Easy Cheesy-Burger Muffins

Ok, I know it sounds weird. And to be honest, it sort of was.. but in a surprisingly good way! Cheeseburger Muffins.. who would think of that? Well, given Brad's love of enclosing any and all things inside of any form of refrigerated Pillsbury roll, I saw this recipe and thought I'd give it a try. I think they would be cute in mini muffin form, too.. for superbowl parties and things of that nature.

And Amanda.. I'd stop reading now if I were you. I don't want you to gag and lose it all over your computer at the amount of ketchup that goes into these. ;)

- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 c. ketchup
- 1/3 c. dill pickle relish
- 2 T. yellow mustard
- 4 oz. cream cheese (I actually just bought one of the minis, which is 3 oz and it was just fine)
- 2 t. onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can Grands homestyle butter biscuits
- 1 egg
- 1 t. water
- sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 350. In a skillet over medium heat, brown your meat until cooked, then drain. Add onion powder, salt and pepper until incorporated into meat. Stir in ketchup, mustard, relish, and cream cheese. Cook for 5 minutes until creamy, then reduce the heat to low.

Separate the biscuits (you will only need 6 of the 8). Take the biscuits and cut them in half horizontally (to make 2 circles instead of one, not two circle halves). Take 6 of your halves and roll them out to be about 4 inches, then press these halves into a jumbo muffin tin. Divide the beef mixture evenly between the 6 muffin cups. Take the other 6 biscuit halves, press slightly with your palm to be large enough to cover the top of the muffin cups and beef mixture. Press the edges together with the bottom half of biscuit to seal.

Beat egg and water together, then brush on top of biscuit tops. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for about 5 minutes before eating.

** we also thought this would make an easy alternative to Sloppy Joes. Skip the biscuit part and just throw the beef mixture onto hamburger buns for an even quicker, easier dinner!

Mom's Chicken Salad - with a twist

I made this for dinner last night, and we both had it again for lunch today.. and probably again for lunch tomorrow! So, needless to say this makes a good portion. I've always loved my mom's chicken salad, but could never convince Brad to try it.. he always thought it sounded girly and wouldn't be enough to fill him up. He was wrong.. after the first bite his words were "add this to the keeper pile". And so, I share with you..

- 1 lb. chicken (we used two large chicken breasts)
- 2 large stalks of celery
- 1/4 or so of a small to medium onion
- 1 medium sized apple (any kind)
- 2 or 3 clusters of grapes from a bunch
- mayo
- salt & pepper
- curry powder

1. boil the chicken in a large pot with 1 bay leaf for 10-15 minutes, til done. Let cool completely
2. While boiling/cooling chicken, dice the fruit and vegetables into bite sized pieces (quarter the grapes, for a size reference)
3. When chicken has cooled, shred or tear apart into a bowl and toss liberally with salt and pepper
4. add grapes, apples, onion and celery to the bowl, mix.
5. bring it all together with mayo to the consistency you like. I start with 2 large spoons full and go from there.
6. once combined, season to taste with salt, pepper and curry.
7. refrigerate for at least one hour, serve on buttery croissants.. its the best way!

Italian Tortellini Soup - with pictures!

I had this soup at Ally & Jeff's a month or so ago & then tried it at home a couple days ago- delicious! 

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SOUP

IN OLIVE OIL SAUTE:

1 C. DICED CELERY

1 1/2 C. ONION DICED

3 CLOVES OF GARLIC

ADD THE FOLLOWING & SIMMER FOR 45 MIN. :

1 1/2 LBS OF ITALIAN SAUSAGE *(COOKED) (I obviously just cooked it in the skillet with the garlic, etc)

6 C. CHICKEN BROTH

3 T. SUGAR

2 BAY LEAVES

1/2 t. THYME

1/2 t. OREGANO

1/2 t. PARSLEY

1 CAN TOMATO SAUCE OR TOMATO PUREE

2 CANS DICED ITALIAN TOMATOES

(I tried the sausage two different ways- with 1/2 of it I squeezed it out of the packing & broke it up.  With the other half, I cooked it first & then cut it up. Make sense? It obviously didn't affect the taste in any way, but it looked prettier (if that's possible) cooked & then cut.)

AT THE END ADD 1 PKG (FROZEN) CHEESE TORTELLINI. HEAT TIL SOFT.

*YOU CAN ALSO USE 1/2 HAMBURGER INSTEAD OF ALL SAUSAGE...THE MORE SAUSAGE YOU USE THE SPICIER IT IS :) (I actually did this, simply because I had extra hamburger in the fridge & needed to use it.  It could've been a bit spicier, but was still delicious!)

