BBQ Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers

I heart summer bbq food. My last few burger recipes have focused on being light, tasty, and healthy. I have put avocado in burgers, zucchini, and even broccoli rabe. Now here is a burger all about decadence, indulgence, and tantalizing flavors. 

Lets start with some crisp crunchy bacon that tops a mouthwatering juicy bbq-ed beef burger stuffed with cheese. To make it extra indulgent we aren't using any regular common cheese, but super creamy, smooth, decadent brie that oozes out so beautifully as you bite in a few bites towards the center. This will completely impress anyone you know AND is easy enough for a weeknight dinner. That is what I call a win win. 

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers

Serves 4 
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray magazine. 

Ingredients:
4 Slices of thick bacon
1 lb lean ground beef
3-4 oz brie cut into 4 pieces
Veg oil
Salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns
Optional toppings: Tomato, lettuce or kale, ketchup, mustard, mayo, ect.

Directions:
1. If cooking everything outside, preheat your grill with one part being low heat and the other medium heat. 
2. Grill the bacon over low heat, use lid or cover, turn the bacon over halfway through, until crisp approx 10 minutes. *
3. Divide the beef into 4 burger patties and insert each chunk of brie into the center each burger.
4. Give each burger a brush of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 
5. Grill/bbq each burger, oil side down to start, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Turn once. 
6. Toast the hamburger buns over low heat. 
7. Assemble burgers with bacon and any additional toppings you prefer. 

*Side note: Its 107 degrees at my house so I did the bacon inside in my oven where I could relax in the air conditioning. But if the sun is not scorching your feel free to cook everything outside on the grill. 

Enjoy another great burger recipe
From my Az Kitchen
Stephanie

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings

Buttermilk. Fried. Chicken Wings. Lets break this title down into parts. Buttermilk is awesome with chicken. It helps the chicken to stay really tender, gives it moisture, and a tang. Anything fried you know is probably going to taste good and have an amazing texture and crunch. Chicken wings are just fun finger food. I don't know anyone who doesn't like chicken wings. Put them all together and you got a home run finger food fun dinner (its still baseball season, right?). This would be great for a potluck or appetizer. I have always thought that fried chicken is good hot or cold. 

I try really hard to serve healthy things to my family daily, but every once in awhile I cut loose. This recipe is definately one of those moments. To balance the meal out I served the chicken with fresh chopped veggies, and homemade ranch dipping sauce. It was the perfect light side dish to go with the crispy crunchy chicken wings. My 5 year old's only comment while eating dinner was, "how many veggies do I have to eat to go back for seconds for more chicken wings?" My oldest loves fruits and veggies so this is saying a lot. 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings

Serves 3-5 people  (approx 20 pieces)

Recipe slightly adapted from: Jo Cooks


Ingredients
4 cups buttermilk
4 eggs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt + more for sprinkling at the end
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups of flour, divided 
2 lb of chicken wings, drummets and wings divided
half a container of vegetable oil for frying approx 1/2 qt.

Note: Ranch dipping sauce (in the picture above) is: equal parts light mayo & sour cream probably 1/4 cup, sprinkle of salt, sprinkle of dried granulated onion, 2 tsp of dried dill and taste. Occasionally I will add a sprinkle of oregano and garlic but its mostly the dill I want :) 

6 Steps to amazing Fried Chicken Wings

1. Create a three part dredging station: in the first container mix the spices with buttermilk and eggs, in the second container put 2 cups of the flour, and the 3rd and last container/dish have the wings. 

2. Heat the oil on the stove in a heavy pot for even heat.  While the oil is heating up, add in the baking soda and baking powder to the buttermilk mixture. Mix well. It will bubble and foam - don't worry and no its not going to turn into an odd science experiment. 

3. With either fingers or tongs (depending on messy you want to get) Roll the chicken pieces in the flour then the buttermilk mixture then back into the flour again. Put the battered pieces in the third dish while waiting to go into the oil. My family ate in shifts this evening so I fried up 5 of them at this point and covered the rest with plastic wrap and put them back in the fridge. It worked great. Makes me think this recipe could be done a few hrs in advance for a party or football game. Is it football season yet? 

