Pimiento Cheese - Bacon Burgers

Doesn't that look delicious!!

The photo is from Southern Living.

I used that as inspiration to add pimiento cheese and bacon to the basic frozen burgers that I got from Kroger (which are great, by the way, easy to put on the grill frozen and less expensive than Bubba Burgers brand).

I also used some "good" pimiento cheese that I got from the deli/cheese department at Kroger. I think that's important, it wouldn't have been as good with the packaged stuff, you know, Mrs. So & So??

Although extremely tasty, my burger did not look nearly as lovely as the one pictured in Southern Living. What can I say? I am not a food stylist!

And yes, we ate our burgers with Tater Tots!

Sweet & Spicy Cucumbers

SWEET AND SPICY CUCUMBERS

recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

1 1/2 pounds cucumber (2 large or 3 medium), halved lengthwise & thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar, seasoned or regular
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup minced red onion

Combine salt, vinegar, water, sugar and red pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add onion. Let mixture cool to room temperature.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and stir. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving, stirring a couple of times to be sure all cucumbers are covered.

Notes: I don't find it necessary to peel cucumbers like in the original recipe. They also like to take extra steps to draw out moisture from the cucumbers before adding the vinegar mixture. I skipped that, but I did feel the need to pour off some of the excess liquid the next day. This won't matter if all of it is consumed in the same day, though.

Eggplant Parmesan

 All I can say is:

Thank You Martha Stewart!!!!

This Eggplant Parmesan was so delicious, I no longer have a need for Provino's restaurant!

Her recipe even allowed me to use store-bought pasta sauce. You know I'm always looking for the semi-homemade way to make something easier.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Olive oil, for baking sheets

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons water

3/4 cup Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs

3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

Salt & pepper

2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

6 cups (48 ounces) store-bought chunky pasta sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella

 

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 of your largest baking sheets with oil; set aside.

 

 

In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs and 3/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

 

 

Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets.

 

 

Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Also, switch top pan to lower rack and vice versa. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.

 

 

Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish (may overlap some); cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with more Parmesan.

Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes: I used Ragu pasta sauce because that is the only brand that seems to have a 'chunky' version. Next time, I will probably use another brand I like and add a drained can of petite diced tomatoes.

Crafty Housewife - Bulletin Board

I've been spending way too much time on Pinterest!

But, I have actually been inspired by some of the things I'm seeing there.

From my favorite thrift stores, I purchased a bulletin board for 80 cents and got the frame for $2.52. The zebra print fabric came from Jo-Ann for about $2.00. I painted the frame a dark purple and put it all together.

This is a "Rotating" To Do list. Add post it notes when you think of a task. You can place them underneath others if they are low priority or on top if they are more urgent. When the task is complete, just remove the note entirely.

For me, this does not include those really important and ongoing tasks like finding a job or cleaning the house. I use it more for fun things and low priority items.

I think I need to add some bling to clear push pins. Another small project to keep me busy!

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Sauce

I found a reason to use some fresh basil from the garden! And it was delicious!

CHICKEN WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO & BASIL SAUCE

adapted from recipe found here

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (not the oil packed kind)

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup regular cream
1/4 cup minced fresh basil


Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and pepper each side. Cover and cook until done, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan, cover it and set aside.

In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking 1-2 minutes, just until soft. Add sun dried tomatoes; stir. With a whisk in hand, add flour and stir. Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Add cream, still whisking. Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add fresh basil to sun dried tomato sauce and stir. Return chicken to the pan and turn to coat with sauce.

Serve with pasta of your choice.

Drunken Pork Chops

Delicious sauce!!

DRUNKEN PORK CHOPS

recipe found here

 

 

5-6 pork chops (I used boneless)

salt and pepper

olive oil

1 bottle of beer ( I used Samuel Adams Boston Ale)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 water

 

 

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown both sides.

 

 

While pork chops are browning, combine beer, brown sugar and ketchup in a bowl. Pour sauce mixture over the pork chops and simmer for 40 - 45 minutes.

 

 

Remove pork chops and thicken the sauce a bit. In a small cup, combine cornstarch and water. Add to boiling sauce, whisk so no lumps form. Put pork chops back in the thickened sauce, flip to coat.

Suggestion: Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Note: Next time, I'll use a thick cut pork chop, just because.

Korean Beef

I tried a new recipe last night, it was quite tasty.

I'm calling it Korean Beef because that's what Lizzie calls it. I think it tastes alot like the typical Mongolian Beef that I've had at Chinese restaurants. The difference is that it uses ground beef. Ground beef makes it so much easier in my opinion. I typically don't do well with beef strips of any kind, I can't seem to stir-fry without making tough, tasteless meat.

KOREAN BEEF

recipe from Lizzie Writes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

1 pound lean ground beef

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 bunch green onions, sliced

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, red pepper, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown ground beef and garlic in sesame oil. Drain the fat and add soy sauce mixture to the meat. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Add most of the green onions and cook for another minute or so.

Serve over rice and top with additional green onions.

Notes:

I like to drain the meat by pouring it through a strainer, so I added a little more sesame oil back to the mixture after draining. The taste of the sesame oil adds to the overall flavor.

For ginger, I use Gourmet Garden ginger. It comes already grated, in a tube, refrigerated, in the produce department. Makes my life easier and it keeps for a long time.