to sleep in.  Because sleeping in on the weekends went out the door sometime in 2012.  Instead, I got up early and made pancakes with Thatkid.

He specifically requested heart-shaped pancakes for Valentine's Day.  I added the sprinkles for a little fun.  Just in case heart pancakes weren't fun enough.

We spent the rest of the day at home, just hanging out and playing the backyard.  Picking oranges and spending time as a family.

For dinner, we brought in sushi, so Thatbaby had his first taste of sushi!

We followed that with a special Valentine's Day treat Thatboy had brought home for us.

After the boys went to bed, Thatboy and I headed back to the backyard, but this time with a bottle of wine.  We sat and drank and watched the stars as we talked about our past and our future.

There were no grand romantic gestures.  No ditching the kids for a night out.  We spent it together, as a family.  But a family with good food.  Because food is a great way to show how much you love someone.

Like these lamb and turkey pita burgers.  Lamb is Thatboy's favorite meats.  Whenever I make it, I make it for him. The boys don't seem to mind it either.  This is a first for me, combining the lamb and turkey.  But it won't be the last.  I loved the way they interacted.  The lamb can be a little rich, bit not cut with the turkey.  And turkey can get a little dry, but not mixed with lamb.  They complement each other perfectly.

Lamb and Turkey Pita Burgers  (From Cooking Light)

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground ginger

8oz lean ground lamb

8oz ground turkey breast

cooking spray

12 small lettuce leaves

6 pitas, cut in half

1. Prepare sauce by combining first 4 ingredients; cover and chill.
2. To prepare burgers, combine the onion and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  Divide mixture into 12 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty.
3. Heat a large grill pan over medium high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add patties to pan; cook 5 minutes on eahc side or until well marked and done.
4. Arrange 1 lettuce leaf, 1 patty, and about 1 1/2 tsps sauce in each pita half.

Mommy Mondays: 8 months

Weight: 16lbs 14 oz (+8lbs 10oz) (from 6 months)

 Height: 27.75 inches (+7.5 inches)  (from 6 months)
 Head: 17 inches (from 6 months)

 

Sleep:  He's pretty much settled into a routine these days - one or two wakes.  But when he wakes more than once, Thatboy usually takes care of one of them.  Which usually involves a quick cuddle and back to bed he goes.

Eating: Thatbaby now eats 3 meals a day, even at daycare.  His nursing hasn't decreased at all, and he's still eating about every 3 hours.  Even at daycare, he's still drinking 16 oz over the 10 hours he's there.  And he eats with abandon.  Boy loves food.  He also voices his opinion, he fusses until he gets what he wants.  And after months of being fine with tomato, it looks like he's developed a sensitivity/allergy.  So we're steering clear of the raw stuff for the time being.

Best Moment: The crawling!  The first time he did it I was speechless, and another attorney walked into my office so I couldn't even fully appreciate it.  But he's been on the move ever since.  Which is both exciting and terrifying.

Monthly Wisdom: I feel like a first time mom right now since this early movement is so early for me.  That and Thatbaby's sense of curiosity.  Babyproofing is a high priority here, whereas Thatkid we barely did anything.  I feel like I'm constantly trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing. 

Goals for the Upcoming Month:
- More baby signs.  I think he understands them, because he goes crazy when I sign "milk" but he isn't signing back yet.
- Troubleshooting how keep Thatbaby out of the dog's food and water. 


Things Thatbaby is doing:
-crawling
- waving
- babbling.  He has 3 main "phrases" - mamamamama, babababababa, and doodoodoodoodoo
- causing trouble.  He likes to chew on cords, touch light sockets, play in the dog's water, eat the dog's food, hit the television, suck on the remote control
- getting very upset when anyone takes something away from him
- he's in the convertible car seat!
- sitting in the shopping cart