WE LOVE SLIDERS! Ok we love burgers but sliders are just so much cuter! I decided to satisfy our In N Out cravings but making some Animal Style sliders over the weekend and they were AMAZING! Almost like the real thing and will hold us over until the next time we can make it to In N Out.
Another recent creation were Indian Sliders inspired by Rachael Ray's lamb burger. I just turned them into sliders and used beef instead of lamb. YUM YUM!
After eating out for 3 days straight on our trip, I wanted to make us something comforting when we got home. Enter Stuffed French Toast! Ham and cheese stuffed inside 2 slices of bread then coated in egg wash and fried. What could be more comforting right?
I was walking through the grocery store the other day and found Spicy Sweet Potato Fries by Alexia. We LOVE sweet potato fries so of course I had to try them out. They were amazing and the nutritional stats aren't bad either since they're baked, not fried. They've got just a hint of spice, nothing too overpowering and you still taste the sweetness of the potatoes.
Of course you can't have fries without burgers so I made some quick cheese-stuffed sliders with them. No special recipe. Just ground beef stuffed with a piece of pepperjack cheese inside a mini bun!
I don't get crazy with weeknight meals and have a lot of easy recipes saved up. These Cheesy Baked Pork Chops were incredible! The garlic and brown sugar rub was just perfect and it doesn't get any faster than couscous. I think I'm missing some green garnish though...oh well!
Next up, some Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Blue Cheese. I made them even quicker by using precooked chicken and adding the Frank's Buffalo Sauce. My hubby thought the blue cheese was a bit over-powering but what does he know right? I love me some stinky cheese!
Lastly a big bowl of Sausage and Pepper Pasta. I chose Bowtie pasta because they're just so cute! Lots of chili flakes and finally got some garnish!
My birthday technically isn't until Tuesday but I tend to celebrate it early especially if it falls on a weekday. So for my birthday brunch, I wanted nothing more than Stuffed French Toast! I'm a huge lover of sweet and savory dishes so these were right up my alley. I even bought the ham and cheese straight from our local deli so they feel more gourmet than just the grocery-store stuff. AND of course I had to add some fried eggs on top because why not? It's my birthday!
There's something about sliders that make them so irresistible! I mean, how can you go wrong with bite-size burgers? These past few days, I made them 2 different ways. First stuffed with pepper-jack cheese. SO YUM!
Then I went a total different route and made some Asian-style ones. They kinda fell apart and turned into Sloppy Joe's and I'm NOT complaining!
I can't believe it's Monday already but we definitely had a fun weekend with some yummy eats! Friday night started off with Teriyaki Sliders which I made even easier by using canned pineapple and coleslaw mix. I swear you can't go wrong with these Hawaiian Sweet Rolls! They're good with everything!
For some Saturday afternoon snacking, I decided to make Rachael Ray's Pepperoni Pizza Puffs. Mine were extra healthy using Turkey Pepperoni and Fat Fat Mozzarella. I'm not sure why she recommends serving red pepper slices alongside these muffins cuz they were perfect on their own dipped in some warm Marinara!
I couldn't resist picking up some Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies at the store and decided to make Cookie-Stuffed Crescents. Talk about total decadence! Seriously, whoever thought up this recipe should win an award!
Saving the best for last, I finally tested out my Babycakes Heart Waffle Maker! I am totally in LOVE with it! These are just basic waffles but I'm thinking of all kinds of yummy recipes to make! Chocolate Waffles anyone?
My hubby LOVES Sloppy Joes but I don't make them very often because...well...they're SLOPPY (aka MESSY!) but tonight, he made a special request and I gave in. These are not just regular old Sloppy Joes though, they're Texas Taco Joes! I substituted TJ's Corn Salsa for the frozen corn and the flavors could NOT be beat! YUM YUM YUM on a Saturday Night!
Have I mentioned how much my hubby loves Heniz Ketchup? Well, let's just say that he puts it on EVERYTHING. So when I saw a recipe on the back of the bottle for Sloppy Joes, I couldn't resist. In case you're not lucky enough to have a bottle of your own, I've included the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 c chopped onion
1/3 c chopped green pepper
1 lb ground beef
1-1/2 c Heinz Ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 Sandwich Buns
Prep:
1. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion and pepper for 5 minutes.
2. Add beef and cook, stirring, until browned, 5-10 minutes. Drain off fat.
3. Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, for 10 minutes.
4. Serve over buns.
It's definitely been a while since I made Panini for us so I decided to dust off the Panini Press on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. These feature roast beef, ham, tomatoes and a yummy combination of Smoked Gouda, Horseradish Cheddar AND Swiss Cheese. Can't beat that!
What is a Cubano? According to Wiki, it's just a ham and cheese sandwich originally created in cafes catering to Cuban immigrant workers in Florida. My hubby loves to order the Cubano at our local restaurant, 21st Amendment, so I thought I'd make it a special treat for him today for brunch. I kept the ingredients authentic by using Black Forest Ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and Mayo and pressed in my Panini Maker. Look at that ooey gooey cheese just ready to be devoured! YUM! YUM!
