Pimento Cheese and BBQ Bacon Burgers

The title pretty much says it all - a delicious and indulgent combo!  This spin on the classic cheeseburger was so mouthwateringly good that I forgot to take a picture before I started eating it.  In fact, my mouth is watering right now as I type!  This recipe takes a little more time than your ordinary cheeseburger but it really elevates the cheeseburger to something extraordinary, so I think it's worth the extra time and effort.  I hope you enjoy this burger recipe as much as my family did.

Pimento Cheese and BBQ Bacon Burgers
adapted from Saveur
serves 3

for the pimento cheese:
3 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz white cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons chopped pimentos, drained
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise (recommended brand: Hellman's)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

for the burgers:
1 lb ground beef or bison
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons smoky BBQ sauce
6 slices bacon
Hamburger buns
Lettuce
Tomato slices
Mayo

For the pimento cheese, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the burgers, in a medium bowl, mix ground meat, onion and BBQ sauce.  Separate meat into three even-sized pieces and form into patties.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat.  Remove cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Heat an indoor grill pan to medium-high heat and carefully drizzle reserved bacon fat over grill pan.  Season burger patties with salt and pepper.  Grill patties, flipping once, until desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium-rare.  Top burgers with a liberal scoop of pimento cheese and cover pan with a lid to help cheese melt.  Carefully transfer burgers to buns and top with lettuce, tomato and a little extra mayonnaise.

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Chips & Salsa Burgers

Combining one of my favorite appetizers - chips and salsa - with a burger? Yes, please! The recipe sounded just weird enough that I knew I had to try it out. And I'm glad I did! There are very few ingredients in this recipe, but it was surprisingly flavorful. The salsa kept the meat moist and the chips added a nice little crunch. This is probably in my top three favorite burger recipes. Really simple, really good!

Chips & Salsa Burger

adapted from Sargento (I originally saw the recipe on another blog - unfortunately I can't remember which one! My apologies to the original blogger!)

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup salsa (I used a cilantro salsa)

1/3 cup tortilla chips, crushed

1/3 c shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 t chili powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

4 hamburger buns, split open and toasted

Suggested toppings: extra cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, pickled jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips, an extra dollop of salsa

In a large bowl, combine beef, salsa, chips, cheese, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Shape into 4 patties.

Grill patties on a medium-hot grill. Grill 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center. Serve on hamburger buns with desired toppings.

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Stoofvlees (Belgian Beef Stew)

I'm probably a little late to jump on the bandwagon, but I just stumbled upon this awesome blog, Global Table Adventures. I absolutely love her concept of making a meal from every country in the world - I had such fun exploring her blog. She is conquering the countries alphabetically and is currently working on Guatemala. While I was perusing her menus, I found her recipe for a traditional Belgium beef stew called Stoofvlees. It was served over pomme frites (otherwise known as french fries, but that doesn't sound nearly as sophisticated!) so I knew it had to be a winner. Despite it not really being stew weather, I decided to go for it.

This recipe takes a little preplanning since it needs to marinate 24 hours and then it needs to cook for several hours. But the upside is that come dinnertime, you don't have much left to do! The beef was really tender and delicious and I loved eating it over the fries. Even Finley, who loves to chew meat and then spit it out, actually ate all of her beef. How could you not, it practically melted in your mouth! The only real down side was that the stew wasn't very healthy - it didn't have any veggies besides onion, and hello, it's served over fries. But every now and then, we all need a little dietary splurge!

Thanks for visiting! Please leave questions or comments - I always love to hear from you!Erin

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Cheesy Sausage and Potatoes

While this recipe is not healthy or gourmet at all, it was so good that Andrew and I both cleaned our plates! The recipe only has a few ingredients, which is always nice. I could easily see craving this dish when it's cold outside and I want some simple comfort food.

Just a thought - I think this recipe would be great too if you substituted the smoked sausage for crumbled breakfast sausage and topped the hash with poached or over easy eggs.

Cheesy Sausage and Potatoes

adapted by Erin from Simple and Delicious

3 T olive oil

1 bag frozen cubed potatoes

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 lb smoked sausage, sliced

5 slices American cheese

In a large pan over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil is heated, add potatoes, onion, red and green bell peppers. Cook until potatoes are tender and golden brown and vegetables are soft. Add sliced sausage and cook until heated through. place cheese slices over mixture. Remove from heat and cover pan to allow cheese to melt. Stir to combine cheese into sausage-potato hash and serve.

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Super Bowl Food Ideas

When I think of the Super Bowl, I think of munching on a smorgasbord of finger foods - not football. And with the Super Bowl only a few weeks away, I know I'm already thinking what nibbles I can make and I bet I'm not alone. Just wanted to pass on a few of the recipes that I'm thinking of making...

