Category — Main Dishes

Over the weekend Bob and I went on a nice dinner cruise out on Lake Huron.  It’s a giant sailboat, and it was a stargazing tour (unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see much of anything) and just overall a very cool experience.

But, I have to admit.  There was one thing that really sold me on going.  Just one little word . . . dinner.  I’ll admit it, I’m obsessed with all things food.  The idea of going on a dinner cruise just set me to thinking about the fancy, gourmet, catered dinner I was going to be served under the stars on a romantic ship.  I was thinking of the field greens salad, the limit-less possibilities of the creatively melded flavors of my main dish, and the fantastic-ness of it all.  And, as you can imagine, my wildest fantasies were

Wrong.

I don’t know why I’m surprised.  After all, it’s a boat without a kitchen.  Even though it’s a huge sailboat, it’s a small boat.  Since I haven’t found an extraordinary caterer anywhere in my area, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the boat company people haven’t either.

What we did have? Buffet style dinner with salads.  Potato salad.  Pasta salad.  Asian salad (I was looking for the crunchy raman-style noodles broken over the top.  Yes, that’s the salad I’m talking about).  Of course, there was a piece of chicken with over-cooked spinach inside.  A slice of bread.  And a prepackaged - previously frozen - sold at GFS - slice of cheesecake.  I’m serious.  I mean, really.  Frozen cheesecake?

So, the dinner wasn’t great.  I mean, it was fine, but unexciting.  Definitely not what I was hoping for.

But, that Asian salad made me remember about a great little pasta dish I’ve been wanting to tell you about.  I like to make this for lunch because it’s fast, filling and easy.  Not to mention, it’s made with whole-wheat pasta and lots of veggies, which makes it good for you - full of fiber!  Plus, the sauce is a no-brainer, you just mix it up and toss it with the cooked goodies.

Right now the red bell peppers in my area are amazing, which makes this dish’s flavor explode in your mouth!

Lunch-time Sesame Noodles and Veggies

Adapted from Everyday Food

12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1 bunch of broccoli, stalked and thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp red-pepper flakes (can use less or more, according to preference)

Chop the veggies.  Use thin even slices to help them cook evenly.  Since you are only boiling them for a few minutes, you want to make sure they are sliced thin.

Cook pasta in salted water for 7 minutes (or three minutes less than directions specify).

Add vegetables.  I leave out the broccoli, because I think broccoli is yucky.  If you like it you can use it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you end up thinking it’s yucky, too.  Continue cooking the pasta and veggies for 3 minutes.  Scoop 1/2 cup of water out of the pot and set aside.

Drain pasta and veggies after three minutes.

There are three ingredients that make this dish work, in my opinion.  Peanut butter and sesame oil are key players here.  The other is the crushed red pepper.  I know that you might not like spicy food so you’ll be tempted to leave this out.  But it’s a lot like salt - a flavor enhancer.  If you like it spicy add a full teaspoon (and more), if you don’t, stick with 1/2 a teaspoon.  It really makes a difference in taste.

Mix peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes in a large bowl.

Add pasta and veggies and toss.  Add reserved water if necessary, to thin sauce.
Can serve hot or cold, I like mine HOT!

Happy Mother’s Day!  In honor of Mother’s Day I’ll be blogging a recipe my Mom inspired!  I’ve mentioned before that I grew up with a (wonderful) Mom who really didn’t do a lot of cooking.  Honestly, I could count on one hand the number of special dishes that my Mom made while I was a kid.  We did eat out a lot, and she was great at opening cans and boxes and the like, but we didn’t have a lot of “home-cooking,” per se.  Not to worry, though, my Mom was really great at other stuff that didn’t include cooking.  Still there are a couple of things I do remember my Mom making.  Today’s recipe is inspired by the hamburgers my Mom made when I was growing up.

When my Mom made these she called them “Surprise Burgers” and she stuffed mushrooms and cheese in the center.  Dad and I both would scarf them down. Obviously, I loved mushrooms even when I was kid. I’ve also seen them referred to as “inside out burgers” in a similar recipe.  Personally, I just call them burgers and put whatever suits me on that day in the middle.

