Healthy yet still VERY yummy burger

Salsa Verde Turkey Burger

source: Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 1 avocado, halved and pitted
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Salt
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 c salsa verde (recipe below)
• 4 slices pepper Jack cheese
• 4 kaiser rolls, split
• 1 c fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 small green or red tomatoes, sliced

Directions

1. Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic and mash with a fork until well combined but chunky. Season with salt and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey and salsa. Divide the mixture to form 4 patties.
3. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese; cover and cook for 4 minutes more.
4. Spread the avocado on the split side of each roll bottom and cover with 1/4 cup cilantro. Top with a patty and 2 tomato slices; set the roll tops into place.

Salsa Verde

source: simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb tomatillos
• 1/2 c chopped white onion
• 1/2 c cilantro leaves
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• Salt to taste

Directions 

1. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. 
2. Cut the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Intersperse chunks of fresh garlic among the tomatillos. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.
3. Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.
   *Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes. 

I LOVE BLT's

Ultimate B.L.T.
source: thepioneerwoman
Ingredients:

• 8 slices Thick-cut Bacon, Cooked Till Slightly Crisp
• 3 slices Marbled Rye Bread, Toasted
• 3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Adobo Sauce From Chipotle Peppers, More To Taste
• 2 whole Roma Tomatoes, Sliced Thick
• 4 whole Green Leaf Lettuce Leaves, Washed
• Salt And Pepper
• Optional Ingredients: Cheese Slices, Avocado, Red Onion Slices 

Directions:

1. Mix together the mayo and the adobo sauce, adding more to get the spiciness you want.
2. Spread some of the chipotle mayo on one piece of bread. Lay on four slices of bacon, then top with lettuce and tomato slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the tomatoes.
3. Spread chipotle mayo on another slice of bread and lay it face down on top of the tomatoes. Spread more chipotle mayo on top, then repeat the bacon, lettuce, tomato, and salt and pepper. Spread chipotle mayo on another piece of toast and lay it face down on top of the tomatoes.  

 

I normally don't like sloppy joes... But THESE are GOOD.

Sloppy Joes
source: the pioneer woman
Ingredients:

• 2 T Butter
• 2-1/2 lbs Ground Beef
• 1/2 Large Onion, Diced
• 1 Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 c Ketchup
• 1 c Water
• 2 T Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 tsp Dry Mustard
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
• 2 T Tomato Paste (optional)
• Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
• Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Kaiser Rolls
• Butter

Directions:

1. Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.
2. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.
3. Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if desired. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

I told you I LOVE HARRY POTTER

In honor of the most awesome event of seeing the EPIC finale of Harry Potter, we decided to have a "Harry Potter feast". It did not even begin to compare to my sister-in-laws... She even sent owls to invite people! And they dressed in full costume... But hey, we did what we could with the time we had! :)

Fleur's Cream of Brie Soup

Source: MuggleNet, heck yes! :)
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 2-3 stalks celery, diced finely
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 12 oz. (3/4 lb.) of brie cheese with the rind, cubed. (Apparently Brie is super duper expensive so bear that in mind if you decide to make this dish!)
• 1/2 cup whole milk or half-and-half
• salt and pepper

 Directions:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauce pot. 
2. Add the onions and celery and sweat the onions (onions become translucent). 
3. Whisk in flour while continuously stirring, cook for 3 minutes. 
4. Whisk in chicken stock gradually. Let soup simmer for 10-15 minutes until celery is tender. 
5. Gently stir in brie cheese and allow it to melt for around 5 minutes. 
6. Pour soup into a blender (fill only to half full at a time). Hold top down with pot holder as soup is hot. Puree until smooth and pour into a clean pot. 
7. Heat the soup to almost simmering on medium-low heat. 
8. Stir in the milk or half-and-half. 
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

English Toasties

Source: Our own ingenuity

Ingredients:

• Bread, sliced
• Mayo
• Cheese
• tomato, thinly sliced
• onion, thinly sliced
• sprinkle of garlic powder 
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Spread a light layer of mayo on the bread. Place onion and tomato on bread, sprinkle with seasoning's, and add a layer of cheese on top.
2. Put under broiler until cheese is melted.

