Gwyneth Paltrow gets a bad rap. A lot of which, I think, is caused by her affinity for trying new things. It also seems to have something to do with how good she is at the new things she tries. Maybe it’s our inner middle schooler feeling insecure or snarky, but it seems like whenever she tackles something new a large number of people line up to tell her how stupid she is for trying it.

Which is sad, because if she never went after new things, we wouldn’t have this cookbook, and it is remarkable. It’s healthy, but still flexible and very down-to-earth. The stories about her father are totally charming, and they remind me of my relationship with my dad (minus the foodie memories. Mine made a lot of Dinty Moore stew.).

Yes, I know many people think she is out of touch or full of herself. But, I personally think she seems interesting and like a lot of fun. I mean, how do people hate on this? This is brave.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbZcYy6AAGg&feature=relmfu]

Up until this week, I’d only made the rotisserie chicken from the cookbook, which was delicious by the way. Sunday, I told my husband we were having “a Gwyneth and Sophie week.” So far, I’ve made Paltrow’s corn chowder and stuffed turkey burgers, for which I’ve typed up the recipe. Tonight, I’m preparing the stir-fried chicken.

There’s also a recipe for Lalo’s Cookies in the book, which I’m excited to try. You can find the recipe on Lottie & Doof. Self apparently did a big piece on her Favorite Foods, and you can find some of the recipes from the book here as well.

Cheesy Stuffed Burgers

via My Father’s Daughter

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. evoo

1/2 c. of finely minced yellow onion

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 lb. ground turkey or chuck

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 c. grated cheese (I used Gruyère.)

4 whole wheat buns (I used some leftover egg buns from a BBQ at our house.)

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the onion and rosemary. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until softened. Let the onion mixture cool and then, put it in a large mixing bowl with the turkey, salt and pepper. Mush the ingredients together using your hands. Divide the mixture into quarters. Then, divide each quarter in half and form two patties. Place 2 tbsp. of cheese onto one pattie and sandwich with the other, pinching the edges closed. Repeat this process until you have four burgers.

Preheat your grill. Cook the burgers for 5 minutes on the first side, flip and cook for 4 more. This may take longer on a stove top grill. I tented mine with foil to speed up the cooking process. Serve them on buns with your favorite condiments. I used Dijon and mayo.  We had them with sweet potato fries – a huge timesaver and one of my favorite supermarket finds from the frozen food section.