Thanksgiving Burgers

Thanksgiving on a bun any time of year! Use stuffing mix and cranberry sauce to turn ground turkey into an easy and delicious dinner. Serve with sweet potato fries with chipotle ketchup.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• ½ cup finely chopped celery

• 3 pounds ground turkey breast

• 1 (6 ounce) package chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

• 2 eggs

• 16 hamburger buns, split

• 1 (16 ounce) can cranberry sauce

• whipped cream cheese

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.

• Step 2

  Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onion and celery until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

• Step 3

  Place the cooked onion and celery in a large bowl with the ground turkey, stuffing mix, and eggs; mix to thoroughly combine. Form the mixture into 16 patties. Unlike hamburger, these patties will not change shape while cooking, so make them even in size.

• Step 4

  Grill the turkey burgers on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Place each patty on a hamburger bun, and top with cranberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream cheese to serve.

Grilled Yellow Squash

This is a tasty way to use up all the yellow squash you have pouring out of your garden every summer. I also do this same thing with zucchini.

Ingredients

• 4 medium yellow squash

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat the grill for medium heat.

• Step 2

  Cut the squash horizontally into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick slices so that you have nice long strips that won't fall through the grill.

• Step 3

  Heat olive oil in a small pan, and add garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle and become fragrant. Brush the slices of squash with the garlic oil, and season with salt and pepper.

• Step 4

  Grill squash slices for 5 to 10 minutes per side, until they reach the desired tenderness. Brush with additional garlic oil, and turn occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Potato Bake

This recipe is the perfect addition to summer cook out. It can be prepared in the oven or prepared on the grill or smoker for added flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 2 pounds Italian sausage links, cut into 2-inch pieces

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced

• 2 large green bell peppers, seeded and cut into wedges

• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into wedges

• 3 large onions, cut into wedges

• ½ cup white wine

• ½ cup chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

• Step 2

  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the sausage until browned. Transfer the cooked sausage to a large baking dish.

• Step 3

  Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into the skillet, and cook the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Place the potatoes into the baking dish, leaving some oil in the skillet.

• Step 4

  Cook and stir the green and red peppers and onions in the hot skillet until they are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetables to the baking dish.

• Step 5

  Pour wine and chicken stock over the vegetables and sausage, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Gently stir the sausage, potatoes, and vegetables together.

• Step 6

  Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Smashburgers

This smash burger recipe makes super juicy burgers with crispy edges. Don't use meat that is leaner than 80/20 for best results, and make sure the meat is very cold. If you recently got a new griddle-style grill, these are perfect for grilling outside. These grill up very fast because of the high heat, so make sure you have everything ready to go!

Ingredients

• 4 hamburger buns

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened, or as needed

• 1 pound ground chuck beef (80% lean)

• 4 6-inch squares parchment paper

• salt to taste

• 4 slices American cheese

• burger toppings of choice

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Set a cast iron flat-top griddle or large cast iron skillet onto the grill and preheat until smoking.

2. Spread butter on the inside of the buns and toast on the flat-top until lightly browned. Set aside.

3. Form meat into 8 loosely-packed balls, 2 ounces each. Do not pack the meat tightly, as this will prevent it from smashing properly. Place each ball on the hot flat-top, cover with a piece of parchment (to prevent sticking to the spatula; re-use each parchment square on a second patty) and immediately smash down to a 1/4 inch thickness using 2 stiff, sturdy spatulas that are criss-crossed to get proper leverage as you press down. You may also use the bottom of small skillet. Sprinkle the meat with salt.

4. Grill for about 45 seconds, until the edges are dark brown and the centers are a light pink color. Using a bench scraper or firm spatula, gently scrape up the patties, flip over and immediately cover 4 of them with cheese. Grill an additional 15 to 20 seconds; stack the plain patties over the cheese-covered patties so you have 4 stacks. Move each stack to a bun and serve with your favorite toppings.

Zucceazy

The great zucchini harvest is upon us! Here is another recipe to add to your repertoire of zucchini cookery.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

Season zucchini with salt and pepper and brush lightly with olive oil.

• Step 2

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place zucchini slices, a few at a time, into hot pan and cook until the pattern of the pan is imprinted into zucchini, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

• Step 3

Combine olive oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush cooked zucchini with olive oil mixture and serve.

Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken

If you're looking to grill some chicken but are tired of the traditional grilling sauces, try this. It's flavorful and doesn't require time to marinate.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.

• Step 2

  Whisk mustard, garlic, tarragon, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel; coat one side of each breast with mustard sauce.

• Step 3

  Place chicken, coated side down, on grill; cover with remaining sauce and close grill lid. Turn chicken over after 10 minutes. Cook chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.