Green Chile Burger with Jalapeno Pesto Mayo

We love burgers.  Seriously.  Just search the burgers/sandwiches label and you will see...kinda obsessed.  Rob requested a burger of some sort this week and he is so laid back, if he ever requests anything I like to accommodate him!

We always like to try burgers with a spicy flair when we are out but both Rob and I don't like that it seems like most of the spicy burgers on menus out there include every. single. spicy. ingredient there is.  Why would we need jalapenos, pepper jack, salsa, chipotle mayo, and habanero sauce on a jalapeno kaiser roll ALL for one burger? OVERKILL. This burger has a great spicy/Mexican kick but not over the top. (In my most humble opinion on the subject.)

I roasted some fresh green chiles that I got in my basket to put in the burgers, but a can of chopped green chiles would work out just as well.  I would say the key to the deliciousness of this burger is the Jalapeno Pesto Mayo, so just bite the bullet and whip up a batch.  The rest of the pesto freezes great to use in a pasta or on a steak sandwich in the future.

Green Chile Burger with Jalapeno Pesto Mayo

2 lbs lean ground beef
3 small shallots, minced (about 2-3 Tb. minced)
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 tsp. sea salt
lots of black pepper
1/4 cup canned & drained green chiles,  OR 2-3 roasted green chiles, chopped

3 avocados
1/2 lime
salt & pepper

Jalapeno Pesto Mayo:
4 Tb. mayo
2 heaping  Tb. Jalapeno Pesto (or more depending on how you like it)

For Serving:
provolone cheese slices
sliced tomatoes
rolls or sourdough slices

In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, shallots, garlic, green chiles, salt and pepper.  Form into 6 patties.  Refrigerate until you're ready to grill.  Smash the avocado and squeeze half the lime over it and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Stir to combine and refrigerate until serving.  For the Jalapeno Pesto Mayo mix together mayo and pesto and set aside.  Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.  Grill on each side 3-4 minutes, topping with cheese slices a minute before you remove the burgers from the grill.  To assemble the burgers put tomato slices on the bottom bun, if desired, top with burgers, avocado mixture and jalapeno pesto mayo.  Enjoy!

Beef & Bean Stew

I had a bag of dried northern beans and wanted to use them up so I began my recipe search and found this recipe.  I used it as a basis for this soup and it was so good!  We will make this over and over again, it's easy to put together in the crockpot and is nice to have dinner prep all ready well before the dinner rush.  This recipe is a great way to use up an inexpensive, more tough cut of beef such as a chuck steak or London broil because slow cooking will make it fall apart. 

It is finally crisp in Phoenix, so this is a great recipe to try now!

Beef & Bean Stew (Slow Cooker)

recipe adapted from bhg.com

1 lb dried northern beans (canellini beans)

12 oz. lean beef, cut into 1'' cubes

salt, pepper & 1 tsp. smoked paprika to season the beef

8 oz. bulk Italian sausage (I used fresh chicken sausage)

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

3 medium onions, coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

6 cups water

4 tsp. instant beef granules or 4 beef boulion cubes

1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/2 c. dry red wine (merlot, cabernet, etc.)

1/3 c. tomato paste

fresh parsley, chopped for serving

Soak the beans overnight.  Drain and rinse them and add to a crockpot. Heat a skillet & 1 Tb. olive oil over medium heat, season the beef well with salt, pepper and paprika.  Brown beef on all sides and add to the crockpot. (It isn't necessary to cook the beef completely.) Add the sausage to the skillet and cook completely, adding to the crockpot when finished. Add all other ingredients to the crockpot and stir well.  Cook on low all day or high 4-6 hours.  Stir occasionally throughout the day. Taste and adjust salt & pepper. Sprinkle individual bowls with fresh parsley & serve with crusty French bread.