**Note: My family went to England and we basically became toastie connoissuer's...mainly because we didn't like any other food we tried! They put all kinds of stuff on their toasties! It is whatever sounds good to you. Meat, different cheeses, different veggies, really whatever! This is just what we made. And it's delish. :) Enjoy!

Pumpkin Juice

Source:  MuggleNet so it is legit!
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pumpkin, chopped up into chunks (This is almost impossible to find outside of the months of October and November!! We replaced it with butternut squash and it was still good)
• 2 cups of apple juice
• ½ cup of pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon of honey (more or less to your liking
• Cinnamon 
• Ginger 
• Nutmeg
• Allspice

 Directions:

1. Juice the pumpkin pieces by squeezing through a cheesecloth or using a juicer if you have one.
2.  Pour the pumpkin juice, apple juice and pineapple juice into a blender. 
3. Add the honey (we recommend you start with 1 teaspoon, as you can add some later!) to the juices and blend thoroughly. 
4. Add your spices (to taste). This might take some experimentation to get right. 
5. Chill your pumpkin juice or serve iced and enjoy! 

ButterBeer

Source: MuggleNet of course!:)
Ingredients:

• 1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda
• ½ cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
• ½ tablespoon butter

Topping

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbs powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated.
2.  Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit. 
3. Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses; a perfectly warm Hogwarts treat for two!
4. Pour heavy whipping cream into mixing bowl.
   Add powdered sugar and whisk briskly (you want consistency to be thickened slightly but still looses). It should act like a foam. Put on top of butterbeer as a foamy topping! 

What goes hand-in-hand with a TEA party?

Cucumber Sandwiches!

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 6 slices of bread
• 3-inch length of cucumber, sliced to desired thickness
  

Directions:

1. Pick off some mint leaves and place them in a salad spinner to wash and dry. Dice the mint leaves.
   
2. Place the cream cheese, butter, and mint into a bowl and mix well. It helps if the cream cheese and butter are slightly softened. It should become a sort of herb paste.
   
3. Spread mint mixture onto bread. Top with cucumber slices. Top with another slice of bread and slice up sandwich for desired look.

This recipe is from epicurious but I found it here!


Best Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
• dash Worcestershire
• 1 loaf sliced, firm-textured bread
• dash of paprika
  

Directions:

1. Run a fork over the sides of the cucumber, slightly puncturing the skin. Slice the cucumbers to your desired thickness.
   
2. In a bowl pour in the vinegar and the water. Place the cucumber slices in the bowl and let them sit for 30 minutes.
   
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, garlic powder, onion salt, and the Worcestershire. Mix well.
   
4. Drain the cucumber slices by placing them between two paper towels.
   
5. Put the spread on the slices of bread. Place the cucumber slices on the bread. Top with a dash of paprika. Slice in whatever superfluous way you'd like.   

This recipe is from here but I found it at the same blog I found the other sandwich!

I saw a picture of this and HAD to make it.

Chicken Caesar Pita

Ingredients:

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2lb bacon
• 1 large head romaine lettuce leaves (torn into bite sized pieces)
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle Caesar salad dressing (or make your own)
• Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
• cherry tomatoes, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 (10 ounce) package pocket pita bread (halved)
• Croutons
• Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Grease an indoor grill pan or an outdoor grill and heat to medium high heat. 
2. In a small bowl combine garlic powder, thyme and rosemary. Season chicken breasts with the garlic powder mixture on both sides. Place chicken on the grill and cook chicken until it is fully cooked and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees. Remove from the grill and allow to cool then slice the chicken breasts into thin strips.
3. While chicken is grilling place bacon strips in a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Once bacon has cooled crumble it into small pieces.
4. In a large bowl combine chicken, bacon, lettuce, and croutons. Toss with Caesar salad dressing and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the Caesar salad mixture into pita bread halves.

Found this recipe at the usual place! :)

Caesar Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 oil packed anchovy, minced (you can replace this with capers or kalamata olives)
• ¼ cup olive oil
•  4 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together mayo, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy, garlic, and salt and pepper. 
2. Then whisk in olive oil. Refrigerate until needed (whisk once before using).

