Cilantro reminds me of Chipotle

The other night, I made cilantro and lime shrimp burritos. While the burritos were delicious, I was left with about as much cilantro as I started with. Who knew bundles of the herb would seem so infinite? However, I am not a food waster. In fact, I was the daughter that would not only clear my plate before I left the dinner table, but the plates of my sisters, too. No, "not eating food" isn't really in my vocabulary; this cilantro was destined to be used.

With my Southern friends being such an inspiration in my daily life, barbecue anything has sounded good lately... like, really good...

With no further ado, in a happy marriage of southern inspiration and green-in-your-teeth goodness, I present to you:
Barbecue turkey burgers.

Or, as this photo highlights, what remained of Nick's burger.

To make two burgers, you'll need:
1/2 pound ground turkey (I used 99% fat free)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (varies depending on sauce's heat or sweetness)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices of cheese (colby jack and cheddar are our favorites)
A few slices of red onion
Whole wheat buns

-Combine the first five ingredients (come on, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.)
-Separate mix into two patties
-Cook patties on a hot, well-oiled pan
*Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the patties, but four minutes each side should do it.
-While the patties are cooking, add in a few red onion slices to the pan to soften them up.
-When the meat is just about finished cooking, place a slice of cheese on each patty and let it melt down.
-Spread a thin amount of barbecue sauce on one side of each bun. Put your patties and red onion slices on top of the other sides, close them shut and eat up!

We also made some easy baked fries to go along with our burgers. For that you'll need:
1 potato
Olive oil
Salt (or garlic salt)
Grated parmesan (optional)
Cooking spray (I used PAM)

-With a damp paper towel, gently remove the dirt on the potato.
-Cut the potato into thin, even-sized wedges.
*Cutting food into equal sizes helps ensure that the cooking time is consistent throughout
-Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.
-Lay the potato wedges on the foil and drizzle olive oil on top.
-Rub the potatoes around in the oil and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and parmesan if you choose to use it.
-Bake at 425 for about approximately 40 minutes.

Now, what else can I make with my barbecue sauce...

Fizzy fantastic

It was a success.

I'm not one to dabble with science experiments in the kitchen. Until I have children whose teachers are sending them home with assignments to produce green gak and erupting volcanoes, the most experimenting my kitchen will see is applesauce replacing butter in a muffin. However, I was feeling adventurous last week. The wind had taken over our original plans to play tennis, so baking was the obvious substitution. Down the street from where we were going to buy rackets is a market. We were craving lemon cake, I was craving something new. I remembered multiple blogs writing about this soda in cake substitution, so I thought, "why not? If this doesn't work out, it's a sign from the health gods that I wasn't meant to compensate exercise with baked goods."

I slowly combined a 10 oz. sprite with boxed cake mix. All of the other ingredients listed on the box are omitted but the recommended cooking temperature and time remains the same. Because this wasn't a normal cake, I took the chance to not use normal frosting. I don't know if I was expecting the final product to be some type of carbonated, floating dessert, but the thought of it being so made me want a really light topping. I mixed a tub of fat-free cool whip with a packet of cheesecake instant pudding.

It was a success.
When the timer went off and I saw my cake, I was surprised. The real test was in the taste, though. As the blogs promised, you could not tell a real difference using this substitution. Because we didn't use sugar-free soda (we probably will if we make it again), I'm thinking that the added sugars contributed to a little bit of a stickier cake than usual. The stickiness wasn't significant; it was just on the top, anyway. We put a dollop of the whipped cream mixture on each slice and had at it.
*For white cakes, use clear colored drinks. For chocolate, darker drinks will work great. A chocolate cake with a cherry Pepsi drink might add a subtle cherry flavor. Try it!