http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crackedupkitchen.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F12%2Fbeef-bean-stew.html&media=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-TsiJvpreQbs%2FUM5_68pMX6I%2FAAAAAAAAAYM%2Fiu2HMNjTl7U%2Fs1600%2Fbeef%2B%26%2Bbean%2Bstew.JPG&description=Cracked%20Up%20Kitchen%3A%20Beef%20%26%20Bean%20Stew%2C%20slow%20cooker

Chili Cheese Baked Potato

Chili is the epitome of a fall meal.  Warm.  Filling.  Adaptable.  I use it in  many ways.  I recently started utilizing my freezer space more by making large or double batches of a meal and freezing some for later.  I've found that it is way less than double the work, it doesn't cost much more and it really pays off when I'm reheating frozen food instead of running to Pei Wei for dinner in a pinch.  With the most recent batch of chili I made, I was able to freeze 4 quart ziplocs of the leftover.  Last week I made these potatoes for dinner and everyone ate them happily, which lately is really saying something.  A baked potato bar would be a fun party meal, as the topping options are endless.  We had chili, shredded extra sharp Tillamook, chopped nacho jalapeno slices, diced red onion and sour cream.  I was bummed I didn't have any jalapeno dip on hand because that would've been super yummy.  Any chili would be just perfect.  I used this.

I love this picture because it cutely illustrates how patiently my family waits for their dinner while photos are being taken. I love them.

Chili Cheese Baked Potato

recipe by Cracked Up Kitchen

1 quart chili, your favorite chili is great

4 large baked potatoes

shredded cheese

sour cream

jalapenos

chopped red onion

any other favorite toppings

Heat chili until piping hot.  Split warm baked potatoes and top with chili and your desired toppings.

http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcrackedupkitchen.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F10%2Fchili-cheese-baked-potato.html&media=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-JPIxqNkFjTU%2FUHyXkNYhk5I%2FAAAAAAAAAJg%2FghIJp-gRjYw%2Fs1600%2Fchili%2Bcheese%2Bpotato4.JPG&description=Chili%20Cheese%20Potatoes

Un-stuffed Mushroom Burger

We have somewhat of a burger obsession around here.  As soon as it gets to be prime grilling weather, we make up new burgers often.  This recipe is a spin-off of Pioneer Woman's Brie-Stuffed Mushroom's, which by the way, could change your life.

Please don't think we're obese because all we eat is homemade cheeseburgers, pasta, and pizza.  I do make healthy, waist-conscious food almost every day....I just blog the outlandish, amazing-tasting, fat-laden food more often apparently. 

Un-Stuffed Mushroom Burger
inspired by Pioneer Woman

1 lb ground beef
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/4 onion, grated or minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
plenty of salt & pepper
2-3 Tb. butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms (or more)
salt & pepper
wedge of brie
4-bakery rolls
butter for buns

In a bowl combine beef, garlic, onion, parsley, salt & pepper.  Make four even patties and heat the grill.  While the grill is heating, melt the 2-3 Tb. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add in the mushrooms and saute them, lowering heat if necessary.  Continue cooking the mushrooms until they are soft and cooked to your liking, then season with salt & pepper.  Cook the burgers on the grill, topping with plenty of brie and letting it melt before removing from the grill.  Butter the buns and quickly toast them on the grill.  Serve the burgers on the buttered, toasted buns topped with plenty of mushrooms.

French Onion Burger

I pulled this recipe out of a Rachael Ray magazine a long time ago and thought it looked just amazing.  Then I put it in the pile with the others and forgot about it.  When I was spring cleaning the cabinet I came across this and had to make it right away!

We loved this burger.  It is very flavorful, salty, gooey...it's just great.  It's kind of a "Friday night" kind of meal, a little rough on the calorie count but I'll make it again and again.  I made just a couple changes.  I recommend not salting the onions until it's all finished because the beef consomme is quite salty.

