Disclaimer: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the SPLENDA^® Brand. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All opinions and reviews are my own.

Lately, I feel like there isn't enough time in the day.  With so much going on, there is barely time for ME time, let alone time with my friends.  Sometimes a gal needs some adult conversation....and wine!  It seems many of my friends have the same situation: busy schedules that are impossible to sync up.  When my friend Becca suggest an outdoor Zumba class, I was in!  What's more fun than making a fool of yourself with your friends?

How-to Make Turkey Burgers {And Freeze Them Too!}

When we say "burger" in our house, it's 90% of the time turkey--we just aren't huge red meat eaters.  For non-turkey fans, I feel there is a misconception that they are super dry, hockey pucks.  SO not true!

There are a few varieties of ground turkey to purchase: Lean (93/7), Extra Lean (99/1) and a fattier variety that uses dark and white meat (85/15).  Most of the time, the lean variety is preferred.  It's very healthy, but still has a bit of fat to it.  If you are subbing for a beef recipe, I highly recommend Lean over Extra Lean, which can be dry.

 

My favorite tip for getting perfectly seasoned burgers is to get a big bowl out and put all seasonings in BEFORE adding the meat.  Since I use steak sauce and spices, I want to make sure they are all blended well.  Otherwise some burgers will be salty, while some could be under seasoned.  It's truly a life saver!

Speaking of spices, I tend to use 2-3 but if you don't have a huge spice collection AT LEAST use Montreal Chicken seasoning.  It has tons of tasty spices in it and will give it some good flavor.  The steak sauce adds a depth of flavor and some moisture the ground turkey needs.

Since this is just the basics, once you make these burgers you can play around with other seasonings.  We love spicy turkey burgers with black beans and jalapenos, or Jerk flavored ones. Have fun so you don't get bored!!


Here's what you'll need (for 4-5 burgers)

• 1 package Jennie-O lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon each: Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Hamburger spice, Garlic Powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire 
• 1 teaspoon A1 Steak Sauce
• Buns and favorite burger toppings

1.  In a large bowl, whisk all seasonings, steak sauce and Worcestershire together
2. Add ground turkey and mix until all spices are evenly distributed. Try to avoid over-mixing, though! 1 minute should be plenty
3. Shape into patties, leaving a thumb indentation in the center. There should be 4 large patties or 5 medium sized.
4. Two options:

• To Freeze: place patties on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze 4-5 hours or overnight. Once frozen, place in a baggie.  I really love the Ziploc perfect portions bags to individually freeze items like burgers and chicken.  It makes it much easier to pull out one or two burgers at a time.  After putting them in the perfect portion bag, I place all of the burgers in a gallon sized bag.  You can grill frozen or defrost.
• To Grill: use a Foreman or regular grill and cook completely, trying to avoid pressing down on the burgers (it releases all of the juices!).  The thumb indentation made when you formed the patties will keep the burgers from turning into a softball shape.

Other turkey recipes you'll love:

• Turkey Tacos
• Turkey Italian Sausage + Lentil Soup
• Turkey Chili Mac
• Turkey Meatballs

What's your favorite ground turkey recipe?

Pinterest recipe review: freezer pickles

Our garden is kind of going downhill in the past few weeks.  The only thing that seems to be alive and kickin are the cucumbers.  We have them coming out of our ears!  I don't have all of the canning supplies I need yet, but I had to do something with these cucumbers! 

Hello, Pinterest! 

I saw tons of recipes for freezer pickles, but I really was hesitant.  I finally went through about 5 different recipes and picked one that had a decent amount of reviews.   It happened to be this one.


Ingredients:

• For brine:
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

• Cucumbers, sliced how you like
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh dill
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

1.  Mix brine ingredients together in a pan, just enough to dissolve sugar.
2. Place sliced cucumbers in whatever containers you are using.
3. Pour brine over cucumbers, add 1 teaspoon of dill and 1-2 cloves of garlic and a dash of pepper flakes.
4. Cover and place in freezer for at least a week.  When you're ready to eat, just place them in the fridge.

 Pros:

• Super quick and easy!  The only time consuming part was the slicing of the cucumbers.  Total, I would say it took me 30 minutes start to finish.  
• No canning process, just put in containers you already have.
• They have a great flavor.

 Cons: 

• The pickles aren't super crispy.  I think it could have been the way I sliced them.  

I can see myself making these again before the garden season is over.  The girls eat a whole container in one sitting!

Have you made pickles before?  What process do you use?