Manic Working Weekday Din

When I'm mommin' it, workin' it and domestic goddessin' it, I cook a little something like this: Turkey Burgers and Mac and Cheese. Not exactly stylin' and profilin' but it gets the job done.

I mean, yeah, my 6-year-old has yet to taste a burger in his life, but whatever. He can eat two bowls of elbows slathered in cheese and we'll just call it a day.

Both recipes are vintage Rachael Ray. I did amend the burgers because hers involve bacon and red pepper relish and in my humble opinion both are totally unnecessary. Sometimes her recipes have like 100 flavors going on. Annnnd, that's not my style. The burger mix itself has 10 - yes 10 - ingredients. That's enough, Rachael. Seriously.

Also, with the mac and cheese I did not use nutmeg. I used ground mustard to season the sauce. And I used cheddar jack cheese because that's what I had up in the fridge. Also, a little black pepper never hurt anyone.

On the day I made this, I whipped up the mac and cheese first thing in the morning because of work obligations and four loads of laundry. I mixed the burger meat in the morning as well. And then after my son's t-ball game, I dusted off my pants and cooked the burgers, popped the mac and cheese under the broiler, got the boy washed up and poured a glass of wine. It's all about the timing and the juggle, no?

I literally had no extra time to get a salad or veg together so carrot and pepper sticks it is!

Here ya go with the recipes:

Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni
From "30 Minute Meals 2"
By Rachael Ray

Makes 4 entree servings or 8 side servings

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes to al dente or to package directions

1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil (once around the pan)
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (a couple of pinches)
Salt, to taste

Heat a medium-size deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, stir in  flour.  Gently cook, whisking flour and butter, together until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes.

Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, a handful at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish, top with the remaining cheese, and place under a hot broiler for a minute or two to brown the top.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses dry mustard in place of nutmeg. She also uses fresh  black ground pepper to season the sauce and cheddar jack shredded cheese instead of white cheddar cheese. This dish may be made ahead and popped under the broiler when ready to serve.

Urban Cowboy Turkey Burgers
From "Cooking 'Round the Clock"
By Rachael Ray

Makes 4 burgers

1 package (1 and 1/3 pounds) ground turkey breast
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large shallot or 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/2 small green, red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1-2 tsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick
Olive oil for drizzling
4 slices of pepper jack cheese
4 crusty Kaiser rolls, split

8 slices of turkey bacon (optional)
1 cup sweet red pepper relish or jelly (optional)
Red lettuce (optional)

Chop garlic and veggies.

If using bacon, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, wipe excess grease from skillet, and return skillet to heat.

While bacon is cooking, combine turkey, garlic, shallot or onion, thyme, cilantro or parsley, bell pepper, serrano or jalapeno pepper, cumin, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Divide mixture into 4 equal mounds then form into patties. Drizzle patties with olive oil to coat. Cook in skillet over medium-high heat until done, 5 to 6 minutes on each side, placing the cheese over the patties in the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Serve on rolls with your toppings such as the bacon, red pepper relish and red lettuce. The Jersey Girl however likes romaine lettuce and tomatoes. Classic! These burgers are great open face as well or even without the roll if you are a carb-free kinda person.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses the cilantro, jalapeno pepper and red pepper options when making these burgers. She cooks the burgers in a fab grill pan, not just a regular old skillet, also. See below:

Game Day Eats

Turkey burgers are ready to be served.

World Series Game 1.

Phillies beat down Yankies, natch.

To help my main man Mark stay calm, I feed him my magical Spicy Turkey Burgers and Broccoli Soup.

Broccoli is known to help those with high blood pressure. My calm-on-the-outside but bursting-with-emotion-on-the-inside husband totally has the high blood pressure.

And, my medical guess is it goes sky high during these World Series games. For a person who LOVES baseball with all of his being, I don’t comprehend the anxiety he feels at every waking moment during the post season. But, I guess his jaw clenching, pursed brow and nervous energy are all part of his passion.

I of course, with glass of wine in hand, declare to the husband the Phillies are totally going to kick New York’s ass minutes before the first pitch is thrown. This boastful moment, I assure you, was most likely interspersed with various words not suitable for publication because I am part-trucker. But at least, I got the husband to crack a smile. Even Utley’s two homeruns and Lee's behind-the-back catch didn’t soothe Mark’s nerves.

Now, for those of you who are haters of broccoli and would rather eat the beef burger as opposed to a leaner turkey burger: All I’m saying is give the menu a chance.

My husband is no fan of broccoli. No sir.

But he totally loves the broccoli soup. He houses it. Which is awesome because it’s pretty much just a big bowl of pureed vegetables. There is some butter and a teeny bit of half-half in the mix, but whatevs. The soup is uber yummy.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a health nut who's all anti-this and against that. If you want butter, eat some damn butter.

My turkey burgers are way spicy. That’s how we roll here. Fresh jalapeno and hot sauce are a big part of my burger. And, I top it with pepper jack cheese. But you certainly can cut back on the hot factor if you can’t handle it. The burger is loaded up with fresh red bell pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme so that it has lots of taste. You don’t need ketchup to jazz up this burger.

It’s definitely not boring.

Just like the World Series.

Go Phils!

Broccoli Soup is on the table.

Broccoli Soup
Broccoli florets from 4 to 5 big stalks, chopped
Two carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups chicken broth, I like Swanson
1 cup water
¼ half-and-half
Salt and pepper
Grated cheddar cheese, to serve

The vegetables cook up.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add broccoli, carrots and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, add flour. Stir and cook for a minute.

Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes. Add half and half. Stir.

Pureeing soup is easy with

an immersion blender. You can

use a standard blender if that's what you have.

To puree: Place an immersion blender into the pot until the mixture is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can ladle the mixture into a standard blender and pulse until smooth.

To serve, top with fresh black pepper and your favorite grated cheddar cheese.

Spicy Turkey Burgers
(Makes four)

1 pound ground turkey
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
½ small red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
2 to 3 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 crusty Kaiser rolls
Olive oil

Mix the first nine ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. You can do this several hours ahead and cover with plastic wrap.

Form four burgers by dividing the meat mixture and shaping into round patties. Brush each burger with olive oil.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place burgers on hot pan and cook for 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Once both sides are cooked, place a piece of cheese on each burger for the last minute of cooking.

Serve on rolls.