French Onion Burger

adapted from Rachael Ray

2 Tb. butter

4 onions, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

pepper

pinch of thyme

1 can beef consomme

1 1/2 c. sour cream

2 lbs. ground beef

2-3 Tb. worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 c. grated onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

swiss cheese for topping

kettle chips for topping

fresh bakery buns

To make French Onion topping: Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and bay leaf, pepper and thyme. Cook until deep caramel and soft, about 35 minutes.  Lower the heat if the onions are browning to quickly.  Pour in the beef consomme and scrape the bottom of the pan, cook until the liquid is almost all absorved.  Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf, let the onions cool.  Stir in the sour cream and set aside.

To make the burgers: Heat the grill.  In a large bowl combine beef, worcestershire, salt, pepper, parsley, onion and garlic.  Combine all ingredients and form into 6 patties.  Cook the burgers until almost done to your preference, top with swiss cheese.  Remove from grill when the cheese is melted.  Place the burgers on a bun and top with a generous amount of onion mixture and a handfull of chips.  Serve immediately.

Steak with Onions and Blue Cheese Sauce

My husband came home from 12 days in China and requested a big American steak so...I delivered. We wanted blue cheese and I remebered this sauce from Our Best Bites so I whipped it up really quick and it turned out great! (It's also great on burgers which is what they use it for.)

Any kind of steak would be fantastic, we used porter house steaks from Costco--or do the whole thing on a burger too.



Steak with Onions and Blue Cheese SauceBlue Cheese Sauce:
adapted from Our Best Bites

1/2 c. mayo
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tb. red wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. blue cheese

Mix everything together and let refrigerate until you're ready for it.

Caramelized Onions:
2 medium yellow or white onions
2-3 Tb. butter

Slice the onions thinly. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add in the onions and saute until they begin to soften. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until they are brown and caramelized.

Steaks:
4 small or 2 large steaks (about 1 1/2 lbs)
sea salt
fresh black pepper
granulated garlic

Heat a grill or grill pan. Drizzle steaks with a little olive oil and season both sides liberally. Cook the steaks according to your done-ness preference. We like ours medium-rare so we cook a couple minutes on each side.

Remove steaks from grill and top with lots of onions and serve the blue cheese sauce on the side.

Texas Burger with Chipotle Lime Spread

This burger wasn't a plan. It just...happened. And it was good. The burger, cheese, grilled jalapenos, caramelized onions, bacon, bbq sauce, chipotle lime spread combo just works. And apparently I spilled a dollop of the Chipotle Lime Spread on the plate but a little extra never hurt, right?

We had some frozen burger patties from Omaha Steaks in the freezer so I just grilled up those. You can certainly make your own pattys as I usually do.


Texas Burger with Chipotle Lime Spread

6 burger patties of your choice
seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic for sprinkling
6 slices sharp cheddar cheese
4 jalapenos
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 Tb butter
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked
Bbq Sauce
Chipotle Lime Spread
6 fresh bakery rolls

Start two small skillets heating over medium heat on the stove. (Or you could just cook the jalapenos and onions together.) Slice the jalapenos thinly (remove ribs and seeds if you don't do spicy), slice the onion thinly. In one pan add the olive oil and jalapenos. In the other pan melt the butter and toss inthe onions. Cook both slowly until the jalapenos are soft and the onions are caramelized. The onions will take longer.

Season and grill burgers to your desired done-ness and top with cheese. Toast the buns in the oven, being careful not to burn. Put a dollop of chipotle lime spread on the bottom bun, then the bacon, then the burger, onions, jalapenos and some bbq sauce. This burger would be great with Fresh Corn with Chipotle Lime Spread, Sweet Potato Fries, or Classic Coleslaw.

Caprese Burger

We're kind of obsessed with burgers these days.  Rob is always obsessed with burgers, but I'm joining in.  In the winter, if you could call Phoenix "winter" ever, we usually make pizza once a week and it seems like in the summer I've been making burgers once a week.  I'm having fun trying out different types.  This is one of our new favorites.

I LOVE caprese salad so when we got a bottle of 20 year-aged balsamic on our vacation I immediately thought of making caprese salad, which turned into a caprese meal. 

