Grilled Burgers

Other than your typical hot dog, or those pre-made/preformed burger patties, our grilling menu is non-existent. But because of the great weather, spring in the air and our new outdoor seating (sounds fancy, huh?) that will be changing! It's so nice to just sit outside at the end of the day when the weather is this great. It's so much more relaxing than being in front of the TV. So since we are spending more time out there, I wanted to add some things to our menu that would put the grill to use. And yes, I hope to work my way up from the easy stuff! Last night I wanted to do burgers, but not plain ole frozen patties. I wanted to make my own; seems like that would add more flavor and juiciness. This is something really simple I found online, and it was delicious. Very juicy, and the perfect flavor that was totally enhanced by using the grill.

1 lb lean ground beef (I used a 90/10 instead of the normal 97/3 so that they would be juicy and flavorful)
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of Liquid Smoke flavoring
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
Season Salt to taste

Preheat grill. In a medium bowl, lightly mix together ground beef, Worcestershire, Liquid Smoke, and garlic powder. Form into 3 patties, handling the meat minimally. Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil, and season with season salt. Place patties on the grill, and cook until done (about 5 minutes or so each side).













Our "fixin's" included pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, mayo and mustard. I HIGHLY recommend the buns we used as well-Sweet Hawaiian (you know that make those packages of rolls that are so irresistible...yes, now they make hamburger buns!!). I think the sweet flavor of the buns went really well with the pepper jack cheese. (Stick the buns on the grill for a minute-they are great toasted for the burger)

** My notes...I made 4 patties instead of 3. You can do either, I just wanted to have enough for us to have leftovers or in case Brett was really hungry! There isn't enough meat for more than 4 though. Also, I placed my patties on a plate covered with plastic wrap and stuck it in the freezer for a bit so they would be easier to handle-Brett requested this since he was doing the grilling. When I pulled them out, I then did the olive oil and season salt.

Dorito Casserole

Must love cheese...that's almost all there is to say about this one. It is so rich and delicious. I don't make it often; it isn't exactly light and healthy...but I figure every once in a while it's ok, and I always justify those times by saying I'm using healthy options as far as ingredients. You know-low fat cheese, healthy choice soups, lean beef, etc. Ok, ok, as if it matters with this one?? Anyway, I really like it, and look forward to it when it does come around on my weekly menu!

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef, browned

1 small onion

1 small can (4.5oz.) of diced green chiles (don't worry about draining them)

2 cans of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup

1 can (14oz.) of red enchilada sauce

1 bag of nacho cheese Doritos, crushed

1 bag of finely shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and green chiles. Drain, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine soup and red sauce. Add the ground beef mixture and stir together. In a 9x13 glass pan, layer Doritos, meat mixture, cheese, Doritos until you've used all your ingredients...be sure to END with Doritos on top (mine is about two layers of each, but a third layer of Doritos on top). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I cover mine for 20 minutes then take the foil off and bake the last 10 minutes uncovered.

Oh, and my one and ONLY complaint...I never know what to serve with this dish as a side. It obviously needs a veggie. Wait, you DO agree, right? Yeah, the meal is that deleicous! No I don't WANT a veggie, but I have to get one in darn it, or the guilt overtakes me!

It doesn't seem quite "mexicany" enough for beans, and it isn't "american" enough for peas or green beans...get what I'm saying? I do like to get a veggie in, so I don't only consume a large portion of this dish, but rather a small portion of the dish, and a small portion of veggies. Corn seems to be the only happy medium I can find, and I don't really like corn at all. I try to dress it up with some salt, pepper, paprika, and a little cayenne. Let me know your thoughts for a side for this Dorito Casserole!

Bleu Burgers

We had tons of Christmas leftovers, but are we the only ones that crave something greasy and salty right after Christmas? Don't get me wrong, we will eat the leftovers, and we will enjoy them. Christmas dinner was excellent. It always is. But, tonight, I wanted a burger and fries.

You have seen my sweet potato fries before so I won't waste time on that. I will note that I cut these a hint thicker and longer and we liked them much better. There was a little more to them, if you will. Last time, it was mostly spice, and crunch; not as much potato.

For the burger...it was a "Bleu Burger". This was simple and pretty quick! While the fries were going in the skillet, these patties were sizzling away on the George Foreman. It have been a very long time since I have used the George Foreman, but when I began to complain that I only have one large burner on the stove, and needed to use a large pan for both the fries and the patties, Brett piped up and said, "where's the Foreman?" It worked out perfect! Thanks, honey!

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese(or as much as you like...I actually eyeballed it)

1/2 of a medium red onion, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; separate into 4 equal patties; cook desire way (grill, George Foreman, skillet, etc). We had ours on WW buns with mustard. You could dress it up with lettuce and tomato I suppose, but the bleu cheese and onion was just perfect to me.
Note that the original recipe said to cook a hamburger patty as you like (which might include more ingredients), and top with crumbles of bleu cheese, and sliced, raw, red onion. Brett doesn't like onion unless its tiny and cooked, so he actually suggested combining it all into the patty the way I did.

Pizza Casserole

When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be cheaper and quicker than calling Papa John's and having a pizza delivered. It isn't a traditional pizza "pie", but my taste buds didn't know the difference! I always appreciate a recipe that agrees with my budget, AND leaves leftovers for the next day. Who doesn't like cold pizza??

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 can of tomato sauce (about 7 oz.)

1 Package of Pepperoni
Cooking Spray

10 oz. can of refrigerated pizza dough

8 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a non-stick skillet cook onion and garlic until softened. Add meat and brown. Drain well.

Add tomato sauce to meat and heat through. You will want your meat more on the dry side as opposed to the saucy side. While the meat cooks, coat a 9x13 cooking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza dough and press into the bottom of the dish and half way up the sides. Pre-bake in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove crust from oven. Sprinkle a layer of cheese, then a layer of hamburger meat, a layer of pepperoni, then add a layer of cheese. Finish with a final layer of pepperoni.

Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 12 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted. The easiest way to cut this was with a regular pizza cutter!