Note: If the flour gets too wet from the buttermilk, too clumpy, dump the wet flour into the trash and use the remaining amount. 

4. Use metal tongs to gently lower chicken wings into the oil. Fry the chicken wings for approx 9-11 minutes each. Don't crowd the pot or the temperature will drop. I kept my stove on med- med high and let the wings cook 6 minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the second side. If the wings are browning too fast turn your heat down.  

5. As soon as the first batch comes out of the oil, put them on a clean dish lined with papertowels and sprinkle on some salt. Salt makes a HUGE difference right here. 

6. Repeat with the next batch of chicken wings until they are all cooked. 

Serve with green salad, crunchy veggies, and or corn on the cob - all good summer warm weather fun eats

Until next time @ Stephanie's Az Kitchen

Delicious & Healthy Turkey Avocado Burgers

Hi there. Happy Wednesday to you. I am back! I have missed writing here and sharing fun things to eat. My almost-month long absence on my blog was caused by huge things happening around my house... surgery, and a few other fun things. 



First weekends full of truck shopping....  long weekends of truck shopping. But trust me after YEARS of my sweet hard working husband driving an almost broken-down, used, and loved on van for almost 10 years, he really deserved a cool HUGE looking truck. Silver, F150 king cab with a short bed. Yeah bragging just a little. Ten years is a long time of small trying repairs trying to keep that van. just. barely. going. 

Then redoing the front yard.... tearing out the grass/weeds and putting in a pretty dessert front with golden, redish orange, sunset colored rocks. 

Feeling better after my surgery... thanks for asking. Still on lots of meds but doing well. I am enjoying the nice Arizona spring time! Be jealous of me so I can be jealous of you later when you have nice cooler summer temps and can actually go outside in July; instead of hiding in the a.c. conditioned house, play areas, public libraries, and anyplace you can take kids without disturbing others too much. 

So in honor me feeling better enough to try some new things... Heres a twist on the chicken avocado burger I made a month or so ago. It is moist and flavorful lean ground turkey avocado burgers. Perfect quick solution for school nights and also something to surprise friends with on your bbq once it warms up in your area. No one will guess how healthy it is, or that its turkey - ground turkey usually being dry, overcooked, and boring.  Enjoy!  

Also posted and linked to some other great recipes with other bloggers at Whats Cooking Wednesday.

serves 3-4 

prep + cooking time: approx 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

1 Tb olive oil

1/2 avocado, sliced into 8-9 chunks 

1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped baby spinach, arugula blend

1 lb. lean ground turkey (93% lean, 7% fat)

Toppings: buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, more avocado if you are an avocado lover like me, mustard, ketchup, ect...  

I used mayo, thick slices of cheddar, some more spinach instead of lettuce and a few more slices of avocado as seen in the picture. My boys did more standard ketchup, cheddar, and a few slices of pickles. Trust me my husband who isn't fond of avocado ate it, didn't notice the avocados, and thought it was great. Enjoy those healthy fats and let it really flavor up your burgers! 

Directions: 

1.Combine everything in a large bowl. Don't smash the avocado into the meat. Keep the chunks for pretty presentation and fun contrasting textures.

2.Separate the meat into four even sized patties (aiming for 1/4 lb each burger)

3.Sprinkle the tops of each patty with salt and pepper. 

If cooking on the stove, use a 1/2- 1 Tbs of olive oil in the skillet to help the lean turkey start. 

If grilling brush the oil directly on the burger so it doesn't stick. 

4.Salt and pepper the tops of each patty. 

5.Heat your cooking medium. You want that nice sizzle and crust that comes from having good heat from the beginning. 

6.Put the salt and pepper sides face down on your grill or skillet

7.Cook until done. Approx 6-10 minutes on each side depending on your heat level. Just keep an eye on it. 

8. Serve with your favorite burger toppings and sides such as green salad, coleslaw, potato salad, chips, fresh cut veggies and ranch, ect. 

Enjoy Spring

From my kitchen to yours!

