Spicy Sliders

As I meandered through the aisles of the grocery store, I came across a package of buns for sliders. As a lover of all miniature forms of food (mini hot dogs, mini tarts, mini quiches...I could go on and on), I decided to try out these miniature burgers.

So I had the slider buns and a pound of ground turkey (since I don't eat beef) and went hunting online for an interesting recipe for turkey burgers. I came across the one below on allrecipes.com and we loved them!

Cumin Turkey Burgers
~These taste and smell delicious!~

• 1 egg
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (I only had the jarred kind on hand)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (I used panko)
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (I only had a pound and it worked out fine)
• 6 hamburger buns, split and toasted (I used 12 slider buns)
• Toppings could include slices of cheese, lettuce, and tomato
  

1. Mix the egg, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in a large mixing bowl until the egg is well blended. Add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, mustard, paprika, chili powder, salt, bread crumbs, and turkey; mix well and form into 6 patties (or 12 mini patties for sliders).
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3. Cook the turkey burgers on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Serve on the toasted hamburger or slider buns with desired toppings (if using cheese, add to the top of burgers during the final moment or two of cooking).

I served a yummy salad on the side composed of baby spinach and arugula, fresh blueberries, fresh sliced strawberries, a dash of salt and pepper, and topped with a splash of olive oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar. What a fresh and tasty summer meal!

Two Sides to Breakfast

Last week I had to bring a casserole to a special breakfast we were having at school. I have limited experience with making breakfast casseroles other than my Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata.
My thoughts wandered back to a dish that my friend, Jen, made for a little get together we had. I remember eating one serving and then casually passing by the food table about 100 more times to keep getting more.
I wish I had gotten a picture of this dish last week, because they look so yummy! By the time I thought of taking a picture, they were practically gone!

Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns
~These are quite the crowd pleaser~

• 24 party size potato rolls
• 1/2 lb. sliced swiss cheese
• 1/2 lb. sliced ham
• 2 sticks (1cup) butter
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbls. mustard
• 2Tbls.poppy seeds

1. Slice rolls in half and place bottoms in 9 by 13 baking pan.
2. Layer on cheese and ham and top with roll tops.
   
3. Melt butter in a saucepan and add sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and poppy seeds. Bring to a boiland let boil 2 minutes.
   
4. Immediately pour over rolls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Can be made ahead and heated when ready to serve.

These sticky buns may be delicious, but they are not great if you are calorie counting. I was browsing my June 2010 edition of Everyday Food Magazine and saw this healthy twist on the traditional "Egg-in-a-hole", which is usually made by frying a slice of bread with an egg in the center. I made them for dinner tonight and we were delighted with the result!

Bell Pepper "Egg-in-a-hole"
~This took less than 10 minutes to make!~

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 bell pepper (any color), cut into four 1/2 inch thick rings
• 4 large eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan (I actually shredded some sharp Cheddar instead)
• 4 slices multigrain bread, toasted
• 8 cups mixed salad greens (I scrapped this and make some home fries with a potato I had laying around)

1. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high.
2. Add bell pepper, then crack 1 egg into the middle of each pepper ring.
3. Season with salt and pepper and cook until egg whites are mostly set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Gently flip and cook 1 minute more for over easy. Sprinkle with Parmesan (or Cheddar) and place each egg on a slice of toast (I put the eggs between two slices of toast to make a breakfast sandwich).
5. Toss salad greens with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper, serve alongside eggs (like I said before, I didn't do this because I didn't have any greens...but I made some home fries instead).

Since I made this for dinner, we finished it off with some old fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I made last night as a "Series Finale of LOST Special Treat". I found the recipe online at allrecipes.com

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
~These are my husband's favorite cookies~

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped these)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Friday Night Feast II

This past Friday, I decided to make another Friday Night Feast. Even though I'm really tired on Fridays, I kind of like the idea of having a special dinner for just the two of us. Sometimes we have plans and sometimes we have people over. But when we have nothing going on, there's something really great about spending Friday night in your cozy house, eating a great dinner and watching a movie.

I decided to make crab cake sandwiches. My sister made them for Easter and I thought they were awesome. Crab cakes cost a decent amount when you order them at restaurants, but they are pretty easy to make and somewhat affordable (especially when crab is on sale). The reason I've shied away from crab related recipes is because I thought you had to buy the fancy crab over by the seafood. Nope! It comes in a can right near the tuna, and tastes as great as can be for just a few bucks.

Thank you, Aimee, for sharing the recipe with me!!

Crab Cakes
~These are great for a weeknight or for company~

• 1/4 c finely chopped red onion
• 2tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbs light mayo
• 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites lightly beaten
• 1 lb lump crabmeat drained*
  
• 1 1/2 cups panko, divided (Japanese bread crumbs...you could use plain breadcrumbs if you want, but panko works better)
  
• 1 tbs olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup of panko.
2. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (I made these for sandwiches, so I made 6 slightly bigger ones). Form them into little patties and put on a cookie sheet. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
3. Place remaining panko in a shallow dish. Dredge each patty in the pankp individually.
4. Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray.
5. Add crab cakes 4 at a time. Cook 7 minutes, carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes more until golden. Repeat process for remaining crabcakes.
6. I then put them on buns with lettuce and tomato and a little cocktail sauce. Yum.
   