I used homemade pesto I had in the freezer, but use whatever you have.  A jar works fine.  I think that a ciabatta roll would be great but Rob isn't a big fan of those so we used some wheat bakery buns.

Caprese Burgers

For the burgers:
2 lbs ground beef, I use 93% lean
1 tsp. granulated garlic or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. garlic pepper (or just sub 1/2 tsp pepper)
1/2 tsp. sea salt

For the pesto mayo:
3 Tb. prepared pesto
1/2 c. mayo

Balsamic syrup for drizzling
fresh mozzarella
tomato slices
red onion slices
lettuce
8 fresh bakery buns or ciabatta buns

To prepare the balsamic syrup, bring 1 c. balsamic vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Let simmer, but not boil, for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened a bit.  It will continue to thicken as it cools so remove from heat and let cool before it's comepetely syrup-y. Pour into a small jar and keep in the pantry for up to 3 months.

Mix together the pesto and mayonnaise and refrigerate until needed.  In a mixing bowl combine beef, garlic pepper, garlic and salt.  Form into 8 patties.  Grill a couple minutes on each side or to your desired done-ness.  Top with fresh mozzarella cheese and close the grill lid for just a minute to let the cheese melt.  Top toasted buns with 1 Tb. pesto mayo, lettuce, onion, the cooked burger, tomato slices and drizzle the top with the balsamic syrup.  Enjoy!

BBQ Beef Sandwich with Slaw

We love barbecue.  Almost anything barbecued, smoked, or smothered in barbecue sauce is good to us.  Two summers ago we all traveled to Tennessee for a family reunion and got loads of barbecue and one of our favorite sandwiches was topped with slaw.

When I make barbecue in the crockpot I like to generously coat the meat with a dry rub first and add sauce after it's cooked.  I make a batch of this rub and keep it in the pantry all the time. You should try it!  I used this great recipe.







BBQ Beef Sandwich with Slaw

3 lb beef roast
bbq dry rub (2Tb-1/4 c. depending on how much you smother on there.  I used a LOT.)
1/2 c. water
Bottle of barbecue sauce for finishing and serving
Pickles (optional)
Slaw
Buns

The Rub:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. paprika
1 1/2 Tb black pepper
2 Tb granulated garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and keep in an air-tight container or ziploc baggie for up to a year.

Rinse and pat dry the roast and coat generously with the barbecue rub.  Put in a crockpot and add in water and cook on low 6-8 hours or until it falls apart when pulled with two forks.  If it doesn't pull apart, cook longer. Drain off the liquid and shred the beef and pour on barbecue sauce.  Don't over-do the sauce you want to just coat the beef and not over stir it or it will get mushy. 

Serve on toasted buns topped with coleslaw and extra bbq sauce and pickles on the side.

Jalapeno Popper Burger

I'm making a summer resolution.  I. Will. Blog. More. Recipes.  I am cooking but somehow don't "have" (make) time to blog the recipes...excuses. That's all I have to say about that.

A few weeks ago I got the "Mexican Pack" from the Bountiful Baskets and there were loads of fresh jalapenos in there so I sauteed some of them up and put them on a burger with caramelized onions and the burgers were awesome!  And then...I read the Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine and saw this recipe and Rob and I were both drooling just looking at the picture/recipe in the magazine. 

Tonight I made the burgers and...YUM-O.  (Sorry, had to quote Rachael Ray here).  I will make these again next week.  And probably again the week after...  I ate my burger on a sandwich thin bun and I used extra-lean beef, reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat cheddar cheese so it wasn't so bad on the calorie count.

Jalapeno Popper Burgers
makes four burgers

3 large fresh jalapeno peppers
olive oil or cooking spray for cooking
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tb grated or finely minced onion
1 garlic clove grated or pressed (or more)
2 Tb cilantro, finely chopped
dash of ground cumin
salt and pepper

1 1/4 lb ground beef

4 thick slices sharp cheddar cheese

4-8 slices cooked bacon

4 bakery rolls (please, please use bakery rolls and not weird packaged hamburger buns.)

