Moist meat mixture

As many of you know, I think about food entirely too much. I go to bed scheming about what concoctions I can throw together with the ingredients in my fridge. I dream about my favorite restaurants in SLC and how I can recreate their dishes. In the case of the following recipe, my family has an affection for the Frank's chicken dip I make so I thought, hmmm, how can I make a Frank's burger? Ground turkey, a bit of Frank's, some blue cheese, caramelized onions. Voila!

Yeah, sounds easy and straight forward, right? Well, ground turkey is fairly fragile. If you've ever tried grilling a turkey burger they tend to be a little . . . moist. Sorry for those of you who hate that word, but that's the best description. I don't know what I was thinking by adding more moisture to an already moist meat mixture.

Heather and Nick and I had returned late from the river so we were already running behind schedule to make it to the fireworks and then I had the audacity to try a new recipe on my poor family. Big mistake. Epic failure. I threw the first burger on the grill and it literally dribbled through the metal. Nick, the judge and I just watched aghast at the orange-hued meat as it limply oozed through the grate. I guzzled my glass of wine and headed inside to attempt to salvage dinner.

DO NOT attempt to grill these burgers! They require high heat in a non-stick skillet.

As gross as the previous description sounds, they were actually quite yummy. I was too angry to enjoy them fully, but I will try them again in a controlled setting.

Salvaged.

Here's a non epic failure that I recreated from a dinner I had at the South Fork Lodge. Theirs was served with smoked rainbow trout, which was excellent. I had to swap trout for salmon, but I have been fiending for this salad daily and you know me and cravings. Try this salad -- it's not your ordinary green salad.

I thought fresh leeks would be overwhelming. Not the case! This dish further fueled my love for this vegetable.

Cut off the tough green end, slice in half and dice.

Roasted almonds: 10 minutes (or less) in a 350 degree oven.

Roasting gives the almonds a smokey kick.

Store-bought smoked salmon -- doesn't compare to homemade.

Love this dressing. It's not overbearing in flavor and compliments most salads.

Toss the spinach, leeks, feta, almonds and dressing in a bowl.

Top with the salmon and serve. Dream about it nightly.

(funny how my butcher block is riddled with wine stains)