Garden Burgers and Baked Fries

I love a good burger as much as the next person, but I sure do get bored with them. Today I was craving a burger but wanted something with a different taste and decided to make a garden burger and baked french fries. This was the first time I made these and "Wow" were these delicious! Enjoy the recipe and have a Great Cookin' Day!

Ingredients for Baked Fries

Idaho potatoes (I peeled 5, but used only 3)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Chives

Ingredients for Garden Burgers

1 egg (I did not use as I have an aversion to egg in ground beef)

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed or fresh if you have it

1/2 teaspoon onion salt (I substituted this for organic garlic paste I used about 3 squeezes)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup chopped frozen broccoli

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/4 soft bread crumbs (I did not use)

1 pound ground chuck

Cooking Directions

Gather ingredients. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash, peel, and slice potatoes in long slices about 1/2" wide. Pat dry with paper towel.

 

Place potatoes in bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, mix until well coated.

 

Place fries on baking sheet. Do not use wax paper like I did, I recommend a cooking spray to avoid fries sticking to baking sheet. Bake until golden brown. My stove took almost 40 minutes, yours might be different. So keep an eye on the fries so you don't burn them.

During last 3-5 minutes of baking sprinkle fries with snipped chives.

Gather ingredients for garden burgers. Pre-heat grill pan or Foreman grill (or equivalent to a Foreman)

Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Make patties. Use a grill pan or Foreman grill or equivalent (I used my Foreman grill). Cook until desired doneness.

We had our garden burgers on whole wheat buns and topped with romaine lettuce and ranch dressing. Enjoy!



Grilled Chicken Pesto Pizza

Okay, I'll admit it: I am not a pizza fan. I will eat it, but won't go out of my way for pizza. When I seen this recipe for a chicken pesto pizza in my new Italian cookbook I actually got excited about pizza for the first time in my life. Then I found a recipe for a homemade pesto sauce (see bottom of this page for credit and link) which looked promising. Andy wasn't too keen on me making this and wanted to go to Pizza Hut for a meat lover's, but I refused and told him I will make this pizza if he goes to the grocery store for the ingredients. Of course he went (twice because he doesn't know how to answer his phone or a text message). Ingredients in hand  I got to work making this pizza which turned out awesome! Enjoy the pizza and have a Great Cookin' Day!
 
Original recipe for Basil Pesto: (I adjusted recipe to make 1/4 cup of pesto which is enough for the pizza. You can make full recipe and freeze leftovers for another meal)
 
3 cups fresh basil leaves
2-3 cloves garlic (I cheated and used organic garlic paste)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (block and then grate)
Splash of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a food processor or blender chop up the garlic (skip this step if you use garlic paste) until it is minced.
2. Add in the basil and cheese and start to blend. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the machine is running. Blend until smooth.
3. Squeeze in a little lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Taste the sauce and adjust to your taste.
5. Set aside 1/4 cup of pesto for pizza. Freeze leftover pesto for future meal.

Chicken Pesto Pizza:
1 tube thin crust pizza dough (I used Pillsbury brand)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound chicken breast, grilled (I used my Foreman grill) and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup pesto sauce (see recipe above)
2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded pizza cheese blend or mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Follow instructions on pizza dough for pre-heat instructions and pre-baking dough.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add grilled chicken, heat and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Add onion and pesto sauce; cook and stir about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Then remove from heat. Let cool slightly.
3. Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza dough to within 1 inch of edges. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Cook 6-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into squares.

Gather Ingredients. I pre-grilled chicken, chopped onions and diced tomatoes while chicken was grilling. I let chicken cool while I made pesto sauce. Pre-cook pizza dough according to directions.

Heat oil on medium heat. Place chicken in pan. Heat and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add in onions and pesto sauce. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes.

Stir in diced tomatoes. Then remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Spread mixture over pre-cooked pizza dough. Cook for 6-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Credit for Pesto Recipe goes to two peas and their pod Original recipe here.
Original Chicken Pesto pizza page 32 in Favorite Brand name Italian 3 Books in 1 cookbook.

