Friday, June 12, 2015

Old Style Diner Burgers

I've been thinking about experimenting with burger recipes for a while now. I decided that I would begin with old-school and try a recipe for burgers the way we had them at 1970's diners. This recipe for old style diner burgers was simple, but so yummy!   



Old Style Diner Burgers
Makes 6-8 patties

Ingredients:
 
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
Fresh ground sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
6-8 slices cheddar cheese

Toppings:

12-16 slices bread, (Use less bread if you double up the burgers.)
Mayonnaise
Tomatoes
Onions
Relish
Lettuce
Ketchup
Mustard

Directions:

1. Lay out two sheets of plastic wrap.
2. Divide your ground beef into 6-8 even mounds
3. Shape each mound of beef into a good, tight ball with your hands.
4. Place ball onto sheet of plastic wrap and lay the second sheet on top.
5. Roll ball flat with rolling pin, about 1/3 inch, into a thin patty. Roll from all directions to make into a patty.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Repeat with remaining balls.
8. Heat griddle over medium-high heat.
9. Flip patty into hot pan.
10. Do this with as many patties as fit onto griddle. 
11. Cook patties for about 3-4 minutes. Pressing down with spatula.
12. Reduce heat slightly, flip over and top with cheese.
13. Cook another 3-4 minutes, until cheese starts to melt.
14. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining patties. (Keep warm in 200 degree oven if needed)
15. Toast your bread.  I used wheat bread. You can use hamburger buns but these are thinner patties, so they may get lost in the breading.
16. Smear bread with mayonnaise.
17. Place patty on bread. Add toppings.

Tip: Great with a side of your favourite cut of fries. 
  

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Asian-Influenced Pork Loin

My family loves pork tenderloin. but so many times it ends up drier than I like inside.  They don't complain, but I just am not pleased. This recipe, that I found on Taste of Home website, turned out so juicy and tender with  tender and juicy. As usual, I tweaked the recipe to suit what I have on-hand. 




Asian-Inspired Pork Tenderloin


Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour  Makes:  8-10 servings


Ingredients:

1 boneless whole pork tenderloin (3-4 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup (I used homemade - recipe below)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1- 1/2 teaspoons Chinese-style mustard
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sweet & spicy Saigon seasoning

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven° for  50 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring often. 
3. Brush sauce over pork. Bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until thermometer reads 145°.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. 



Homemade Ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce (I was out, so I made some from scratch) 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch ground cloves

Directions:
Mix all ingredients until well combined.


Tomato Sauce Sustitute
1 part tomato paste
1 part water

Directions:
Mix well.


Monday, June 8, 2015

Chicken in Sour Cream, and Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I have to admit that my favourite piece of chicken is the thigh. It has so much more flavour than the breast. And lots more meat than the drumstick.  I love using the Man-Pleasing Chicken recipe, but variety is good too. I found an interesting recipe over at AllRecipes and decided to tweak it a little bit.  First of all, I have no Cream of Mushroom Soup and couldn't find a substitute recipe. So I came up with this one that was a complete hit, except for the mushroom haters. Ken has Type 2 Diabetes so I have to use healthy whenever possible. 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Melt butter (I used unsalted) 
Add chopped mushrooms and saute until slightly brown
Add chopped garlic, flour, 1 cup milk
Heat to a nice roux.


Chicken in Sour Cream
Original recipe makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch salt
1 pinch paprika
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Directions:
Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
Combine mushroom soup, onion soup mix, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill weed. Pour over chicken.
Bake at 400 degrees F (175 degrees C) for one hour, or until chicken is tender and sauce is brown.