Asiago-Onion Stuffed BBQ Burgers

This was such a tasty combo of ingredients that I want to write it down before I forget!

1 1/2 lb ground hamburger
2 T. teriyaki sauce
3 T. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
1 t. grill or steak seasoning
1/2 t. Tony's Cajun Seasoning
1 t. liquid smoke

Mix thoroughly. Form into 10 equal size "meatballs" and smash them flat with your hand or spatula. Sprinkle the ingredients below into the center of 5 of the thin hamburger patties, then top with another thin patty and seal the edges.

2/3 c. chopped onions
1 c. grated asiago cheese (you can use any good firm cheese, but asiago -- which tastes like a cross between mozzarella and Parmesan cheese worked especially well for these)

Cook on both sides in a medium hot skillet until done. Serve alone, or in a bun with traditional hamburger fixings. Serve with extra Baby Ray's BBQ sauce if desired.

Manderin Orange Chicken Salad w/ Ginger-Lime Dressing

This is one of our favorite salads and a wonderfully healthy way to use up left over bits of rotisserie chicken.

For two big salads (a full meal in itself) divide the following into 2 big bowls in layers:

3 cups baby spinach (may use other lettuce, chopped, or a mixture of several)

1 c. diced or shredded cooked chicken (I prefer the rotisserie chicken as it is more flavorful and moist. You can omit or substitute edamame if you want to go vegan!)

Optional: About 1 c. sauteed vegies. This good place to use up left overs as well. Tonight I sauteed a sliced portabello mushroom, 1/2 red onion, and 1/4 yellow pepper in olive oil. (I tossed a smashed whole garlic clove in with the vegies but then removed before serving. This flavors the oil and vegies without coming on too strong.)

1 small can Mandarin oranges drained

Slivered or sliced almonds (may also use chopped peanuts)

Chinese Rice Noodles (the fried kind, in a can)

Ginger-Lime Dressing

1/4 c. teriyaki sauce

1/4 c. fresh squeezed lime juice

2 T. Sweet Thai Chili sauce

1/4 c. olive oil

1 T. sesame oil

1 "inch" of fresh ginger finely grated (I keep ginger in the freezer in a Ziploc bag always to use in recipes or to make ginger tea for uneasy tummies or sore throats, then just peel and grate in its frozen state. Works great!)

1 T. honey or agave nectar

dash salt or to taste

Put all ingredients in a jar or plastic container with lid and shake, shake, shake!

Pour over salads. Serve salads with crunchy garlic toast. Recipe below.

Crunchy Garlic Toast

Use slices of almost any bread you have on hand from leftover hamburger or hot dog buns to french bread or a hearty wheat, or even those cute little sandwich rounds work well. Squiggle bread with a little olive oil AND a little butter. (Oil adds the crunch and butter adds great flavor.) Broil until toasted, Cut a fresh garlic clove in half and rub over the top of the toasted bread. This is such a simple technique and makes the best garlic bread -- super fast!

Oriental Rice Bowls

This is a great meal to serve a group and tonight's "rice bowl" got the coveted comment from Greg: "This is one of the best ones you've ever made."

Begin with... well.. duh... rice. In a hurry (which I always am!) I like to use Uncle Ben's QUICK cooking wild rice, but only use half the seasoning packet (or it is too salty). If I have time, I love to cook jasmine rice. (A rice cooker is on my To-Buy list!) Put 1 cup frozen peas into the rice about 5 minutes before the rice is ready to serve.

Next bone a roast chicken and shred or chop the meat.

In a skillet put a good squiggle of olive oil and another of sesame oil. Saute 1/2 chopped onion and 3 cloves minced garlic. Meanwhile microwave about 4 carrots in a steamer bag until tender, then cool, slice, add to skillet.

Next add the chopped chicken to skillet. Grate 1 T. fresh ginger overall. Add 1/2 cup chopped pineapple, 1/2 c. teriyaki sauce,
1/4 c. sweet thai chili sauce and 1/2 squeezed fresh lime to this mixture. (You want enough sauce to coat the chicken well plus a little extra to drip down over the rice, so if needed, feel free to expand the portions listed above.) Cook until caramelized in appearance and flavors are blended, about 5 minutes.

Serve over rice in bowls with toppings like chopped cilantro; slivered almonds or peanuts; or crisp Chinese noodles. (Also delicious with cook shrimp or thinly sliced cooked beef.)

An Easy, Tasty Breakfast Trick: Fried-Poached Eggs

It amazes me that at midlife I'm still learning lots of new tricks with even the most simple of foods. I saw this method of cooking eggs on some TV show (so sorry I've forgotten which one) and decided to give it a whirl. The results were so good that this is our egg-cooking method of choice now. In fact Greg said, "These are the best eggs I've ever had!"

He loves the texture of poached eggs and I love how healthy they are, but poaching takes a lot more time.... waiting for that water to boil. This version of eggs has a nice crispy bottom, like fried eggs but have that buttery poached egg texture on top. And , they cook up in no time!

