We'll be winging our way back to Mexico two weeks from today! It's going to feel a bit like Mexico here next week, with sunshine & a high of 77F on Wednesday — but not before we get to see more snow! An inch predicted overnight tonight. I feel like I'm talking about the weather a lot, but I know I'm not the only one. heh.

I was chatting with Kate a couple of days ago and Rusty leaned in/over my amaryllis to say HI… Kate said, "WATCH OUT FOR THE AMARYLLIS!" but it was too late, the stem was bent. Rusty leapt into action and we splinted it — luckily the major damage was only on one side, and it seems to have responded well. You can barely make it out in the blurry background, but there's another pot with a flower bud poking up — and there are actually two buds from that bulb, plus another that you can't see. I can't wait for flowers!

I've been cooking a lot this week, for some reason…

• Leek Quiche — I used an NYTimes Cooking recipe as my base, but did my own thing… I used a frozen deep-dish pie crust from the store, threw in some asparagus with the leeks (and will add more next time!), and used 4 whole eggs (instead of 2 egg yolks + 1 whole egg… can that even be called a quiche???) — four is my minimum number of eggs for a quiche!
• My favorite meatloaf recipe — Yes, Virginia, There is a Great Meatloaf, with mashed baby reds & I don't remember what vegetable. My only mods are to use 1/4 cup of Panko bread crumbs instead of bread and to cut back the brown sugar in the sauce. It's a favorite.
• Curried Shrimp & Rice that was unusual for us but really good, except I misread and made probably twice as much rice as needed. I don't remember where I found the recipe…
• Last night, I made Sheet-Pan Gnocchi With Asparagus, Leeks and Peas, another NYT Cooking recipe, and oh my gosh, was that ever good! So good that I'm giving you all the recipe, just click on the link and you should have access (the link is only good for two weeks). Anyway, the only thing I did differently was to cut the recipe in half, mainly because I didn't read correctly and only picked up one package of gnocchi the other day. I don't think it would be as good warmed up (that crisp gnocchi would get pretty soggy), so I'm glad it worked out that way. The recipe says Time: 30 minutes, but that is actual cooking time… add another 30 minutes to prep! Also, the oven time is a little confusing and I'll just say that the veggies took as long in the oven as the gnocchi to look the way I wanted them to. I set the timer and stirred the veg every 5 minutes.

Ali & fam will be coming over for Easter brunch on Sunday — I think I'm going to make that quiche again, along with waffles, some fruit, maybe some sausage. I'm still formulating.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

I was a huge fan of Plated, the now defunct meal delivery service. I've tried quite a few services, and Plated was, by far, my favorite in terms of ingredients, flavors, and recipes. I still miss them!

We have a separate folder in our recipe file for meal service recipe cards, which we often revisit, because we have a lot of favorite & go-to recipes! I also have a folder in Google Drive where I keep all of the downloaded recipe cards — I made sure I had them all before the website disappeared — and this works great for when I'm wandering the grocery store aisles, aimless & uninspired, trying to find something for dinner.

One of our absolute, all-time, most often made recipes is Zucchini, Carrot, and Turkey Burgers with Lemon-Basil Aioli. We riff on this sometimes, or change the side veg, and (except for the first time) we never serve it on buns. The only steadfast rules is that we NEVER EVER EVER make it without the aioli. This is also a great recipe for using frozen grated zucchini that you might have in the freezer! Just thaw, drain, and squeeze out all of the liquid. More recipe notes below.

Zucchini, Carrot, and Turkey Burgers with Lemon-Basil Aioli

8 oz. haricots verts
⅛ oz. basil
2 cloves garlic
9 oz. zucchini
2 tsp. butter at room temp
¼ c. shredded carrots
12 oz. ground turkey
½ oz. grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 brioche buns
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

The original recipe is for 2 very large burgers! You'll need a baking sheet and a 12" pan with a lid.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Rinse all produce. Trim the beans, finely chop the basil leaves, and mince the garlic. Grate approx. 1/4 cup of zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Cut the remaining zucchini crosswise into approx. 1/2" slices.

In a medium bowl, combine carrots, grated zucchini, half the garlic, ½ tsp. salt, and pepper. Rub a little olive oil on your hands, and add the turkey, mixing it in well with your hands, then forming into two patties, approx. 1" thick. Using your thumb, create a dimple on top of each burger (to prevent them from puffing up during cooking – it works). Place the burgers on a plate, and chill in the fridge for at least 5 minutes.

While the burgers chill, arrange the beans & sliced zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet, dot with softened butter, and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, stirring after 5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan.

While vegetables roast, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the burgers and sear until browned on bottom, 5–6 minutes. Flip them, cover the pan, and reduce heat to medium. Sear until cooked through and no longer pink (5–6 minutes more). Transfer the burgers to a plate and set aside to rest for at least 5 minutes.

If serving with buns, reserve the pan, off heat, for toasting them.

In a small bowl, stir together mayo, basil, a squeeze of lemon juice, remaining garlic, 1/8 tsp salt, and pepper. If you want to infuse even more flavor, use the zest of up to 1/2 a lemon. Set aside. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges for serving.

If using, arrange halved buns, cut-side down, in the pan and place over medium heat. Toast 2-3 minutes until light golden and warmed.

Meanwhile, divide roasted vegetables between serving plates, with lemon wedges for squeezing over. Layer buns with turkey burgers and lemon-basil aioli.

NOTES: This seems like a lot of juggling, but after I made it a couple of times, I found a flow. Turkey comes in 1-lb. packages, so I usually buy that and make at least four patties, increasing/eyeballing the other ingredients. Sometimes I forget and use the small holes of the grater, or I have more zucchini than carrot (or vice versa)… it really doesn't matter! I'm astounded every time at how much flavor is in this turkey burger by adding only some veg, salt & pepper!

Let me know if you try it!

PSA: With tomatoes ripening, don't forget about Vicki's* Roasted Tomato Sauce (with bonus recipe for Oven-Fried Eggplant)!