Category Archives: thursday two-fers

special edition posts that feature a homemade fruit or vegetable puree. two-fer-one recipes. what a screaming deal!

turkey burgers with strawberry avocado relish

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This recipe was originally developed as a guest post for our favorite
Stay-at-Home Dad blog, Dad or Alive. Enjoy!

There’s no such thing as an original idea in the kitchen. I’ve recently come to this conclusion.

Don’t believe me? Think of a bizarre food combo. Now Google it.

$5.00 goes to the person who can prove me wrong. (Hopefully you take personal checks or rolled coins because with two small kids at home that’s about all I have left.)

Now imagine my frustrations when I think I’m on to something that’s going to WOW the masses, only to find 25 other “foodies” have already beat me to the punch. Well, not this time.

Strawberries. Avocado. Basil. Balsamic. Turkey Burger.

Hell, I don’t even know what to name this beast. So let’s just call him, D. Licious.

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banana split cupcakes

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My parents own an ice cream shop in north central Pennsylvania, so I’ve spent many a sweaty summer afternoon scooping and topping (and eating) my fair share of ice cream. You might say I’ve become somewhat of an ice cream snob over the years. I also have uncommonly large forearm muscles.

Thanks Mom & Dad.

Now I’m all grown up and don’t ever have to “scoop” ice cream again. I just eat it straight out of the container with a mouth sized spoon. Much easier on the ol’ forearms.

But, every now and then I get a hankering for the familiar flavor combination of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana and peanuts that IS the banana split. And when mommy gets a hankering, y’all better watch out.

Thankfully, Chonker’s favorite foods right now include strawberries and bananas so we always have plenty laying around. And since he’s a good baby who loves to cater to my random food whims, he was cool with me using some of them to make this:

Which I then used to make these:

Oh yeah, and THESE:

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summer spinach apple lasagna

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He’s strong to the finich, ’cause he eats his spinach…

(and anything else that falls in his path.) He’s Charley the Chonker Baby.

This kid loves to eat. So it didn’t surprise me when he gladly accepted spoonfuls of spinach, roasted apple and parmesan pureé. And since I tend to lick my fingers (and occasionally the spoon) while feeding him, it also didn’t surprise me when the idea for using it as a sauce for a summertime lasagna was born.

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butternut squash pancetta risotto cakes

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I never get to watch TV anymore. There always seems to be something, or someone, that needs tending to. Long gone are the days of sitting around on the couch in sweatpants, watching Food Network all morning. So, I relish the moments when Chonker and Picky Eater both happen to be asleep at the same time (which is pretty much never) and I get to indulge in a few hours of “food porn.”

The idea for this week’s two-fer is the brainchild of one such indulgent occasion. I was watching an episode of Kelsey’s Essentials on the Cooking Channel and she happened to be making fried “cakes” with a lemon garlic risotto. I was mesmerized. The wheels automatically started turning and I completely forgot about the six loads of laundry I was trying to fold before afternoon chaos ensued. (I paid for that later when the six loads somehow became eight. Funny how that happens.)

Anyhow, I digress… Wheels were turning and this is what happened next:

Butternut Squash, Sage & Thyme Pureé AND Butternut Squash & Pancetta Risotto Cakes.

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spiced apple plum bbq chicken

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Well, look at that. It’s Thursday again. Time for a read-one-get-one recipe extravaganza.

I actually came up with this combination last week in preparation for a Sunday Foodie Friend Feeding Frenzy. Foodies run in packs. Scientific fact.

And this Spiced Apple Plum BBQ Chicken did not disappoint. Another fact.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest… let’s get down to business.

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apple mango turkey sliders

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… with Chipotle Honey Mayo.

Okay, I might have gone all day thinking today was Tuesday. Might have. Imagine how happy I was when I realized it was actually Wednesday and one day closer to the weekend. Although I’m not sure why I get so excited about weekends anymore since they’re actually more work for me than weekdays.  At least it’s ‘fun work’ though. I mean, if I could get paid to build Lego towers and practice dance moves to the Fresh Beat Band (on repeat for a solid hour) all week long I’d have a pretty sweet gig.

Speaking of sweet, this week I managed to concoct one of the best two-fer recipes in my entire arsenal. That’s saying a lot.

Just looking at that picture is making my mouth water all over again. I’m telling you, these little guys mean BIZNASS.

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roasted blueberry banana cupcakes

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… with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting. (Phew, that took a lot out of me.)

Welcome to the first of hopefully many weekly posts that I’m dubbing “Thursday Two-Fers.” It’s like a recipe buy-one-get one. Who wouldn’t love that? A crazy person, that’s who.

These gems are actually targeting my mom friends a tiny bit more than the common foodie as they all incorporate some form of fruit and/or vegetable puree into the end recipe.

In case you didn’t already know, I’m the proud mother of a 3 1/2 year old (picky eater) and a 10 month old (chonker who will eat anything, even dog food. But that’s only when he sneaks into the laundry room undetected.) I digress. Continue reading →