Garlic-Parmesan Crunch Burgers #SaucyMama #WFC #Giveaway

I am happy to announce that I've been chosen to participate in Saucy Mama's 2017 recipe contest! This is a big deal, folks. You may remember that I participated with my Saucy Orange Habanero Burger, a couple of years ago. Life gets in the way, so I skipped last year, but I couldn't pass it up this time...I'd really love a chance to win a Golden Ticket into the World Food Championships. How fun would that be?! Not only that, but the chosen participants received a box of Saucy Mama condiments to experiment with. A good deal any way you look at it!

I chose well, don't you think? Keep reading to see how you can win a box of 3 Saucy Mama condiments for yourself!

My mission, once I received the goods, was to create something delicious with bacon or burgers. It had to be easy to make, delicious, and inventive. Let's take a look at what I came up with....

A burger needs a good bun....

Part of the "crunch" comes from the easy topping I put on the buns. Sure, you can make your own buns...it's not hard...but it's even easier to add a little "everything bagel" seasoning and some Parmesan cheese to a few store bought buns....

And speaking of crunch, who doesn't love some good honey-mustard pretzels? Since I was all out of pretzels, I subbed chow mein noodles baked with a bit of honey and some of Saucy Mama's Smokey Garlic Mustard....a handful on top of the burger is so good! 

Droolworthy.

Garlic-Parmesan Crunch Burgers

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon Saucy Mama Smokey Garlic Mustard

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ lbs. 80/20 ground chuck

½ cup Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade

4 (1 oz.) slices sharp cheddar cheese

4 Kaiser rolls with Everything Bagel/Parmesan topping /split and toasted*

½ cup Garlic-Parmesan Aioli*

2 cups baby arugula

1 cup Honey and Garlic-Mustard Chow Mein noodles*

Sliced tomatoes and/or pickle slices

Whisk together the egg yolk, garlic mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Add the egg mixture to the ground chuck and mix by hand until just combined. Form the meat into 4 patties, slightly larger than the rolls to allow for shrinkage.

Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until very hot. Reduce heat to medium. Fry the burger patties for about 5 minutes before flipping. Brush the flipped burgers generously with the Parmesan Garlic Marinade. Flip the burgers again after about 5 minutes, brush with more marinade and top each one with a slice of cheddar cheese. Continue to cook until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and tent with foil to keep warm.

For each burger, spread the bottom half of a toasted Kaiser roll with 1-2 tablespoons Garlic-Parmesan Aioli (recipe follows). Top with a handful of arugula, the burger patty, sliced tomatoes and/or pickle slices, and about ¼ cup Honey and Garlic- Mustard Chow Mein noodles (recipe follows). Place the top half of the bun over the noodles and serve immediately.

*Topping for Kaiser rolls:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water to boil. Stir 2 teaspoons cornstarch into ¼ cup warm water. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the boiling water and cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Lightly brush the top of each Kaiser roll with the cornstarch mixture. Sprinkle each roll with about a teaspoon of everything bagel seasoning, and about a teaspoon of shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake the rolls for 4 minutes. To make your own seasoning, combine 1 T toasted sesame seeds, 1 T poppy seeds, 1 T minced dried onion, 1 T minced dried garlic, and ½ teaspoon coarse salt. Store in covered container.

*Garlic-Parmesan Aioli

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Saucy Mama Smokey Garlic Mustard

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill until needed.

*Honey and Garlic Mustard Chow Mein Noodles

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon Saucy Mama Smokey Garlic Mustard, and 2 teaspoons honey. Fold in 1 (5 oz.) can chow mein noodles (about 2 ½ cups). Spread the noodles on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Noodles will crisp when cooled. Store in an airtight container.

My husband preferred his without the noodles...his loss...

How can you win a package of three tasty Saucy Mama condiments? Simply enter your information into the Rafflecopter! Brownie points for letting me know you are Saucy!*

*Open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fish Tacos with Lime and Cilantro Aioli #RedGold

Just in time for spring and summer, my friends at Red Gold Tomatoes have come up with some tasty sauces....Aioli for everyone! Seriously, they've revved up this garlicky mayonnaise with their awesome Petite Diced Tomatoes. Tomato Aioli. I like the ring of that. 