Tarragon Potato Salad

Its almost the end of January here in southern Arizona meaning its now warm enough to bbq, grill, and have great fun with food before the summer comes. You definitely DO NOT want to be outside grilling anything in the summer here. Sounds backwards I know. The other day we were grilling up some sausages on the bbq, and thought I would try a new potato salad. It was great! My own potato salad (a bit heavy on the pickle, mustard, and mayo), that I adore, has some new competition. This vinegar/mayo french version was a fun twist. The potato salad also highlights tarragon - something I have been obsessed with for a few months now.  See this fried chicken recipe and this baked chicken recipe and this wonderful chicken soup recipe for more lovely tarragon filled recipes.  This is a great bbq side dish, picnic, and potluck salad. Easy and yummy. Can be made a few days ahead if needed. If its still snowing where you are - trust me I would trade you. I love snow. Just store this one away for memorial day :) 

Note: When you read the recipe below and see the two types of onions - don't omit one. They layers of flavor within the salad. Look at all the beautiful colors together. 

Tarragon Potato Salad

Prep + Cooking + Cooling time: 45 minutes - 1 hr 

Recipe adapted from: Ina Garten (food network)

Ingredients:
6 red potatoes (skin on or off your choice - I think its prettier on - wash them well)
1 stick of celery finely diced
1 thick slice of red onion diced (approx 3 Tb)
2 green scallions - green and white parts sliced
3/4 cup of mayo
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar if you have it
3 Tbs fresh tarragon (1/4 of a small pkg from the store), sliced
1 tsp dried dill (use fresh if you have it)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried pepper
kosher salt to taste (try 1 tsp then increase in 1/2 tsp increments)

5 Easy Steps:

1. Boil the potatoes over medium 15-30 minutes depending on the size - should be fork tender. Not so cooked though that it falls apart. Let them cool afterwards unless you are in a hurry (like I was and had to use a towel).  

2. While potatoes are cooking mix up the dressing. Combine the vinegar, spices, and mayo.

3. Cut the potatoes into nice round slices without burning yourself- some will smash but most of them should be slice able. Toss them immediately with the dressing so the potatoes may start soaking it in. 

4. Slice up the onions and celery. Stir them in. Taste & adjust seasonings as needed.

5. Refrigerate the salad for 20-30 minutes for it to cool & let the flavors blend. 

Grilled Garlic Chicken Avocado Burgers

These. Juicy. Flavorful. Healthy. Delicious. Easy Chicken Cheeseburgers were what we had for dinner tonight. 

Wow. I cannot believe I got so much flavor out of basically 5 ingredients plus salt and pepper. If its still freezing where you're at and you can't fire up the bbq just yet - you can make it indoors on a grill or using a grill pan. I know in Arizona bbq season is off-set from everyone else. I am still getting used to it myself. Something I don't have to get used to.... these burgers. This is way better than the standard cheeseburger!! 

I have seen this recipe multiple places on pintrest and other blogs but all sources were vague about how long to cook and how much of each spice. When I recreated this dish I increased one of my favorite flavors, garlic, because even ground chicken is a blank canvas when it comes to flavor. 

Cook + Prep time: 10-12 minutes

Serves 3

Ingredients: 

1 lb or so lean ground breast chicken 

1 clove of garlic finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

1/2 avocado carefully sliced into chunks

slices of cheddar & swiss cheese
1-2 tsp oil veg or olive
burger fixings: I kept mine simple with mayo and lettuce, and my kid only wanted ketchup. The meat is so flavorful you don't need to add much if anything. 

Directions:

1. Heat up your grill or bbq 

2. Mix all the spices and breadcrumbs into the meat. 

3. Fold in the avocado into the meat mixture. Do not smash it. I sure it'd taste just fine if you did but it looks so neat having those green pockets of goodness all over the place. 

4. Form it into 4 patties. Brush the tops with a bit of oil to help prevent sticking. Put them oil side down on the grill or bbq. Mine took 5 minutes on the first side then I flipped it and grilled it with the lid down for a minute to make sure the insides were 100% getting cooked - this is chicken we are talking about - no rare meat allowed. Then topped the burgers with cheese. So the cheese had time to melt for about 3 minutes. Each I put one piece of swiss and one piece of cheddar or just cheddar for my kiddo. I love the contrasting flavors and colors! I bet pepperjack cheese or a smoked or cheddar or smoked provolone would rock on this burger. 

