Sit. Stay. Good blog.

Today I share with you one of the best music videos I’ve ever seen. The song is okay, but the video is just stunning and clever and incredible. If you can’t see the embedded video, click here to view.

The video is directed by a group who call themselves Shynola. According to Wikipedia, Shynola is also responsible for the title sequences of the brilliant British comedy, The IT Crowd. If you haven’t seen The IT Crowd, and have ever used a computer, you should check it out. It’s available online all over the place, if you look hard enough.

Once you’ve finished with The IT Crowd, check out my new British love of a show, featuring some of the same players as those in The IT Crowd – The Mighty Boosh.

The show’s three seasons were just released on DVD, and you can catch single episodes on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim on Sunday nights.

As for why I’m at work on a Saturday… it’s the start of a new semester and thankfully, many of the youth of America still don’t know how to use thier computers. Bless ‘em for keeping me employed.

Home Again by Billy Collins

The black porcelain lamp
painted with boughs of cherry blossoms
still stands on its end table,
unlit, the little chain untouched,
just the way I left it,

just the way it remained while I was off
leaning into the prow of a boat,
doused with spray, heading for a limestone island,
or sitting at the base of a high Celtic cross
eating a green apple.

While I balanced a pan of hot water on a stone wall
and shaved outside a cottage
overlooking the Irish Sea,
this stack of books, this chair, and paperweight
were utterly still, as they are now.

And you, red box of matches on the floor,
you waited here too, faithful as Penelope,
while I saw the tiny fields
disappear under the wings of my plane,
or swarm up and down the flowing Corrib River.

As I lay in a meadow near Ballyvaughan,
ankles crossed, arms behind my head,
watching clouds as they rolled in—
billowing, massive, Atlantic-fresh—
you all held your places in these rooms,
stuck to your knitting,
waited for me to stand here again,
bags at my feet, house key still in hand,
admiring your constancy,
your silent fealty, your steadfast repose.

Chalk this recipe up under the “why didn’t I think of that?” category. I like tacos, but don’t want the extra calories that come from taco shells. Solution: turn the tacos into lettuce wraps, thanks to a recipe from Gina’s Weight Watcher’s Recipes (which, by the way, is an excellent resource for anyone looking for healthy recipes).

I’ve modified the original quite a bit, using prepared taco seasoning instead of a combination of spices (I was out of cumin the first time I made this, and liked the way mine turned out), adding more veggies (take advantage of in-season peppers, people!) and using tender Boston lettuce instead of iceberg. The final result is a dish that is healthy, delicious, easy and quite attractive, if I do say so myself:

Those paying close attention will notice the side dish is basil-lime corn, which I posted about yesterday. Isn’t that plate gorgeous? It was as delicious as it looks, too. Mr. Awesome likes to mix it all up and eat it with corn chips. More power to him – he’s not counting points

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps
Servings: 4 (1 serving equals two wraps)
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving

1.2 lbs ground turkey
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. green bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/2 tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
8 leaves Boston (aka bibb) lettuce
salsa, for topping

Brown turkey in large skillet. When turkey is cooked through, stir in taco seasoning. Add the veggies, tomato sauce and water to the skillet. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Serve the taco mixture with lettuce as lettuce wraps, and top with salsa.

TIP: We didn’t have any tomato sauce the last time we made these, so I stirred in half a can of diced tomatoes instead and it was delicious. I think next time we’ll add both the tomato sauce and some diced tomatoes.

These are so delicious, and the turkey mixture reheats really well so you can eat leftovers the next day.

Do you ever come across a recipe that is so perfect – easy, delicious, surprising – that you don’t know whether to keep it to yourself and make it one of those “my secret until I’m on my deathbed” things, or share it with everyone you know because it is so great? That’s the predicament I find myself in today when I think of this basil-lime corn recipe I’ve been making lately.

Doesn’t that look incredible? The looks are nothing compared to the way this dish tastes.

It’s got it all – it’s a perfect way to celebrate the delicious flavors of summer, it’s so surprisingly good that it’s hard to believe it’s as easy to make as it is, it’s terrific hot or cold and every temperature in between, it goes great with loads of main dishes, and best of all – it’s really healthy. I know, I know – healthy and delicious don’t usually go hand in hand. But what I’ve been learning lately is that it is really easy to make healthy, delicious food. Easier than you may think. Take those turkey burgers from my previous post, for example. Have you tried them yet? If you have, then you know that I speak the truth – healthy and delicious are not contradictory terms. If you haven’t, I strongly recommend that you make them… and serve the basil-lime corn on the side.

It’s been decided. I have to share it with you, if only so you understand how good this is.

Basil-Lime Corn
Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving

1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
5 ears of corn on the cob, kernels cut from the cob
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
10 leaves fresh basil, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil or butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper, and a pinch of salt. Sweat them until they are soft, but not brown – about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the corn kernels and some more salt and pepper to the skillet. Raise the heat to high and cook quickly until corn brightens in color and is heated (if you like softer corn, use lower heat and cook longer).

Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and basil. Serve hot or cold.

TIP: Cut kernels off of corn cobs by standing each ear of corn on its end in a big bowl and slicing from the top downward.

We haven’t tried this with frozen corn, but it would probably work fine. It’s just so much fun to pretend we’re rustic farmers or something and buy the corn still in the husks and do the work ourselves.

Last month, after surveying the status of the economy, but more importantly, my waistline, I decided I needed to focus a bit more on menu planning and healthy meals. As a result, we’ve been cooking some really great meals at home. While I’ve taken some photos, I’ve been lazy when it comes to actually getting the photos off the camera. But just because I don’t have a picture doesn’t mean I can’t share a recipe or two with you.

On Tuesday, we made what has become a favorite in recent weeks: grilled turkey burgers. These burgers are moist and flavorful, and low in fat so they’re better for you than beef. We grill a couple of red onion slices along with the burgers, and serve the burgers on lightly-grilled whole-wheat buns with the onions on the side. One recipe makes four burgers, and if you serve a good side dish, one burger is plenty for a meal, leaving another one for lunch the next day.

Oh, and since I’m following Weight Watchers, I’ll include the points value for those of you who might be interested.

Grilled Turkey Burgers
4 Servings
Weight Watchers Points: 7 per serving, including the bun

1.3 lbs ground turkey
1/4 c. dried bread crumbs
1/4  c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce
4 whole-grain buns

Combine turkey, bread crumbs, chopped onion, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha in a large bowl. Mix well. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties. Grill on a hot, pre-heated grill for about 7 minutes per side. Serve on whole-wheat buns.

TIP: When forming the patties, indent the center slightly so that the edges stick up more than the middle and they almost look like donuts, but the hole isn’t quite there. This will prevent the burgers from turning into puffy meatballs and they will stay nice and burger-shaped.

Tonight we’re making another favorite, turkey taco lettuce wraps with a side of basil-lime corn. I’ll let you know later how that turns out. In the mean time, I highly recommend you make these turkey burgers tonight!

He ain’t seen the sunshine in… I don’t know when.