The recipes are ridiculously easy---there are only two ingredients: Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes and Light Mayonnaise. No kidding. Did I mention this was an easy recipe? Think about it for a minute. Red Gold Tomatoes has quite the assortment flavored diced tomatoes...you could create an aioli from any one of them. Making a flatbread? Mix together the plain diced tomatoes, the mayo, and add a little pesto. Spread this on the flatbread with some grilled veggies, pop it in the oven, and voila! Dinner! Thinking of making something Mexican? Why, yes I am...I will share with you Red Gold's fabulous Fish Taco recipe.

Let's start with the aioli. Here it is: Drain a can of Red Gold Petite Diced with Lime Juice and Cilantro. Now mix it with 1/2 cup light mayonnaise. If you are feeling outrageous, add a few drops of Sriracha. Now put it in the fridge until you need it.

Next, mix up a simple marinade of 4 tablespoons orange juice, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, a teaspoon oregano, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, and 1/2 cup chopped onion. 

Easy, right? Now just saute the fish over medium heat, basting along the way, for about 3 minutes per side. Then coarsely chop it, and place it on a warm tortilla. Top it with some shredded cabbage (the red cabbage is a nice colorful touch), and top it with the aioli! Boom! Tacos! 

Here's a link to the full recipe: Fish Tacos with Lime and Cilantro Aioli 

While you are at the Red Gold site, check out the rest of the aioli recipes by searching for keyword aioli!

Enjoy!

Grilled Guacamole

The other day, as I was browsing through the Internet, my eye caught an interesting recipe for guacamole. It wasn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill variety of guacamole. It was grilled. Yes, you heard that right. It was grilled! How yummy does that sound? I actually have grilled avocados before (thanks, Cat Cora!), and they are very tasty. It would only make sense that I would love a grilled guacamole. Here is my version:

Grilled Guacamole

Printable Recipe

2 avocados (they should have a little "give", but still be somewhat firm)

2 tablespoons olive oil

8-10 grape tomatoes

4-5 cloves of garlic

2 one-inch slices of sweet onion

1 large jalapeno pepper

1 medium lime

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Soak two bamboo skewers in water for at least 20 minutes. Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits. Generously brush the tops of the avocados with oil. 

Thread the garlic cloves and the tomatoes onto the soaked skewers. Brush them with some of the olive oil, or spray them with cooking spray. 

Five cloves of garlic seems like a lot, but the taste mellows out once they're grilled.

Go ahead and use red onions, if you prefer them.

Brush the oil over the onions and the pepper. Place the avocados, flesh side down, on a medium-hot grill. Add the other vegetables to the grill, making sure the tomatoes and garlic aren't directly over the heat. Watch each of the vegetables carefully--the tomatoes will cook quickly. Grill the avocados, onions, and the pepper for about 3-5 minutes, turning often; they each should be slightly softened and have grill marks. Grill the garlic, turning often, for about 8 minutes, or until caramelized and soft. 

Once the vegetables are on the grill they cook quickly....my avocados were a little too charred, but it was all good.

Remove all the vegetables to a platter and let them cool down enough to handle. Take the garlic and the tomatoes off of the skewers. Scoop the avocados out of the skin and place in a medium-sized bowl; mash. Chop the onions and add to the avocados. Cut the tomatoes in half and smash the garlic cloves; add to the bowl. Cut the stem off of the pepper and discard. Mince the rest of the pepper and add it to the avocado mixture. Squeeze the lime juice over the the avocados; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Carefully, fold everything together until well combined.

I think the only thing that might make this even better is some fresh cilantro. Next time.

Serve the guacamole with your favorite chips. These are my favorite--really thin and crispy--they taste like the ones you get in a restaurant.

Now all I need is a Margarita......

Dave and Paul's Compound Butter

Dutch Pancakes with Oddly Orange Compound Butter

Have you noticed how real butter has been making a comeback? It seems like ever since the Julie/Julia movie a few years ago, people have been giving themselves permission eat the real deal. And it makes sense, doesn't it? Used in moderation, you can't beat the taste. Along with butter's re-emerging popularity, comes a whole new variety of compound butters. What? Compound butter?  You know--it's butter with all sorts of flavors mixed in. I, myself, mixed some butter with honey and cinnamon to put on my waffles for the Pillsbury Bake-Off. It's good stuff and the possibilities are limitless.

A couple of months ago (ok..I do procrastinate), I was fortunate enough to receive samples of some fantastic compound butter from Dave and Paul's LLC. They describe themselves as "two blokes building business blending butter" --isn't that fun?

It was kind of hard to decide which flavor to use first...the Oddly Orange won out, but, truthfully, my husband dipped into the Green Garlic before I even had a chance....