*I cheated a little and bought two cans of lump crab meat (which is more expensive..around $5 a can) and 1 can of plain crab meat (which was around $2 a can). You need the lump to hold it all together, but you can fill in with the cheaper kind.

I served them on buns with lettuce and tomato. If you choose to make them on their own, here is the recipe for a sauce to top them with.

2/3 c fat free chicken broth
3 tbs chopped shallots
2 tbs white whine vinegar
2 1/2 tbs butter

Combine broth, chopped shallots, and vinegar in a small sauce pan; bring to boil. Cook until reduced to a 1/2 cup (about 4 minutes); remove from heat, stir in butter. Serve with crabcakes and roasted vegetables.

Recipe taken from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

Because I had most of the ingredients on hand (mayo, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, panko..) I only had to pick up a couple things from the store.

Pretty fancy dinner for only about $15 in groceries, don't ya think?

Just One

This week was so very busy for me and I was not feeling well for most of it. I kept things quite simple for meals thanks to two things: Wegman's and my freezer. So I only have one true recipe to share in this post...the rest of the week, I just kind of put things together for us to eat.

I don't shop at Wegman's regularly because they don't have very many sales. I know many people argue that their prices are lower overall, and that may be true (depending on what products you are looking at)...but I have found that I save money by shopping the sales at other stores and going to Wegman's for certain things.

Do I make my own pizza dough? I sure do. Do I make it when I'm really busy? I sure don't.

I absolutely love using Wegman's pizza dough from their pizza shop. They sell their pizza dough (regular and whole wheat) in little plastic containers so that you can make pizza at home with ease. They even sell toppings and cheese (I think these are rather expensive and opt to assemble my own toppings). I head over to the produce department to pick what I'd like on top (usually mushrooms...we love mushrooms). Sometimes I buy the real mozzarella cheese (in ball form) when I want a treat...but I often just top it with shredded mozzarella. If I have another kind of cheese in the fridge, I throw a sprinkle of that on there too...just for kicks. I buy a $.99 jar of Ragu pizza sauce (over in the pasta aisle).

I take the dough ball and use my rolling pin to spread it this way and that way until it's the shape I want. I poke it with a fork all over so that it doesn't puff up when it bakes and then I rub a small bit of olive oil onto it. I bake it in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Then I take it out and spread pizza sauce on it, top it with cheese and various other nice things, and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so. I always cut into the crust to see if it's baked inside...if it's doughy I give it a few more minutes. Sometimes I have to swab up a bit of moisture that comes from the melted cheese and toppings with a paper towel. Give it a minute or two to cool and then dive in.

So we had Wegman's pizza on Monday.

On Tuesday, I made pulled pork sandwiches. I like to buy pork tenderloins from Wegman's because they sell small ones (1 or 2 lbs). I much prefer the smaller ones to the gigantic ones they always sell at Giant. Not only are they easier to cook, but they are cheap too! The one I got for the pulled pork sandwich recipe below was only $3.95.

Lighter Pulled Pork Sandwiches
~This takes about an hour, but it's mostly "walk away" time~

1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
salt and pepper
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb), cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cut light mayonnaise
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp celery seed (I didn't use this because I didn't have it and didn't want to buy it)
1/4 head small green cabbage, shredded (I bought it already shredded in a bag)
Rolls (I used the ciabatta rolls I keep in the freezer)

1. In a medium saucepan, stir together tomatoes, sugar, garlic, mustard, and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add pork.
2. Simmer, covered, until pork is tender (18-20 minutes).
3. Transfer pork to a plate to cool and simmer sauce over medium, uncovered, until reduced by half (about 20 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, make slaw in a bowl by whisking mayonnaise, 1 tbsp vinegar, celery seed, and 1 tbsp water. Season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage and toss to coat.
5. Shred pork with two forks, and return to sauce. Stir in 1 tsp vinegar. Serve pork on rolls and top with slaw.

Recipe taken from the March 2009 edition of Everyday Food Magazine

On Wednesday, we had our faithful freezer standby: Turkey Chili. We have it often, I know, but it's such a filling and satisfying meal. It freezes so well and can be thawed easily as a last minute meal.

On Thursday, we had....wait for it....cereal! I came home from work exhausted so Sonny ate a big bowl of cereal while I took a power nap before Bible study. I woke up, had a bowl of cereal myself and we headed out the door. Sometimes you just have to eat cereal for dinner...it's just part of life.

On Friday, we went out for Chinese food at Han Dynasty in Exton. It was Sonny's birthday and he loves Chinese food. We'd heard good things about this restaurant and we thought it was quite yummy. The service was interesting because it seemed as though there was one waitress for 50 million people...but we weren't in a hurry and it didn't bother us very much. If you split the name of the restaurant up differently, it looks like "Handy nasty". This makes me laugh.

On Saturday, I spent a good deal of time preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving in March, you may wonder? I will leave you in wonderment until my next post.

