South of the Border Burgers

We love tacos and burritos at our house! But, alas, I was completely out of tortillas when the craving hit us. I don’t know about you but around here, when a craving hits, there’s no getting rid of it… So the South of the Border Burger was born, as most things are, out of necessity. And now this burger will surely be a weeknight  staple! I hope you like it.

South of the Border Burgers

Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2
Level: Easy

2 servings of ground beef (I always pre-portion my meat once I buy it…)
1 tbsp. low sodium taco seasoning
2 whole wheat hamburger buns
1 tbsp. salsa
1 tbsp. sour cream
2 slices cheddar cheese
freshly sliced purple onions, optional
lettuce

Mix ground beef and taco seasoning. Form into 2 patties. Either outside on the grill or inside in a grill pan, grill burgers until no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes on each side.

Spread salsa on one side of hamburger buns and spread sour cream on the other side. Top buns with burgers, cheddar cheese,  onions, and lettuce. Yum!

In Honor of Cinco de Mayo…

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Cinco de Mayo… Ahh, what a delicious holiday. Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s a holiday that celebrates  Mexico’s victory over the French on May 5, 1862.  But, dang, celebrating  their victory with a delicious dinner is just fine by me. Our neighbors to the south know what their doing when it comes to their amazing cuisine and I’m not ashamed of how much I love it!

If your going to be staying in this Cinco de Mayo or if you are planning on having a blow out fiesta with friends, check out these recipes below. I took a look back at my recipe collection and my love is clearly evident… I can’t say that ANY of these recipes are even slightly  authentic but they are definitely inspired by south of the border flavors.

Grab yourself a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa, maybe a margarita or two, and celebrate!

Enchilada Pie 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas (vegetarian and vegan)

Steak Fajitas

Mexican Cornbread

Quinoa Salsa Side Dish

Gringa Tostada

Fiesta Fritata

Baja Shrimp Tacos with a Corn and Radish Salad

BBQ Chili Meatballs

You know those little cocktail meatballs you always see at parties? I had a very random craving for those tonight. I didn’t have any grape jelly, packaged meatballs, or time to use my crockpot tonight. But I did have chili sauce, or as the bottle says… ketchup with a kick! Ha. Too bad it doesn’t really taste like ketchup. Anyway, this is my quick version and they more than satisfied my craving.

BBQ Chili Meatballs

Servings: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

Enough ground beef to make 2 hamburger patties (I just eye balled it…)
1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp. chili saice
sprinkle of chili powder
sprinkle of pepper
sprinkle of dry onion flakes, or finely diced fresh onion
1/4 c. BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix all ingredients together, being careful to handle meat as little as possible so it doesn’t become tough.

Roll meat into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls.

Place on a cookie sheet that has sides or in a baking dish.

 (Oh, hasn’t my cookie sheet been loved?)

Bake for 15 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Remove from oven and set on a paper towel lined plate to help drain off excess oil. Roll or dip each meatball in BBQ sauce. Yum!

Tips
– Serve over brown rice.
– Serve along side Green Chile Cornbread
– Make a meatball sub with any leftovers. Just throw the meatballs, some provolone cheese, and a little mayo onto a hoagie  roll.

John Wayne BBQ Burgers

Tonight was just one of those nights… you know the kind. The kind of night that’s rainy and cold and you walk in your door exhausted. All I could think about after a long day of work and a killer workout was a burger.

Thank goodness I worked out today because after eating this burger, I probably need another hour of TurboKick. Ugh, there’s always tomorrow… but tonight, I was comforted and it was just what I needed.

A traditional John Wayne Burger, or pizza for that matter, is usually topped with BBQ sauce, onion rings, cheddar cheese, and bacon. My take on the burger stemmed from leftover French fried onions from my Crispy Onion Baked Chicken recipe and a killer craving for the new Muenster cheese I just bought. Ahh, a perfect creation! I hope you like it.

Crispy Onion BBQ Burgers

Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2
Level: Easy

2 servings of ground beef (I always pre-portion my meat once I buy it…)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. onions, chopped
1/3 c. BBQ sauce, divided in half
2 whole wheat hamburger buns
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 slices Muenster cheese
1/4 c. French fried onions… they aren’t just for green bean casserole, ya know

Mix ground beef, pepper, onions, and half of the BBQ sauce. Form into 2 patties. Either outside on the grill or inside in a grill pan, grill burgers until no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes on each side.

Spread remaining BBQ sauce on one side of hamburger buns and spread mayo on the other side. Top buns with burgers, Muenster cheese, and French fried onions. Yum!

