Sunday is for Supper: crescent burgers, shredded beef tacos, slow cooker breakfast casserole, slow cooker spaghettie sauce italiano

I want to challenge you.  I want to challenge you to sit down and have a meal with your family.  There are so many positive outcomes that comes from just reconnecting with your family over a shared meal.  We were blessed to have the chance to sit down together at every meal today:  breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It was awesome and a rarity.  During the work week we are usually rushing out the door to work and preschool, and breakfast becomes a grab and go type of event.  Lunch, of course, is on or own at our workplaces and preschool, but dinner is a time for us to be together.  I know this may change as the kids get older and we are pulled in different directions, so realistically for most, would be to sit down together at a meal 2-3 times a week.

When we sit down for dinner, we turn music on and talk about our day.  We all share what our favorite part of the day was.  Tessa loves this and will often look at us and say, "So, what was the favorite part of your day?"  Ry and I are taking a parenting class through church and they suggested playing a game over a meal called, "Sad, mad, and glad."  You take turns going around the table sharing one thing from the day that made you sad, mad, and glad.  We have fun with it and makes for a fun dinner conversation and I think Tessa thinks it's interesting to hear about things that actually made her parents sad and mad.

I hope you have a chance to sit down to a meal together this week!  My wish is that maybe one of these suppers will be one you can make for your family. 

Pinterest has become one of my go-to sites for recipes.  I usually spend part of my weekends scouring the internet and cookbooks for recipes to use for dinners for the week, but pinterest has it all in one place and it has been so fun to find new recipes to try.  Have fun trying these recipes:  crescent burgers, slow cooker breakfast casserole, shredded beef tacos, slow cooker spaghetti sauce italiano.

Crescent Burgers: (thanks to www.budgetsavvydiva.com)  Tessa took one bite of these and threw her arms around me and said, "Thank you Mommy!  These are so yummy!"  No lie, this actually happened.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of ground beef
worcestshire sauce
1 egg
1/3 packet of dry onion soup mix
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup cheddar cheese
1 roll of crescents

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  In a skillet heat a small amount of oil and brown meat.  In a medium size bowl mix – 1/2 cup of cheese, onion soup mix, couple drops of Worcestershire sauce, pepper; meat.  Unroll the crescents. Place a rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture towards the larger end of the crescent dough.  Place crescents onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.Brush the tops of the dough with an egg wash ( simply break and egg in a bowl and whisk egg until well blended and 1 tablespoon of water to the mix).  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg wash and bake for 10 – 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole: (thanks to the http://crockingirls.com)  I love my slow cooker and love when dinner is already done for me when I get home.  I think my slow cooker is too big, but it still does its job.  I think I need to go get a 4 quart one, though.

Ingredients:

1 Package of Frozen Hash Browns

1 Pound of Cooked Sausage

2 Cups of Colby Jack Cheese, shredded

1 Cup of Diced Peppers (green, red, yellow and/or orange)

1 Cup of Sliced Mushrooms

1 Can of Diced Chilis (optional)

1 Quart of EggBeaters (can also use 16 eggs)

                      

Directions:

Spray the slow cooker with Pam.

Starting with the frozen hash browns, layer the ingredients, repeating twice.  Shake the EggBeaters well and pour over the top.  cook on LOW for 8 hours on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

 

Shredded Beef Tacos: (thanks to http://userealbutter.com)  These were a true OMG moment.  These are amazing tacos!  Ryan and I totally stuffed our faces and did it again when we had leftover night!

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs eye of chuck (which is NOT beef chuck roast)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsps vinegar
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
1 1/2 tsps chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef stock
salt to taste
~ 24 corn tortillas
lettuce, queso fresco, salsa, guacamole, etc. (for toppings)

 

Directions:

Trim the fat and cut the beef into 1 inch thick slices. In a ziploc bag, combine the oil, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Place the meat slices in the bag, seal, mix it around and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature. Place all contents from the bag in a baking dish with the beef stock. Cover the dish and bake for 1 1/4 hours (I baked it for 2 1/2 hours) at 350°F. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes and then shred it with forks or process it quickly in a food processor with the plastic dough blade (I prefer the forks method). Salt the meat to your liking. Fry the tortillas lightly in a little hot oil.  Double the tortillas and stuff them with shredded beef, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, and salsa.

