i love you oh so well, like a kid loves candy and fresh snow

i don't know about you, but i love myself a good burger now and again. and if we're being completely honest here, i'd hardly think about depriving myself if calories and the whole health thing weren't an issue. as it turns out, you're not supposed to eat red meat everyday (really?), so i've taken to seeking out healthy alternatives for a good burger fix. this open faced turkey melt recipe is the cat's pajamas when it comes to cutting calories, but offering a satisfying taste. (credits to an old, perhaps 2007, issue of cooking light i've saved).

ingredients
1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup vertically sliced vidalia (or other sweet onion)
1/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. gr. turkey breast
1 large egg white
swiss cheese
dijon mustard
toased sourdough bread

1) heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the onion and cook until lightly browned. transfer to a bowl.
2) combine cheese and next four ingredients (through egg white). divide into equal portions (i like mine smaller; i divide into 8 equal portions)and form each into a patty.
3) return pan to medium heat. cook each patty 4 mins. on one side, then flip and cook 1 minute on the opposite side. add onions and swiss cheese and cook til melted.
4) toast sourdough slices and add dijon mustard to taste. add the patties, serve open-faced and enjoy. (john is a two slices of bread kind of guy, and informs me that it tastes just as good.)



also, tonight was my fourth time trying a new method for combining ingredients and ground meat. i've found it to be an excellent alternative; my burgers have not been falling apart like they've been known to in the past. when making burgers, take your defrosted meat and place on a previously cleaned and dried countertop. smash the meat into the countertop in a square shape until you've effectively spread it out. add your ingredients right onto the smashed square of meat. fold the meat repeatedly to combine. i don't know why this trick works so well, but trust me, it does.

are you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for an update on the massive dining room set refurbishing project? well, please don't fall off said seat on account of me. i got a little distracted this weekend, as i've been known to do, and didn't make much progress. i did, however, use my new staple gun for the first time (i re-covered one of the chairs) and i can say with certainty: the staple gun is probably the most fun toy i own! super easy to operate, works like a dream. if i had known re-covering my chairs was going to be so easy, i'd have begun this transformation years ago. and not to be outdone, the master of the hodge podge lodge insisted on a new toy of his own: an electric hand sander. i couldn't argue with the purchase since he's been so cooperative with this new project. poor john. life with me is probably a lot like a mandatory military draft. no choice, enlisted to assist in all my crazy schemes. maybe someday we'll have a fabulous new dining set to show for it.



other news to report: not much. the illinois bar exam looms. i can't muster up the fear i felt for the iowa exam, and thus, i have nothing motivating me to study very hard. plus, wintry mix prompts cabin fever and i feel the need to get excessively crafty to distract myself. the last time i checked, excessively crafty had nothing to do with civil procedure, contracts, or equitable remedies.

speaking of wintry mix, it's lightly snowing here, and the night looks so peaceful. the outdoor landscape coupled with the smell of freshly baked birthday cake is about all i can ask for on a monday.