Burgers

Burgers are probably one of my most favorite main dishes EVER. I plan on making my feta cheese burgers for labor day this weekend. Hopefully I'll remember to snap a picture.....

Stuffed Feta Burgers
1 lb ground beef, (best with 80/20)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbed (or fresh goat's cheese)
Grilled or fried onion rings (sweet onions work best)
ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, etc
Hamburger buns

Sprinkle the salt & pepper and the worcestershire sauce over the ground beef. Form the ground beef into roughly 3 ounce patties. An ice cream scoop works well for this. Flatten the patties and in half the patties make an indentation in the middle. Equally divide the cheese among half the patties. Use the other half of patties to cover and seal the edges with your fingers. Refridgerate for 15 minutes. Grill untill desired doneness.

Makes 4.

If you prefer veggie burgers, here is a recipe for a bean burger that can be used with the above recipe:

1 cup dried Anasazi beans
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup carrots, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg or egg substitute (a real egg works best for this)

What to do with a bunch of fresh cherry tomatos....

3 cheese w/ Roasted tomatoes deep dish pizza

1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 fresh sweet basil leaves, roughly chopped
Roasted Tomatoes (see below)
Prepared Pizza Dough (see below)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the prepared pizza dough in a cast iron pan (or pie pan w/ 1-2" depth). Spread the dough to all sides and allow to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes, the dough will rise slightly. Lightly punch the middle of the dough. Spread the middle with the tomato sauce and layer with the roasted tomatoes and cheeses. Top with the sweet basil. Place
pan in the oven and cook until sides are golden brown, approx. 15 minutes.

Roasted Tomatoes

Cherry or Roma Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
Thyme, Oregano, Basil, etc spices
Salt & Pepper

Half the tomatoes and arrange on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Use 3+ garlic cloves (to taste) and arrange throughout the cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil all over the tomatoes and garlic. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the spices, and salt & pepper to taste. Place in an oven and roast for 2-3 hours at 225F. Tomatoes should be shriveled and leathery but not blackened.

Basic Pizza Dough
1/4 ounce (2 1/4 tsp) active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp honey
3-3 1/2 cups flour (i use a multi grain mix)

Let the yeast, water, and honey proof for 10 minutes. Mix into the flours. Knead until elastic. Cover with a damp towel and place in a non drafty area. Allow to double in size. Use as thin crust or deep dish pizza crust.

not so boring boiled potatoes

I made this attempting to use as many ingredients in my kitchen as I had without having to run to the store. So this is kinda a hodge-podge and super easy.

Not so Boring Boiled Potatoes
16 ounces Beef Broth, or French Onion Soup
2-3 medium sized russet potatoes, cubed
2 medium sized yellow onion, quartered - skip if using french onion soup
2 garlic cloves, whole
1 medium carrot, sliced thickly

Pour the beef broth into a large stock pot and add all ingredients. Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Add more broth if needed to cover all ingriedents.

Berry Smoothie

I like to eat smoothies, a lot of them. Something nice about eating a meal entirely blended.

Berry Smoothie

3 tbsp almonds

2 tbsp wheat germ

1 cup oj (frozen works best)

1/4 cup blueberries (frozen)

1 cup strawberry or blueberry yogurt

1/4 cup strawberrys (frozen)

1/4 cup raspberries (frozen)

*if not using frozen fruits, use fresh in combination with ice cubes

Grind the almonds and wheat germ into a smooth powder. Add to the blender the wheat germ, almonds, oj, blueberries, and blueberrie yogurt. Blend until well incorporated. Add the remainder ingredients. Blend until smooth.