 

 

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce Italiano:  (adapted from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

 

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 4-oz. cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 bay leaf

2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 cup chopped green sweet pepper

12 to 16 ounces hot cooked spaghetti

 

Directions:

In a large skillet cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat browns.  Drain fat; discard.  In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Add meat mixture.  Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  Stir in sweet pepper.  Discard bay leaf.  Serve meat mixture over hot cooked spaghetti. 

 

553 cal, 23 g fat, 51 mg chol, 1,506 mg sodium, 62 g carb, 6 g fiber, 27 g protein.

 

Happy Anniversary! Menu items: Brunch for a Bunch, Honeyed Chicken, Grilled Hamburgers with sour cream and herbs

Ry Guy and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary on July 15th.  We have had a very eventful 6 years of married life.  I filled out a questionnaire about us and will include some meals to make this week!

1.  How did you all meet?
   We met in college.  We both attended Lynchburg College.  A mutual friend, Kevin Graves, told me I had to meet two of his friends who were also from Richmond.  He introduced me to Ryan and his roommate Justin our freshman year.  All three of them ran cross country and track together while I played soccer.  Being an avid football fan, I was looking for someone to watch Sunday football with and someone who was a fan of the Redskins.  Every weekend I would head over to Ryan and Justin's dorm room to watch football with the two of them and Kevin.  I only considered Ryan to be a friend and enjoyed spending time with him and the guys.  Second semester of our freshman year, we found out we had a class together called Argument and Reasoning.  Luckily for us, our first assignment was to interview a classmate and present the interview of the other person as an introduction to the class.  Ryan and I got paired up.  It was a perfect opportunity to get to know him better and we realized we had more in common than we thought. 

2.  When did you all start dating?
     We made our relationship official on March 15th of 2003. 

3.  Where was your first date?
      To be honest, we don't remember our first date.  As freshmen, we did not have cars on campus, so we had to make do with just hanging out with each other.  We did end up borrowing someone's car to go on a date, but honestly don't remember where we went.

4.  What were your favorite memories of your courtship?
      We dated all through college.  Some of my favorite memories together were hiking the Peaks of Otter, going with Ryan to the various lakes in Lynchburg while he fished and I did schoolwork, running track and cross country with Ryan and the rest of the team....I loved meeting his family and introducing him to mine.  Ryan has a very goofy personality and he definitely was not afraid to show it to my family.  I brought him with me to our family's river house the first summer we were together.  We had an awesome time with my parents and sister and started packing up our stuff to go home on Sunday.  Ryan put the towel he had been using all weekend on his head and walked out to my parents who were sitting on the screened-in porch.  In a high-pitched voice he asked my parents where they would like him to put his towel.  It made my parents laugh and they still remember this story.

5.  When did you realize you were in love?
      For Ryan, it was a little sooner than for me.  He kept telling me he would just wait until I was ready to love him back, which made me like him even more.  I realized I loved Ryan when I met his family.  He wasn't shy about hugging both of his parents in front of other people and telling them he loved them.  I watched him interact with his younger sisters.  His younger sister was in high school at the time and his youngest sister was 6 and in the first grade.  I knew this relationship was very different from any of the other relationships I had been in.

6.  How did he propose?
      Little did I know, but Ryan had contacted my Dad to ask for his blessing before he popped the question.  I had just gotten back from a cross country meet and had the day off from practice.  Ryan wanted to hike the Peaks of Otter together.  It was a rainy, cloudy day, but as we hiked up the mountain, we went through the clouds and ended up finishing our hike in sunshine.  I went to the edge and looked down at the clouds below us and turned around to see Ryan on his knee and a ring in his hand.

7.  What was your wedding day like?
     We got married July 15, 2006 in Lynchburg.  We exchanged vows at the Snidow Chapel on Lynchburg's campus and had our reception at West Manor Bed and Breakfast.  It was really hot that day, but it didn't matter.  We had an amazing time with our family and friends and then enjoyed our honeymoon in Key Largo.

