homemade turkey burgers with sun-dried tomatoes and basil

Why good morning! First, be sure you sign up for the Knoshbox Giveaway!  I'll choose a winner tonight so you still have time to win a fantastic box of goodies. Second, looking for a nice dinner to chase away the Mondays? No need to worry. I've got your back.  Just go defrost a pound of turkey and then we can talk about turkey burgers. 

First of all, there is a big difference between frozen turkey burgers and homemade turkey burgers.  Frozen patties... not the greatest.  Even the best can be a little bland, but homemade are fresh and packed with flavor.  I wanted to try a caprese salad inspired burger and this turned out DELICIOUS!! 

Fresh basil, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and salt give the meat a BIG flavor.  Using condiments like peppery arugula and spicy brown mustard mix things up while fresh mozzarella literally crowns this burger.  Fan-freaking-tastic! We had it with sweet potato french fries, sweet tea, and sauteed veggies.

Trust me, those Mondays don't stand a chance. 

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salted caramel brownies

When you were a little kid did you ever go to the state fair? Ride the ferris wheel, eat funnel cake, peek at the carnies, walk through the petting zoo and eat a slice of some award winning pie?  I did.  It was a homeschool field trip, cause I was, in fact, homeschooled.

I did school in my pjs, yo.  

We went to the Virginia State Fair outside of Richmond and I spent the entire day dragging my slightly dizzy best friend, Katy, on every ride we could squeeze in before we buried our faces in caramel apples. And this gorgeous box of goodies brought me back to that day.  

I just got my first Knoshbox and I get to give YOU one.  Yes, YOU! Well, it could be you...

Knoshbox packs up a box of artisan food each month and ships it right to your doorstep.  They are a new startup subscription based in Connecticut. It's basically having this great foodie friend who travels around the country taste testing and working with local producers, and then bringing the best of their finds right to your little kitchen. Opening this box was literally like Christmas in August. A sampling of gorgeous, gourmet foods all from local US producers and the theme this month... Country Summer Carnival!  Just look at it! 

Mouthwatering, huh? Bing Cherry Preserves, a Pearl Sugar Belgian Waffle, Organic Cotton Candy, Kettle Corn, and Sea Salt and Bourbon Vanilla Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels. Glory!

To win your own September Wine Trails Knoshbox, just leave a comment telling me what you would make with this box of goodies pictured above and LIKE Knoshbox on facebook! A winner will be chosen Monday, August 27 at 11:00pm EST. :) 

The winner is... Comment #23, Barbara S!  Congrats, Barbara.  I hope you enjoy the September box as much as I enjoyed the August one.  She would have baked up some chocolate cherry caramel cookies.  (UM, YUM!  Can I come over?)  

Barbara, email your address to heathermish{at}gmail.com and we will get your box shipped out!  Special thanks to the Knoshbox team for sponsoring the giveaway and to all of you for participating in my first giveaway! I loved reading your ideas.   

As soon as I tasted those caramels, I knew what I would be baking.  (I am also planning on ordering a bag for a few fall recipes.) 

So, I scurried to my kitchen and made these gooey, gluten free, caramel laced brownies dusted with sea salt! Then, while they were baking, I may or may not have took that waffle, topped it with whipped cream and strawberries and pretended it was funnel cake while I gave Katy a ring. 

Also, you should know that these are egg free and gluten free. I was gluten free until I saw that waffle... 

 

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cool cucumber-mango smoothies

Hi There! It's a quick post today. Fall is just around the corner and I am getting the itch to buy school supplies. I am dying to ransack Target and leave with bags of new clothes, lunch boxes, and #2 pencils.  Unfortunately, I'm not sending anyone off to school this year so I'll have to suppress the urge. Maybe, I'll just get a new skirt or something... Maybe. 

But if I were sending some tikes off to school, I would start the school year off right with with a healthy, easy breakfast smoothie.  It's fresh, fast, and yummy. If your kids like things on the sweeter side, add 2 tablespoons honey or use vanilla yogurt.