For once I was up early enough to make us a nice brunch on a Saturday morning. The idea of Croque Madame came up but I wasn't really in the mood to make the traditional sauce from scratch and I definitely didn't feel like driving out to get Gruyère cheese. So, I decided to make the sandwiches my way, with roast beef, Smoke Gouda and spicy mayo in between sourdough bread. I browned one side in a cast iron skillet, topped them with shredded Monterey Jack, then broiled them in the oven for a few minutes. Of course, a Croque Madame is only a lady after you top it with a fried egg. Yummy and so much easier than the traditional way! We are ready to start our weekend!
It's been a while since I made Panini so for a Pre-Vday treat, I decided to make some for brunch. (Yes, we usually celebrate Vday for more than a few days!) These featured roast beef, tomatoes, Smoked Gouda and Creamy Horseradish. VERY yummy and VERY cute, don't you think?
I haven't made Panini in a while and decided to make the ultimate sandwish for lunch. (I have NO idea where I got the idea from!) This monster featured LOTS of roast beef, tomatoes, pickles, Chipotle Mayo and Pepperjack Cheese. ALL topped with 2 fried eggs. YEA BABY!
To me, Panini are best eaten when it's nice and sunny out so since we've only been getting rainy and cold weather, I haven't made them in a while. The sun finally came out this weekend and I was craving some good sammies. These Panini featured a thick stack of roast beef, Colby-Jack cheese, tomatoes and a healthy slather of Horseradish-Dijon Mayo. A perfect lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon!
I love making sliders on Sundays to snack on while watching football. I usually just salt and pepper the meat and add some good sauce on top but I wanted to try something different so I turned to Ina's recipe. She mixed her patties with Dijon mustard, olive oil, thyme and garlic, which gave them so much flavor! I used Muenster instead of Gruyere and skipped the arugula and red onions (Greg's not a fan). I also slathered my buns with some Horseradish Dijon Mayo for an extra kick. There's something about sliders that are just SO adorable. ALMOST too cute to eat...ALMOST!
Why? Cuz Sliders are perfect football-watching snacks! I think I'm developing a mild obsession with them but they're just so cute! It's also hard to get tired of them cuz you can switch them up in so many different ways. This afternoon, I made Spicy Pork Slider with Pepper Jack Cheese. I mixed half a pound of sausage with cayenne, cumin and a dash (or more) of Tobasco and then topped them with a tiny slice of cheese after I flipped them. Perfect lil bite-size treats with a super spicy kick!
I have to be honest, I don't make burgers. It's partly cuz I tend to over-cook them and partly cuz I know Greg is perfectly happy with a Quarter Pounder (with cheese) any day. I've watched Food Network chefs make tons of different burgers that all look really yummy but have never attempted them myself. BUT now that I've discovered sliders, it's like a whole new world has opened up to me! I mean, sliders are just MINI burgers right? This afternoon, I made miniature versions of Sunny Anderson's Curry Pork Burgers and they turned out amazing! I skipped the Spicy Ketchup knowing that Greg was gonna add hot sauce to them anyway and instead slathered the buns with some Horseradish Mayo. I just love making sliders cuz they cook up so quickly and I do have a mild obsession with MINI things!
I had so much fun making my first batch of sliders that I decided to make some more. This time, I just used a plain non-stick pan (not that I don't still LOVE my grill!) and they cooked up in no time. I went a lil more creative with my ingredients this time and mixed some great flavors into the patties. I also topped them with some Provolone cheese and a nice smear of Kraft Hot and Spicy Mayo for a nice lil kick! There's something about eating 4 sliders that's just so much more satisfying than eating 1 regular burger, don't you agree?
Ingredients: (4 sliders)
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 mini buns
2 slices Provolone cheese, cut in half
Hot and spicy Mayo
Prep:
1. In a bowl, mix the pork, garlic powder, cumin, oregano and paprika. Form into 4 patties.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp over medium-high heat. Heat buns until slightly charred, 5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Slather with Mayo.
3. Heat remaining oil and add patties. Cook 5 minutes on 1st side. Flip and top with Provolone cheese. Cook another 4-5 minutes.
4. Serve on buns. Devour immediately!
For a household of 2, the freezer really comes in handy. Remember the Mango Pulled Pork I made a couple of weeks ago? Well, the recipe made a LOT of meat, so I froze half of it knowing I didn't wanna waste any of it. On a rainy Saturday afternoon, there's nothing better than knowing you've got yummy pulled pork to make Panini with! I added pickle slices, tomatoes, Dijon mayo and Smoked Gouda cheese and they came out amazing! Perfect when you want something quick before relaxing on the couch for the rest of the day! Hey, it's wet and dark outside and I just feel like being lazy in my PJ's. :)