8.  What major events have happened since you got married?
      Geez, we bought a house and have steady careers.  In 2008, we welcomed our daughter, Tessa to the family and then in 2012, we added our Dempsey boy to the fam.

9.  What marriage advice would you give to other couples?
      Remember to laugh together and not take things too seriously.  Very often, Ryan and I find ourselves in stressful situations with our kids, work, or just life in general and we turn to each other and just start laughing because sometimes that's all you can do.  It helps us keep things on the light side.

Happy 6th anniversary, Ry!

The recipes for this week are fairly simple and of course include a new burger recipe to try.  The honeyed chicken recipe makes use of ingredients most of us have on hand and the Brunch for a Bunch recipe is a good one for breakfast for dinner.

Brunch for a Bunch
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
3 frozen hash brown patties (I used 4)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 can green chilies, chopped
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk

Brown and drain sausage.  In a 8 x 8 inch greased dish, layer starting with potatoes, then sausage, cheese, and chilies.  Combine eggs and milk, stirring well.  Pour over layers.  Bake at 350 degress for 50 minutes.  This recipe can easily be doubled!

Honeyed Chicken
Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. butter
Chicken pieces
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Combine honey, mustard, lemon juice, and salt.  Melt butter in foil-lined pan.  Place chicken skin side down.  Baste wtih honey mix.  Bake 1/2 hour (350 degrees).  Turn, baste, bake 1/2 hour more; basting with remainder of mix.

Grilled Hamburgers with Sour cream and Herbs
Ingredients:
2 2/3 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespon minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried, crumbled
3/4 tsp ground black pepper

8 hamburger buns, split

Combine first 6 ingredents thoroughly in medium bowl.  Shape beef mixture into eight 1-inch thick patties.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.  Place burgers on grill.  Cover grill and cook burgers 4 minutes.  Turn burgers.  Cover grill and cook burgers to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare.  Grill buns, inner sides down, during last 2 minutes if desired. 

On the Menu: Fajitas, Spring Onion Pie, Pork and Egg Lo Mein, Corn Dogs, Sausage Burgers

It's pretty daggone hot around here, but it's GLORIOUS because that means another school year is over and it's summertime.  I had the chance to say goodbye to my schoolbabies and start spending a whole lotta time with my home babies.  Life is good!

My dad is cranking out radiation and chemo treatments up in Baltimore with my mom during the week and home on the weekends.  It's crazy and we hate it, but if this is what it takes to heal him, then so be it.  I am so proud to call these two wonderful people my parents!!! 

Now onto cooking...I have cooked up some amazing meals these past couple weeks and am so mad I didn't have the chance to share them.  Hopefully, this will not happen again!  Here's what's on the menu this week:  Pizza (duh), Fajitas, Spring Onion Pie, Pork and Egg Lo Mein, Corn Dogs, and Sausage Burgers.

***I am always looking for new and creative meals to do for Mexican night at our house, so Fajitas sounded awesome.  I hadn't made these in a while, so it will be a nice change-up!

Fajitas adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:
12 ounces beef skirt or flank steak, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 recipe Homemade Fajita Seasoning (recipe follows)
1 cup thin strips red or green sweet pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped tomato
1 tablespoon lime juice
4 to six 8 inch flour tortillas, warmed

1.  Sprinkle beef with 2 teasoppns of the Homemade Fajita Seasoning, toss to coat.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
2.  In a very large skillet cook pepper, onion, and remaining seasoning in 1 tablespoon oil until tender.  Remove from skillet.  Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and meat to skillet.  Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until desired doneness.  Return pepper mixture to skillet.  Stir in tomato.  Cook until heated through.  Remove from heat; stir in lime juice.  To serve fill warmed tortillas with beef mixture.  If desired, top with guacamole, salsa, and dairy sour cream.  Roll up tortillas.

Homemade Fajita Seasoning:  Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder; and 1/8 teaspoon onion powder.

Nutrition Info:  Per tortilla and 3/4 cup beef mixture:  356 cal., 21 g total fat, 51 mg chol., 326 mg sodium, 21 g carb, 2 g fiber, 20 g protein.