Queso Blanco Dip - In Texas, we have all kinds of different queso recipes but this one using white cheese looks like a nice change of pace to me.

Sweet and Savory Wings - You can't have a game watching party without wings, right? This recipe intrigued me - read it and you'll see why!

Buffalo Popcorn Chicken Bites - These look easy and yummy!

Pretzel Crusted Pickle Chips with Mustard Sauce - These sound just weird enough to be delicious. And they have good reviews too!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos - Oh my gosh, these are delicious. I've made them several times (I'm not sure how they haven't made it onto my blog yet!) and I know they'd be a perfect addition to a buffet. If you make them, you MUST make the cilantro sauce that goes with them. The best part of this recipe is that it makes a ton and the left-overs freeze beautifully - even the sauce!

Salad on a Stick - I love this idea! It makes a salad look so much cuter and it makes it portable. I think kids would be more apt to eat their veggies if they're served on a skewer too.

Bacon Cheese Fries - When I lived in Dallas, I used to frequent this restaurant, Snuffer's, and they had the best cheese fries. This recipe sounds really similar and I think everyone would love them on game day.

Spinach Artichoke Dip - Spinach Artichoke Dip is a perennial favorite for a reason - it's good. Really, really good. It's a great dish for a buffet too because it can be prepared ahead of time and then baked right before the game. Plus you gotta get some veggies in somehow...

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Jambalaya

When it's cold outside (you know, one of the three days in Texas), and I'm not in the mood for chili, then jambalaya usually fits the bill. I love it! I've had a few jambalaya disasters - i.e. the time I found a recipe that called for 2 tablespoons of sugar!!! - but I think I've finally come up with a delicious and fairly easy dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!

Jambalaya

an Erin original

2 T olive oil

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small white onion (or 1/2 of a large one), chopped

1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced

1 t smoked paprika

1 t garlic salt

1 t thyme

1 bay leaf

black pepper, to taste

1 (14.5-oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 t Worcestershire sauce

3-4 dashes (or more if you like it really spicy!) Tabasco sauce

4 c chicken broth

2 c white rice

1 chicken breast, cooked and meat shredded (rotisserie chicken is perfect), optional

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled, optional

3 green onions, chopped on diagonal, optional

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot, add celery, bell pepper and onion. Saute until slightly softened, about five minutes. Add sausage to pot and continue to cook a few more minutes, until sausage is thoroughly heated and starting to brown. With a slotted spoon, remove sausage and place on paper towel-lined plate. Set sausage aside.

Add paprika, garlic salt, thyme and pepper. Stir to combine. Add bay leaf, tomatoes (with their juice), Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and broth. Bring to a boil. Add rice and stir to combine. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Add sausage, chicken (if using) and shrimp (if using) and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and rice is tender. Remove bay leaf and spoon into bowls. Garnish with green onions (if using).

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Southwestern Turkey Burgers

I was craving a burger recently, but I wanted something a little healthier than the average beef burger. I invited my parents over for dinner and I tried a new Rachael Ray recipe for Southwest Turkey Burgers and everyone enjoyed them. The patties were moist (which can sometimes be a problem with turkey since it's such a lean meat), flavor-packed and the pepper jack cheese really added a spicy zing. I think next time I might leave off the bacon and add mashed avocado. Overall, I really good burger and it's a recipe I'll definitely make again. Oh, and I served the burgers with homemade sweet potato fries and fresh fruit salad.

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Asian Meatballs

Just about every month a group of friends and I take turns hosting a potluck dinner. The hostess gets to pick the theme and since this month was my turn to host, I picked appetizers. I love appys! I love grazing on lots of small plates rather than committing to just one main dish. I went a little overboard and made four different appetizers, all of which turned out pretty darned yummy!

I wanted to make something meat-y so I decided on meatballs but I wanted something different than the traditional meatball recipe. I stumbled upon this Rachael Ray recipe for Asian Meatballs and went with it. The meatballs were very moist and flavorful and a unique take on the ordinary meatball!

Asian Meatballs

adapted from Rachael Ray's magazine

4 scallions, green and white parts, coarsely chopped
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 serrano or jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 c soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves (a handful)
Zest of 2 limes
1 pound ground sirloin

1 pound ground pork
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the scallions, half of the ginger, the bell pepper, half of the chile pepper, the garlic, the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, the cilantro leaves and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl and process 1 minute more, or until finely ground. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add the meat and mix gently until thoroughly combined. Roll the meat into 32 balls the size of golf balls.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Add the meatballs and don't move them until they are brown on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Turn the meatballs and continue to cook, browning them on all sides, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Place the finished meatballs on a serving platter, with toothpicks on the side.

