Jerk turkey burgers

I've decided to make In Three Minutes a food blog. Or at least mostly a food blog. Hopefully I'll be able to include a nice main dish, side dish and dessert, but I'm not making any promises! Starting us off is a meal I made recently to celebrate a special occasion, Jerk turkey burgers with polenta fries. I do have to confess, these recipes are not my own (I'm not fancy enough to invent tasty dishes), they came from my Food Network maganzine!

Jerk turkey burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1 T Jerk seasoning, plus more for sprinklage (I found it at Targét in the spice section)
1 small green apple, peeled and grated
1/2 C finely chopped scallions
1/4 C panko (also easily found at Targét)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 C mayonnaise, plus more for brushing.
3 C shredded cabbage
1 carrot
non- stick spray

4 buns or challah rolls


Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Mix turkey, jerk seasoning, apple and 1/4 cup scallions and panko. Season with salt and pepper. Form into four 1-inch patties and put a small indentation in the center to prevent puffage on the grill. Chill.

Toss mayo, cabbage, carrot and remaining scallions. Season with salt and pepper.

Spray grill with non-stick spray and grill the patties until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Brush cut sides of buns with plain mayo and sprinkle with jerk seasoning, and toast on grill for 30 seconds.

Serve burgers, topped with slaw, on toasty buns.

Polenta fries

1 1/3 C milk
2 C polenta (or corn meal)
1/2 C grated gruyére cheese (not hard to find at all)
3 T unsalted butter
Olive oil for brushing
2 t salt

Bring 7 cups of water to a simmer. Take 4 cups of the hot water and add it to the milk in a heat-proof bowl that will fit over the saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta and the salt. Cover the bowl tightly with foil and put over the hot water, but do not let the bowl touch the water. Cook until very thick, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, brush a 9x13 pan with olive oil.

Stir the cheese and butter into the polenta. Spread into the prepared dish and refridgerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450*. Slice the chilled polenta into small fry sized pieces and transfer to a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway through.

If anyone was wondering....

Ok, here are a couple things I'm confused about..

First, when a place says they'll trim your bangs for free between haircuts, do they really mean it? Today I went in to get my eyebrows waxed, and asked the girl who usually cuts my hair to trim up my bangs. She was more than happy to do it, but afterward she just kinda stood there, waiting. Was I supposed to tip her? Was it really not free? Let me just mention that I get my hair colored far less than I used to because all the services there(and in Texas in general) are a little pricey. I don't consider myself to be a tight ass with the money (especially in a salon!), but if I'm going to pay for a bang trim, I'm just going to go all out and just get the whole damn head cut.

And second, whatever happened to good customer service? I called my doctor's office to make an appointment, and made the simple request that I be scheduled as early as possible. Apparently most of the doctors in the clinic start seeing patients at 7:30 a.m. Perfect. I'll take one of those! The woman setting appointments informed me that not only would my doctor would be out of town until the 22nd, but that he only does physicals at 7:30 and can only see me at 3:00. I explained my work situation to her, and asked her if she could make an exception, and you know the response I got from her? Complete silence. And when I said "Uh, hello?" she said "So do you want the 3:00 or not?". Wtf? Are you trying to be the worst appointment setter ever? Ugh.

Needless to say, I don't have a doctors appointment, and probably don't have a hairstylist anymore either...

I remember when rock was young....

Elton John is coming to Austin in a couple months, and... I want to go. Now, I don't know that I would call myself a fan of Sir Elton. But I wouldn't NOT call myself a fan either. But herein lies the dilemma I have: Tickets start at $95. So, am I that much of a fan? Can I justify $200 on tickets to someone I like, but maybe I don't LIKE like? I think none of it matters anyway, because my husband would neither pay that much for Elton John tickets, nor be caught dead at the concert.

So, if any of my rich, Elton John loving friends want to go, you know where to find me! :D

First Anniversary!

Today is our first anniversary. It's been a really fantastic year. We had our wedding at a beautiful greenhouse just as the sun was setting, followed by a reception with wonderful family and friends and of course, cake from Granite! We spent three nights at the Washington School Inn in Park City. It was such a fun getaway. We ate breakfast at 2:00 pm and strolled Main Street after everyone was gone. It was really a great honeymoon.
In October we went on yet another honeymoon, this time to Kauai, Hawaii. It was so magical. We laid on the beach, fed the cute chickens, played cards by the pool, jumped into waves two stories tall that could have killed us (and almost did), and were just plain lazy. I loved just sitting around with my best friend. It was soo hard to go back to work/school/snow after that.
We spent our first Christmas together, and even had our first Christmas tree. Evan wasn't a big fan of my idea that everything on the tree had to match, but eventually he came around. It was super fun to wake up Christmas morning and open presents together. Evan is too good to me.
The next three months just flew by and in March, we took our first trip to Austin. We really enjoyed the 86 degree heat when it had just snowed at home. We spent our time driving around and eating a lot of Mexican food!
In May, Evan had his 30th birthday (which I thought was a blast). We had a 70s themed party with tons of friends and family. Evan didn't want to turn 30, but I think the party help ease that pain!
June, July and August brought summer bbq's, playing with the nephews and a few birthday parties. Evan always has great ideas, and he made my birthday party very special. He sat through two hours of parade with me and three whining kids, because that's what I wanted to do (besides the whining). He got me a chocolate and strawberry (my favorite!) cake from Granite, and gave me two very wonderful gifts: Plant Earth (which is what we watched on our first date- I know, we're nerds), and a coupon to get Warren tinted! He's so good to me.
In August, we had to move away, but not before we stayed at my Merm's for a week! Evan has always been so sensitive to the fact that moving is hard for me, and he has been so supportive whenever I've had meltdowns over it. We drove for two 13-hour days to get to Austin, and Evan made it totally fun the whole way. He did get a little beligerant in Abilene, but I think he was just giving what he was getting! He's always a good sport when I get spastic like that.
And now, here we are, at the end of a wonderful year. I hate being stuck without friends or family, but I love who I'm stuck with. I couldn't ask to be permanently hooked to anyone better. Evan is patient, loving, funny and oh so handsome. I can't believe it's been a whole year!
I love you, Ev! Here's to 85 more just like this one!

Let's be friends...

Evan introduced me to this blog about a minute ago, letsbefriends.blogspot.com... I love it!
Here is a sample of its awesomeness!

Happy Birthday Evan!

This is a few days late, but here are some pictures from Evan's groovy birthday party!
Happy birthday babe, I love you!

This did not happen on my watch...