I wasn't real sure what to expect when I heard that one of the flavors was called Oddly Orange, but I like orange, so I was game. It turns out that Oddly Orange is a great combination of butter, orange, and cranberry. It's so good you can literally eat it with a spoon. I decided to make some Dutch Pancakes, though, and really give it a workout. :)

Oh my. This was tasty. And as good as it was, I also enjoyed a couple of pancakes with the Mighty Maple. No need for syrup. Now, imagine either one of these butters on something savory, like veggies. Dave and Pauls actually included a cookbook with the package of butters and it was chock full of ideas. There are recipes for Fish Burritos with Green Garlic Butter, Scrambled Eggs with Calcutta Curry Butter, and Roasted Bacon (!!) with Mighty Maple Butter. Seriously....

So, I have to apologize for waiting so long to post about this deliciousness. What was it exactly that made me get my act together? Well, the hubby and I quickly devoured two of the containers of butter, but I was smart enough to tuck the Calcutta Curry and the rest of the Mighty Maple into the freezer (they keep in the freezer for 6 months). Tonight, I dug out the Calcutta Curry....I had been planning to make some tomato bisque and I think it will make a great topper...but I had to try it right away. So, I heated some refrigerated ravioli and topped it with a little of the butter....

In about 5 minutes, I had drool-worthy food. I was reading up on this particular flavor in the Dave and Paul's Cookbook, and I found that they actually import the curry powder from England in order to get the right flavor. Now, I really want to get that tomato bisque made...this will be so good to use as a topper, no?

I'm a little sad that I can't find Dave and Paul's Compound Butters in the stores, here. As a matter of fact, they are based in Montana. The good news is that you can order any of the butter compounds right online at Dave and Paul's LLC and I also see that they are moving to California! You Californians are so lucky....

Disclosure: I was given samples of Dave and Paul's compound butters to try. My opinions, however, are all my own.









Cavatappi with Pea Pesto

It all started with a boatload of fresh peas.

It's kind of sad that I've lived in Green Giant Country for over twenty years now and I've never made anything with fresh peas. Not even fresh peas. Well, thanks to my friend, Brenda, I can now cross that off of my bucket, baking, cooking list. She brought me two big bags of fresh peas (ironically from a shipment bound for Green Giant)!

The thing about peas, though, is that they come in their own packaging. This means that I had to put a little work into my finished project. Yup. I shelled peas. Oh, it wasn't hard. I even ended up with a couple of green thumbs. Literally. They were green....and I still can't keep a plant alive... 

Aren't they beautiful?

A few hours and several freezer bags of peas later, I was finished. I had no idea what to do with my peas, however. Boil 'em? Cream 'em? Fry 'em? Really, I hadn't a clue. But modern technology has given us Facebook, and I posed the question to my friends: "What should I make with my peas?"

Hmm...not a huge response. Luckily, my friend Emily from Sugar Plum came up with a few suggestions for me. The one that caught my attention: Pea Pesto! It rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? I had to try it.

I did a little research and found that the kind of peas I had were English Peas. The pods on these are pretty stringy, not suited for stir fry. It was almost a shame to toss all of them...

It turns out that making pea pesto is very similar to making regular pesto. Here, I adapted a recipe I found on epicurious.com. Easy Peasy. <----(sorry--couldn't resist). I changed out the penne pasta for cavatappi and added a few basil leaves, but aside from that, and using fresh peas rather than frozen, the recipe is the same.

Cavatappi with Pea Pesto

Printable Recipe

2 cups fresh peas (or use (1) 10 oz. bag of frozen peas)

2 large garlic cloves

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

several leaves of basil (optional)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 pound cavatappi pasta

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain well.

With the food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Turn off motor and add peas, nuts and cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then process until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil, blending until incorporated.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water (4 quarts) to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9-10 minutes. Reserve one cup of the pasta water before draining .

Toss the pasta with the pea pesto and thin as desired with the reserved cooking water.

It's like pesto, but it's also like guacamole. I'll bet if I added cilantro and a little lime juice, I could use this with tortilla chips....as it was, my husband and I were testing it out with a couple of spoons. 

I can think of a few things this pesto would be so good with....French bread, pizza, sandwiches....oh, the possibilities...

I probably could have made the picture look more appetizing, but I was running out of light. On the other hand, wouldn't this be a good dish for St. Patrick's day?

And there you have it. Pea Pesto. Pea Pesto Pasta. Say that real fast five times.....