5. Heat up your buns and serve the burgers hot once the cheese is melted. Great side dishes such as coleslaw, green salad, potato salad, crunchy sliced veggies, and/or chips and salsa will complete your meal.

UPDATE *Made this again recently and substituted regular plain breadcrumbs for the panko - bad choice. It changes the flavor too much. Chicken avocado burgers taste awesome with smoked cheddar cheese on top. Just wanted to share :) 

Enjoy! From my kitchen to yours 
Stephanie

Other related posts:

Bacon Parmesan Cheeseburgers

Easy Italian Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

Chipotle Herbed Burgers

Bacon Parmesan Cheeseburgers

Two weeks ago I did a massive shopping trip and baking weekend in hopes of getting through 3 weeks without having to go to the store. We have been super busy and I just wanted to take some of the pressure off. My new years resolution of a more relaxed year with has already plummeted into the dirt. Between my husband's work, college, homework, orchestra, all my son's activities, and my doctors appointments every 3 days, its no wonder I wanted a more relaxed year. Although with all those things already scheduled I think I could've foreseen this resolution not getting far. But it was a nice daydream while it lasted for 3 minutes 27 seconds. 

So... how are your new year's resolutions going? 

Two lessons learned from my big shopping trip are deli sliced cheese gets eaten about the same rate no matter how much I buy (disconcerting), and also that a good chunk of parmesan cheese keeps really well and no one tries to snack on it. I heart cheese of any kind but I knew when I saw this recipe for Bacon Parm Burgers that this would be something tasty that I could shop for in advance and make later. Bacon keeps well in the fridge and freezer, parmesan cheese keeps well, and buns can be frozen then defrosted. Cheers to eating well even not right after you shopped. I will have some more fun ideas in the next week or two with other recipes that work well from your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Stay tuned. 

Note the recipe isn't mine I wish I could take credit for this genius idea. These juicy cheesy burgers were amazingly good! Nevertheless checkout Center Cut Cook blog for some other great ideas. Burgers + weekend = good times. 

Bacon Parm Cheeseburgers

prep + cook time: 20 minutes

serves 3 adults - recipe doubles easily

recipe from Center Cut Cook (wonderful blog)

Ingredients

1 lb of beef

1/4 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbs melted butter

3 pieces of bacon, cooked your fav way
1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
hamburger buns or rolls
cheseburger fixings: mustard, ketchup, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, ect. 

Directions

1- Preheat your grill or bbq

2- Bake up some bacon and set it aside on some paper towels to rest while everything else finishes up. I had some leftover from another meal that I saved. 

3- Melt the butter.

4- Stir together all the seasonings in a small bowl. Scoop out 1/2 tsp of the combined mix and whisk into the butter.

5- Form three large patties with the beef - pushing a thumb indent in the middle of each one so it doesn't form a hill while it cooks. 

6- Season each patty by sprinkling each side with the remaining spices

7- Grill the beef - approx 5-7 minutes over medium for each side or until your meat is cooked to your preference. Be sure to use foil or oil if needed to prevent sticking. Don't press down on the meat to make it cook faster or the natural juices will run out and your burger will dry out. I cooked mine for 4-5 minutes over medium and then flipped them over to the non heated side of the grill for a few minutes with the lid down to make sure the insides were well done and then moved them back over to the flame side to finish up and melt the cheese. LOL we like well done burgers in my family. 

8- Bacon & Cheese: Once the burgers are half way done - top each one with cheese and bacon. My bacon was cold from the fridge so I thought it was a clever way to reheat it and crisp it up. If you are baking bacon fresh for this its up it to you when you put the bacon on. My son didn't like how crispy the bbq made the bacon. I loved the extra crunch and smokier taste that bbq gives food. 

9- Buns: after putting the cheese and/or bacon on the burgers spread the melted seasoned butter over the buns and throw them on a grill or bbq to toast up. Garlic and other Italian flavors really compliment the cheese and bacon well. Your mouth and stomach will rejoice over this flavorful easy dinner.

