Tex Mex Burgers

On Saturday we had a fiesta for this young girl's birthday. I originally wanted the party to be Mediterranean themed, then Spanish themed but it ended up being a fiesta theme. So we had a nice mix of it all. Bec throws fiestas for her students all the time so I thought she needed one thrown for her.

Throughout the next few posts, I will write about what we ate, starting with the Tex Mex Burger. I got this recipe from a blog called Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

For the burgers (makes 4):

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 cup grated onion

1 1/2 tablespoon dry taco seasoning

Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT cheese with your hands. Form into 4 patties. Place on a hot grill and cook to your liking. Once nearly done, top with shredded cheese and heat until cheese melts.

For Pico de Gallo topping:

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

3/4 cup yellow & red bell pepper combined, diced

1/2 cup red onion, diced (I didn't use)

1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

juice of 1 lime

salt

pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a non metallic bowl. Cover and refrigerate for up to one day in advance.

For Spicy Mayo and all other ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo

hot sauce

Mix mayo with hot sauce to your taste.

1 avacado, sliced

4 Kaiser rolls

Place burger on roll, top with pico de gallo, slather spicy mayo on top part of bun and add sliced avacado.

Eventhough it was Bec's bday, she still took food pix for me! Thank you!

o

Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapple from The Pioneer Woman

One day last week we were searching for a dinner idea and I found this recipe right after Ree posted it on her blog and it immediately looked good to me. We have been eating a lot of stir frys and rice lately so this was right down our alley.

The sweet and spicy is so good!

1-¼ pound Ground Beef
½ whole Onion, Diced Very Finely
1 whole Egg
½ cups Panko Bread Crumbs (or Regular Breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
½ teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper, More To Taste
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
Canola Oil, For Frying
2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Seeded And Diced Roughly
1-½ cup Fresh Pineapple Chunks (I used canned because it's what I had and they were still very tasty!)
2 cups Beef Stock Or Broth
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
½ cups Sherry Or White Wine Vinegar
⅓ cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Salt To Taste
Crushed Red Pepper, To Taste
Extra Beef Stock If Needed

Combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. Mix with hands until combined. Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar), sugar, and cornstarch.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch. Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.

Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. Stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste.

'

Serve over cooked brown or white rice.

;

Beef & Vegetable Potpie with Cheddar Biscuits

Since the cold weather is upon us, I was looking for something hearty for dinner last night. As I was flipping through the latest Food and Wine magazine I came across a beef and vegetable potpie with cheddar biscuits. It sounded good and after going the through the entire magazine and another cookbook, I went back to that potpie. I am so glad I did!

But as I put the potpie into the oven, I realized I should not be a model for cooking success! With a hungry man waiting for his dinner and me hurrying with all my might, I forgot to add the peas to the pie!! We had them as a side. So if you make this, don't forget the peas!!!

The biscuits turned out so good on top of the pie! Make sure the bisuit dough is dense - if it's too runny, add more flour. If it's too thick, add a touch more milk.

The original recipe makes 2 potpies to serve 12 people. I halved the recipe and it turned out perfectly! I wrote below how I made a single potpie, which would serve roughly 5 people but if you go here, you can see the original recipe.



Beef-and-Vegetable Potpie with Cheddar Biscuits from Food & Wine Magazine

1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium to large parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons self-rising flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 (10 oz) package frozen peas
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese


Preheat the oven to 450° and position a rack in the upper third. Line the bottom of the oven with foil to catch any drips.

In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the oil. Add the onion, carrots and parsnips; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 minutes.


Add the beef and rosemary and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until no trace of pink remains and any liquid has almost evaporated, 10 minutes.


Stir in 3 Tablespoons of the flour and cook for 2 minutes.


Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the milk and the stock and simmer until thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Put the remaining 2 cups of flour in a large bowl. Cut in the remaining 7 Tablespoons of butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheddar. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of milk until a smooth dough forms. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, arrange mounds of the biscuit dough on the filling baking dish.

Bake both potpie on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are cooked through.

Let the potpies rest for 10 minutes before serving.

A parsnip is a great alternative to boring ole potatoes!

Those stinkin' peas on the side!

Friday Night Dinner

After a long week last week, Adam and I had no plans for Friday evening and we were so excited to do nothing and just stay at home. But we couldn't decide what to have for dinner. We wanted something easy and delicious - like always. So we turned to Mary and asked her for ideas. She suggested grilled steak topped with Boursin cheese. We thought that sounded perfect so we stopped at the store on the way home.

Of course we grabbed some asparagus too - Adam's new favorite vegetable - and potatoes.