In a small bowl mix together the cream cheese, onion, garlic, cilantro and cumin. Set aside. Cut the jalapenos lengthwise and carefully scoop out the ribs and seeds with a spoon.  Slice the jalapenos thinly.  Saute the peppers in a pan over medium-high heat until just tender.  While the peppers are cooking form four equal hamburger patties and season them well with salt and pepper.  Cook the burgers on a grill or in a pan a couple minutes on each side or to your desired done-ness. At the last minute top each burger with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture and a slice of cheese.  Close the grill for a minute until the cheese starts to melt.  Serve on toasted bakery rolls and top with some of the sauteed jalapenos and bacon.

YUM!

Mongolian Beef

This is SO good.  I mean, really really good.  Rob did the "What About Bob" interpretation at the table while eating it.  I will make this over and over again and I think it would be great with pork loin or chicken thighs or breast too.

I found this recipe here.  Before I had my third child I had plenty of time and energy to read food blogs at night and this is one I look at fro time to time.  Now, I think about reading food blogs and then go to bed.  I will do it again...hopefully. The only thing I changed from the original recipe is I made more sauce.  I like sauce.
Mongolian Beef

Sauce:
1 Tb vegetable oil
3/4 tsp ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic minced
3/4 c. soy sauce (regular or low-sodium depending on your preference.)
3/4 c. water
1 c. plus 2 Tb brown sugar
1 Tb corn starch

Beef:
Vegetable oil for frying (2-3 Tb will do it if you're watching calories, or more if you're not)
1 1/2 lb flank steak
1/4 c. cornstarch
4 green onions
1 lb mushrooms, quartered

cooked rice

For the sauce, heat the oil over medium-low in a medium sauce pan. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for just a minute and then add in soy sauce, water and brown sugar.  Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.  Let it boil 2-3 minutes.  Then, mix together 1 Tb. water and 1 Tb cornstarch together in a small bowl and stir it into the sauce.  It should thicken up quickly.  Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.

Slice the flank steak into thin slices and dip them into the cornstarch.  Set aside.  Put 2 tsp vegetable oil in a frying pan or skillet and heat to medium.  Add in the mushrooms and saute a few minutes until they are getting brown and soft.  Remove the mushrooms and add 2-3 Tb more vegetable oil to the pan.  Cook steak over medium-high heat a minute or two on each side, until browned.  (It won't take long if it's cut thinly)  Remove steak to a paper towel-lined plate.  Wipe the skillet clean of the oil and add steak, mushrooms, green onions and sauce back into the pan and simmer a few minutes over medium heat.  Serve over rice.  YUM.

Meatballs

I always will just throw together meatballs or meatloaf and it turns out good but I never know what I actually did so I certainly couldn't tell anyone else.  This time I wrote it down and I have to say they turned out really good.  In fact I made them for a friend who was sick and her family loved them too and she asked me for the recipe.  So, you should make your own meatballs, at least once.  It is not hard and although the giant Costco bag is pretty good, this way you don't have 5 lbs of meatballs in your freezer for months.

I had bought a case of tomatoes from the co-op in August and made loads of homemade marinara sauce so this was a perfect dinner that didn't take a lot of time.

I used mostly ground beef and some sausage but you could certainly mix the meat however you want.  Just use 2 lbs.  If I wouldn't have taken some to a friend  I would've had some to put in the freezer for next time.  If  you do use more sausage, use less salt.

Meatballs

1/2 lb Italian sausage, hot or sweet
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tb parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp onion flakes
2 tsp granulated garlic

Mix everything together in a bowl with your hands.  (Take off your rings first.)  Use a scoop or a small spoon to measure out the meatballs and roll them into balls.  Set aside.  When all the balls are rolled, heat a large  saute pan to medium heat and add 2 tsp olive oil.  Fill the bottom of the pan with meatballs, cooking on all sides, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove cooked meatballs to a plate or tray and repeat.  Place cooked meatballs in your marinara sauce, cover with barbecue sauce, or freeze.

