Beef Burgers with Bourbon Mushrooms

 

I love a good burger, and have always lamented the fact that, in order to get one, I had to go out for it, because burgers in restaurants always taste better than those that I make at home. Until now. This recipe is an adaptation from one I found in a local publication, Sauce Magazine back in 2016. I amped up the seasoning, increased the amount of bourbon ever so slightly, and the result was phenomenal. If you love burgers, the way that I do, you need to add this recipe to your burger repertoire.

Beef Burgers with Bourbon Mushrooms

1 lb. ground chuck 

4 strips bacon, cooked and minced 

2 T.. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning

1 lb. crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 Tbsp. butter, divided

¾ c. bourbon

Kosher salt, to taste

4 slices white cheddar

4 brioche buns, toasted

In a large bowl, mix together beef, bacon, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning. Divide into 4 even portions, form into 1-inch thick patties; set aside.

 In a 12” skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are golden-brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the bourbon and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and cover.

 Increase the heat to medium-high, add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, and cook until butter becomes deep golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Add the patties and cook until seared and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium doneness.

 Divide the cheese between the patties and cover the skillet. When the cheese has melted, place the patties on the toasted buns and top each with the bourbon mushrooms.

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Quiche Florentine

 

You’d be hard pressed, I think, to find someone who hasn’t heard of quiche. What was a bit of a rarity when I was a child is now pretty much everywhere. There’s much to like about quiche. It’s inexpensive, can make use of whatever you happen to have in the fridge, can have crust…or not, and can be served cold or hot. I find it’s a wonderful way to use up ingredients of which I may have over bought, and don’t want to see go to waste. That was the inspiration for this quiche, namely, the bag of fresh baby spinach that had gotten shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten.Florentine Quiche

 1 9-inch pie crust, blind baked*

1 T. olive oil

2 medium Melissa’s shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. shredded cheese, your choice, I used cheddar

3 c. fresh baby spinach

1 T. flour

½ c. whole milk

½ c. heavy cream

4 large eggs, beaten  

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. white pepper

Few gratings 

fresh nutmeg

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Blind bake pie crust. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive. Add garlic and shallots, and sauté until the shallots are transparent, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and stir gently until cooked down.

In a small dish, take 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk together with the flour until the flour is dissolved. Combine the slurry with the rest of the milk, heavy cream, and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Layer the vegetables and cheese in the prepared pie crust. Slowly and carefully pour the liquid over top.

 Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes until the center of the quiche is cooked through. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

*To blind bake a pie crust,place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pie pan on top of your crust. Place pie weights, dried beans, or rice on top of parchment and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove and set aside the weights and parchment paper. Prick the bottom of the pie crust several time with a fork. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

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Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

 

Meatloaf is one of my favorite things. At heart, I’m just a simple girl, and nothing pleases me more than comfort food, whether it comes in the form of a double cheeseburger, or meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Because I love it so much, I’m always looking for new recipes. I found this one on Pioneer Woman’s website. Let me just say that this is excellent, but I had a bit of trouble with it. I followed the directions exactly as written, with the exception that I cut the recipe in half. After I had baked it for the required amount of time at the required temperature, I pulled it out of the oven, went to slice it, and it wasn’t near done; it was shockingly mushy inside. One would think that perhaps there was something wrong with my oven, but I had something else baking in the oven at the same time, and it came out just fine.

 Considering that I had already planned this meatloaf for two nights, plus meatloaf sandwiches, I was not going to let this deter me. I cranked the oven up to 400°, and put it back in for 30 minutes. It came out perfectly, and that bacon was wonderfully crisp. I don’t know what my problem was; I just wanted to give you that information so that if you find yourself in a similar situation, you’ll know what to do. Honestly, considering her meatloaf was twice the size of mine, it stands to reason that one half that size would’ve gotten done sooner. Anyway, it’s delicious; just watch how you bake it.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

For the Meatloaf:

1 c. whole milk

6 slices white bread*

2 lb. ground beef

1 c. (heaping) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ t. seasoned salt

¾ tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. minced flat-leaf parsley

4 whole eggs, beaten

10 slices thin/regular bacon

 For the Sauce:

1½ c. ketchup

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 t. dry mustard

Tabasco, to taste

 Preheat oven to 350˚ (See note above). Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

 Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

 With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

 Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

 * I used half bread and half Italian breadcrumbs. It gave it a lovely texture, and I liked that extra little bit of flavor.

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Peach Butter Dip Biscuits

 

I am a big fan of butter dip biscuits. Prior to making these I have made the original recipe, the Cheddar Bay recipe, and the blueberry recipe. Having tasted all of those, I can say with certainty, that these are my absolute favorites. They go together easily, and in just over half an hour you will have a delicious breakfast treat, salad accompaniment, or, with a scoop of ice cream, a wonderful dessert. I altered the glaze by replacing the 3 tablespoons of milk with an equal amount of peach schnapps. Outstanding! It doesn’t taste boozy, just gives it loads of delicious flavor. If you don’t want to take this route, use milk instead of the schnapps.

Peach Butter Dip Biscuits

For the biscuits:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter

2½ c. flour

¼ c. sugar

1 T. aluminum free baking powder

2 c. heavy cream

1 t. vanilla extract

1 15.25-oz. can diced peaches, drained and patted dry

1 c. powdered sugar

3 T. Peach Schnapps

 For the biscuits:

 Preheat oven to 450°F. Place stick of butter into an 8” x 8” microwave-safe baking dish. Microwave for one minute until butter has melted; set aside.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder.

Pour in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Stir until a sticky dough forms. If batter still looks dry, add a bit more of the heavy cream until you have a sticky dough.  Gently stir in diced peaches.

 Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough. Spread out the batter evenly as well as you can.

