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Man Vs. B's Monster Turkey Burger

Hey Loves! An Earthquake and then Hurricane Irene all in the same week! My oh my. What is the world coming to?!? Those things don't usually happen here on the east coast but all and all we survived. The past two weeks have been crazy busy for me. I know Irene caused lots of people to be stuck in the house all weekend and if I were home I probably would have been cooking, watching movies, having drinks, playing cards and just hanging with the hubby. Wait, we do that on days when there isn't a state of emergency lol. Well luckily Bryan and I  left for Miami just in time to miss Irene! The weather in Miami was beautiful. We did get a sprinkle of rain one day or two days but that's Miami for you. Besides those showers didn't last that long anyway. Before we knew it, it was Bright and Sunny again. I know. I know. Maybe I am rubbing it in, but hey, if you had the option, I am sure you would trade Hurricane Irene for Sunny MIAMI in a heartbeat!

Before departing for Miami, Bryan decided he wanted to be on a episode of "Man Vs. Food". Now we have watched countless episodes of "Man Vs. Food." We've seen Adam Richman take on several challenges. He tends to consume 6 to 10 pounds of food in one sitting. Now Bryan is not THAT insane to try something like that lol but these Monster Turkey Burgers he made, were pretty GInormous compared to your regular size burger you would get at a burger joint. B's Monster Burger consist of two JUICY ground turkey patties, MELTY Smoked Gouda cheese, Fried Egg, CRISPY maple bacon, Sauteed peppers and onions, Crunchy Jalapenos for a little kick, Crisp green lettuce, topped with a CREAMY Honey Dijon Mustard all served on a TOASTY Ciabatta Roll.  So Many tasty ingredients all on one roll. Is Bryan up for the Challenge?

               

WELL HERE GOES......

HALF WAY THROUGH

LOOK! A CLEAN PLATE!! THAT BURGER DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE

Shepard's Pie With A Twist

Hey Loves! I am really excited that tonight is "The Next Food Network Star" season finale! I cant wait. Bryan and I have been following along all season. About two weeks ago one of the contestants had to make Shepard's pie. A traditional Shepard's pie (which derives from England) is basically a layer of ground lamb and vegetables such as peas and carrots, topped with a layer of mashed potatoes and baked in a casserole dish. This dish can also be made with ground beef which is known as "Cottage Pie". Bryan has been talking about making me Shepard's Pie for a while now. I had never made a Shepard's pie before so the other day we decided to make one.

 Instead of the traditional lamb or beef, I used a mixture of ground chicken and ground turkey. Instead of using peas (because I just don't like them, lol) we used corn, carrots, and onion. Traditional Shepard's Pie uses tomato paste to make a sort of gravy for the meat which I did incorporate but I also added a little sofrito which  consists of tomato, garlic, and onion cooked in olive oil. I also added a little sriracha to give it a little kick! Maybe this is not your typical traditional Shepard's Pie but it turned out delicious. I  made cheesy mashed potatoes using my favorite baby reds to layer over the meat sauce. The potatoes were so creamy and and cheesy, which made it so much more yummy. 

Would you like a bite!?!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Hey everyone! I know it has been a couple days since my last post. It has been a busy weekend. Saturday was suppose to be my brother's big annual cookout. This is the 12th year of what we call "the barn function". Unfortunately we had to postpone the cookout this year due to rain however we still had a mini barn function with our fam and friends that did still come. I love spending time with my family. It's always great times with us. Below I posted one of the things I made for the party. It was a delicious, golden, moist Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake. This was my second time making it. The first time I tried it I left it in for the full hour and thirty five minutes that the directions call for however this time I took it out about 15 mins earlier so that it would be more moist and it was. Happy Baking :)




Cream Cheese Pound Cake
from "the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook"


1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Garnishes: powdered sugar, fresh berries, fresh thyme, whipped cream

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.

Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Budnt or tube pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 35 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wore rack 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack. Garnish each serving, if desired. Yield 12 servings.

*note: I topped my cake with sliced almonds before baking.

Bourbon-Glazed Salmon & Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I recently went to the restaurant Champs for the first time about 2 weeks ago. I had the bourbon salmon with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. Well today I had a taste for the bourbon salmon. So I decided to make my own. I came across a recipe for Bourbon-Glazed Salmon http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bourbon-glazed-salmon-10000001662929/  This recipe is pretty straight forward and it turned out DELICIOUS might I add :) Now I did add a little extra bourbon lol and a touch of white wine :) This recipe calls for marinating the salmon for a hour and a half so be sure to prep and factor that time in. I always like to marinate my meats for a while so that it can absorb all that flavor and goodness.

I served this salmon with some Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes that I made from scratch using baby red potatoes and grilled asparagus. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

PreparationPublish Post

• Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 1/2 hours, turning occasionally.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish and marinade to pan; cook fish 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; drizzle each serving with about 2 teaspoons sauce. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions and 3/4 teaspoon sesame seeds.

Esther Maples, Harlem, Georgia, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2007

A Stormy Summer Night, Thinking of Chili

It has been thundering & lightning  here in MD and all I can think of is a warm bowl of my dad's Chili. I know some people think that chili is just for the winter time but nothing else warms my soul on a night like tonight. Of course the air is on full blast in here. lol. All I can think about is the sound of my dad's loud, affectionate voice as he teaches me how to make his yummy chili. I was just a little girl then, so I didn't actually memorize or write down the actual recipe. I have a just of the recipe but not exact. I thought that he would always be around when I needed to ask him how to make things but tomorrow is never promised. My dad passed away when I was 15 years old. Even though it's almost been ten years, it seems like yesterday. It still hurts till this day but when I think of all the memories I have, I can't help but Smile :) So even though I don't have his exact chili recipe, I think if he had the chance to try mine, he would LOVE IT! :)

BBQ Shrimp, Bacon and Pineapple Skewers

So last week I asked Bryan what he wanted for dinner. He tells me "anything with pineapple". Seemed like a weird request to me lol. However I said okay, I'm up for the challenge. I am not a huge fan of fruit and savory foods mixed but I LOVE SHRIMP AND BACON with everything so I figured I would give it a try. It actually was pretty delicious. :)  I served it over brown rice.