A Backyard Summer….

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12 years ago

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Like the students, I too need a break from it all. I am fortunate in that my children and I are on the same schedule. Like most parents my summer calendar is starting to get pretty full. I make sure to maintain balance between what we have to do and what we want to do. I had each of my kids make a list of 10 personal goals they had for the summer. Not material things they wanted to acquire but real attainable goals. The results were a little amusing. The goals ranged from getting a lower 1 mile run time to making 1000 circles in the cul-de-sac on a bike. Learning to make pancakes made the cut as well as finding a new book series to read and taking my own fish off of the hook when I fish. I saved these so we could compare notes at the end of the summer.

I also made a list of personal goals to keep me in line over break. My list ran the gamut. Losing my “winter weight” was top on the list along with only writing in the morning when the boys were still asleep, cleaning out my huge pantry and making sure I sat for 30 minutes each day in my over sized chaise lounge in the living room. I know this last one is strange but I have this wonderful chair that I bought for myself 5 years ago and I never, ever sit in it.

There is so much to do on these school breaks that I feel like I want to squeeze every drop of what they have to offer. There is a fine line between quality time with your children on an outing and just relaxing at home with a good book. In the blink of an eye your children get older and so do I. Will they really remember the pottery painting class you made them take in 5 years? No, but they may remember the night hike you take looking for owls or the time you all made breakfast for dinner together.

In the spirit of healthy eating, I wanted to give my take on what is one of the most grilled items every summer, the Hamburger. This Greek-inspired turkey burger is not only lower in fat and calories than the standard all-beef option but it is fast too. The fresh flavors of the mint and feta really liven up the turkey to make is more than your usual run-of-the mill grilled patty.

This weekend, take a minute to remember all of the soldiers serving in the armed forces around the world and those that have fallen. I know we all have someone we can thank for their service. Gather your family and friends for the first cookout of the season. Swap stories over the fire while making smores. Practice your cannonball at the pool. Make your living space beautiful by planting a few flats of flowers. Just do something that makes you happy.

My family will spend this holiday weekend fishing in the backyard and spending time together doing a whole lotta nothin’!

Getting the BIG one….

Casting a line….

Manning the grill…..

The fresh taste of the mint with the tang of the feta make this creamy sauce a perfect topping for this Greek-inspired burger.

Greek Inspired Turkey Burgers
2 containers of plain Greek yogurt (5.3 oz each)
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/2 C chopped fresh mint leaves
1 lb lean turkey
1 small container of crumbled feta
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
whole wheat pitas
green and red tomatoes for garnish
coarse salt and fresh pepper

In a small bowl combine container of Greek yogurt, white parts of the green onion, half of the chopped mint, half of the feta, salt and pepper.
In another bowl add the turkey, remaining mint, salt, pepper, green parts of the green onion,coriander, remaining feta and 1/2 of the remaining yogurt (about 2 tablespoons).
With your hands, gently mix the meat and other ingredients together and form into patties.
Either grill your meat outdoors or cook indoors.
Serve with a warmed pita half along with a garnish of tomatoes and the creamy sauce.


	Hers are always so much prettier..mine baked over and the crust got pretty brown, but it tasted SO good!

When I met my husband 18 years ago he mentioned to my Grandmother how much he liked sugar cream pie and low and behold next time we see her she is toting a freshly baked pie. Looking back I don’t know why this surprised me as he is her favorite person in the world. One year for his birthday she sent him a beautiful birthday card, on time, and at the end she said “By the way, tell Heather happy birthday , too.” My birthday was the previous week.

I decided to finally break down and ask her for the recipe of her sainted pie. I expected her to bristle at my request as it is one of the many things she is known for, at least in my lifetime it has been. I waited for her to open some golden recipe box as light shined down from the sky and angels sang. She patted my hand sympathetically and said “Heather, if you want the recipe to my sugar cream pie just look on the back of any Wick’s frozen pie crust.” Talk about embarrassing. I was prepared for her to give me this secret recipe that had been passed down through generations of women in her family. What I got was something that was there all along.

She said she tweaked the flour and sugar measurements a little over time to what the recipe is now. Funny thing is that Wick’s hasn’t printed the recipe on their pie crust wrapping in many years. They hold the original formulation pretty close to the breast, so to speak. I called Wick’s in earlier in May to see if my grandmother’s recipe was even close and the response I got was a quick “Sure, try it and see!”

So I did, and my family of course loved it. I wanted to surprise her with it so when we had a birthday celebration for my son in May I made sure to have one of these on hand for her to try. It was worth it to see the look on her face. She asked me if I was now a sugar cream pie convert after all of these years of turning my nose up at the dessert. She didn’t need to ask, really. She knew.

In a way this is a recipe that has come through my family. She made it for all of us over the years and now I am making it for my family. My grandmother is 92 and I have never met anyone so sharp witted and feisty. I am lucky to have her in my life and that of my family’s. Recently, she gave me a cookbook she got as a wedding gift that was printed in 1932. This is yet another thing about her that I treasure.

This pie is incredibly easy to make. Some say that to have a true sugar cream pie you have to make your own crust using lard. I can’t imagine doing that, but I must say it is better when made in a Wick’s pie shell that you can find at any grocery store. You can also find this frozen pie as well, but it would be a shame to be from Indiana and not try this at least once. Who knows, maybe it will become a new family favorite like it is with mine.

Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie
This is my Grandmothers modified recipe
2 cups white sugar
¾ cups all-purpose white flour
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Whole nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 open pie crust, I used a Wick’s frozen crust to stay true to the taste of my Grandmothers
Preheat oven to 450°F. Add all ingredients, except for nutmeg, butter and egg, in a mixing bowl and combine using a whisk. Pour into pie crust. Drop small pieces of butter on the top of the batter and then grate fresh nutmeg evenly over the top of the pie.I prefer to grate fresh , whole nutmeg but use what you have ????

With a pastry brush, brush the crimped edge of the crust with the beaten egg.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes.
Refrigerate and serve chilled.

I would like to thank the Indiana Family of Farmers for sponsoring this post! I am a proud Hoosier farm supporter! Please visit their sites to find out how YOU can support them too ????

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