Tequila Lime Flank Steak Tacos

I have had this recipe card to make Tequila Lime Flank Steak with Arroz Verde* for about 2 years. I finally decided to try it today but as tacos and served with Lime Cilantro Rice**, so I went to my local grocery store to buy the ingredients I didn't have and then made a stop at a liquor store to buy a baby bottle of tequila. No point in buying a whole bottle when you don't need it! I was skeptical about this recipe because I wasn't sure how all the ingredients would mesh together, but surprisingly they worked well together especially as a taco. Enjoy and have a Great Cookin' Day!

Ingredients For Tequila Lime Flank Steak Tacos:
3 limes
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I cheated and used organic garlic paste)
1/2 cup packed fresh coarsely chopped cilantro leaves (again I cheated and used organic cilantro paste)
1/3 low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tequila
2 teaspoons crushed oregano (I used a little less than 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 pound flank steak

Ingredients For Lime Cilantro Rice:
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup long grain white rice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( I used 2-3 tablespoons cilantro paste)

Directions For Cilantro Lime Rice:
1. Bring water to a boil, stir in the butter and rice into the water. Cover or follow package directions, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in lime juice and cilantro into the cooked rice just before serving.

Gather Ingredients.

Squeeze 1/2 cup juice. Use juicer if you have one.

Place juice in a large zip-lock bag. Then add garlic cilantro, soy sauce, olive oil, tequila, oregano, cumin, and pepper.

Cut flank steak into strips then into bite size pieces.

Place flank steak into mixture in zip-lock bag. Close bag, while closing bag squeeze air out of bag. Massage ingredients into steak to blend and cover it well. Place in fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Heat up grill pan or if you have a Foreman Grill or equivalent heat that up. I used our Foreman Grill. Grill steak until desired doneness.

Place grilled flank steak onto serving dish.

Gather ingredients for Lime Cilantro Rice.

Cook rice as directed from above or follow your rice package directions. Then add lime juice and cilantro.

Serve on soft taco shell and add toppings. We only added a little sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese as to enjoy the flavors of the steak. Serve rice on taco or side. Enjoy!

 

*Original recipe for Tequila Lime Flank Steak credit goes to Schnucks Grocery Store.

**Link to original recipe for Lime Cilantro Rice from All Recipes.



Steak with Sweet Pepper Sauce

I came across this recipe in one of my many cook books* the other day and noticed that it is very similar to the Stouffer's Green Pepper Steak in the frozen food section. I'll admit that I have ate the frozen version, but after making this homemade version I never will again. This version is slightly different in that the sauce is not a "true tomato sauce" like the Stouffer's version, but I did not mind that as this recipe is very delicious.  There are several steps in this recipe, but it is not difficult to make. I hope you enjoy this recipe and have A Great Cookin' Day!

Ingredients:

2 medium green and/or red sweet peppers cut into thin strips
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 gloves garlic, minced (I cheated and used organic garlic paste)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 pound beef ribeye steak, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, or 1 pound beef tip sirloin steak, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
Salt (I used Sea Salt)
Black pepper
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or basil or 1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil, crushed
1 cup chopped, seeded tomatoes (2 medium)
Hot cooked rice (optional) (I used minute rice)

Directions:

Gather Ingredients

Chop green peppers into thin strips. Chop onion. Mince 2 garlic cloves. *I cheated and used garlic paste.

In large skillet cook peppers, onion, and garlic in hot oil about 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables with slotted spoon.

Trim fat off steak. Cut steak into strips then bite size pieces.  Season meat with salt and pepper. 

Place meat in same skillet (add more oil if necessary). Cook over medium-high heat about 4 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Transfer the meat to a serving platter, reserve drippings in the the skillet. Keep steak warm. Also keep reserve drippings warm in skillet.

While meat is cooking snip fresh oregano and chop tomato.

For sauce add beef broth and oregano to reserved drippings. Bring to boil. Boil gently, uncovered over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until broth is reduced to 1/4 cup, scraping up crusty browned bits in pan.

Stir in the cooked vegetables and tomatoes. Heat through.



Spoon over steak and rice. Enjoy!

 

 



*Side note this Steak with Sweet Pepper Sauce recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book 12th Edition.

