Healthy. Spicy. Fresh.

My father is a bit of a picky eater. He’s a very old school, meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. He often rejects food before even tasting it, especially if it’s healthy. So when he visited us last year, I thought it would be fun to cook him one of our favorite meals - something I knew he would like, but would never try on his own. The happy ending to this story is that my Jalapeno turkey burgers are now on constant rotation at my parents’ house. Domesticated nerd win.

These burgers have evolved over time, and I have no idea where I got the original recipe from, but here’s my version.





Jalepeno Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 large beaten egg
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped with most of the seeds removed
1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 pound ground turkey
1 fresh Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into rings
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
ground black pepper
Sliced pepper jack cheese (or cheese of your choice)
Turkey Bacon (optional), lettuce leaves, and sliced tomato for on top
4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl stir together egg, bread crumbs,jalapeno peppers, and steak seasoning. Add ground turkey and mix well. Shape meat into four 3/4-inch-thick patties. Generously sprinkle each side of the patty with ground black pepper.
2. Grill patties on a Foreman Grill for about 7 minutes, until firm and browned on each side.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook the Anaheim pepper and onion about 10 minutes or until onion is tender. Serve burgers on lettuce-lined buns. In another skilled cook the Turkey Bacon (if desired). Top burgers with cheese, pepper-onion mixture, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Makes 4 servings.

I like to serve these with a side of cottage cheese. It’s nice to have something mild and creamy to balance the spicy burgers.

a quick weekend project.

Let me start by saying that I am not a seamstress. I know how to sew in the most basic sense. But I’ve found that the basic elements of sewing can produce a lot of projects. They may not be gowns or suits, but there’s a lot of easy home décor projects that you don’t even need a pattern for. My favorite sewing projects are the simple ones: a little measuring, a little pinning, and away we go.

With that in mind, last weekend I jumped into a quick little sewing project. I love my dining room set, but the chairs are very hard wood, and not so comfy on the tush. Luckily, I had some fun fabric on hand just begging for a new life. I picked up some foam and ribbon at Joann, and was off to the races.



Chair cushions and throw pillows are just two of the easy ways to add a quick facelift to your home. The best part is that you can totally customize these projects - the exact colors and sizes you want, instead of whatever you find at the store. Domestic win.

smart. healthy. delicious. fun.

I've been thinking about starting a blog for quite a while, but hesitated since I couldn't quite figure out the right angle. After all, there are soooooo many blogs out there already... does the world really need another one? Why the heck not?!

I grew up with a mom who was a Jedi master of the domestic arts. This woman makes over a dozen different varieties of Christmas cookies, sewed her own wedding dress, and knows how to use power tools better than most men. It wasn't until I got into high school that I realized how novel it was to have a homemade meal on the table every night or to be able to hem your own pants. My mom has inspired me in so many ways. As I've grown older, I've tried to apply many of her lessons to my own life. I've also learned to put a modern spin on things, cooking healthy, mostly low-carb meals. And I love the outdoors and traveling, as well as enjoy the simple pleasures of life at home.

In this blog I will share my secrets to having a modern, domestic life. Simple tips and tricks. Easy craft and design projects. Family stories. And lots of recipes.