Liquid Smokin' Turkey Burgers

This is named after a quote from one of the recipes I pillaged from which stated, "if you don't have mesquite seasoning, go ahead and use liquid smoke," as if liquid smoke is so plentiful in all our kitchens, specifically in a kitchen that is so sparse as to not have any kind of BBQ seasons in it, that we can substitute accordingly. This is fast, easy and you can pretty much sub out any of the main ingredients and still be ok (except the meat. That part is somewhat vital to the burger process).

Here is my man cooking over the hot stove. He's very excited about our endeavor, if you couldn't tell. Since I actually refuse to touch any form of raw meat, therefore Ry is put in charge of the cutting, mushing, and grilling of said meat. So credit given to one, Ryan H. A 9 rating by the way. I'm a little proud.



Ingredients:
1 lb of ground turkey (or chicken if you like)
1 jalepeno or red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1/4 red onion diced
red pepper flakes to taste
1 Tablespoon of minced onion
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce
1 packet of mesquite seasoning (or if you happen to magically have liquid smoke in the cupboard, I am impressed, go ahead and use that and give yourself a gold star from me!)
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I like a LOT of crushed black pepper)
4-5 leaves of garlic chives (optional. I had them in the garden, so I used it)
2-4 slices of pepper jack cheese (or packet of shredded cheddar if you don't like pepper jack)

The fixins:
tomato
lettuce
BBQ sauce
...and don't forget the buns, or you'll be like me and have to send your angel of a boyfriend out to get some

Directions, and here's the easy part:
1. Dump everything into a bowl and mush together (with the exception of the jack cheese, unless you wish to tear up in pieces and have melt in the meat, which also is good)! There's probably a right order, but seeing as I don't have time or patience for it, I don't bother so you shouldn't either.

2. Throw on the grill and cook until done. I would guess about 5 mins on each side. When you are 2-3 mins from done, toss the cheese on there so it gets all melty and nice. That's it! Piece of cake! Speaking of which...


****DESSERT BONUS*******

Drunken Strawberries

This is kind of cheap since I am going to make it, but haven't made it yet, but I'll write and let you know how it is!

Ingredients:
1/2 bar Dark chocolate (I mean the real stuff with 70% cocoa)
Leftover wine (doesn't matter if its red or white, depends on your mood). I would recommend a Merlot or a Zinfendel.
Fresh strawberries (or peaches, or whatever is in season)
Vanilla bean ice cream (again, the good stuff with the beans inside! no cheating!)

Directions:
1. Slice up some strawberries and let chill in the freezer while you make the sauce.
2. Melt the chocolate in the pan on low/med heat. make sure to use a chocolate melter or a nonstick pan because cleanup will be awful otherwise.
3. When the chocolate is done melting but before it starts to bubble, pour in the wine. I don't know the exact measurement, but until you reach the thickness you desire. I would say no more than about 1/2-1 cup. You want it to be creamy, not liquid.
4. Take off heat and let cool until it reaches just a touch warmer than room temp.
5. Place cooled strawberries over ice cream, then spoon sauce over everything. Drink rest of wine and watch strawberries become complacent with life :)