***I got myself a cast iron skillet not too long ago and was so excited when I came across this recipe which suggests baking this next recipe in a cast iron skillet.  Now, a cast iron skillet should be a staple in every kitchen.  It's a piece of equipment that lasts for years and should NOT be washed with soap.  Cast iron holds onto the flavors of every meal you cook and actually comes pre-seasoned when you buy it.  All you have to do is rinse it out and wipe it down with a paper towel when you are finished cooking.  Now that's my kind of clean up!

Spring Onion Pie
10 thin spring onions (green onions)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp butter
5 oz Gruyere cheese, cubed (you can substitute Swiss or sharp cheddar)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet in oven.  Trim roots from onions; discard roots.  Chop half of onions. 
2.  Whisk together eggs and milk.  Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients.  Gradually add flour mixtrue to egg mixture, whisking rapidly 20 to 30 seconds or just until blended and smooth.  (There should be no lumps.)  Stir in chopped onions.  Let stand 5 minutes.
3.  Carefully remove hot skillet from oven.  Add butter, and let stand until butter is mielted.  Place skillet over medium-high heat, and pour batter into skillet.  Arrange cheese and remaining whole onions over top of batter, and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until edges begin to set.
4.  Transfer skillet to top oven rack, and bake at 400 dgrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until goden brown and puffy.  (Outside edges should be crispy.  Pie will deflate quickly.)  Serve immediately.

***I absolutely love to make my own Chinese food at home.  If you can find the right ingredients in your grocery store, there is no need to head out to an expensive restaurant.

Pork and Egg Lo Mein

Kosher salt
6 ounces dried lo mein noodles, spaghetti, or linguine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (even my grocery store has this!)
2 1-inch-thick boneless pork chops (about 3/4 pound), thinly sliced
2 12 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger (ginger freezes well, so keep it in your freezer!)
4 cups broccoli slaw mix
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1.  Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add the noodles and cook as the label directs.  Reserve 3 tablespoons of the cooking water, then drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.  Meanwhile mixe the soy sauce and oyster sauce in a small bowl.  Put the pork in anoutehr bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce mixture.
2.  Heat 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the eggs; cook, without stirring, until set, 1 minute.  Flip and cook 30 seconds, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.
3.  Heat the remaining 2 tbsps vegetable oil in the skillet.  Add the pork and stir fry until golden but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Add the scallions, ginger and garlic to teh skillet and stir fry 30 seconds.  Add the broccoli slaw and bell pepper and stir fry 4 more minutes.  Return the pork to the skillet and add the noodles, the reserved cooking water and the remaining soy sauce mixture.  Stir-fry until the pork is cooked through, about 2 more minutes.  Stir in the egg.

Nutrition info:  454 calories, 20 g fat, 153 mg chol, 630 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, 28 g protein

***Yes, I am always trying to find meals I can make at home rather than go out and pay way too much for meals made by someone else.  This way I know exactly what's going into the food.  So, why not try to have a kid-friendly dinner and whip up some corn dogs???

Corn Dogs

1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
10 to 12 wooden skewers
10 to 12 hot dogs
Vegetable oil for frying (about 8 cups)
Ketchup and/ or yellow mustard 

1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  For batter, in a large bolw stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, dry mustard, and salt.  Using a pastry blender (or 2 knives), cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  In a small bowl combine egg and milk.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture; mix well.
2.  Insert the wooden skewers into ends of hot dogs.  Pour vegetable oil in a ver large skillet to a depth of 1 inch, heat oil over medium-high heat to 365 degrees.
3.  Coat hot dogs with batter (I would dredge the hot dogs in flour first to help the batter stick)  You could also pour the batter into a drinking glass and dip the hot dogs into the batter to ensure an even coat.  If the batter is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons milk.
4.  Arrange the batter-coated hot dogs, three at a time, in hot oil.  Turn franks with tongs after 10 seconds of cooking to prevent batter from sliding off.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning again halfway through cooking.  Drain corn dogs on paper towles; transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven while frying remaining franks.  Serve hot and with ketchup and mustard!

Nutrition info:  315 cal, 22 g fat, 45 mg chol, 632 mg sodium, 21 g carb, 1 g fiber, 8 g pro

***In the winter, I tried making a different soup every week, now that it's summertime, I want to try making a different burger every week.  Italian sausage is almost always in our freezer and we usually use it in sandwiches.  I wanted to change it up a bit and of course found an awesome burger recipe from Rachael Ray.