You simply lightly oil a nonstick skillet (I use a paper towel and just smear on the lightest sheen of olive oil). Heat to pan to medium high. Then carefully break your eggs into a cup, one at a time and pour slowly into the skillet. (As you can see I often do 3 eggs together at once, separating them with the edge of a spatula after they are done. Not fancy, but fast.)

While eggs are still wet and moist sprinkle with sea salt and pepper -- this allows the salt to absorb and "melt" with the eggs and is so much more flavorful than sprinkling with sale & pepper after cooking. And, like so many others, I have discovered that sea salt is FAR superior in flavor to typical table salt.

Then while the skillet is hot sprinkle and eggs are cooking, sprinkle about a Tablespoon of water around the eggs, then cover with a see-through glass lid (I use one slightly smaller than the skillet) to create an instant mini-steamer. When the yolks are done to the degree you like them, simply lift out of the pan, sunny side up and serve.

Oreo-Mint Ice Cream Pie -- No Bake Summer Company Treat

This pie is oh so easy, and if you are having a big crowd, just double the recipe and put it in an oblong rectangle pan to freeze.

For pie shell:

24 Oreo Sandwich Cookies
(I used Newman's Own Chocolate Mint Sandwich Creams tonight and they were great, too!)
1/4 stick butter, melted

In a food processor, process cookies until they are fine crumbs. Then pour melted butter over all, and pulse a few more times. (If you don't have a food processor you can also put the cookies in a big Ziplock bag and mash with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.) Press this buttery crumb mixture against the bottom and sides of your deepest pie pan.

Fill cookie pie shell half way full with mint chocolate chip ice cream (easier if ice cream has been allowed to sit at room temp for at least 5 minutes), spooning and packing as you go. (You can use your imagination on types of ice cream.... they all work beautifully!) Squiggle Hershey's chocolate syrup over this, top with more ice cream, packing as you work, then another squiggle of Hershey's chocolate syrup.

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Let sit just a few minutes before serving and if desired, let guests top with whipped cream, chopped nuts or maraschino cherries or extra syrup.

We went simple tonight.. just an extra squiggle of syrup.

If you are feeling extra fancy, make your own chocolate sauce by heating the following ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted.


Homemade Chocolate Sauce

• 1/2 cup half-and-half

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Vietnamese Spring Rolls: The Perfect Summer Snack!

Thanks to our friends, Matt and Gretchen Crocker, I learned how to make the spring rolls I love so much at Tokyo Joe's. Only, these are EVEN better. When putting spring rolls together, a picture says a thousand words and once you see how its done, I hope you'll give them a shot. Soo refreshing, crunchy, healthy and delish. Especially dipped in peanut sauce. (Recipe to follow!)

So here we go:
First slice up all manner of yummy vegies but I think the essential ones, if you like them, are cucumber, carrot (slice very thin -- even thinner than in this picture), avocado and cilantro. Other good vegies are thin slices of jicima, red pepper, scallions. I even used some cold leftover sweet potato sliced thin.



You can find these spring roll rice wrappers in almost any oriental section of a grocery store or at World Market. They come stiff and transparent. So your job is to dip them in a fairly deep bowl of hot water (from the faucet, no need to boil), and then rotate them around in the water until they are soaked and eventually become the texture of thick plastic wrap. (Only takes a few seconds.)Just when they are soft enough to drape (as shown on top of this glass) remove and lay on a plate or cutting board.








Next, lay a small bundle of vegies, along with cooked shrimp or chicken if you like, at one end of the rice paper circle. Then carefully and snugly, roll up burrito-like. The rice paper will stick to itself just like plastic wrap.







Dip in any sauce you like, but this is my favorite!

Peanut Sauce

1/3 c. peanut butter (I like chunky)
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. grated fresh ginger if you have it
1 T. sweet Thai chili sauce

Mix together until nice and smooth, taste and adjust ingredients to your taste!
If you don't like peanut butter the sauce above is very good without it. You may want to add a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Triple Berry Crisp

This berry crisp is wonderfully easy and delicious served warm with ice cream any time of the year!

Lightly spray largest rectangle pan with baking spray (or rub lightly with a bit of oil)

Pour in 1 large frozen package triple berry mix (about 6 cups frozen fruit). You can make this dish with the fruit still frozen or slightly thawed. Just have to cook it a bit longer if the fruit is frozen.

Sprinkle fruit with about 2/3 c sugar and toss in pan until fruit is coated.

In a separate large bowl mix:

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 c. flour
3 c. old fashioned oats
(Can also add 1/2 c chopped pecans)
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar

Cut with a pastry blender, two knives, or mix with hands until butter is broken up into dry ingredients, making a crumble.

Lightly pour crumb topping over berries.

Bake at 350 until topping is golden brown. (About 30 minutes)

Cool a few minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream