Kathy Simms

07/01/2025

Apple Cheddar Turkey Burgers With Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients
- 1 whole apple, diced
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 pound ground turkey (give or take 3 ounces depending on package weight)
- 1-2 tablespoons chipotle hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce or salsa)
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- Garnish with diced green onions

Preparation
Mix burger ingredients in a bowl and shape into 4-6 patties. Grill (or pan fry) for 2 minutes each side or until juices run clear.

Serve with a dollop of chipotle yogurt sauce.

07/01/2025

06/30/2025

Blender Carrot Soup

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked carrots, cut up
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 1 dsh nutmeg
- 1 dsh cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preparation
Put ingredients into container, cover, press button #3 for 20 seconds.

Stop motor and use spatula if needed. Press button 11 for 15 seconds or until creamy.

Pour mixture into saucepan and heat well.

06/29/2025

Refried Beans with Chorizo

Ingredients
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. minced cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
- 6 oz. fresh chorizo, casings removed
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 cup lard

Preparation
Put beans and 12 cups water into an 8-qt. pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, season with salt; cook, adding more water if necessary, until beans are very tender, 22 12 hours.

Drain beans, reserving 3 cups cooking liquid.

Heat a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat.

Add chorizo and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until crisp, 68 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove half the chorizo; transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add lard and let melt.

Add beans; mash vigorously.

Add 2 cups reserved cooking liquid; cook, stirring often, until hot, 35 minutes. (Stir in more liquid, if you like.) Season beans with salt and pepper and serve with reserved chorizo and cilantro.

06/28/2025

Maple-Glazed Turkey

Ingredients
- 14 inches to 16-pound turkey (completely defrosted the refrigerator, if necessary)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup natural maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 bay leaves (Call me! My bay tree is overloaded.)
- 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 10 cloves garlic (leave papery skin on)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or 1 can organic chicken broth)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 F. If the stuffing was refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before putting it into the bird.

Remove any innards from the turkey.

Remove any excess fat from the neck or chest cavity and rinse the cavities thoroughly with cool water and pat dry. Season liberally with salt and black pepper.

Combine the butter, orange juice, maple syrup, thyme, salt, and black pepper in a microwave-safe bowl.

Heat to melt, about 60 seconds.

Stuff the turkey lightly with your desired stuffing; do not pack it in. This size bird will accommodate about 7 cups total. If there is skin to pull together to cover the stuffing, secure it with skewers. If this skin has been trimmed off, cover the exposed stuffing with foil.

Add bay leaves, chopped vegetables, garlic, and 1 cup of stock (or water) to the roasting pan.

Place a roasting rack in the pan (one that is high enough to hold the turkey above the liquids).

Brush the turkey liberally with the melted thyme butter and place on the rack, breast side down.

Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven to roast. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes with the thyme butter.

After 1 hour, flip the turkey onto its back for the remaining cooking time. If any areas start to darken too quickly, cover lightly with foil. Continue to baste every 30 minutes. If the pan dries out, add additional stock or water. Never let the pan become dry.

This size turkey will take about 4 hours to roast (about 20 minutes per pound). The turkey is done when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 F; the juices should run clear when you pierce the thigh.

Remove the turkey from the pan and place it on a carving board. Tent the turkey loosely with foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. This gives you plenty of time to make the pan gravy.

06/27/2025

Pork Schnitzel And Apple Salad

Ingredients
- 1 cup breadcrumbs or Panko
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Green Apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
- Some Mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1 Packet Ready-to-serve Salad Green with dressing
- 4 Pork Sirloin Steaks, fat trimmed
- Some Wholegrain/Creamy Mustard Sauce
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

Preparation
Using a meat mallet, pound pork slices evenly to 5mm thick. Marinate it with cornflour, cooking wine and lightly beaten egg for about 3 - 5 minutes.

Coat marinated pork slices evenly with breadcrumbs by pressing the meat down against the crumbs.

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, cook pork schnitzel for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through.

Drain well on paper towels.

Meanwhile, toss the pre-packed salad with accompany dressing before transferring them to a serving plate and top with apple slices. (you can soak apple slices with some lightly salted water to prevent it from oxidized and turns brown)

Next thickly slice pork and arrange on salad and drizzle mustard dressing over pork and serve.

03/02/2025

Lamb Burgers With Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 handful of minced fresh dill
- 12 Cloves garlic, peeled and cut in ha
- 1 pint Greek yogurt
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 4 hamburger buns
- juice of 2 lemons
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Preparation
For the lamb burger, mix 1 pound ground lamb, 1 egg, 1 splash of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, and 6 cloves of chopped garlic. Season with kosher salt & pepper to taste and let sit for to 1 hour.Grill burgers to your liking.For the tzatziki sauce, mix together 1 pint Greek yogurt, 1 diced cucumber, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 6 garlic cloves (add garlic bit by bit until you have the level of garlic you like), 1 handful minced fresh dill, and kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors intensify.

Serve the grilled burgers on toasted buns and add a dollop of the sauce on top.