Tips
– Leave off the mayo if you want to… or use fat-free.
– You can use dried onions to mix in with the ground beef instead of diced fresh onions.
– Add bacon if you want to… I wanted to but alas, my waistline preferred I didn’t.

Black and Bleu Sliders

Hawaiian rolls, Bleu cheese, and ground beef… all I can say is yum. These are not only delicious, they are easy to make ahead, and super fun to eat! I don’t know why but miniature versions of familiar foods always makes them taste better. I love adding a little whimsy to a weeknight dinner, especially when it doesn’t take any extra time or effort.

Black and Bleu Sliders

Time: 30 minutes
Level: Easy
Servings: 4-6

2 tbsp. ketchup
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 c. bleu cheese
1 lb. ground beef
Hawaiian rolls, as many as you need

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients together then add beef. Handle the beef as little as possible to keep it from becoming tough. Roll beef mixture into golf ball sized balls and bake until no longer pink inside.

Pinch out a little piece of the bottom of each roll, just enough to nestle the meatball.

Yum!

Tips
– Serve with desired condiments. Mayo, ketchup, and mustard are good choices but thousand island or ranch dressing is also good!
– Don’t like bleu cheese? No big deal! You can use any cheese you like.
– These also make a great appetizer.

– Make the meatballs ahead and freeze them to bake at a later date.

Enchilada Pie

Well, another Mexican craving…when will it stop? I think Mexican dishes might just be my all time favorite. Last night, we had a friend come in from out of town. A few drinks, a few tail whooping at darts, and an overall great night. The best part: Enchilada Pie and chips and salsa.

Chips and salsa would absolutely be #1 on things to serve at my death row meal. I LIVE for chips and salsa. Don’t care what kind of chips, don’t care what kind of salsa. Just let me at ’em!

I threw this meal together tonight using some cans I had stacked in my pantry. They were actually given to me my my wonderful Nana. She loaded me up on canned goods the last time I went to visit and I can’t thank her enough. She wanted to clean out her pantry and I happened to be there… score! So many great recipes have come from her graciousness.

Enchilada Pie

Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
Level: Easy to medium (depending on whether or not you have to cook your chicken)
Serving Size: 6

1 can fat free refried beans
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tbsp. salsa
4-6 small corn tortillas
1/2 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can chopped green chilies
1/3 c. shredded cheese

Cook chicken if needed… Try the cooking method I used in my Stir Fry recipe, or just pan sear/grill. This is also a great way to use leftover chicken.

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix beans and next 4 ingredients.

Spread mixture on the bottom of a greased, 9×13 baking dish.

Break or tear e tortillas into 1/4ths and layer half of them on top of bean mixture. Top with shredded chicken. At this point you could add some corn if you had any. Pour 1/2 can enchilada sauce over top. Layer with remaining tortillas.

Pour the other 1/2 of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with green chilies and shredded cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Yum!

Tips
– Try this recipe with cooked ground beef instead of chicken.
– Add corn or tomatoes to the chicken layer.
– Top with a dollop of sour cream right before serving.

Chili and Cheddar Biscuits

Last night, I was inspired by a recipe I saw on Smitten Kitchen. The recipe looked rustic and homey and exactly what I was in the mood for. Here is a link to it if you want to try it out. If you do, please let me know!

Chili and Cheddar Biscuits

However,  I was not about to make my own chili and biscuits tonight so I decided to go to my freezer and look around. I found a bag of some kind of sloppy joe-ish, chili-ish sauce that I had made a few weeks ago and decided that might just do the trick. I also had two garlic-cheddar biscuits leftover…bingo! Dinner was on the table in a mere 10 minutes… scouts honor!

All I had to do was brown up some hamburger meat, add the sauce, toast the biscuits, and throw some green beans in a pot to simmer. Yum!

Tonights dinner reminded me of why I started this blog. The delicious sloppy joe-ish, chili-ish sauce that I made and froze awhile back will never be made again because I have no idea of what ingredients I used or how I made it. It was just one of those, “oh this looks good, I’ll add some of that, those flavors will meld, right?” kinds of nights.

Nonetheless, tonight’s meal passed the husband test, and for that, I’m thankful.

Tips
– This tip is straight from my mom. Since I only grocery shop once a month, the freezer gets full in a hurry. She suggested freezing hamburger meat in individual zip-loc bags and smooshing it down flat so that, once frozen, can be easily stacked or stood up against the freezer wall.

This also cuts down on thawing time. This flat bag will thaw in no time!

I have started doing this with EVERYTHING! As you can see, I had even done it with the sauce I used tonight. Ingenious, mom. Thanks!