Serve with cornbread to make it extra yummy! 

Simple Pasta

I was in the mood for something on the healthy side, that uses fresh veggies and just a light sauce so I came up with this pasta recipe and it turned out great!

1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1/2 an onion, sliced
EVOO
1/2 box Whole Wheat Rotini pasta

I sauteed up the onion and mushrooms in the EVOO. During the last few minutes of cooking I added in the garlic and let that cook for a few minutes. Then I added the whole can of tomatoes and let it all simmer together for a little while and then added in the cooked pasta and stirred. It took less than 15 minutes to make and it was really tasty. I added some grated parmesan to the top :) I think this would be good with all kinds of veggies, these are just the ones I had available for tonight. I hope cooking is treating you well and I look forward to hearing more recipes from you!

?Question?

Does anyone have a recipe for a creamy polenta?  Or any polenta dish that they really like for that matter?

Eggs Benedict - The Easy Way!

Last year, on Christmas morning, my mom made this for breakfast. NO ONE remembers eating it except for my husband and I. I don't know how you can't remember it, because it's so tasty. But then again, our Christmas mornings start with a bottle of champagne being opened, so I guess that would explain it.

If you love Eggs Benedict, give this a try. Or if you're just looking for a tasty new breakfast dish, do it up! When explaining this to people, I call it a deconstructed Eggs Benedict. It's not your traditional hollandaise sauce, but tasty nonetheless. I have made it for overnight guests and I made it and brought it with when we stayed with Andy's parents a few weeks ago. It's making me hungry thinking about it....

1 pound fresh asparagus (trimmed)

6 tbsp. butter or margarine

6 tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 pound Canadian bacon, cubed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

12 hard-cooked eggs peeled and quartered

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste - I'd use a little less)

10-12 English muffins, warmed

Cut asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook in a small amount of boiling water until tender (or in microwave). Drain and set aside to cool.

Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in flour into smooth. Add milk and broth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Add Canadian bacon and cheese; stir until the cheese melts.

Add eggs, salt, cayenne and asparagus, heat through. Serve over English muffins.

**Can be made ahead of time just don't heat through until ready to use. I always make this the day/night before. After you add all of the ingredients, make sure it's stirred together well. Transfer it into a bowl or a large tupperware container and store in the fridge. In the morning, reheat in microwave, or heat on stove. When it's single portions, I do the microwave, but for the whole recipe, I just throw it back on the stove until hot. Toast English muffins while you're waiting for it to reheat.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff Casserole

I made this for dinner tonight and Evan insisted that I share it with you all.  He thought the husbands would enjoy it.  I was trying to use up some items I had in my pantry and it turned out really good.  As an added bonus, it is one of the easiest things I have ever whipped up.

Beef Stroganoff Casserole
1 lb 93/7 ground beef
1 medium onion
2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup
3/4 of a can of half and half
3/4 Cup of Quality Beef Broth
1 ounce of cream cheese
1 lb of Barilla Mostaccioli Pasta (without the ribs) - cook according to package directions just until al dente, drain well

Preheat oven to 425F.  Add some EVOO to a large skillet.  Dice and cook onion for a minute or two, adding salt and pepper.  Add Ground Beef (season with salt, pepper, and 1/2 t of garlic powder) and cook beef and onion together until cooked.  While cooking whisk together soup and half and half (add pepper to taste).  When beef is cooked add beef broth to the pan and scrape up any browned bits.  Add soup mixture and bring to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes then whisk in cream cheese stirring constantly until combined.  (Note - add some Wondra Flour if it is not thick enough, like a tablespoon or two.)  Once combined remove from heat and add cooked noodles.  Fold together until combined.

Put mixture into 3 quart dish and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes until slightly browned and bubbly.

This will easily serve 4-6 adults.

*Note - I have been using this paste stuff instead of buying Beef Broth that I thought I should share.  At one of the grocery stores we go to they do not have any Beef Broth that does not have MSG, so I have had to explore some other options.  I decided to try this stuff called "Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Beef Base".  Ingredients seem solid and all you have to do to make a quart is boil water then dissolve 1 1/2 T of the base in it.  The best part for Chicago living is that it is a small 8 ounce jar and it will make 38 cups of beef broth over it's life.  Space saving is king for me right now.  Anyway, I never thought I would use a bouillon base and I actually like this one.  It has very deep roasted beef flavor.