 Cut the dough into 9 squares. This is not optional. It aids in cutting the biscuits after they are baked. Bake on the middle oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, rotating dish once during baking. If the top gets too dark, cover with a piece of foil. I never do that because I like my top a bit crunchy. Biscuits should be golden brown and when you insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.

For the icing:

 In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and schnapps. Drizzle on top of the warm biscuits.

 Allow the biscuits to cool slightly then slice and serve.

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Spinach and Mushroom Tart

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I don’t know about you, but I will often buy things at the grocery store with the intention of using them for a specific recipe, and then, as soon as I get home, can’t find the recipe. As often as this happens to me, you’d think I would do something about it, but no. Such was the case with a package of crêpes. Somewhere I knew that I had seen a recipe for a tart using crepes, but I couldn’t, for the life of me, find it. I remembered that the recipe called for spinach and mushrooms, but that was the extent of my remembrance.

 Today, feeling a bit cocky, I decided to make up my own, and boy, was it delicious! Honestly, I couldn’t believe how good it turned out to be. There are so many wonderful things that you can do with crêpes, but the most important thing is, don’t make your own when beautiful, delicious ones are available ready-made from Melissa’s Produce. This recipe would make a wonderful brunch, lunch, or dinner addition. It could be a main for brunch or lunch, and a side dish for dinner. If you want to make it heartier, add some chopped ham, or cooked and crumbled bacon. I don’t think you can go wrong.

Spinach and Mushroom Tart

 2 T. butter

2 T. flour

2 c. whole milk

Few gratings whole nutmeg

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 T. butter

8 oz. fresh baby spinach

2 c. sliced crimini portobello mushrooms

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

¼ t. Montréal Steak Seasoning

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 10-pack Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crêpes

2 scallions, thinly chopped

Red pepper flakes

 Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 10” skillet or sauté pan with PAM; set aside.

In another large skillet, melt butter and sauté the spinach, mushrooms, and garlic until mushrooms are soft and spinach has wilted; set aside.

Make the béchamel sauce by melting butter over medium heat in a 1.5-qt saucepan. Whisk in the flour and continue to cook and stir until golden. Slowly whisk in the milk; cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and set aside to cool slightly.

 Once the sauce cools down, measure out 1/4 cup, set aside, and mix the rest with the spinach and mushrooms.

 To assemble, place 2 crêpes into the bottom of the prepared 10” skillet. Spread about 1/3 c. of the béchamel sauce mixed with the spinach and mushrooms over the top. Sprinkle with some of the grated cheese.

 Repeat this process, using a two-crêpe layer each time. When you have only two crepes left, pour reserved béchamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese, scallions, and pepper flakes.

 Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until edges of crêpes are flaky and golden, and sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Allow to rest for five minutes before slicing and serving. It is delicious warm or at room temperature, so is perfect for a buffet.

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Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Chicken

Yesterday I talked about the fact that lunches can be boring, providing you with a nutritious vegetarian lunch idea as a nutritious and healthy change. Today I’m giving you another idea that is relatively quick, particularly if you make the various components ahead. It’s a specialty of Outback Steakhouse, served for dinner alongside mashed potatoes and vegetables. You can do that too, but here I have put it on a bun, topped it with their Bloomin’ Sauce, and it was sensational!

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Chicken

Slightly adapted from copycat.com

Bloomin’ Sauce

½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

2 t. ketchup

2 T. horseradish

¼ t. smoked paprika

¼ t. kosher salt

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. dried oregano

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

 For the chicken:

 2 c. flour

4 t. smoked paprika

2 t. garlic powder

1 t. kosher salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

½ t. cayenne pepper

1 c. buttermilk

½ c. water

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to 1/2” thick

Prepare the bloom sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

 Place the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper into a pie plate. Stir to combine.

Place the buttermilk into another pie plate, add the water, and stir to combine.

 Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet.

 Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess.

 Dip the chicken into the buttermilk and shake off the excess.

Dip the chicken into the seasoned flour for a second time.

Place the breaded chicken onto the wire rack and repeat for the remaining pieces of chicken. The chicken should rest for about 5 minutes before cooking.

 Pour 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil into a skillet. Heat the oil to 350°F.

 Place 1 or 2 pieces of chicken into the oil and fry until done, about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over while frying to make sure both sides of the chicken are golden brown. Then remove the chicken from the oil and let it drain on a wire rack.

 To serve, place the fried chicken on a plate and drizzle some of the bloom sauce on top.

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Nutty Chicken Salad

Back in the day my mother used to play bridge a couple of times a week. I don’t play bridge, but I can totally get on board with playing cards with women a couple of times a week. Different women rotated hosting the gatherings every week. There was always a signature cocktail, delicious food, dessert (naturally), and lots of conviviality. Sometimes there were prizes. What’s not to like about that? Does anyone play bridge anymore? If not, why not? Invite me! I don’t play bridge, as I mentioned, but if there is ever a Crazy Eights party, count me in!  My mother always tried to be unique and innovative with her meals. She used to tell me that she was so sick of chicken salad because that’s all anybody ever seemed to make — hot chicken salad, cold chicken salad, chicken salad on lettuce leaves, chicken salad in a pineapple boat, you name it, she ate it. As a consequence, she grew to have quite a disdain for chicken salad. Me? I love it!

I was experimenting last week and as I was making the chicken salad my eyes rested upon a large canister of mixed nuts that I had recently purchased. I wondered how the combination of cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, and pistachios would be in chicken salad. Let me tell you, it was magnificent! I loved the variety of tastes and the crunchiness, paired with the creaminess of the chicken. Winner!

Nutty Chicken Salad

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 T. finely chopped Melissa’s shallot
½ c. salted mixed nuts, rough chopped
½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Fold together until combined. Chill 2-4 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

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