Mar-A-Lago Turkey Burgers

This recipe was introduced to me by my wonderful mother-in-law, Kay Shipe. The burgers are juicy and highly seasoned; do reduce the seasoning accordingly if you use less than 4 lbs. of turkey. The recipe is from the Mar-A-Largo restaurant in Florida. For the full unedited recipe from Oprah.com, click here. Kate and I made some small changes to the recipe--our version listed below:

Serves 6

4 pounds ground turkey breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples , peeled and diced
1 Tbls. plus 1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 lemon, juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley , finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed*
olive oil, for frying

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients (except oil). Shape into burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. (Or cook right away! I've done it several times.)

Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for about 5 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Major Grey's Chutney.*

*Kate created a fantastic mango chutney to replace the store-bought Major Grey's Chutney. I will get her to post the recipe soon! (hint, hint, if you are reading this, Kate!)

Chicken Marbella

From The Silver Palate
Serves 6

This is Rich's favorite food of all time.

6 chicken thighs
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 T dried oregano
sea salt and black pepper
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c pitted prunes
1/4 c pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 c capers with a bit of juice
3 bay leaves

1 or 2 tbls. brown sugar
1/2 c white wine
2 T fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. In a lrg. glass baking dish, arrange chicken pieces in a single layer. Combine garlic, oregano, sea salt and black pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves, and arrange over and around chicken. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator overnight (or at least 4 hours).
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Sprinkle the dish with brown sugar and pour in the white wine. Place baking dish in the oven and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour until thigh pieces yield clear, yellow juice.
4. Transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten chicken with spoonfuls of juices, and sprinkle generously with parsley. Put the pan juices in a gravy boat and serve on the side. (The juices are absolutely delicious and worth pouring all over your chicken. Serve with mashed potatoes to soak up the extra juices.)


This is how Rich eats his Chicken Marbella. The girls call it "Chicken Marbella Mountain."

Tarragon Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

Serves 4-6

This is my absolute favorite potato salad, and I am a huge fan of potato salad! I discovered this salad because I am allergic to eggs and cannot eat mayonnaise. This potato salad has no eggs. (But it does have dairy.)

Dressing:
2 tsp. dijon mustard*
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp. white or black pepper
2 Tbls. tarragon vinegar*
1/4 cup olive oil*
1/4 cup sour cream*
2 Tbls. fresh tarragon, chopped (or more to taste)

Salad ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes
1 package sugar snap peas, strings removed
1 small red onion, cut into thin slices

1. Cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks and boil until just fork tender. Do not overcook! Remove immediate from heat, drain, and rinse in cold water. Let cool in fridge or by placing bowl of potatoes in a bowl of ice water.
2. Bring a small pot of water to boil for the peas. When water boils, blanch peas in the water until they all turn bright green, 1 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook! Remove from heat, rinse in cold water, and place in ice water bath until cool. Drain peas and pat try with paper toweling.
3. Meanwhile, prepare dressing by whisking together mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil with a wire whisk or a fork until the oil is emulsified into the other ingredients (the mixture should be thickened). Whisk in sour cream and tarragon.
4. When all ingredients are cool, place in a large bowl and pour dressing over top. Gently combine all ingredients. You may need more salt; I find potatoes usually need generous amounts of salt. Chill for 2 to 24 hours before serving.

Chicken Salad Variation: This recipe makes a fantastic tarragon chicken salad. Simply replace 1 1/2 lbs. cooked potatoes with 1 1/2 lbs. cooked chicken. Absolutely delicious!

*A word about ingredients: Use a high-quality dijon mustard made with white wine. Makes a huge difference! I like Grey Poupon. You must use tarragon vinegar; it really adds that tarragon flavor to this dish. It's pretty easy to find. Use a high-quality, extra-virgin, first-cold-pressed, unfiltered, organic olive oil if you can find it. I buy Trader Joe's First Lady Reserve. It isn't organic, but it has all the other qualities for a great price. Unfiltered olive oil has lauric acid, a natural anti-viral. For the sour cream, use an organic, whole milk sour cream with live active cultures. I like Horizon Organic. None of this low-fat dairy stuff! Whole-fat dairy WILL NOT make you fat. Low-fat dairy usually contains dry milk, which is full of chemicals. Enjoy the fat!!

Mediterranian Salad

Serves 4

1 head of romaine lettuce
4 soft-boiled eggs, cut into quarters
8 oz. uncured ham or turkey ham, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into slices
1 cucumber, cut into slices
1 jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve with Giant's Simply Enjoy Ripe Olive and Feta Vinaigrette.