Here's a link to the original recipe: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/appetizer-starter-recipes/Asian-Meatballs-with-Spicy-Lime-Dipping-Sauce

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Pork and Chickpea Chili

My friend Jennifer introduced me to this dish and I really love it. It's fast to make, inexpensive, far different from your ordinary beef chili, freezes well and it tastes great - what more could you ask for! My one recommendation/warning about this recipe is to be careful what kind of green salsa you buy because some of them can be pretty spicy. I served it with Creamy Cucumber Salad and that helped to combat the spiciness of my chili a bit too.

http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Pork-and-Chickpea-Chili-Recipe

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Cobb Salad

When I'm trying to eat healthy, I always want to eat a salad, but they don't seem to fill me up for very long and salads don't seem like 'dinner' to Andrew. But that's not the case with a good, hearty Cobb Salad. God bless the man (or woman) who came up with the Cobb Salad - I am forever grateful! They're so simple to make that I'm hesitant to even post it here since it doesn't really involve a recipe...but maybe it will give someone else the idea to serve one for lunch or dinner sometime soon!

To make it easier and faster to assemble at dinner time, I usually cook the bacon, hard-boiled eggs and chicken ahead of time. Then at dinner time, I just need to chop everything up! Also, traditionally Cobb Salad is served with bleu cheese dressing, which you can make from scratch using this recipe http://bakingandeggs.blogspot.com/2010/01/homemade-bleu-cheese-dressing.html, or use store-bought dressing.

Cobb Salad
1 romaine heart, chopped
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
2 slices of bacon (can substitute turkey bacon)
1/4 cup cheese (I used cheddar because that's what I had on hand, but traditionally you'd use bleu cheese)
1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced or shredded
1 large (or 2 small) avocadoes, chopped
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Salad dressing of choice

On a large serving platter, lay down the lettuce. Sprinkle the toppings in rows across the top of the lettuce and serve the dressing on the side. Voila!

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Buffalo Wings Dip

My mom made this and brought some over and I was hooked! So hooked I went to the store and made it that night. Yum! And so easy to make too. I'm not sure where my mom got the recipe but here's my take on it:

Buffalo Wings Dip

1 1/2 c cooked chicken, chopped (I used meat from a rotisserie chicken)

1/2 c Frank's hot sauce (if you substitute Tabasco sauce, use less b/c I think it's hotter)

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c bleu cheese salad dressing

1/4 c bleu cheese crumbles

1 c grated cheddar cheese, divided

1 T celery tops, minced

celery ribs, for serving

potato chips, for serving

1.) In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine chicken and hot sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes to heat through and add cream cheese. Stir to combine. Cook until cheese is melted and then remove from heat and stir in dressing, bleu cheese and 3/4 c cheddar cheese.

2.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small baking dish and pour dip into it. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and minced celery tops. Bake 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with celery ribs and potato chips. Delish!

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Individual Beef Wellingtons

This dish is one that I made for Andrew when we were first dating and he loved it so much that I still make it for special occasions, such as Valentine's Day! There are lots of beef wellington recipes out there and most of them are pretty complex so I've tried to simplify it while not sacrificing the flavors.

Individual Beef Wellingtons - serves 4

2 T butter

8-10 cremini mushrooms, finely diced

2 shallots, finely diced

1/2 t dried thyme

2 T white wine

1/5 lb smooth pate (I usually buy a truffle mousse pate)

4 small beef tenderloin filets, seasoned generously with salt and pepper

1 pkg puff pastry dough

1 egg, separated with only the whites reserved

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, thyme and wine. Saute until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are lightly browned and softened. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble, lay out each sheet of puff pastry and cut each sheet in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in the center of each piece of puff pastry. Top with 1/4 of the pate and a filet. Fold the pastry around the beef, careful to pinch the seams closed. Cut off any extra pastry dough. (With the extra dough, you can cut out designs to top the wellingtons to make them fancier.) Beat the egg white with a tablespoon of water. Gently brush the egg wash over the tops of the wellingtons. Bake in the preheated oven 15-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

**Alternatively, you can buy a tenderloin roast (instead of separate filets) and make one large beef wellington, which is more traditional and better if you prefer your meat to be rare to medium-rare. When the filets are baked individually, they're more likely to cook more thoroughly.

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Bucatini All'Amatriciana with Spicy Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs

This is a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe and it was the best version of spaghetti and meatballs I have ever tried! I will make this recipe over and over, it really was that good! The meatballs had a very smooth texture and a great flavor that complimented the sauce really well. With every bite, I really felt like I was eating at a nice Italian restaurant. This is one of the rare recipes that I followed exactly and did not change anything and I'm so glad I did!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/bucatini-allamatriciana-with-spicy-smoked-mozzarella-meatballs-recipe/index.html

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Matt's El Rancho's Cheese Enchiladas

Since the advent of the internet, I rarely use any of my many cookbooks, so I am on a mission to make at least one recpe from each of my cookbooks. This evening was our first foray and it was a success! My sweet husband made me cheese enchiladas with beef sauce from our Matt's El Rancho cookbook and they really were just as good - if not better! - than the ones at the restaurant. The recipe didn't look hard, and there weren't very many ingredients, but it was a little time-consuming to make since the sauce had to simmer for an hour. (Andrew wanted me to emphasize the importance of dipping the tortillas in the hot oil or else the tortillas fall apart.)

