Cooking through Bread and Wine - turkey burgers and sweet potato fries

It's funny. I am no longer a college student. Nor do I have kids in school. Yet, my life still seems to revolve in semesters which I have now termed life seasons. Another season is beginning for us, and we are a little nervous, feeling a little unprepared but also excited and welcoming. For us, new ideas, journeys and plans always begin with an idea or feeling that I believe God places in our hearts and our heads. When we choose to ignore it - that feeling beats a little faster and circulates a little quicker.

When we left Texas, we told ourselves that deeply connecting to a church was important for us individually, as a couple and for our lives in New York City. Did He hear us or what?

We did Apartment Ministry for almost three years before moving to the big apple. We wanted to make a difference in the lives of others in our community. We wanted to help God change people. But you know what? It changed us. We learned (trial by fire, friends!) to cook Thanksgiving Dinners and twice-monthly meals for 100+, to organize dance lessons, sign language lessons, game night and ice cream socials. We mastered the art of marketing materials, were social when we didn't feel like having a conversation and forced ourselves to meet new people when we just wanted to stay home. We knocked on strangers' doors, took neighbors to the grocery store, invited neighbors into our home, built furniture for strangers and listened to heartbreaking struggles. It was hard. At times, we wanted to quit. Really, really wanted to quit. Other times, we loved it. In the end and looking back, it set the playing field for our marriage. It caused us to work through challenging situations, stressful schedules, personalities. It forced us to pray together, to work as a team, and to impact others in a way that we might not have been allowed the opportunity and in ways we will never see or understand. It left quite the impact on us.

Here we are about to begin a new semester [life season] this Fall. We will start down the path of co-leading a Community Group through our church, Apostles NYC. To be honest, it sounds a little exhausting, nerve-wrecking and we don't quite feel qualified.

As with every new life season, a little whiskey, wine and good food mixed with community was pretty much required to help kick it off. Sitting in our tiny NYC living room, hot from using our oven and cursing our broken A/C unit, tired from work and wet from the rain, we laughed with dear friends last Thursday night as we planned for our new season. We shared our concerns, struggles and hopes. It was a good night. I will remember the turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and Maggie's brookies (a delightful mix of brownies and cookies) - a calm pause of reflection and thankfulness of the season we are leaving and the new one we are entering.

Here's to turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and new seasons. And of course, our wonderful friends - Kelly, Maggie, Ryan and Jonathan, for allowing us to try out new recipes and life journeys together.

***
Recipes from Shauna Niequist's book - Bread and Wine. 

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers (makes 12 burgers)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
Olive oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup mango chutney

Special Sauce:
1/2 cup chutney
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ketchup
2 dashes Tabasco, or to taste

Prep:

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in olive oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into 12 burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

**Jessa Note: These burger patties are huge! One burger is plenty for one person. A skillet works great, if you don't have access to a grill. Also, I'd recommend making the night before and freezing what you don't need!**

Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Dipping Sauce (serves 4)
Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes

1/4 cup of olive oil 

sea salt

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon sriracha

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and put two rimmed baking sheets in the oven to warm up. 

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into long, thin batons - the thinner, the better. Pull the hot pans out of the oven and oil them, being careful not to burn yourself. 

Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, then line them up on the baking sheets so they're not touching or overlapping. Put both pans into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, switch the pans and give them a shake while you're at it, turning the batons. 

Bake another 6 to 10 minutes, depending on how crispy you'd like them. Remove when they start to become golden, but don't expect them to be completely crispy like deep-fried french fries - if you do, you'll overcook them. 

Sprinkle with sea salt before serving. 

While the sweet potato batons are cooking, mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Serve alongside warm fries. 

**Jessa Note: Chop the night before! These actually make quite a bit! I doubled the recipe for 6 people and we still had half of the fries left! We also made the sauce extra spicy! **