Yes.Peas.

To be honest...I never used to be a fan of peas. But they have really grown on me. They have a nice soft and crunchy sweetness.

This recipe is delicious and so springy!

Olive oil
Prosciutto, Pancetta, or turkey bacon (Prosciuttopictured) --- roughly 3 slices, diced or pulled into small pieces [you can cut or break into even smaller chunks once cooked]
1/4 of a chopped onion (white or yellow) --- roughly 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 bag of frozen peas, thawed* --- 12-14oz bag
Grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper

Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add a drizzle (1-2 Tablespoons) of olive oil. Add the Prosciuttoand cook until crispy. Remove from pan but leave the oil.

Add the onion and cook until soft and clear and just beginning to brown. Then add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Add peas to the pan and cook until heated through (2-3 minutes). Add procuitto, stir, and remove from heat. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan .

*To thaw the peas I put them in a pasta strainer and ran water over them --- then set the strainer in a large bowl of water to thaw as I chopped the ingredients. Water does not need to be hot at all --- just room temp.

My.Lunch.Was.Better.Than.Yours.

I like this time of year. Spring makes me think of basil and goat cheese and cantaloupe and tomatoes. Here's what I had:

[Top]

:: Ashley's Twist on a Caprese Salad::
Slice roma tomatoes

Sprinkle with garlic salt
Scatter sliced, fresh basil
Top with crumbled goat cheese
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar

[Right]

::Scrambled Eggs with Black Bean Salad::
I'm really trying hard to give eggs a chance. I wanted this for breakfast but just didn't have the time to make it and still clock in by 8:29:59 --- so I made it for lunch.

Trick I read --- add a few drops of water to the eggs before scrambling --- makes them fluffier. I concur. Then when they were almost done I added some of my Black.Bean.Salad mixture I'd made a few days ago. So good. Maybe eggs I like --- it's just omeletes I don't?

[Bottom]

::Edemame Confetti::
I just made that name up. But that's totally what it looks like to me. I made this last night for the first time. Was a hybrid of two recipes I found online.

[Dressing:]
3 T oil (canola or olive)
1/4 c vinegar (rice or white wine or tarragon...whatev)
2 T agave nectar or honey (this agave sounds interesting...but all I had was honey...next time)
1/2 t cayenne pepper or chili powder
1/4 t ground chipotle pepper (I used my Chipotle Tabasco)
1/4 t sea salt
1 lime juiced
1 clove of garlic, minced
Small handful of chopped cilantro

Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until blended. Set aside.

[Mixture:]
1 bag frozen, shelled edemame
1 can sweet yellow corn
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced (I sauteed mine a bit first b/c I'm not a fan of raw onion*)
2 serrano peppers, finely chopped (or one red jalapeno pepper...or don't use...whatever)
1 large tomato, diced
1 large mango --- I know, exciting!

Combine all above ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss together. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for an hour or so.

[Chef's Notes:]
This made a ton! You could totally half the recipe --- or freeze part of it after. I ate it just as a side today, but could also go on top of salad or with grilled chicken/fish.

I think a good twist which I'm going to try next time is to use lemon and mint instead of lime and cilanto. Maybe even add in feta.

*Melissa, if you actually read these you'll remember Dona taught you that..."Si, Assley le gusta cebolla...pero no cebolla CRUDO...solamente cocinado" (pronounced co-cine-ow)

If.You.Only.Make.One.Thing.From.This.Blog.

...this needs to be it!

[Turkey Burgers]
I know it sounds so plain but the following recipe was featured on Oprah's favorite things episode and is the official recipe from Mar-A-Lago.

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil [I use olive oil]
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce [yup, the recipe that started my love of this sauce]
1 lemon, juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed [honestly, have never found this in the store so don't stress]

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers.

Refrigerate for 2 hours. [LBH* that never happens]

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

FYI, 4lbs is a ton of turkey. That's two of the Jenni'O packages (buy the extra lean). One package of turkey can make 5-6 average patties --- halving the recipe is a good idea.

*Let's be honest...

So that is the official recipe and I stand behind it...but there are so many variations! I think all you need to keep consistent is the turkey, apples, and lemon juice/zest...and maybe the Chipotle Tabasco.

This weekend I had turkey and decided to make the burgers but did not have all the ingredients...

Instead of scallions and celery I used a chopped up yellow onion.

Instead of Granny Smith apples I used Pink Lady.

Instead of Canola oil I used Olive Oil.

Instead of Parsley I used Basil.

And I threw in dried cranberries and toasted almonds just for fun.

De-lish.

One more piece of advice...if your stuff:turkey ratio gets too high...the patties don't stick together as well. If that happens, a grill pan works better than the real grill.

Seriously. Make this.

More.To.Offer.

So I've had a realization. I have more to offer than just cooking. There have been multiple interesting things I've wanted to share [to my five followers] but they do not fall in the "cooking category". I've decided not to limit myself...although it could be harmful. I mean the Food Network has really found its niche and keeps all content on-brand. But maybe I'm just more of a TBS/Bravo kind of blogger...

Anyways...let's talk about books. [Not cookbooks] I've always been a reader. Most people have trophies for soccer or baseball. But not my first trophy. My first trophy was for reading the most books in first grade.

111.

Serious.

That's the kind of dedication it takes to be voted "Most Likely to Succeed" in 5th grade. AND 8th.

So I've just finished the best book I've read in a LONG time. And I entirely have Abby.Egan. to thank.

It's actually a three book series. The first one is 650 pages and I read it in 2 days. Granted one of those days was spent delayed for hours at the SJD airport [code for Cabo, Mexico] but the other day was a work day. If you know me, you know I love TV. I got home from 5 days without English television and didn't even check my DVR...read instead. It's that good.

[Caveats]

1. Force yourself through the first two chapters...they are a little rough...but then it gets GOOD

2. Original version was in Swedish so the names are a little crazy...and there are a lot of them...don't worry about...you get to know who matters

3. There are some GRAPH-IC scenes. So just warning you. Fairly disturbing.