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

2 cups enchilada sauce of your choice (the recipe for the sauce we used in below)

1 cup vegetable oil

12 corn tortillas

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

Get your ingredients together and warm your sauce. In a skillet on medium, heat the oil. Dip tortillas in oil for 4 to 5 seconds until limp. Place on paper towels to drain.

After all the tortillas have been dipped in oil and drained, dip them in warm enchilada sauce and stack on a plate. Remove a tortilla from your stack, fill with 2 heaping tablespoons of cheese and 1 tablespoon of onion. Roll up and place seam side down, side by side, in a casserole dish.

Evenly pour sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and they're ready to serve.

Beef Enchilada Sauce

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Tex-Mex spice

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

2 cups water

1 can whole tomatoes, diced or crushed

Combine all ingredients except for water and tomatoes. Place in a cold skillet. On medium heat, cook for 6 to 8 minutes (until onion is translucent). Add water and tomatoes. Simmer gently for 1 hour; stir and scrape the pan occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn't stick.

Source: Matt Martinez - Mex Tex Cookbook

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Bison Burgers with Bleu Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Recently I've started using ground bison in place of ground beef because it's so much healthier. Bison has half the saturated fat and half the cholesterol as beef so I feel much less guilty about eating a burger when it's made with bison. But I'm off my soapbox now!

I made this because I wanted a more gourmet burger and it turned out fantastically! The tang of the bleu cheese and the sweetness of the onions paired so well with the bison. Andrew and I both really liked it. A lot!

For the burger - serves 3:

3/4 lb ground bison
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T dijon mustard
1 t worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
bleu cheese crumbles
caramelized onions**
hamburger buns
mayo and/or mustard
romaine lettuce

In a mixing bowl, combine the bison, shallot, garlic, dijon, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Knead ingredients together until well combined. Divide the meat mixture into three round patties.

Heat grill pan to medium-high heat. Place the patties on the grill pan and cook about 4 minutes and flip burgers over. Cook another 4 minutes. Top burgers with bleu cheese crumbles and cook another 1-2 minutes until cheese is softened (but it probably won't look melted).

Toast hamburger buns in oven or on grill pan for 1-2 minutes. Spread mayo and/or mustard on buns. Place bleu cheese patties on buns and top with caramelized onions and lettuce. Serve with sweet potato fries (see previous post for recipe).

**To caramelize onions, heat 1-2 T butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Slice one large onion into rings. Separate the rings and place in the pan. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramel in color, about 30 minutes. You can salt and sugar them prior to cooking if you want to but it isn't a necessity.

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Chili

Cold and wet weather means it is chili time! So tonight Andrew and I whipped up a batch of chili to compliment this dreary weather. I have a chili recipe that I have used for a couple of years now and we really like it. I like to serve it with biscuits, fritos or cornbread and I like to top my chili with green onions, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Here's my recipe - it looks like a ton of ingredients but many of them are common spices and seasonings that you probably have in your pantry already:

Chili

1 lb ground beef or bison

4 slices peppered bacon

2 tablespoons olive oil (or leftover bacon grease)

1 small white onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 (14 oz) can of beef broth

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can chili beans

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bottle beer of your choice

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons oregano, dried

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon basil, dried

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayene

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

In a saute pan, cook ground beef (or venison) until browned. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, cook bacon until crispy and fat is rendered. Drain bacon on paper towels. Crumble bacon when cool enough to handle and set aside with the beef.

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onion, bell pepper and celery until onion turns translucent. Add the beef, bacon and remaining ingredients, except for the tomato paste, and simmer for at least an hour and up to four hours. Stir in the tomato paste and stir to incorporate it fully. Continue simmering for an additional 30 minutes.

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Nachos

The nachos before I covered all the good stuff with cheese.

Not gourmet, certainly not elegant, but so yummy! And easy! These days easy is of the utmost important since I don't always have a lot of time in the kitchen. For these nachos I laid out tortilla chips on a baking pan and layered them with taco meat, black beans, avocado chunks, tomatoes, green onions and shredded cheddar cheese. Threw them in a 325 degree oven for 9-10 minutes and put them on the table. I served them with a sour cream-salsa dip that I made by combining equal parts sour cream and salsa (go figure!).

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