Spicy Beef Stew

Another not so fantastic picture.  The lack of lighting in the winter is killing me!  We are GOing to buy some lights to help my pictures look better!

This stew turned out really well and usually any kind of soup is not looked upon favorably in my home but my husband was mmm-ing while he was eating and said I should make this more often so I'll take that as a good thing.

I had some cheap steak in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I planned to make a recipe my friend gave me a long time ago called "Chili Spiced Stew".  Then at 4 pm when I started making my dinner I couldn't find the recipe so I just threw it together and tried to write everything down that I did.  It wasn't really "spicy" to us because we like things really hot, but feel free to add less red pepper to yours.

Spicy Beef Stew

1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, london broil, or stew meat cut into 1'' cubes
chili powder, granulated garlic, salt & pepper
2 Tb olive oil or vegetable oil
1 c. red wine
1 28 oz can tomato puree
3 cans beef broth
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tb dried oregano
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp chili powder
sea salt & pepper to taste (start with 1 tsp salt and go from there)
dash or more of cayenne pepper
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. frozen green beans

Season the cubed beef well with chili powder, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.  Measure the flour into a large ziploc bag and shake it well to coat.  In a soup pot heat the oil over medium-high heat and brown the meat on all sides.  Add in the wine and reduce heat tomedium and cook for 5 minutes.  Then add in broth, onion, garlic, tomato puree, brown sugar, oregano, crushed red pepper, chili powder, salt & pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 35-45 minutes. Taste broth and adjust seasonings.  Add in potatoes and cook 10 minutes.  Add in carrots and cook another 10 minutes.  Then stir in the frozen vegetables and cook another 10 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender (but not mushy).  Serve with crusty rolls or french bread and dip it into the broth.  Yum. 

Enchilada Skillet

I really, really need to work on my photography skills.  Really.  Especially now that it's winter and we don't have daylight savings and it gets dark so early...my photos are terrible.  I know it and now you know that I know it, so that should at least help the akwardness.

On to the food.  This is a really great recipe that is inexpensive and super fast to make and my family loves this.  The best part about it is that it makes really great leftovers.  It's one of those meals that seems to actually taste better the next day!

I originally got this recipe out of a magazine in a Campbell's soup ad and of course I had to doctor itup a bit, but it's a great go -to for us.  I made it for a friend's family and they really liked it too!

Enchilada Skillet

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tb taco seasoning
1 can condensed tomato soup
3/4 c. salsa (jarred or make your own)
3/4 c. water
7 6-inch flour tortillas, cut into 1'' squares
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream


Brown the ground beef or turkey in a skillet.  Drain off the fat and add in the onion and garlic cooking for another two minutes or so.  Stir in the seasoning, tomato soup, salsa, water and tortillas.  Bring to a boil and lower the heat to low and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up and the tortillas have soaked most of it up.  Top with the shredded cheese and let rest a minute until the cheese has melted.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream. YUM.

*stir in 1 c. frozen corn at the end if you want to skip the side.

Cheeseburger Pizza

This was really good.  The whole family loved it and it's super easy/fast/inexpensive which fulfills all of my requirements. 

I got this recipe from a pampered chef recipe card and instead of making it deep-dish I made it as a regular pizza.  Turned out great.

Feel free to make your own crust, but also feel free to pop open a can of crust, it's so easy!


Cheeseburger Pizza

1 pkg refrigerated pizza crust
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1/2 c. ketchup plus 2 Tb
1/4 c. yellow mustard
1 Tb worcestershire saucce
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
3/4 c. mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 400.  Unroll dough and press onto a jelly-roll pan and bake 7-8 minutes.  While it's baking brown the ground beef, garlic and onion in a skillet.  Drain off fat and season with salt and pepper.  Mix in ketchup, mustard and worcestershire sauce.  Once the crust is out of the oven spread on the meat mixture and cover with tomatoes and cheeses.  Bake another 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is cooked through.  Enjoy!