Windsock

About two weeks ago I made these windsocks with my niece and nephew, Agent L and E-Man (my nicknames for them). Paper windsocks are super easy to make, they only take about 5 minutes to put together. The best part is the decorating. They can be decorated for a holiday or season with stickers, markers, or crayons.  There are no rules to decorating, my nephew E-Man went buggy and covered his with some bug stickers I gave him and Agent L was in a lovey mood and went Valentine crazy. Have fun with this very kid friendly craft and have A Great Craftin' Day!

Supplies:
Construction paper (to cut shapes if you want)
Card stock paper (to make the tube since it is sturdier)
Party streamers
Stapler
Glue stick
Scissors
Pencil
Stencil (if you are cutting shapes)
Stickers (optional)
Markers or crayons ( I did not use any for this tutorial)

Directions:


Gather supplies



Roll paper longways overlapping about 1 -1 1/2 inches. Use glue stick to glue the overlap. Then staple each end.

Cut shapes out (optional)

Decorate cut out shapes (optional)



Decorate tube. There are no rules to decorating. Think of different seasons and holidays and other color combinations!

Cut streamers about 12" long. I chose 2 colors. Again not a rule, pick as many as you want!



Staple streamers to the inside bottom end of tube. I alternated the colors.

Cut a streamer about 10" long.



Fold streamer in half.

Staple streamer to inside top end of tube to make a handle. You can use this handle to hang it up.

 

Windsock all ready to hang. *I recommend hanging indoors

Chicken Pasta Verde

I told my husband this morning as I was leaving for work that I would cook dinner if he got the dishes washed before I got home. (Lucky guy he has every Friday and Saturday off.) He couldn't beat that deal and since he kept his end of the bargain, I cooked a new meal. A quick, easy meal that looks and tastes liked you slaved for hours in the kitchen. My husband Andy loved it so much that he ate 3 helpings. I think I see a future where Chicken Pasta Verde is going to be a regular visitor in our home.  Enjoy and Have a Great Cookin' Day!

Chicken Pasta Verde (Serves 6)

Ingredients:
1 box (1 pound) campanelle pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 -1 1/4 pounds chicken breast tenderloin cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced (about 2 cups) *I only used half of the onion
1 jar (33 ounces) of a Two-Step green chile stew
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups crumbled queso fresco cheese, divided
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat covered 5-to-6 quart sauce pot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook as label directs. Drain pasta, then return to same sauce pot.

2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and onion and cook 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stir occasionally. Add chile stew and cook until mixture boils and chicken loses its pink color, stir occasionally. Pour stew mixture over pasta; toss until well combined. Add cilantro and half of cheese; toss to combine.

3. Divide pasta between each dinner plate. Sprinkle remaining cheese over pasta and serve with lime wedge (optional ) to squeeze over pasta.

Paper Heart Mobile

I had all intentions of making a heart wreath to hang on the door when I started cutting out hearts but ended up making a heart mobile. This is a wonderful and EASY craft to make with your kids. Have fun and go crazy with colors and shapes! Have a Great Crafting Day!

Supplies needed:

Construction paper
Ribbon
Curling ribbon
Glue
Hole punch
Tape
Pencil
Scissors
Stencil or paper punch
Wood embroidery hoops

Directions:

Gather supplies.

Trace hearts and cut out hearts or use a paper punch. I cut out ten of each color.

Punch hole at top and bottom of all the hearts.

Cut strips of construction paper. You can skip this step if you want to keep the embroidery hoop natural.

Cover embroidery hoops. I used tape to adhere the paper to the hoop.

Cut curling ribbon about 12 inches long. I cut six ribbons.

Knot curling ribbon around hoop. Thread hearts (or the shape you chose) onto curling ribbon. Tape back of heart (see next picture to see where to tape) so they do not slide. Space them about 1-1 1/2" apart. Keep threading hearts until all are on. I threaded 5 shapes on each string. Make a knot after the last heart on each string is threaded. Curl end of  ribbon.

Tape here on backside so heart does not slide. I would use clear tape so you can't see the tape, but I didn't have any on hand.

Cut ribbon long enough to hang mobile up. Knot around hoop. Then make knot on opposite side.

Hang up and enjoy!