I found the basic recipe for this here but I tweaked it a bit :).

This is another EASY one...

Sloppy Joe's

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs hamburger
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown meat and onion together.
2. Add seasonings, tomatoes, and sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Okay. This is GOOD.

French Dip Sliders

Ingredients:Sliders

• 24 slider rolls(or dinner rolls, ect)
• 24 slices deli roast beef
• 24 slices swiss cheese

Au Jus

• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon better than bouillon beef base
• 2 teaspoons better than bouillon beef base
• 1/2 stalk celery
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 pinch thyme
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. To make the Au Jus- in a saucepan combine water, beef base, celery, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Strain and place into small bowls for serving.
3. Split the slider rolls in half. Lay the bottom half of a slider roll on a baking sheet. Top with a folded slice of roast beef, top with Swiss cheese. Place the top half of the slider roll on top of the cheese. Repeat until all of the rolls are used up. Place into the oven and bake until cheese has melted. 
4. Serve with Au Jus.

We found this super yummy recipe here! As usual... :)

This is definitely worth trying.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich 

 Ingredients:

• 4 Italian sandwich rolls or Kaiser buns (split in half lengthwise)
• 1 onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
• ½ package fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1lb rib-eye steak (sliced thinly as possible)
• ¼ cup water (or more)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 8 Slices Provolone cheese (or cheese whiz, or sliced American cheese)

Directions:

1. Add oil to a large sauté pan over medium-heat heat. Add vegetables and sauté until tender. Season vegetables with salt and pepper while cooking if desired. Remove vegetables from the pan and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add steak to the hot pan. Season steak with salt and pepper. Quickly stir fry steak until browned. Deglaze the pan with water scrapping up any bits of steak stuck to the pan. Simmer until steak is tender.
3. Place split rolls onto a baking sheet, top each evenly with sliced steak, vegetables and 2 slices of cheese. Place under a broiler until cheese has melted.

 Surprise surprise! We found this recipe on our favorite recipe blog! :)

Yum.

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Sandwich

• 2 eggs
• 2 T. water
• 3 T. hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Taco Bell)
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1-2 cups tortilla chip crumbs
• 2 T. olive oil

Toppings

• 4 sandwich rolls
• red onion slices
• tomato slices
• lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Mix the mayo, cilantro, lime juice and garlic; set aside. 
2. Beat the eggs with the water, hot sauce, oregano and salt; pour into a large zip-loc bag. 
3. Slice each chicken breast in 1/2 horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Add to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 2-8 hours, turning bag occasionally. 
4. Place chips in a bag and beat with a rolling pin into fine crumbs. 
5. Remove chicken from bag, coat completely with chips then cook in hot oil over medium heat until browned and done, about 3-5 minutes per side. 
6. Create a sandwich with mayo, chicken and toppings. 

Something Simple for the CrockPot

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 ounce) can root beer
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
• 8 hamburger buns
• Coleslaw

Directions:

1. Place the pork tenderloin into a slow cooker and pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until the pork falls apart and shreds easily (about 6 to 7 hours). 
2. Drain the juices and pull the pork apart with two forks until it is shredded. Stir in BBQ Sauce and warm in the slow cooker.
3. Place some of the pork onto the bottom of each hamburger bun, top with coleslaw and place the other half of the bun on top.

Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) bag shredded cabbage and carrot mix
• 2 tablespoons onion, diced
• 2/3 cup creamy salad dressing (Miracle Whip or Mayo)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon poppy seeds (we didn't have poppy seeds so we just replaced this with fresh savory and it was pretty tasty!)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine coleslaw mix and diced onion.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together salad dressing, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and poppy seeds. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat. 
3. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

We found this recipe at our usual recipe blog. It was pretty tasty. Mostly simple! :)

Want a Fall Back That You Actually Crave?