10- Serve them up with all your fav fixings. I kept mine simple with mustard, ketchup, and pickles.

The obvious and fun sides to any burgers are fries, chips, fresh crunchy veggies, potato salad, any steamed veg, ect. 

Enjoy from my kitchen to yours

Chicken Taquitos (a favorite & delicious freezer staple)

Homemade chicken taquitos. I repeated the title again. Could it work? I asked myself. Maybe. I had store bought frozen ones before years ago at a friends house. I knew what they were supposed to taste like. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Yummy right? 

One night not long after, I had patiently waited for a night my hubby was at work in case the recipe flopped, and tried out it out. Every once in awhile a recipe flops, and its a bit easier to deal with when its just me and the kiddo. Much to my delight and surprise the healthy, baked taquitos were delicious! 

My next question was if they were freezable and reheatable? AND how good did they taste after reheated? Serious questions here.... I love reheatable food I can send overnight with my hubby to work. Cold lunches like sandwiches don't seem to taste as good for lunch in the middle of the night - if you are up you want something warm and comforting especially in winter. Wanting to make sure I could maintain that great crunchy texture, I froze a bunch, waited a month, and tried them again. Blogging and testing recipes out are so time consuming! My stomach doesn't seem to mind though. 

The results: Yum! They are great freshly made and baked. You can't tell that you used greek yogurt. I love it that they only need a small amount of leftover chicken. They bake really quickly and you don't miss the white flour tortilla at all. When reheating the best is if they are frozen unbaked and the baked when you want to eat them. Reheating them after baking them the next day, in the microwave gave soggy results with no crunch - felt like a bad tiny burrito. The frozen ones I didn't thaw before baking. They were just as good, crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, as the first night we made them fresh. 

Healthy Crispy Chicken Taquitos
prep + cook time: 20-25 minutes
adapted from: Tasty Kitchen
Serves 5 people (3 each)

This is what they look like after baking straight from my freezer

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup salsa verde

1 Tbs lime juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder (*double for spicy taquitos)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh chives

1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh parsley

2 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro

1 cup of leftover cooked chicken, shredded

(this was 2 leftover bone in chicken pieces from another meal)

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

15 whole wheat flour tortillas

1-2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Mix everything together in a very large bowl. Get your kid(s) involved with this. My son loved helping and it was easy since everything was the fridge. No worry about dealing with sharp or hot things. Dump, pour, mix. 

If you are baking these right now preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking sheet or two with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. I didn't spray the foil one of the times I baked them and they stuck a bit. Don't forget this step for easy cleanup. 

Spread the torillias out how over many you can fit on your counter or kitchen table. Put 2 Tbs full in the center of each one and roll them up tight by tucking the ends in first so the filling cannot fall out. Let them rest on the counter seam side down until you are finished with all of them. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling until they are all rolled. 

 If freezing for a make ahead meal pack up the taquitos into good quality freezer bags quart size or gallon sized. Write the baking instructions on the bag for easy meals or snacks or football games.  Be sure to use your oven for good results. 

When baking line up the taquitos so they aren't touching. Then spray some nonstick spray on the tops of each and sprinkle them with some sea salt. 

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes - they should be golden, crunchy, and look delicious. Let it sit a few minutes especially if you have kids - the filling inside is hot. 

So next time you have some extra chicken (wink) try this healthy freezer favorite of my family and take the night off from the kitchen.  This would taste with dips such as: guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Great sides would be tortilla chips, rice, and corn on the cob. 

From my kitchen to yours!

Chicken Wings & Happy New Years Day

Happy New Year's Day to you. Hello January 1, 2014. It feels weird typing that. I was just getting used to typing/writing 2013. What can you do? Nothing exactly. Well you could finish off some chicken wings with me. They are awesome. I took the same sauce I used on some regular sized chicken and used them on wings instead. It was right before we sent the kiddo to bed, proceeded to drink too much, and stay up watching like 10 episodes of "How I Met Your Mother". Yeah I am exhausted.  It was legend wait for it airy. So back to the chicken wings.... you know the Superbowl is coming up. You are going to need to have some good snacks/apps. Just sayin'. 