1/6th of this pizza is roughly 430 calories

Three Packet Pork Roast (or Beef)

Tonight we had this roast with mashed potatoes and acorn squash.  It was a hit.  I found the idea for this recipe on the crockpot lady's blog and I went with it even though it sounded strange.  It was very good, if I do say so myself, and I think it would be great with a regular beef roast too!  My husband sounded like "Bob" eating this, mmmm-ing every bite.







Three Packet Roast (Pork or Beef)

1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet italian dressing mix
1 packet gravy mix (I used chicken for the pork, but beef for...beef would be great)
2 c. water
3 lb roast
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut in half
1 onion, quartered

Mix the packet/seasonings together with the water and put in the bottom of your crockpot.  Place the roast on top and toss in the carrots and onion.  Cook on high 4 hours or low 8 hours.  Serve with mashed potatoes or crash hot potatoes.  Yum.

7-Layer Bake

I'm Baaaaack!  I've now had the baby, for those of you who didn't already know and were wondering why I hadn't posted a recipe in a couple weeks!  As a mom of three I haven't cooked anything so far (except scrambled eggs in the microwave)  because my friends have been bringing us food every night for two weeks which is SUPER awesome.  Every night our dinner just shows up with a smiling face in throw-away dishes.  It's awesome.  I do miss cooking just a teeny tiny bit, but I don't miss the shopping for ingredients and cleaning up the mess, so really this could go on for years!

Anyway, this is a recipe from a few weeks ago and it was really delicious.  But as I went to take a picture I realized my camera battery was dead so Rob took a photo on his iphone which is why it looks wierd.  I based this recipe off of an old Pampered Chef bean dip recipe which was so awesome that we decided we had to make it into a dinner.  It worked out well.  Since I try to avoid naming recipes "Casserole" I came up with 7-Layer Bake.  Call it what you want.

7 Layer Bake

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

3 Tb taco seasoning

1/2 c. water

3 c. refried beans (I made my own.)

1 block cream cheese, softened

2 c. sour cream

1 tsp granulated garlic

2 Tb taco seasoning

4 burrito sized tortillas, cut into 2'' squares

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 can sliced black olives

2 Tb. diced onion or 2 green onions chopped

Preheat your oven to 350.  Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain well.  Add the garlic cloves and cook another minute.  Add in the taco seasoning and water and cook over medium heat a few minutes until it thickens up.  Stir in the refried beans.

In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, granulated garlic, and taco seasoning.  Set aside.

In a 9x13'' pan layer the diced tortillas, meat mixture, cream cheese mixture and then the shredded cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  Top with the diced onions, tomatoes and cilantro, and black olives.

Calico Beans

I love beans. This is a wierd confession--but you've probably noticed. And I've probably blogged about it before. I just like them. In the summer I make lots of different kinds of baked beans and in the winter I make lots of different chilis. If you don't like beans, we could have a problem here!

These calico beans remind me of my Grammy's beans. I kind of forgot about them until last summer when we were in Tennesse for a family reunion and my cousin Terri made some--they were so good! I looked at a few recipes and then threw a bunch of stuff together and it worked. I made these for 4th of July which means apparently I'm a little behind on my blogging! But I've had a few favorites that I felt the need to blog immediately so some stuff got pushed back. Make these, they would make a great Labor Day bbq addition! They work out great in a crockpot or you can bake them too.

Calico Beans

6 strips bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 cans baked beans (I used Bush's)

1 can butter beans, drained well

1 can lima beans, drained well

1 can kidney beans, drained well
1 c. ketchup

1 c. bbq sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 T. worcestershire

hot sauce to taste

Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain well. Stir in the garlic at the end and cook until fragrant. In your crockpot or a 9x13'' pan stir all ingredients together. Either bake at 350 for 35 minutes OR cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours in the crockpot.