Cornish Hens with Lemon and Herbs

From Martha Stewart Living
Prep Time: 10 min. Total Time: 65 minutes
Serves 4

This recipe is also delicious with a chicken roaster. I like to roast my chicken at 450 for about 10-15 minutes to sear in the juices a bit then turn it down to 375 or 350 and cook for about 1 1/2 hours for a 4 lb. bird. Check for doneness as described in the recipe with a meat thermometer. I serve this with Lemon Thyme Rice Pilaf.

2 Cornish hens (about 1 3/4 pounds each), room temperature, rinsed well and patted dry
1 bunch fresh thyme (about 1/2 ounce), plus more for garnish
2 lemons, halved, plus wedges for serving
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 Tbls unsalted butter (or olive oil for a dairy-free recipe)
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat over to 450. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen (or 4 thyme sprigs and 2 lemon halves in the cavity of one chicken). Loosen skin from breast and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter (or oil) all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin tuns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minuets. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

White Chicken Chili

Serves 4

From my sister, Jayme Metzgar.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tbls. olive oil
2 15-oz. cans great northern beans
14.5 oz. chicken broth
2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilis
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 cup sour cream

Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks. Heat oil over medium heat in large pot. Saute chicken, onion, and garlic until chicken is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add all of the other ingredients to the pot except cream. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream if desired, or serve cream on the side.

Apricot-Dijon Chicken

From Martha Stewart Living
Serves 4

8 chicken thighs
salt and black pepper
1 12 ounce jar of apricot jam
2 T honey
2 T dijon mustard

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse chicken and transfer to baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Bring apricot jam, honey, and mustard to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until thickened and reduced by half. (15 min.) Spoon apricot mix over the chicken; spread evenly with a spoon.
Bake chicken, basting with sauce from bottom of the dish every 10 minutes until juices run clear when chicken is pricked. (About 30 minutes.)

Green Chile Chicken Nachos

Adapted from 365 More Ways to Cook Chicken
Serves 6-8

A Shipe family favorite! Make a lot so you can have left-overs.

4 tbls. olive oil
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 tbls. yellow cornmeal
4 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups drained canned tomatillos
2 (2-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
salt to taste
1 bunch chopped cilantro
tortilla chips
4 cups shredded lettuce
sour cream

1. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken chunks and cook, stirring, until golden, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal, chili powder, and cumin over chicken and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add salt to taste. Stir in broth, tomatillos, and chiles. Simmer, stirring often and mashing tomatillos, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and green onions and simmer 30 seconds.
2. Serve green chili chicken onto individual plates on top of tortilla chips. Top with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Chicken Scampi with Spinach

Adapted from 365 More Ways to Cook Chicken
Serves 4 - 6

Rachel and I cannot get enough of this recipe. She is allergic to dairy, but if you are not, I highly recommend generously topping your plate of pasta with grated Parmesan or Romano.

1 lb. fettuccini
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
salt & pepper to taste
4 tbls. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
3 tbls. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried
1 tbls. shopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed hot red pepper flakes
2 tbls. corn starch or flour
1 7-ounce package fresh spinach, washed
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender but still firm according to package directions. Drain in colander.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbls. olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt & pepper, and cook, stirring frequently until no pink remains. Remove from heat.
3. In a large sauce pan, heat 2 tbls. olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and basil and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, wine, and hot pepper. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced by about one-fourth, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix the cornstarch or flour with a bit of cold water; add to the pot and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add spinach to pot, cover, and let spinach wilt (about 3 minutes).
4. Add cooked chicken and pasta to the sauce pan and heat thoroughly. Toss with parsley; serve with Parmesan cheese.

Red Beans & Rice with Kielbasa

1 T olive oil
12 oz. Turkey Kielbasa sausage, cut into slices
6 green onions (1/2 c)
1 small red pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans kidney beans
2 cups water
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
Green Rice

Saute olive oil and sausage in a large skillet. Remove, and then in the same pan saute vegetables (except kidney beans) until tender. Add spices and 1 and a half cans of kidney beans. Add 2 c water and cook about 10 to 15 minutes. Crush the remaining half can of kidney beans and mix in with vegetables; add cooked sausage back into pan. Cook a couple more minutes til flavors are combined. Serve with Green Rice (recipe is in Rice Grains and Beans label).