Asian Chicken Wings

prep + bake time: 1hr & 5 minutes* if wings are already divided the wing from the tiny drumstick

Ingredients: 
raw chicken wings, divided at the joint if they aren't done already - I used half the tray so like 12 maybe
1 Tbs veg oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs chipotle ketchup
3 Tbs hoisin sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375. 

2. Mix the chicken, oil, salt, and pepper in a large ziplock bag or equivalent. Make sure the wings are coated.

3. While the oven is preheating mix the lime, ketchup, and hoisin sauce in a large bowl for tossing the wings in later. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray a rack with nonstick spray. Put the rack over the foil for good air and heat circulation (ie...the perfect crispy baked chicken wing). 

4. Bake the wings for 50 minutes - 1 hr and then toss them with the sauce. 

5. Serve immediately & eat while still warm like this cutie munching away at his new years eve feast :)

Enjoy 2014

Happy Jan 1 to you & your family

4 Ingredient Hoisin - Lime Chicken

Merry Christmas! We made it. What a crazy fast month! Now... the good part has begun. The week of quiet between the two December holidays is "officially" here. Christmas is over and New Years is yet to come. I have the perfect meal for a relaxing night just incase you are like me and really need one. This amazing 4 ingredient meal carries the flavor of take out with less cost, calories, no delivery guy, and no venturing out into any bad weather. Yay! Just incase you are wondering this is husband and kiddo approved. My husband went into the kitchen looking for seconds after he'd already had two pieces of chicken. Winner winner chicken dinner - asian style. 

Recipe is from Recipe Girl. Please click on the link to visit other recipes on her blog. 

Ingredients: 
3 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs chipotle ketchup or any kind of spicy ketchup
6 bone in pieces of chicken like thighs or drumsticks 

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. While oven is preheating put all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and squish around until the chicken is covered. Let it sit on the counter and let the flavors combine - this can be done in advance. 
3. Coat a large baking dish with nonstick spray, oil or butter to prevent sticking
4. Use tongs to carefully dump the bag into the pan - make sure none of the chicken is touching for good heat circulation. 
5. Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hr until chicken is fully cooked. Juices should run clear when chicken skin is poked. 

I served mine with fried rice. White rice, brown rice, asian mix of veggies from the freezer sections, or noodles would also be a great side dishes. This is a great easy meal. I hope you try it. If you are like me and worked really hard to get to Christmas Day in one piece then you deserve some time out of the kitchen! Note: keep the recipe on hand for summer - for a great grilling idea. Or keep it on hand to use on chicken wings for the upcoming SUPERBOWL. If you are bbq-ing wait to baste the sauce on until chicken is almost cooked so it doesn't burn. 

From my kitchen to yours! 

Easy Italian Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

Monday night football at my house is usually some sort of finger food... pizza, burgers, french fries, chili, or bagel wrapped hot dogs, chips, salsa... the list is long and delicious. But here it is Monday afternoon comes and I am starving - its been a hectic/stressful/unbelievably hard the last few days - so football food comes out early. It is gooood! 

Trying something new today was so worth the effort. One of my favorite creations has been born (ta ta ta dahhhhh) the great, the amazing, Italian Pepperoni Pizza Burger. Consider these wonderful ingredients.... spicy pepperoni, meaty lean ground beef, salty & flavorful Genoa salami, creamy and easy melting mozzarella cheese, homemade veggie laden pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, and last but not least salty good quality Parmesan cheese.  It has all my favorites that usually are in and on pepperoni pizza served up on a toasted whole wheat bun. I really should've been Italian.... 

Success! I will be definitely be making them again (hopefully for game time and not before). Next time I am thinking I should make a Canadian bacon pizza burger or a chicken supreme pizza burger.... the ideas are endless! 

Easy Italian Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

makes 3 burgers

Prep + cook time = approx 22 minutes

my inspiration comes from here, the pioneer woman's pizza burgers + my attempt to make them a tiny bit healthier

Ingredients: 

1 lb. lean ground beef

Pepperoni slices approx 4-6 per burger = 12-18 slices

1 oz Genoa salami (approx 7 deli slices), diced

 1 oz  shredded good Parmesan cheese

1 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (one small handful each burger)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp powdered garlic 

3 whole wheat buns

Pizza sauce homemade or store bought 

(click here for my recipe)

1/2 oz/ 1/4 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine the beef, all the spices, the salami, spinach, and parmesan cheese. 