Classic Burgers with Caramelized Onions

We love burgers. You may have noticed. Rob's favorite food is burgers (and bread). If he chooses where to eat out, he wants Red Robin or Gordon Biersch because they have some of his favorite burgers. I've tried to explain to you how easy he is to please....I guess I should've just told you sooner that those are his two favorite places to eat. I mean, I like those places too--but they aren't my faaavorite places to eat. He just likes good, hearty food. Bless his heart for loving simple food. It makes my job a lot easier!

Anyway, I'm always trying new things with burgers. Our newest fave is caramelized onions which I now make every.single.time. we make burgers. The caramelized onions are also really great on some grilled sausages or bratwurst.

Classic Burgers
2 1/2 lbs ground beef (nothing leaner than 80% lean for burgers please~!)
1/2 yellow or white onion, grated
2 Tb. montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tb worcestershire sauce
8 slices cheese, your choice
8 fresh bakery rolls...please don't use the $.88 store brand buns. The bakery rolls can change your life.

Mix everything together and form into 8 large patties. Use your thumb to make a dent in the middle of the burger patties, this helps them to stay even in shape and not get too round. (Thanks for this tip, Rachael Ray) Grill the burgers to your doneness preference placing the cheese on top at the last minute. Top with plenty of caramelized onions and serve on toasted bakery rolls.

Caramelized Onions
1 huge onion, or 2-3 small/medium onions
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 Tb brown sugar

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Thinly slice the onions and add to the heated oil. Saute the oinons over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. If they seem to be getting to brown/black on the outside and not getting soft all the way through, then turn the heat down a bit. After 10 minutes add the brown sugar, mix it in well and continue cooking a few more minutes. Yum!

Taco Pizza

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay we've had some internet trouble and so I've been trying to get it figured out while my husband is in another country (another continent actually) and I'm kind of "challenged" in that department. So, since I can't get my PC to connect to the internet I can't post the pictures so I will just post the recipe and the picture of the Happy Joe's "Taco Joe" to help you use your imagination to picture what "taco pizza" looks like. As soon as it's up, I'll post the actual pic!

Growing up in Iowa one of our favorite pizza places was Happy Joe's. AND my favorite pizza was taco pizza. A few years ago when we were visiting my grandparents/aunts/uncles in Iowa I took Rob there for taco pizza and he quickly decided Happy Joe's was his favorite restaurant. For the past weeks I have been craving this pizza and since it's very very expensive to have one shipped...I made my own. It turned out great and Rob requested I start making it once a week! SO....just try the recipe, you won't be disappointed even though it sounds strange.

As a note--when I was a kid in Iowa, taco-flavored Doritos were readily available--they came in an orange bag. But I haven't seen them in years and years. Luckily they now have new "late-night" Doritos and Taco flavored is one of the choices! Use those if you can find them, but in a pinch nacho cheese will do!





Taco Pizza

• 1 can Pillsbury thin-crust pizza dough
• 1 1/2 c. refried beans
• 1/4 c. salsa
• 1 Tb taco seasoning
• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 2-3 Tb taco seasoning (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 c. shredded cheddar
• 2 Tb onion, minced
• 2 c. shredded lettuce
• 3/4 c. diced tomato
• taco Doritos, crushed
• sour cream
• taco sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Unroll dough and press into a cookie sheet. Bake the dough 5-7 minutes until lightly browned. In the meantime heat the beans and mix in the salsa and 1 Tb taco seasoning. Brown the ground beef, drain and add in the 2-3 Tb taco seasoning and a little water and cook over low heat a few minutes. Top the pre-baked crust with the bean mixture, then the meat, then the onions, then the cheddar cheese. Bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is completely cooked. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the lettuce, tomatoes, crushed taco Doritos and sour cream and taco sauce to your liking. Enjoy!

**If you think you won't eat the whole pizza in one sitting...hmmm that sounds bad just writing that. But really--if you won't eat the entire pizza you may want to only cover half the pizza with the lettuce tomatoes and chips because it doesn't re-heat well that way. And trust me, you'll want to re-heat the leftovers for lunch the next day. (or a midnight snack)