Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

We were heading to a friends place for dinner and I said I'd bring a simple dessert. With so many strawberries, and some rhubarb left over, I decided to make some turnovers. These were great out of the oven, in the morning for breakfast, and of course after a great dinner with friends.

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

- 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

- 1 egg, lightly beaten

- 2 cups diced strawberries

- 1 3/4 cups diced rhubarb

- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup cornstarch

Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl.

Roll out each square of puff pastry to a 12x12 inch square. Cut each piece into 4 (for 8 total). Brush edges with egg. Using a slotted spoon (to avoid excess liquid) spoon mixture onto half of each square. Fold over to create triangle, crimping edges with a fork. Make three slits on top with sharp knife. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar if you have it).

Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven until golden and puffy (about 15 - 20 minutes).

Strawberries

The fresh strawberries have been out in full force at the Markets for a few weeks now, and after hearing on the radio that the U-Pick season was wrapping up, I rallied the troops and we headed out to Farm country Saturday for some berry picking at Driediger Farms. I'm not really that good at estimating how much I have, so when we went to pay, turns out we'd picked 12 lbs of berries!

With that many strawberries I decided I would be making two batches of jam, and since the farm had some fresh rhubarb, the decision was easy. One batch of strawberry jam and one batch of strawberry-rhubarb. Now I can't decide which I like better!

Still, we had a ton of strawberries left, so I needed to freeze some of them. The best way to freeze them is to place on a cookie sheet in a single layer, in the freezer for at least 5 hours, then bag them. That way when you go to grab some, they are not all clumped together.

Now for the raspberries...that's next weekend!

Bulgur and Mushroom Burgers

While these burgers do take a bit of time to prepare,they are another great alternative to beef burgers. For those vegetarians at your next BBQ, these are a nice treat.

Bulgur & Mushroom Burgers (courtesy of Canadian Living)

• 3/4 cup bulgur
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/4 minced fresh parsley
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme

In heatproof bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over bulgur; let stand until doubled in bulk, about 20 minutes. Mix in egg, bread crumbs and parsley.

Meanwhile, roughly break mushrooms into pieces and pulse in food processor until finely chopped.

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, wine, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes.

Mix into bulgur mixture. Now here you can shape in four patties, or as I did, make a bunch of mini burgers for sliders.

Grill on greased grill over medium heat, turning once until heated through and crispy, about 15 minutes. We topped ours simply, with bread and butter pickles, ketchup and mustard.