Fall at Stone Hill

I truly can't even believe how beautiful it has been in Baltimore over the past seven days. The blue skies are complimented so well with the brilliant yellows and oranges of the fall leaves. This is my favorite time of year.

Stone Hill is just bursting with color.

E. and his daddy made us a compost for the "farm". I may not dig these leaves too much in the next few weeks as the raking is a TON of work. But for now, I will sit back and admire their beauty.

I decided to try something completely new for dinner. I had heard that Oprah's favorite turkey burger had chutney mixed into it so I decided to use our Stone Hill Farm Pear Chutney for a little experiment. I read recipes that had miso and an Asian flare too and just came up with this recipe.

I sauteed some purple onions thinking the sweetness would be a nice flavor to complement the turkey.

I toasted some sesame seeds as well and let this mixture cool.

I used one pound of ground turkey thigh meat. It has more fat content which means more flavor. I mixed the onion-sesame with fresh cilantro, with my hands. It's so fun to play with your food.

Add one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of white pepper. I haven't changed the pepper mill back to black pepper and like the flavor that white pepper has added to our meals in the last week.

I then added a whole jar of Pear Chutney. Mix again with your hands.

Form patties and throw them in the freezer for ten minutes to set.  I never have enough time to put them in the fridge for an hour and this freezer trick works beautifully. Set your oven to 350 degrees.

While freezing your burgers whip up some shaved brussel sprouts.

Start with toasted sesame oil and slice each of the Brussel sprouts into four thin pieces. This makes them cook quicker.

Brown them with a tiny bit of soy sauce.

I went a little sesame seed crazy, but it adds a great nutty flavor to Brussel sprouts, kale and any green leafy vegetable.

Add a little sesame oil to a cast iron skillet, heat and cook the turkey burgers on one side for five minutes.

Flip and cook on the other side for another five minutes. When finished on the stove put in the oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. You do not want a rare turkey burger!

E. had a great idea and made a curry mayonnaise to go with the burgers. He used curry and ground ginger to taste. It was the perfect complement to this meal. High fives E- Boogie!

They turned out so, so well. I was surprised they stayed together frankly. I ate mine without a bun and had rice on the side with the Brussel sprouts. E. toasted up a potato roll and was very pleased with his burger. Turkey burgers are so blah in my opinion. This little baby was far, far from blah. Enjoy!

And because we haven't had a true freeze yet we are STILL getting Zenia's and snaps in our garden. I picked these yesterday! Oh the little joys in life.

What are the joys in your life? We are so thankful to have our home, a yard with big trees and this great weekend to rest and recuperate.