So whenever Russ and I don't have all of the ingredients for a planned meal or we don't feel good... We end up making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Which sometimes happens more than once in a week! Which is just ridiculous! Especially when it is so bland and similar. So we have recently started making this simple meal quite delicious. Last night we were moaning in pleasure as we at these. HAH. But really? It is THAT good. :)

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup:

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 can campbell's tomato soup
• 1 can of milk
• basil
• oregano
• chives
• parmesan cheese
• croutons

Directions:

1. Okay, we are not very specific about what we put in our soup or how much but basically... You follow the directions on the back of the soup with the milk and whatnot. While it's cooking just add some dried basil and parmesan cheese. And that's it!
2. But, yesterday we decided to try out our fresh herbs in our little aerogrow, seriously best invention ever! So we threw in some fresh chives, basil, and oregano. Best CHOICE ever! It really was amazing. 
3. So, whichever you decide to do, just throw on some parm and croutons before you eat it and enjoy! YUM.

Russ' Toasty

 Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bread
• cheese (I like Mozzarella, but cheddar is great)]
• sliced onion
• lunch meat (Ham is my favorite)
• ½ Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Melt ½ Tbsp of butter in a skillet.
2. Saute the sliced onion in the butter on medium heat until translucent.
3. While the onions are cooking, add the lunch meat to the same pan. Cook until browned and flip.
4. Put cheese on the lunch meat and let it melt.
5. Butter one side of each of the bread slices.
6. Place meat and cheese and onions on the bread and fry both sides until golden brown.
   Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches 

 Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin
• 8 slices crusty Italian semolina bread (we used regular bread)
• 1 cup shredded provolone
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
• 1 cup shredded Asiago
• * We used whatever cheeses we had in the fridge. This time we had cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, and a parm/asagio/romano cheese blend. And it. was. good.

Directions:

1. In a small skillet over medium low heat, combine oil, butter and garlic. Cook garlic in butter and oil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove garlic butter mixture from heat.
2. Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush 1 side of 4 slices of bread with garlic oil and place buttered side down in skillet. 
3. Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread brushed with garlic butter, buttered side up. 
4. Flip the grill cheese sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden. Cut grilled 4 cheese sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.

 This recipe is originally a Rachel Ray recipe. We changed a few things but the basic idea is still her's! :)

Zupas at Home

Russ and I really LOVE Zupas tomato soup and sandwiches. They're ALMOST as good as Panera Bread :) Anyway. We decided to go ahead and try to make our own Zupas/Panera Bread soup and sandwiches. And I have to say, they turned out pretty amazing. We found a soup recipe online, but the sandwich was pretty much our own creation! So, here is our delicious dinner :).
p.s. We have been CRAVING these sandwiches since we made them. So uh... Consider this a warning. :)

 Zupas Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
source:  family cook book project 

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. apple juice
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
• 4 c. chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (I used 1 qt. home canned tomatoes)
• 1 c. vegetable stock (I used chicken broth)
• 1/3 c. orzo pasta
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 c. butter

Directions:

1. In soup pot, heat oil and apple juice over medium heat.
2. Saute onion, garlic and pepper 8-10 mins, stirring frequently, until onion is soft but not brown. Add small amounts of water if mixture becomes too dry.
3. Remove from heat. Add tomatoes and broth. Stir. Puree in blender and return to pot.
4. Add pasta and cook 10 mins, stirring often.
5. Add butter and cream. Stir in. Simmer 15 min. DO NOT BOIL. 
6. Add basil and serve immediately.

 Turkey, Spinach, Artichoke Panini

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf focaccia bread, sliced (or other sturdy sandwich bread)
• several slices of turkey
• spinach artichoke parmesan spread
• sliced muenster cheese
• 1 small onion, diced 
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tomato sliced
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat panini grill or sandwich maker to medium temperature. In a medium sauce pan, sauté diced onion in olive oil until transparent. Add balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Layer the turkey and muenster cheese onto the bottom halves of the bread, and spread spinach artichoke mix over turkey. Layer sautéed onions tomato slices. Close face of panini with the top halves of bread.
3. Add panini to preheated grill and press lightly. Grill 5 minutes on medium or until the cheese begins to melt and there are grill marks on the bread.