Grilled Garlic Sausage and Gnocchi Skillet Dinner

 

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated financially, all opinions are my own.

I really love these late August days. This is the point of summer when I'm savouring every detail, every day. I'm thoroughly enjoying ice cream on the patio, as the dragonflies swoop under the trees, which are beginning to change, but I pretend I don't see the yellowing of leaves. Whenever I put on a pretty summer dress, I feel the fabric and admire the way it swirls about my hips, all the while thinking that this could be the last time I wear it this year. In the evening, I love how the warm breeze moves the curtains, just so. The other night I fell asleep to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance, and I’m almost certain there was a smile on my face. I savour every moment summer and I have together, whether it's driving out on country roads to look at the stars, or one last dip of the toes into the lake. And, I’m eating all of the delicious things like peaches and corn and tomatoes, oh my! For anyone who loves food, this is the best time of the year. Savour it all, while you can. 

Cooking on the Farm, Part One: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries and Grilled Caesar Salad

One minute I'm in the city, singing along with Bono at the U2 concert and a few days later I'm in the country, cuddling 2 week old kittens.  What a life I lead!  My cousin Brian and his wife Leanne, invited me and Denise (Brian's sister) to their farm two hours away, for a cooking/eating extravaganza weekend.  All I can say is thank God for stretchy pants!  Everything was awesome....the food, yes, but being in the company of cousins, that was the best part.  And ok, I kind of loved this teeny grey kitten, and no I didn't take him home with me.  Not yet, anyway.

So what the heck did we make?  Brian and Leanne have 4 really great kids, so I wanted to make something they would inhale too - and what kid doesn't like turkey burgers?  Sweet potato fries are the perfect side, especially with a sweet and smokey honey chipotle dip to dunk the fries in.  We slathered this dip on everything...and it was divine.  Leanne makes a killer grilled Caesar salad - my first time trying it, and now there is no going back.  Seriously...grilling romaine is sensational!  There were roasted vegetables, perfectly done in foil pans on the BBQ.  Denise brought an insanely delicious artichoke dip - a variation of this one here, which is one of my favourite things to eat in the whole world.  But my absolute favourite were Leanne's homemade perogies, baked with onions and bacon in a dill cream sauce.  Oh yeah baby.  My camera kind of goofed up when taking a shot of the perogies, so you'll just have to take my word for how awesome they were.  (If ever you find yourself in the Luseland, Sask. area, she sells them at the Farmer's Market, and they go like crazy.)  And I haven't even talked about the desserts yet!  I'm saving that bit of deliciousness for the next post, but I promise it will be worth waiting for.   


Turkey Burgers with Fried Leeks and Cranberry Sauce

Frying a few leeks in butter adds a little sophistication to this burger, and the cran sauce is the perfect foil for the turkey.  I got the recipe from the latest issue of "O" magazine, but made a few changes, which I think will make an even awesomer burger.  Oh, and the kids loved the leeks too. 

3 tbsp butter
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, washed very well and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh, finely chopped)
1/2 tsp dried sage (or 2 tsp fresh, finely chopped)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 3/4 pounds (787 grams) ground turkey, preferably a mix of both light and dark meat
canola oil, for greasing grill
aged white cheddar, sliced
bacon, cooked
lettuce leaves, tomato slices
4 hamburger buns, sliced
mayo, grainy mustard, whole berry cranberry sauce

Preheat grill to medium-high.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of butter over medium and fry leeks until golden and bright.  Set aside.  Add the rest of the butter and cook the onions and garlic until translucent.  In a large bowl, add the turkey meat.  Add the cooked onion and garlic mixture to this, along with the herbs, salt and pepper, and Dijon.  Form into 4 patties.  Place on preheated grill and cook, flipping once, until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.  During the last few minutes, top burger with cheese, and toast buns until lightly golden. 
Top the burgers with the fried leeks, bacon, cranberry sauce, mayo and mustard.  Lettuce and tomato too if you like. Serves 4.  

Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Chipotle Dip

This one is easy.  Take some sweet potatoes, say 2 large.  Peel and slice into "fries" or wedges.  Drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt, and fresh pepper.  Place on a parchment lined bake sheet in a preheated 375* oven, on the lowest rack, and cook until crisp, flipping a few times so they are evenly brown.  Takes about 30 minutes.  Good like that, or try this:  mix good quality mayo (I like the Hellman's Olive Oil kind), with a few dashes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce, and a little honey.  We didn't really measure, so just use your discretion.  If you like it spicy, add more Tabasco; need more sweet?  Add more honey.  We loved this with chips, too.  And it's delicious on a burger. It's mayo and it makes me happy. 

Grilled Caesar Salad

Take 2 heads romaine.  Slice in half lengthwise.  Drizzle with olive oil, cracked pepper and salt.  Place on a preheated grill and cook until slightly charred and wilted.  Chop immediately and place in a salad bowl.  Add chopped cooked bacon, croutons, fresh Parmesan, and drizzle with your favourite Caesar salad dressing.  Denise made a killer one of red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, chopped garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire,and Parmesan cheese all shook up in a jar.  So good.   It's warm and wilty, but super super delicious with the grilled romaine.  Go ahead and try it!!! Serves 4.

For the roasted veg, take an assortment of your favourites, toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, your favourite herbs, place in a foil pan, and place on the BBQ or oven to roast until done.  Cherry tomatoes and broccoli are super good when roasted.  And red onions.  Must have those. 

Did someone want to see the kittens?

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Conjuring Spring With Slow Cooked BBQ Ribs

Winter is still roaring where I live on the Canadian Prairies.  It's been almost a solid five months of bone chilling cold.  And there is no respite in the near future.  Having spent most winters of my life out here I know the deal, but it still doesn't mean I have to like it!  I've been a good sport long enough.  It's time to think of shedding layers and wearing the cute boots instead of the practical, warm, fleece lined pair.  I want pretty tops instead of wool sweaters.  I want to get in my car and drive, instead of having to let it warm up for minutes beforehand.  And I want to grill my food!  But the BBQ is buried somewhere out in the snow pile that is covering my patio.  Not one to give up on a dream, especially a dream of food, I thought I would whip up a beautiful BBQ sauce, throw it over some ribs and slow cook the whole deal in my crock pot.  If I closed my eyes and inhaled, surely I would recall what it is to be basking in sunshine, sipping a nice chilled Pinot Grigio on the patio while the ribs were sizzling away on the BBQ.   

Whenever something turns out incredible in the slow cooker, I kind of scold myself for not using it more often.  These ribs were fantastic!  Truly the fall off the bone variety. The sauce was spicy and sweet, and the ground ginger wrapped it all up nicely.  I used one rack of ribs, cut into 3 rib sections, and that is what this recipe calls for.  It can be easily doubled though.  When the time comes for proper BBQ-ing (it will, right?) I would brush this sauce over everything.  Ribs, chicken, chops.  Just cook the sauce on the stove top first for about 20 minutes.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Ribs

1 side of pork ribs, cut into 3 rib sections.
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp chili powder OR 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350*F
Season your ribs with salt and pepper.  Cook in the oven for 40 minutes, turning a few times.  (This will cook off some of the grease.)
In the meantime, in a medium bowl, add the onions, garlic and rest of the sauce ingredients and stir well. When the ribs have cooked, place them in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over top and stir to evenly coat.  Refrigerate over night if you are getting this ready the night before.  If not, then set the timer for 8 hours on LOW.  I roasted some baby potatoes in olive oil and garlic with a little coarse salt and pepper.  Coleslaw would have been awesome, but I had these delightful baby greens, so a garden salad it was. (Serves 3-4)

With a little taste of this sauce, I know I can hang in there.  Spring REALLY is just around the corner. Until then, I'll try conjuring it with pretty flowers too.  It can't hurt!