Plan B

I had some motivation issues this week. I didn't really feel like lesson planning. I didn't really feel like grading papers. I didn't really feel like doing much of anything.

I'm not going to say for a minute that snow days aren't the most wonderful part of being a teacher. However, they kind of mess with my schedule and I get all off track.

I came up with a plan for the week based on the odds and ends of ground turkey, turkey sausage, soup, and chicken in my freezer. I kind of stuck to my plan and kind of didn't.

Here was the original plan for this week:

Monday: Prosciutto and Pesto Panini with Soup
Tuesday: Spinach-Cheese Casserole with Sausage
Wednesday: Humble Shepherd's Pie
Thursday: Chicken bites with Apricot Mustard Sauce
Friday: Kung Pao Chicken over couscous
Saturday: Eat out
Sunday: Family Dinner (Mexican dishes)

I started off fine because I pre-made the Spinach-Cheese Casserole and Humble Shepherd's Pie mixture on Sunday. But the end of the week got a bit mixed up. Here's what actually happened this week:

Monday: Prosciutto and Pesto Panini with Soup
Tuesday: Spinach-Cheese Casserole with Sausage
Wednesday: Humble Shepherd's Pie
Thursday: Prosciutto and Pesto Panini with Soup again
Friday: Wegman's Bake at Home Pizza
Saturday: Kung Pao Chicken
Sunday: Family dinner canceled due to my poor sister's bad cold. Made an assortment of food items instead.

My point is that I almost always have a plan, but I don't always stick to the plan. And that's OK. I sometimes need to just make something that works with my schedule and how I'm feeling.

Prosciutto and Pesto Panini*
~I serve this delicious sandwich with Roasted Red Pepper soup that I have in the freezer~

1 loaf ciabatta (I buy individual rolls and then freeze them...they are perfect for this)
1/3 cup pesto (I buy Classico)
1/3 lb Prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into strips (from a jar)
1/4 lb fontina cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup baby arugula or basil
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat. Or heat a panini press if you have one.
2. Slice the ciabatta horizontally and remove a bit of the soft interior.
3. Spread one cut side of ciabatta with the pesto and the other side with olive oil.
   
4. Layer one side of the ciabatta with prosciutto, red pepper, and basil (or arugula). Top with cheese.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread.
6. Brush the top and bottom of the sandwich with olive oil and place on the grill pan or panini press. If using a grill pan, use the weight of a heavy skillet or pan to press the panini. Grill 3 or 4 minutes on each side until golden and cheese is melted.
7. Cut into quarters and serve with soup for dipping

*I had plenty of the ingredients left over to make these again later in the week. They are yummy enough to have twice in a week!

Recipe taken from Everyday Food Magazine

Spinach-Cheese Pasta Casserole with Turkey Sausage*

8 oz. uncooked pasta shells
4 links of sweet turkey sausage
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray small casserole with nonstick cooking spray (I use a 1 1/2 quart round corningware dish).
2. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
3. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and cook the turkey sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook it until it's no longer pink.
   
4. Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended. Add ricotta and spinach to eggs and stir until combined.
5. Stir in pasta, marinara sauce, sausage, and salt until pasta is well coated. Pour into prepared dish.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan evenly over casserole. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more or until hot and bubbly.

*I usually make this several days ahead of time by assembling the entire casserole and keeping it in the fridge until I'm ready to bake it.

Humble Shepherd's Pie*

I found this recipe online last year around St. Patrick's Day. I was trying to make an Irish themed meal without using beef. I wish I could remember where I found it so that I could give credit where credit is due, but I have no idea.

I also wanted to mention a couple of things about this recipe. You can use instant mashed potatoes instead of making them from scratch. I often do that to save time. Also, the spices used to flavor the turkey are totally up to you. I have played around with a couple different things and found I like the ones below the best.

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1 1/2 inches thick
6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning (Mrs. Dash is great)
2 (1 oz.) packages instand chicken gravy mix
1 cup water
1 (16 oz.) package frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 cups shredded cheese (chedder is good)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Cover potatoes with water in a saucepan and boil for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fork tender.
3. Drain and beat potatoes until smooth with a mixer. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir turkey and onion unitl turkey is fully cooked. Add garlic and seasonings.
5. Add gravy mix and water, stirring often until gravy is thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add turkey mixture to bottom of baking dish. Next, layer peas and carrots on top. Cover with mashed potatoes and then a layer of cheese on the top.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.

*I often prepare the turkey mixture ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. To finish it off, I layer the turkey mixture, then frozen veggies, then instant mashed potatoes. Because the turkey is already cooked and seasoned, the dish comes together in minutes on a busy weeknight.

Kung Pao Chicken
~This is one of my all time favorite recipes; I serve it over couscous~

1 tbsp canola oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets (I prefer fresh over frozen for this recipe)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, divided
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add broccoli and 2 tsp ginger to pan; saute 1 minute.
2. Add water. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp tender. Remove broccoli from pan and keep warm.
3. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in pan. Add remaining 1 tsp ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
4. Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan and cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Stir constantly.
   
5. Return broccoli mixture to pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts and pour over couscous.
   

Recipe learned at The Kitchen Workshop