In May, I’m focusing on only three things. Time Management. (I miss you guys, and I want to fix that.) Having Fun. (It’s all about balance.) Getting Organized. (Summer is right around the corner and I don’t want to miss any of it.)

That’s it for today. Not even going to mention April’s Focus… it was lost. Lots to share, coming soon, and I mean it. TGIF!

I found a few recipes online that inspired me to make this refreshing burger. Here are three that served me well: 1, 2, 3. Served with some blue corn tortilla chips and semi-homemade salsa, it was the perfect weeknight meal.

I was just using those recipes as inspiration, and my final mix was ground chicken meat, fresh cilantro, onion, red bell pepper, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. I would have thrown in some jalapeño too, but I didn’t have any on hand so I added some crushed red pepper to give them some heat.

I used our typical gluten-free Udi’s buns and topped the burgers with lettuce, some pepper jack cheese and some “easy guac.” Easy guac is some smashed up avocado with lime juice and garlic. Easy peasy guac.

Like I said, these were a great dinner and I could definitely see the Mr. and I making them again soon. They’re perfect for summer months when you’re craving a burger, but want something with a fresher taste.

Well, have I been the worst blogger or what? So much has happened in the past few weeks and I’ve hardly filled you in on any of it. The first week of radio silence on the blog I was busy prepping for a show (more on that soon.) And then last week, there was so much happening in the news that I didn’t want to tear anyone’s attention (or myself) from it all.

So, to quickly recap… I’ve been making tons of custom Toyidermy orders. Enjoying the beautiful city of Boston as Spring finally makes it’s debut. Eating lots of yummy goodness from Matt Murphy’s (French Toast), our home (GF cheesecake bites) & Tatte (Nut tartes, above.) I also enjoyed the marathon from Brookline, including snapping this photo (below) of the mens’ winner. And lastly, working on some new projects to share in my Etsy shop too.

That’s it for now! A HUGE thank you to all of the friends and family who reached out to make sure we were okay last week. We were reeling with emotions from shocked to heartbroken to sad to anxious. But we were merely bystanders to all the events. Those that were seriously affected are the ones that need our concern. You can help by keeping them in your thoughts, donating to the One Fund, and by continuing to visit Boston and support our local economy. We are happy to call Boston home and we’d love to have you visit any time (just not all at once!)

After Burger #6, I knew I needed a winner for number 7. And. This. Is. It. The Buffalo Turkey Burger. It’s topped with blue cheese. It’s topped with broccoli slaw. It’s the perfect way to get this Burger Project back on track.

You guys already know of my love of Buffalo sauce. And this burger is the perfect vessel for that hard-to-resist Buffalo flavor.

I paired the burger with some fresh celery and carrots, to add to the whole Buffalo-wing-in-a-burger experience.

Basically, for the recipe, I added Buffalo sauce and little red cayenne pepper to some ground turkey. If you’re looking for a more thorough recipe, there’s a great one over on Skinny Taste, which just so happens to be one of my favorite food blogs.

Let’s start out the week, and the month, with the “F-list.” Not much to say today, so, let’s go…

1. Food Blogs | I love to read food blogs and look at the gorgeous photos. Here’s a collection of my fave food blogs.
2. Frank’s Red Hot | I put that ish on everything.
3. Feedly | It’s no secret now that Google Reader is on its way out. So, I’ve jumped on the Feedly bandwagon.
4. Flipboard | I’m all about the web this week. If you have an iPad, Flipboard is a must.
5. Farmhouse Style | I keep pinning tables like this one. Someday, someday.
6. Friends & Family | Hey, that’s you guys! And to celebrate you, and the month of April, I’m giving you, dear readers, 15% off anything in my Etsy shop all month long. Simply use code FF2013 at checkout!

It’s not April quite yet, but it’s time to make some new “One Little Word” goals to start out the month fresh on Monday. Spring is finally here. I guess the geese, the robins and the crocuses read my post earlier this week.

1 | Reading More, again | I had started to read on the train during my morning commute in the winter, but lately I’ve been zoning out. Here’s to more reading, again. Leave book suggestions in the comments, please!

2 | Actionable Planning | Sometimes I plan to do something (i.e. finish a craft project) but I don’t plan how or when it’s going to happen. There needs to be more of that.

3 | Dancing | My students have their performance in April and so do my mom’s students. I can’t wait to take in all the dancing this month holds. Note, I’m also open to more sporadic dancing anytime, just ask.

4 | Embracing the Season | I’m ready to jump head first into spring. I just want to make sure I’m the best me I can be when it gets here.

5 | Creating Balance | This comes in all things. Salad during the week, nachos on the weekend. Work & “play” and finding the difference between the two. Balance is forever shifting.

And, let’s not forget about March:

1 | Slowing Down | I did slow down a little bit, but not enough. I mean, can you ever slow down enough?

2 | Thoroughness | Huge fail. I did not get to finish any of projects I have started.