Our dinner right out of the shopping bag:



And 30 minutes later on our dinner plates:

We got 2 T-bone steaks, seasoned them with McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning and cooked them on a hot grill. We then ate every bite of the meat with Lite Herbed Bousin cheese - very rich and creamy -which you can find in the specialty cheese department of most grocery stores. The Lite cheese was very tasty! And good thing we got lite because we ate over half of the little tub!

I roasted the asparagus in a 400 degrees oven with salt and pepper and olive oil for about 5- 8 minutes.

For the potatoes, I peeled and cubed 3 potatoes. I put them into boiling salted water and allowed them to cook for 5 minutes. While they were boiling, I heated 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. After 5 minutes, I drained the potatoes and added them to the hot oil in the skillet. Then I just let them fry for about 15 minutes or until they get to be browned to my liking. Then scoop them out of the oil onto a paper towel lined plate and add salt and pepper.

A great go-to potato side dish for all meals of the day.

This was a very yummy dinner a a little splurge to kick off the weekend. I have been thinking about it a lot since Friday... Are you hungry now too??

Labor Day Weekend Fête - Part 1

Last Saturday we had some friends over for an end of the summer cookout so my mom and I were busy bees in the kitchen from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. Everything from berry iced tea to shrimp kabobs to tabbouleh to roasted nuts - after lots of chopping, boiling, peeling and stirring, we were ready for our guests. Below are two collages Rebecca created with the photos she took of the food. What great talent she has!

Over the next few posts, I will tell you about what I made, beginning with the Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches.

At our house we get so many food magazines, filled with recipes that look absolutely delicious. There are way too many for us to make! I went back through the Paula Deen magazines and found this delicious recipe from a few months ago. I planned on 1/4 lb of beef per person - so that was a 6 lb loin - fortune for our party and fellowship but unfortunate for the amount of meat - more people came than I prepared for so those 6 pounds went very quickly!

This recipe serves 12

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 (4 1/2 lb) trimmed beef tenderloin
12-15 onion rolls, split, buttered, and toasted (We used regular, poppy seed and sesame seed rolls and we didn't toast them - if I were to make 5 instead of 24, I would butter and toast them!)
arugula
Bacon Horseradish Sauce (see below)


In a large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Add tenderloin, seal bag, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. ** We used a big plastic container (instead of a bag) that we could keep flipping throughout the marinading processes. We let it marinade overnight and through to our afternoon cooking time.**


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a broiler pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place rack on pan; spray with nonstick cooking spray.


Drain tenderloin, discarding marinade. Place tenderloin on prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion reads 145. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. ** Of course my mom and I argued over when it was done. I enjoy this type of beef cut medium rare, otherwise it gets tough. You will have to adjust the cooking time depending on how big your loin is but this is a very appropriate cooking temp and time.**

Spread desired amount of Bacon Horseradish Sauce (See recipe below) over botttoms of buns. Top with desired amount of arugula. Top with sliced tenderloin. cover with bun tops. Serve immediately.


Bacon Horseradish Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used like 9 slices! - my rule of thumb: ALWAYS use more bacon than called for!)
4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons green onions, minced
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, bacon horseradish,green onion, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cover and chill.

** Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.

The tenderloin right out of the oven, as I attack it with the electric knife! Oh and thank you to Bunny for taking over that knife for me.

We kept the beef warm in the chafing dish for serving.

The assembled sandwich.

Another creation was Carolina Coleslaw - a very colorful combination with a vinegar-based dressing.

1 head cabbage (red, green or mix) shredded
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated (bought a bag of the carrot matchsticks)

Dressing:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp celery seed
1 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup Vegetable oil

In a large bowl, toss vegetables together

In a small sauce pan, mix together sugar, salt, mustard, and celery seed. Add vinegar and oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Pour hot dressing over salad; toss well

Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days before serving.

All photos by Bec.

A Campfire Story Thru Photos

On Monday night Rebecca had a campfire picnic in honor of her guest Jamie. Jamie and Bec were good friends in college and studied together in Sevilla and student taught together in Pittsburgh. Jamie now lives in Virginia and it's been awhile since I've seen her so I was super excited to spend some time with her! When us girls get together, we can't help but to take photos. Here is a cute photo of Jamie (left) and Rebecca:

Feeling a little silly, I suggested we do some jumping photos:

While the girls were busy taking photos, the men started grilling. On the menu: sliders with a plethora of toppings. We wanted to try different combos of toppings but didn't want to be stuck with a full-sized burger. Mini burgers were a perfect solution! Here, is the full grill over the campfire.

Here are just some of our toppings - bacon, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, mango & avocado salsa. Not pictured is 4 different kinds of cheese including bleu, sliced avocado, grilled pineapple, pickles, ranch dressing, pizza sauce, bbq sauce, ketchup, mustard and mayo.

