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View Full Version : Picnics: Delicious Recipes for Outdoor Entertaining (Sara Deseran)



Kristal
08-10-2005, 02:02 PM
Inspired by the cookbook challenge thread (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=77406), I dug into this little cookbook over the weekend. So far, I've tried three recipes from it, one outstanding, one pretty good, and one that I found to be so-so. I'll post the reviews below:

Orzo Salad with Green Olives, Tomatoes and Feta I didn't much care for this recipe, but DH really enjoyed it. There is an unpeeled, chopped English cucumber in the salad, and I felt it overwhelmed all the other flavors. I also didn't like the skin on the cucumber, but I should admit I kind of have an aversion to cucumbers and can only handle them in small doses. DH loves them and he thought the salad was very good. A word of warning: this recipe makes an astonishing amount of food. The recipe claimed 6 servings, so I halved it, but it still made enough to feed a small army. We ate this salad for several days, and I tired of it very quickly.

Spicy Turkey Burgers with Tequila These were fantastic! We love turkey burgers and probably eat them several times a month during the summer. We've tried many recipes, but this is one of the best ones. The filling contains a nice mixture of spices, chopped fresh oregano, garlic, a dash of tequila and minced serrano chiles. We do like spicy food so we left the seeds in the chiles; I didn't find the burgers overly spicy, but there were a few bites that were hot. We will definitely be having this recipe again!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookies The introduction to this recipe claims these cookies are "both chewy and crisp" but I found the first sheet I baked to be more crispy than chewy. I'm a chewy cookie fan, so I was a little disappointed. I didn't bake the second batch as long and that did produce more of a chewy cookie, which I liked much better. DH is just the opposite of me and preferred batch #1. I personally would not describe these as the "ultimate" cookie, but they are pretty good and will definitely get eaten.

I'll be happy to post recipes for anyone interested. :)

lex
08-10-2005, 03:04 PM
could you post the recipe for the spicy turkey burgers with tequila?...thanks!!

Terrytx
08-10-2005, 03:24 PM
I second that request :o

Kristal
08-10-2005, 03:26 PM
Sure, here you go! :)

Spicy Turkey Burgers with Tequilla

2 pounds ground dark meat turkey
1 cup minced onion
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons tequilla
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 to 3 teaspoons minced fresh serrano chiles
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
8 good-quality buns

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and, using your hands, mix well, but gently. Chill for at least 20 minutes. Form into 8 patties.

Prepare a grill for a medium-hot fire. Place the patties over direct heat and cook 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve at once on buns, with fixings such as avocado, tomato, red onion, and fresh cilantro.

Serves 8

Terrytx
08-11-2005, 08:18 AM
Thanks-will try it soon.

donleyk
08-11-2005, 09:08 AM
Thanks for posting the turkey burger recipe. Looks good.

Kristal
08-11-2005, 09:14 AM
You're welcome. Enjoy! :)

blazedog
08-11-2005, 09:40 AM
What kind of turkey did you use as the recipe specifies dark.

I have an aversion to anything but the ground turkey breast they sell at the store because of all the junk they throw into the "ground turkey". :rolleyes:

I don't have an aversion to dark turkey meat if I were doing the grinding myself -- i.e. if it were pure dark meat but I don't usually see that for sale and defatting and skinning a raw turkey drumstick would be a lot of work :)

Wish I could find skinned dark turkey meat in the meat section though because I have a recipe that calls for skinless cubed dark :) turkey meat.

Kristal
08-11-2005, 10:12 AM
Blazedog,

I used the ground turkey that is 7% fat. I don't know if it's dark meat or not, but it has more fat than the 99% fat-free stuff, which I find to be too dry.

Pony
05-29-2006, 03:35 PM
Spicy Turkey Burgers with Tequila These were fantastic! We love turkey burgers and probably eat them several times a month during the summer. We've tried many recipes, but this is one of the best ones. The filling contains a nice mixture of spices, chopped fresh oregano, garlic, a dash of tequila and minced serrano chiles. We do like spicy food so we left the seeds in the chiles; I didn't find the burgers overly spicy, but there were a few bites that were hot. We will definitely be having this recipe again!

We made these burgers on Saturday night and loved them. I'm a wimp when it comes to chiles, so I only added one :o I should have added two, b/c they were fine. I served this on a soft whole wheat hamburger bun topped with avocado and cilantro. There is one burger left and my husband already claimed it! :rolleyes: Thanks for posting the recipe Kristal!