Sausage Burgers courtesy of Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, quartered and sliced
2 Cubanelle peppers, seeded and halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup beef stock
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
2 large cloves garlic, grated
Handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
8 deli slices provolone cheese
4 sandwich rolls

1.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms, onions and peppers until tender, 7 to 8 minutes then season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with stock.

2.  Combine the sausage and sirloin with grill seasoning, garlic and parsley. Mix and form 4 patties thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking and to keep burgers from bulging.
3.  Heat cast iron or nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat, cook patties 12 minutes turning once and top with mushrooms, onions and peppers and 2 slices of cheese. Turn heat off and cover pan with foil to melt cheese, 2 minutes. Pile on buns and serve.

Happy Eating, y'all!

 

Food Brings Families Together

I have my usual routine on Sundays.  The paper gets delivered and I pull out the Wedding Celebrations section (to see if I know anyone), Flair (to laugh at my horoscope and read Miss Manners and Dear Abby), the coupon inserts (gotta save money), and Parade magazine.  I read this every Sunday and they usually have a recipe from some celebrity in the very back.  Today, it was Buddy Valastro, from Cake Boss on TLC.  I love this show and its Italian family.  It's dysfunctional, but so loving and they always have great food!  Even though his family works together everyday at the bakery, they get together every Sunday to have Sunday dinner.  In his short article, he says, "Nothing brings families together like food."  (No, I am not using his recipe this week, but I am hanging onto it for the future.)  The quote he said reminded me of my mom.  She once said that she loves cooking for her family because of the memories the meal provides.  She said she likes making a meal that people remember because of the event that was happening around that time.  It's so true!  For instance, I remember the last meal I ate at home before I got married.  She made a quiche, muffins, and her chicken ramen noodle salad.  I'll have to post these recipes at a later date because quiche has to be one of my all time favorite foods and the chicken ramen noodle salad is awesome.

Our little family sits down to dinner together every night and we treasure this time together.  My husband's family and my family also had the routine of eating dinner together at night, so we both feel it's important to continue this.  I have to agree with Buddy Valastro.  Food definitely brings families together. 

As I am now 36 weeks preggo, I do not want to miss out on family dinners together, but they have to be EASY at this point.  I am tapping into my freezer collection of food (homemade soup) for one of our dinners this week and Ryan has requested (SURPRISE!) pizza!  He will be trying to make this for the first time on his day off on Friday.  Can't wait!  I will be making the following recipes this week:  Chicken Pouqui and Big and Juicy Burgers.


***This recipe includes stuff I already have on hand and is easy on the budget.  I found this on epicurious.com.  I'll probably serve it with steamed veggies, and rice.
Chicken Pouqui

• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine

• 1/3 cup canned cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup half and half

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, skinned
• Salt and pepper

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and thyme and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add soup and half and half and stir until heated.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and cook until springy to touch, turning occasionally, about 7 minutes. Transfer to plates. Spoon sauce over.

***This burger recipe is on of my hubby's favorites.  I found it in my Southern Living cookbook, which is probably one of my best friends, and have made it many times.  I love making it in the summer with some potato salad and chips, but since it's winter I'll grill them inside on my grill pan and I'll probably serve it with roasted potatoes made with onion soup mix and some fruit.

Big and Juicy Burgers (This recipe is easily halved)

Ingredients

-2 cans 100% vegetable juice

-3 white sandwich bread slices, torn into pieces (I use whatever I have on hand)

-3 pounds ground chuck or ground round

-1 large egg

-1 1/2 teaspoons salt

-1 teaspoon pepper

-10 hamburger buns

Microwave vegetable juice in glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute; add sandwich bread pieces, and let cool.
Combine with hands.
1. Combine vegetable juice mixture, ground chuck, and next 3 ingredients. Shape into 10 patties.
2. Grill patties, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until beef is no longer pink.
3. Spray cut sides of buns with cooking spray; place buns, cut sides down, on grill rack, and grill 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve hamburgers on buns. Garnish, if desired.