I made this pasta salad which contains arugula, goat cheese, cannellini beans, red onions and a homemade vinegarette (recipe to follow):

Here is my plate with the pasta and two burgers. Burger on the left contains American cheese, grilled pineapple and mango & avocado salsa. Burger on the right includes Swiss cheese, bacon, mushrooms, onion, tomato and avocado:

You can tell I thought the burgers were super delicious:

And finally, to round out our night, we tried to use the popcorn popper I bought at the Amish Auction. To begin, I butter and oil up the toaster, throw in some kernels and sit it in the fire. In no time, the kernels were burnt. So we tried again and this time put a lot more olive oil in the toaster and Bec took charge. By keeping the contraption at a safe distant above the flames and by shaking constantly, we had some delightful popcorn in about 10 minutes! It was so successful Bec made us another batch! This toaster was the best $2 purchase I've made in quite awhile!

It was completely dark outside so we had to run inside to get good pix!

We had a great time eating our sliders and visiting with friends. Rebecca - let's make this a more regular event! Thanks for the hospitality, Siors!

Photos by Bec.

East Meets West Burger

The weekend I made a unique burger recipe I found from the June issue of Country Living (I'm a new subscriber - it's my first issue!). This recipe is from Ming Tsai, chef-owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It's called the East Meets West Burger, an apt name for this burger with plenty of spicy Asian flair.

A hoisin-lime sauce is used a a barbeque sauce and generously brushed onto the burger when half way done cooking. This is enough sauce for glazing 6 burgers. You can make more and reserve it if you want to have some extra to top on the burger once on the bun.

2 Tablespoons minced garlic (I used 2 cloves)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger

canola oil

1 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup canola oil

Salt and pepper

In a small saucepan, saute garlic and giner in canola oil until soft. Stir in hoisin sauce and cook for one minute. Transfer to a blender, add lime juice and oil; blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

After the burgers are done, top with a slice of sharp cheddar and allow to melt on grill.

Grill the buns (sesame if you can find them) if desired.

To top the burger, we used sliced avacado, tomato and iceburg lettuce, as well as a hot mustard - a mixture of Dijon and red chili sauce (or paste).

This was a very unique burger - lots of flavors going on. Everyone enjoyed it!

Don't be shy with the mustard - it gives it a real kick! I'm not even a fan of mustard and I loved this!

Healthier Beef Stroganoff

Sadly, here is another post without a picture. I didn't have my camera, but I really enjoyed this simple meal, so I thought I'd add it any way. The multigrain noodles reduce carbs and give the dish a richer taste.

This recipe is from the Real Simple February 2009 magazine. My changes, are in parenthesis or italics.

12 ounces multigrain noodles (Greg's mom suggests serving over rice, which I will try the next time - less struggling to keep on the fork than these noodles)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
4 shallots, sliced (used a white onion)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (used plain sour cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (didn't use)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In 2 batches, cook the steak until browned, about 1 minute per side (I cooked it a lot longer than this - it could have been because my slices were rather large. I cooked it to a medium doneness); transfer to a plate.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the skillet and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. At this point, I stirred in the sour cream and let it simmer for 30 minutes. I think it helped let the flavors mix and made the beef more tender.

As the meat simmers, cook noodles according to package directions. If you're not letting the meat simmer, start boiling the water before you brown the meat.

Serve over the noodles and top with the yogurt (or sour cream if you didn't mix it in) and dill.

If I would make it again, I would use the Greek yogurt (it has less fat). The only reason I didn't this time, is because I had sour cream already in the frige.

This is the photo from the website. If you can picture sour cream mixed in with the beef, that's what mine looked like.

Shredded Beef Sandwiches

I made this recipe awhile ago but I wasn't able to get home that evening to try any. My family said it was good so I thought I'd try it because it seemed easy to serve at a party in front of the TV (my goal was to have no silverware involved).

3 lb. beef chuck roast

1 large onion, chopped

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/3 cup white vinegar

Place roast in crock pot (may have to cut meat to fit in pot). Add onion and spices; pour vinegar over all. Cook on low for 11-12 hours or high for 5-6 hours. Once done, discard bay leaves & shred meat with fork. Serve in rolls with reserved juice.

Beginning of cook time.

My roast was frozen and the defrosted it for 10 minutes in the microwave but it was still almost completely frozen. I put the meat in at 7am on low and it was done by 5pm (10 hours) or maybe before that. The outside of the roast was nice and dark but the center was a brighter color (but still fully cooked).

Real minced garlic and ground black pepper would be more flavorful with this.

We ate our sandwiches on rolls with Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce.

We got about 8 servings out of this recipe. The day after, we sauted peppers and onions, heated the meat and made fajitas. We added shredded cheddar, the left over guacamole and made a salsa of chopped tomatoes and cilantro. They were tasty and all Greg's idea!