Homemade Turkey Burgers (& buns!)

So between pizza, and burgers, I know you're thinking the gluten free train has long departed our lives. And you'd be right. I'm not knocking the idea, but it just didn't work for us. (Plus after trying these homemade burger buns, I know I can't ever give gluten up completely!)

But what's a good bun if the burger is dry, or flavorless, right? Well I have the answer there too. I have fallen in love with one turkey burger recipe. It's probably one of 2 recipes that has ever been repeated since our marriage. It's from Cooking Yourself Thin and it is amazing! Full of great chile flavor, and the perfect amount of structure & moisture. (I know "moisture" isn't normally an appetizing word, but I don't have a better word to describe the opposite of dry-ness in a burger)

It's also super simple. 

Just mix 1 lb. lean ground turkey and 1 small can of diced green chiles and 1 egg in a bowl.

(They'll seem super mushy, but they'll cook up great!) 

Divide the mixture into 4 rounds, and cook on an open lean machine, until the bottom edge turns grey. 

Then slowly close the grill (these will lose their shape quickly if you smash them in the grill too early).

They will flatten out some, but that's okay. 

Then put them on your homemade burger buns, with a slice of Muenster cheese, and voila! 

Here is the homemade bun recipe (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes 4 buns!

1 large egg (divided)
1 2/3 cups wheat flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

In a glass measuring cup, combine:
1 cup warm water 
1 1/2 tablespoons warm milk 
1 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/4 tablespoons sugar
Let stand until foamy, about five minutes.
Meanwhile, beat one egg.

In a large bowl, whisk together:
1 2/3 cups wheat flour
3/4 teaspoons salt


Add 1 1/4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs.

Stir in yeast mixture and half the beaten egg until a dough forms.

Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add flour if too sticky, but allow it to remain somewhat sticky.

Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. 

Divide dough into 4 equal parts.

Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet.

Cover loosely with a towel and let buns rise in a warm place for another half hour.

Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center.

Beat remaining egg with 1/2 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns.

Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

We ate these burgers with these teriyaki sweet potatoes from Budget Bytes.

Goodness, I'm getting hungry again just thinking about them!!

Refrigerator Pizza

I try to plan our weekly menus. I really do. It helps us save money, only buy what we need, helps us to eat healthy, and spend as much time together as possible. 

Last night I had a healthy grilled chicken dinner planned to cook, and then once the love of my life came home from work, I realize... we were having pizza!

I think I've mentioned before how irresistible pizza has become to my husband and me. 

(Luckily he went for a run after he got home, so I had time to whip out a quick pizza dough recipe and change plans completely.)

Since I decided to make pizza on a whim, it was going to have to be a "refrigerator pizza" (meaning the type of pizza toppings I was going to make, was going to be decided by whatever was left over in the refrigerator).

I had already grilled chicken for my planned menu, so I figured that was going to be the main thing on the pizza. We had plenty of cheese or some reason, so then I thought "Stuffed-crust"! Luckily we had barbeque sauce, and bacon. So it was decided. Barbeque chicken & bacon stuffed-crust pizza! (this might have been the best unplanned dinner I have ever made!)

I used this Quick Pizza Dough recipe:

In a medium bowl, dissolve:

1 packet of dry active yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar 

in 1 cup of warm water (110 degrees F) .

Let stand until creamy (10 minutes).

Stir in:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Beat until smooth. 

Let stand 5 min. 

Roll out dough on a floured surface. 

After I had the dough rolled out, I placed it on the greased baking sheet with dough hanging off the edges, as if I were making a pie (a pizza pie).

Then I sprinkled mozzarella cheese around the inside edge of the pan. (Our stuffed-crust didn't turn out like delivery stuffed-crust. I'm thinking there's a trick to it, like they use string cheese or grease the inside of the dough so the cheese doesn't quite get cooked into the dough- as ours did. If any one knows the trick, let me know! This version was still delicious though!)

And then I folded over the edges of the dough. Pressing down the edges, again like pie dough. 

Once that part was finished, I spread the Bulls-eye original barbeque sauce.

Topped with mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar cheeses.

Added 1 grilled chicken breast (cubed).

Last, but definitely not least, bacon pieces (pre-packaged from Publix). 

Baked in the oven at 400 degrees F just long enough for the dough to crisp up, and the cheese to bubble (about 10 min.).

And there it is...

Again... this pizza was sooo good!! Normally unplanned or otherwise "creative" meals don't turn out so well here. But this one will be made again!