3 | Patience | I think I became a little more patient. It’s just a matter of counting to 10 when annoyances start to creep in. Still, it’s something to think about and work on always.

4 | Me | This was my way of saying I was going to eat better and go to the gym more in March. Hmmm, not so much, but there’s always April.

5 | Time Management | I’ve definitely gotten a better hold on this. I simply tell myself I have a certain amount of time to do something then switch off the TV, wash out my paintbrushes, stop hitting snooze when that time is up.

OK. In the interest of full disclosure and honesty and truth in blogging, etc. Right up front. I’m going to tell you that this was a burger fail. Excellent in concept, poor execution. The idea was, a sloppy joe, but way less sloppy, like a burger. Hence, Sloppy Joe Burger.

Things started out looking good. Don’t you think? I did. You’re probably wondering why there is ketchup on them, right? Well. I decided to make my own sloppy joe seasoning, instead of using a packet. (I think know this is where things started to go wrong.) The recipe I found called for adding a cup of ketchup as you browned the ground meat. So, I squirted some on before I flipped the little guys.

They looked delightful. I was so ready to have a delicious dinner. So, I placed a patty on my gluten-free bun, threw some chips on the plate and took a bite. It was… interesting. As were the next few bites.

I couldn’t figure out what was “wrong” while I was eating the bun too. I took a little bite of just the burger and discovered the problem. Too much garlic was it? (is there such a thing?) Or maybe too much smoked paprika? Or too much ketchup? Maybe I should have started with a packet of sloppy joe seasoning.

I even spared Mr. GMET from trying these bad boys out. The leftover burger snuck it’s way into another dish where I could balance the overuse of so many spices. And the recipe? You’re not getting it from me. Or anyone for that matter. Because it didn’t work.

Better luck next time, I suppose.

You guys. I can’t even lie. I am over it. The snow. The puffer jacket. The boots. The everything. And it’s got me in a funk here, hence the sporadic posts. Don’t get me wrong—I love curling up under a blanket with a cup of hot tea on a cold winter’s night. But I’m ready for spring. I’m ready to get back out there and explore without starting to sweat while wearing 15 layers because you were cold but then you got warm from hopping on the T. You know the feeling? We’ve got places to go, people to see and new spring clothes to show off.

Spring. So close, yet so far. Almost, Louise. Almost.

I’m not going to lie. I put off making “The E List” because I didn’t think it would be as Easy as it was to come up with a list of favorites that start with E. But once I thought about all my favorite things in the world—I have a lot, hence the name of this blog—it was simple to compile this short list!

1. Epiphanie Camera Bags | You guys are probably sick of me talking about Epiphanie Bags. But I love the one I have and I love this cute chevron bag too.
2. Etsy | I mean. It’s my go-to for all things cute.
3. Easter Bunny Drink Stirrers | Speaking of Etsy, these drink stirrers, and all the other ones in this shop, are adorable.
4. Even Numbers | I’ve just always had a thing for even numbers.
5. Egg Holder | I love that this looks like it’s from Anthro, but you can find it at World Market.
6. Emerald Green | It’s the color of the year. You’ve got to get behind it with a cute iPhone case.

Today, because it’s Friday. Because it’s Lent. Because I left you hanging all week. Today, I thought I’d share this tasty non-traditional burger I whipped up last week. Burger number 5 of 20 is a Tilapia (Fish Cake) Burger with chipotle ranch dressing. And, it’s gluten-free!

I started off with this recipe from Martha Stewart, but quickly realized it would need some tweaking. For instance, saltine crackers aren’t gluten free. I’m not a fan of horseradish. And I didn’t need to make tons of small fish cakes, just two big ones.

The tweaking paid off. These were the perfect Friday night meal for us. And Mr. Gets Me Every Time said he would eat these again—even before the Chicken Parm Burgers. Coming from a man who loves Italian food and isn’t really into seafood, this came as a pleasant surprise to me. We had a salad with these tasty burgers and it was a great Friday night in.

Here’s my version of the recipe:

BURGERS:
3 tilapia filets
olive oil
5 tbsp (gluten-free) breadcrumbs
1 tsp lemon juice
1 heaping spoonful of mayonnaise
A few shakes of parsley
Pinches of: salt, pepper, crushed red pepper

CHIPOTLE RANCH:
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

Most of the directions are the same as Martha’s.

Pre-heat oven to 400. Coat filets with olive oil (I used my Misto) and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Bake fish for about 10 – 15 minutes, until roasted through.

While your tilapia cools, cut up one of those peppers then mix with a few tablespoons of ranch dressing.

Once the fish is cool, heat up about two tbsps of olive oil in a pan. Meanwhile, flake your fish with a fork into a bowl along with 4 tbsp breadcrumbs, the red pepper, parsley, lemon juice egg and mayo. Mix it all together carefully, then split into half and form two patties.

Spread remaining breadcrumbs on flat surface and coat fish cakes with crumbs. Cook each patty over medium heat until the breadcrumbs are golden before serving on your favorite buns (ours our Udi’s Gluten Free Buns.)