Stuffed Border Burgers

If there's one thing I love any day of the week, it's a delicious cheeseburger. I used to smash some hamburger meat together with ketchup and BBQ sauce, as you'll see in this pathetic post. Boorrriinnggg. Finally, I tried the recipe in my mom's cookbook for these Stuffed Border Burgers...and I'll never turn back.

First thing you'll need is the Tex-Mex Secret Sauce (shhhhh!)
½ cup sour cream
⅓ cup ketchup
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl (that you can put a lid on to save for later use). Cover and chill until ready to serve. Now you're ready to make the burgers.

Ingredients
1½ pounds ground beef
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 (4.24 oz) can chopped ripe olives, drained
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp fajita seasoning (McCormick)
6 slices Monterrey Jack cheese with peppers
6 onion rolls, split and toasted
Tex-Mex Secret Sauce

Directions
1) Combine the first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 12 (4-inch) patties. Fold cheese slices into quarters; place cheese on 6 of the patties. Top remaining 6 patties, pressing to seal edges. (Notice my little helper...)

2) Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350º to 400º) for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until done. Serve on rolls with Tex-Mex Secret Sauce and desired toppings.

Add some fresh grilled asparagus and Cowboy Baked Beans. I tried to be all professional and cut the burger in half to show you all of its deliciousness...fail. Sorry about the iPhone pics...it just didn't feel right being so formal with a fancy camera for this laid back meal....and I'm lazy.

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Roy's Lasagna

Does lasagna make anyone else think of Garfield...? Or is it just me?  Well either way, making lasagna has always intimidated me, even though I love to eat it! And I'm not a big fan of the huge frozen dishes that take 3 hours to bake, but are still cold in the middle no matter what. So I finally opened my cook book and conquered my fear.  It's officially called 1981 Roy's Lasagna.  My mom knows who Roy is...but I don't, (I was born in '86...maybe that has something to do with it). All I know is that he has one heck of a lasagna recipe. As always, I made the whole recipe (which could feed a hungry family of 6) and so I still have some in the freezer for another time.

Meat Filling:
4 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 lg onion chopped
1 3/4 lb ground chuck
1 lb sausage
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
15 oz tomato sauce
28 oz plum tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup water

 Saute onion and garlic in oil.  Add meat and remaining ingredients.

 Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally...yummm

Cheese Filling:
2 cartons of ricotta cheese
1 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
1/2 c finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Combine these ingredients and mix well.

And finally:
1 lb lasagna noodles cooked until just tender
16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated

Layer in pan starting with some sauce, noodles, filling and cheese. Repeat ending with cheese.

Cover with foil bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 25 min
Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 min.

Pictures taken by helpful hunny/sieu chef. He recently got his new baby named 7D and he is the best videographer around. He's not bad at taking stills either, and he makes my blog much happier. :-D

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Hamburger Stroganoff

There's something about a hearty stroganoff that always makes my day better (and my husband happier). Here's a recipe I found online that is very delish and makes plenty for leftovers! Traditionally stroganoff isn't the healthiest meal, which explains why it's so scrumptious, but this recipe gives little hints on how to cut back the bad stuff without losing the flavor.

8 oz uncooked medium egg noodles
1 tsp olive oil
1 pound ground beef, extra lean
1 cup onion (chopped)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package presliced cremini mushrooms
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth (fat-free, less sodium)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3 tablespoons fresh parsley

Cook the pasta according the directions on the package. [The recipe says to leave out the salt when cooking the noodles...I say don't]. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, cook for about 4 minutes until browned, stirring to crumble. [If you don't use lean meat, you should drain it before moving on.] Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan; cook 4 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with flour; cook one minute...Keep Stirring!! Don't let it burn. Stir in the broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute until it starts to thicken. Stir in salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from heat. Stir in sour cream and sherry. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 6 Servings

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Crock Pot Spaghetti

If you're looking for an easy, delicious spaghetti sauce...look no further! Here is my mom's recipe:

1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
15.5 oz tomato sauce
29 oz tomato puree
6 oz tomato paste
1.5 cups water
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp (or less) red pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil

Brown onion and ground beef in frying pan. Drain fat and put in crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot and cook for 8-10 hours on medium. You can also cook this on the stove for about 30 minutes, but it won't be as rich. Serve with a vegetable and some garlic toast.
Yield: 6 servings

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Cheeseburgers

These are one of the meals that never fail to put a smile on my husband's face. I don't really have a specific recipe but I just add some ketchup, BBQ sauce, a little bit of chili pepper, salt, pepper, and finely chopped onion. Mix it all up and either stuff some cheese in the middle or lay it on top. Our apartment complex doesn't allow us to have a grill on our balcony so we have to settle with our George Foreman. My recipe book does have a recipe for a much fancier burger...I'll try that one next.

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