Enjoy your week and happy eating!

Happy December!

Yeah, it's been crazy.  I never got back on to post Thanksgiving recipes.  I may just have to wait to post some good holiday cooking this month instead!  On another note, my Food Network magazine arrived!  I LOVE this magazine.  It is one of the best food magazines money can buy.  I got it for my mom last year on her birthday and she has loved her subscription, too.  It is money well spent!  I am going to try some of the recipes from it this month.

Anyways, my hubby has been a fishing machine.  He and his dad love to go fishing for rockfish this time of year.  We have lots of fish in the freezer, so I've been looking up ways to cook it other than frying it.  My husband is a huge fan of a good 'ol fish fry.  I'll eat it fried, but not every time.  Needless to say, you'll see rockfish on the menu this week.

Some recipes we are going to try this week are:

So-Quick Seafood Chowder (thanks to Robin Rodgers), Taco Pie, Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Swiss Mushroom Burgers

1.  So-Quick Seafood Chowder:  I got this recipe from a former co-worker of mine.  We would celebrate the end of the nine weeks by bringing in different soups.  This was the soup she brought in.

Ingredients:
12 oz. orange roughy (I am going to use our rockfish or you can use any mild white fish) fillets, cut into chunks
1/2 (28 oz.) pkg. frozen hash browns with onions and peppers
1 cup water
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of potato soup
1/4 cup Hormel Real Bacon pieces
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preparation:  Bring hash browns and water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in evaporated milk, soup, bacon, salt and pepper.  Return to a boil.  Add fish, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.  Serve immediately.  Makes 2 quarts.


2.  Taco Pie:  This comes from this month's Food Network Magazine.  We'll do a Mexican dish every week or so in our house.  I like that this changes it up a bit and isn't the tried and true taco kit!

3 tbsp. vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas, halved
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 pound ground pork
Kosher salt
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 4.25 ounce cans chopped green chiles
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded mozzarella (reduced sodium)

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large skille over medium-high heat.  Add the tortillas and cook, flipping a few times, until golden, about 3 minutes.  Remove with tongs and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
2.  Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cayenne and cook 30 seconds.  Add the pork and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, chiles, and corn.  Season with salt.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
3.  Arrange half of the tortillas in the bottom of a 9 to 10 inch pie plate.  Top with half of the meat mixture, then half of hte cheese.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.  Cover loosely with foil and bake utnil the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Per serving:Calories 590; Fat 36 g; Cholesterol 76 mg; Sodium 723 mg; Carbs 41 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 29 g

3.  Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry:  I made this recipe from Food Network one night because I didn't want to get take out from a Chinese restaurant.  And oh my, we loved it!  It's well worth the ingredients and prep to get it done.  So delish!

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 breasts), sliced against the grain

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

About 1/3 cup chicken broth or water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks (about 1/4-inch thick) and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)

Serving suggestion: rice

Directions

Toss the chicken with about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil in a bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with the 1/3 cup broth or water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates; serve with rice.

Cook's Note: The garlic and ginger can be chopped together in a mini chopper to save time

4.  Swiss Mushroom Burgers:  This is another one from this month's Food Network Magazine.  And  I really am a mushroom person despite what a previous blog post said.  I actually seem to crave them when I am pregnant.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds ground beef

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 8-ounce package sliced mixed mushrooms

1 tbsp Worcestshire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

4 thin slices gruyere cheese (I'll probably just use Swiss)

4 buns, split and toasted

Lettuce

1.  Preheat the broiler and line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil.  Lightly mix the beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon peper in a large bowl.  Gently form into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.  Arrange on the broiler pan and brush both sides with olive oil.  Broil until browned, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

2.  Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook 2 more minutes.  Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 2 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  Combine the ketchup and mustard in a small bowl and set aside.

3.  Top each patty with one quarter of the mushroom mixture and 1 slice hceese.  Return to the broiler to melt the cheese, about 1 minute. 

4.  Spread the buns with the ketchup mixture; sandwich with the patties and some lettuce.  Serve with chips and/or pickles

Per serving:  Calories:  544; Fat 31 g; Cholesterol 110 mg; Sodium 1343 mg; Carbs 30 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 38 g.