Monthly Archives: September 2010

Blue Cheese Burgers

Say good-bye to dry, boring burgers! And, hello to a burger that makes your taste buds dance. All the juicy goodness between two buns will have your family begging for Blue Cheese Burgers with sautéed onions.

Once I made the mistake of buying a cheaper Blue Cheese. Surely, they are the same, right? Not hardly!! There are somethings you just need to pay for and know it is worth it. The nicer cheese has a more robust flavor so you only need half as much.

If you don’t like blue cheese at all try these with you favorite cheese. They are mmmmmmm good.

Patty ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 c worcestershire sauce
3 cloved chopped garlic
Black pepper

Sautéed onion ingredients:
1 onion – yellow, sliced
3 tbs butter
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/8 c worcestershire sauce
Pepper
Salt

Blue cheese
Buns
Mayo
Lettuce

Blue Cheese Burger

Blue Cheese Burger

Mix the egg and worcestershire sauce together. Add the garlic and pepper to the egg/sauce mix. Pour over meat and mix with your hands. Make into your patties.

Set that aside. In a non-stick skillet melt the butter and add the olive oil after the skillet has reached medium heat. Add you onions as they turn translucent add the worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Turn the fire down a bit and let them simmer until most of the juices are gone. This concentrates the flavor. Set aside.

Fry the patties in a skillet. The hotter your skillet is, the less juices you lose in the cooking process. So brown each side to seal and then lower the heat to medium to complete cooking to your desired doneness. Resist the urge to smash the burgers with the spatula. Do NOT do it. It removes all the yummy juices and give you a dry nightmare!

As you take the patties out of the skillet top them with blue cheese and sautéed onions.

You are now ready to build an “out of this world” burger experience. Enjoy!

Lettuce Wraps Tonya’s Way

Close to PF Chang’s. Really good.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil – canola oil
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 cup water chestnuts, chopped
  • 1 1/3 cup mushrooms
  • ¼ c tablespoons chopped green onions
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 8-10 leaves iceberg or ruffled lettuce

Special Sauce

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce – less sodium
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon hot mustard
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 6 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Hoisin Sauce

Directions

  1. Make the special sauce – disolve the sugar in water in a bowl.
  2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
  3. Mix and refrigerate this sauce until you’re ready to use.
  4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
  5. Add desired amount of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to serve over wraps.
  6. Bring oil to high heat in wok / large frying pan.
  7. Sauté chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.
  8. Remove chicken from pan and allow to cool.
  9. Keep oil in the pan.
  10. As chicken cools chop water chestnuts and mushrooms to appx the size of small peas.
  11. Prepare the stir fry sauce. Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, Hoisin sauce and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
  12. When chicken is cool, mince like the mushrooms and water chestnuts.
  13. Pan on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
  14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to pan.
  15. Add the stir fry sauce to pan. Sauté the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce.
  16. Top with the Special Sauce.