2. Form three patties 

3. Grill the patties (8-10 minutes each side) over medium heat. Do not over flip them... they will fall apart. Flip once and wait. 

4. Top each patty with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese in the last few minutes of cooking

5.Toast the buns & enjoy 

Easy sides: Chips & Salsa, Fruit, Green Salad, or Potato Salad, Mozzarella cheese sticks, or celery & carrot sticks

From my kitchen to yours

My 4 favorite burger recipes

I have a packed blog for you today. Here are my four favorite beef burger recipes and a some information from an article published yesterday about a beef filler that maybe in the beef you are buying from the grocery store. 

BEWARE OF BEEF. sigh. I cannot believe I just wrote that. I love hamburgers, cheeseburgers, turkey burgers, and basically sliders of any kind. I have many burger recipes on my website. See these beauties: 

Peppered Candied Bacon & Egg Burgers on Ciabatta Bread

Palate Pleasing Parsley Burgers

Chipotle Herbed Burgers

Smoky Mozzarella Sliders

I love all meat and occasionally do hit the drive thru for a tasty burger - mostly skipping the fries or sharing them with my kiddo. Especially since the burger has met the ciabatta roll (at one of my fav sit down places) and/or the pretzel bun (wow) my mouth has fell in love with burgers all over again. But I feel as an eater & lover of beef to warn people just incase I wasn't the only one not paying attention last year. Last year, when I was busy being a mom, moving to a new state, transitioning my family out of the navy while a meat scandal rocked the food scene. You probably are well aware of it. I seem to have a knack for missing out on big historical news stuff that my husband teases me about later. But if you aren't knowledgeable about the "pink slime" issue, here are some basic facts with links to other sites for more detailed information. 

According to wikipedia, which is a somewhat creditable site, "pink slim" is essentially boneless beef trimmings that are frozen, smashed, and disinfected. But the problem is that they made of muscle and connective tissue to lower the fat and make people think they are getting a lean batch of ground beef. Two other sources can be read here and here. 

So imagine my surprise when last night we had burgers for dinner, and then today my mom asks me if I know about the additives that are put into ground meat. I say no and tell her I can google it. Articles about pink slime were EVERYWHERE. It was one of those searches that brought up a over a million websites in 3 seconds. This was a very big thing! 

Thinking this is an old issue, it was last year, it was probably stamped and dealt with lawyers and food health officials in a court far away.... Nope. The first thing I clicked on was an online article published yesterday, by Star Tribune writer Mike Hughlett. He wrote a fabulous article addressing how this disturbing food practice of adding "pink slime" (aka...a beef filler) to ground beef, then selling it to consumers, without any labeling, is still a threat to consumers. Now I am wondering if there was that pink slime stuff in the burgers we had the other night. I don't want to hurl so I keep my mind focused and finish the article. Then I read what I thought was the biggest blow to the beef lovers everywhere within these words, "Cargill Inc. will begin labeling ground beef containing the so called [pink slime] as 'finely textured beef' "(Hughlett). So success in getting a new label on the beef with the pink slime has been achieved. But label is deceptive, and misleading. Finely textured could just mean a finer grind to some people and they would have no idea that their meat is being subjective to an additive (previously used for animal pet food) that was manufactured with ammonia to remove bacteria. Yuck.

So please do read all labels. Labels are usually helpful. But know that this new labeling that already may be hitting grocery stores is inaccurate. So do the popular thing... eat local grass fed organic healthy meat if you can, whenever you can, to fuel your body. It may cost more money for you now. You may have to cut back to be able to afford the higher cost food, but considering all the meds that are pushed on people who are sick - you might be saving yourself thousands later. Or not. But do you really want to gamble with your health? 

Don't let this ruin your love of meat - just make good choices of where and what is in it. 
There will be new burger recipes added on soon. 
Keep a look out ;)

From my kitchen to yours