Direct From the County Fair

I am working at our local county fair this week, and in down time, doing my July blog post. I hope you are enjoying your summer. Hopefully, there is something that you will find of interest in the following ideas. Feel free to leave a comment and share what you have been up to.

Recipes

Turkey Burgers (healthyrecipesblog.com)

▢1 lb. ground turkey ▢1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use avocado oil mayonnaise) ▢1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ▢1 teaspoon kosher salt ▢¼ teaspoon black pepper ▢1 teaspoon garlic powder ▢1 teaspoon onion powder ▢1 teaspoon smoked paprika ▢½ cup fresh parsley chopped ▢4 tablespoons olive oil for frying*

• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chopped parsley.
• With moist hands for easier handling, form the mixture into four ½-inch-thick patties.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the patties and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

*These burgers were heavenly. I am sure they would be just as good done with ground chicken.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (manilaspoon.com)

• 1½ cups all-purpose Flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa or Cacao powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking Powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1½ cups zucchini, shredded/grated
• 1 cup sugar (white)
• ½ cup vegetable or any neutral-flavored oil*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks (rolled/coated in 2 Tablespoons Flour) plus extra to add on top

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease (or butter) a loaf pan.Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the zucchini, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips (including the extra flour with it). Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Top with extra chocolate chips (optional but makes this bread even yummier!)Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crockpot Dorito Casserole (recipesthatcrock.com)

• 1 lb ground beef cooked and drained
• 1 oz pkt taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 13.5 oz can cheddar cheese soup
• 16 oz can refried beans
• 15.25 oz can black beans drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bag Doritos

• Mix together your water and taco seasoning
• Mix your taco seasoning mixture with your prepared ground beef, set aside
• In a separate large bowl, mix together your soup, refried beans and black beans (drained)
• Add ground beef mixture to bean mixture and stir until well combined
• Spread out in a lightly greased casserole crock pot or 6-quart slow cooker
• Sprinkle cheese on top evenly
• Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours
• Remove your crock from heating unit and let rest for 30 minutes
• Sprinkle crumbled Doritos on top right before serving

Enchillada Casserole

1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken 1 pkg. taco seasoning 1 pkg. of corn tortillas 2 cans of red enchillada sauce 1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese 1 16oz. can of refried beans

Brown your meat and add the seasoning. In a 9×13 pan pour some red sauce and spread out. Layer tortillas by overlapping a little. Then more red sauce and spread out. Layer meat, then refried beans and cheddar cheese. Repeat as necessary. Bake in a 375 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes. Yum!!!

Crafts

Solar Lights

At my favorite store, Dollar Tree ($1.25 Tree), I picked up some solar lights and vases. You could also use jars. I pulled the light off the stake and put it in the vase. I tried some with with stones in it and without. Which do you like better? These would be nice for a table at a party or on your patio.

Shell Trinket Dish

I had purchased a bag of big shells from the craft section of a thrift store thinking that I would find a use for them and look below! I decoupaged the top printed layer of a beautiful napkin onto the inside of the shell and put a top coat of Mod Podge on it. Once that was dry I edged it with metalic gold paint. It measures approximately 5″X6″ and works perfectly for a trinket/ring dish. Bonus is that it is sooooooooo pretty!

Hacks

* You must download the Tasty app! So many recipes. You can save them and create your shopping lists!

• Do you hate when the McDonald’s ice cream machine is on the fritz? Go on McBroken.com. You will see an interactive map of every McDonald’s in your area and the real time status of their ice cream machine.
• Need to find the wifi quickly? Download the app, wifi map. This will show a map with wifi locations and their passwords. Want to know what else is cool? The app doesn’t need wifi to run.
• Want to help out the bees this summer? Hang a wet towel outside during a heatwave. This will provide a much needed water source for thee bees.
• If you use puppy training pads it is much cheaper to buy incontinence pads designed for humans. These are cheaper, better quality and come in larger packages.
• Going to the beach? Put your cell phone in a ziplock sandwich bag. It won’t get wet or sandy and you can still use the touch screen.