It’s not rocket science, really.  Hamburgers are pretty basic, but what makes them miraculous is when you add the goodies on top.  Now, with this version of a burger, you just put a small amount of whatever you want on top of the burger inside the burger before you cook it.  Cool!

When my Mom made burgers they often swelled up in the middle when she cooked them, and I’ve found that the method you use to put these together actually does matter.  Shaping these properly will help prevent “golf-ball” shaped burgers.  And, Mom?  I’m sorry Dad and I teased you about your hamburgers being golf-ball burgers.  I was such a little shit.  Don’t worry, I’m getting all that sass back in triplicate now.

Also key to this recipe, remember that you can’t put too much stuff in the middle.  Now, I know, you’re thinking “The more the better!  I love bleu cheese, I want to have it oozing out and I don’t really mind a giant sized burger, it will be so goooood when I bite into all that heavenly flavor.”  But.  A little goes a long way for flavor, and you can always pile more of the goodies on top if you feel like there just isn’t quite enough.  The problem with putting too much in the middle is two-fold.  First, it becomes difficult to cook the burgers evenly because they are too fat in the center, or just not a uniform size and shape.  Secondly, they tend to pop open and everything will fall out.  Popping open sort of defeats the entire purpose of an inside-out burger, wouldn’t you agree?  So.  Right.  Just put a little bit of the yummy stuff inside.

And, a random thought . . . here where I live now, in Michigan, people often call either ground beef or hamburgers (the sandwich) “hamburg”. Isn’t that funny? I mean, I thought it was funny. I don’t know why I thought I’d mention that. I guess it’s just one of those things that makes me go “hmm” . . . well, anyhow.

So, here are some of the ideas for the centers of your surprise burgers:

Bleu cheese, or another type of crumbled or shredded cheese
Pickle Relish
Chopped Mushrooms
Crumbled Bacon
Sauteed Onions
Chopped or Roasted Garlic
Bell Peppers
Diced Tomatoes

O.k., I could go on with this endlessly. As you can see, the possibilities are limitless.

Here’s how these work:

Surprise Stuffed Inside Out Burgers

1 1/2 pound ground beef, turkey, or venison (or a blend)
1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled bacon (if desired)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of assorted “insides”, (such as cheese and veggies) chopped, crumbled, or diced fine
Small butter or cottage cheese tub lid
Parchment or Wax Paper
6 Hamburger Buns and Hamburger toppings

I start out by placing my crumbled bacon directly in the ground meat. I like bacon in or on my burger, and mixing it in with the ground meat allows me to put more stuff in the middle.  Bonus!

Mix ground meat and crumbled bacon (to taste) until the bacon is evenly distributed.

Using clean hands, make twelve 2 ounce balls of hamburger.  I use scales to make my hamburger balls exactly even, but you can eyeball it by dividing into twelve equal portions, if you don’t have scales.  But, if you’re a bit of a control freak like me, feel free to use the scales.

Place one hamburger ball on a piece of parchment (or wax) paper and flatten it slightly with your palm.  Place another piece of parchment paper over the meat and place the plastic lid over the top of the paper.  Push down on the lid with the palm of your hand.  Squish the meat out to the edges of the lid and try not to let it seep out the sides.

Carefully peel the paper off the hamburger.

Place 1 1/2 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the burger.

Place another hamburger ball over the top of the filling, replace the lid, and push down again.

Use your hand to gently “meld” the sides of the two patties together.

Cook these in a pan or on the grill.  I like to make these on my electric grill, because it does not require turning the burgers.  If you do not use an electric grill, cook these until half done, flip them over and let them finish.  Do not repeatedly flip, flip, flip because they will fall apart.

Serve on buns with your favorite condiments.

These burgers go wonderfully with Maple Chipolte Grilled Corn on the Cob or Roadhouse Home Fries.

So we’ve talked about snacks and we’ve talked about vegetables and we’ve talked about all sorts of things, but I think it’s time we talked about dinner again.  Don’t you?  Actually, I usually try to stay away from giving you guys dinner recipes, because it dawned on me a while back: you probably don’t really need dinner recipes.  If you’re like me, you struggle with ”What else should I make?” rather than “What should I make?”  It’s happened to me many, many times:  I put together a great chicken dish, it’s all done, hot, yummy, and ready, and I’m popping a can of green beans open and nuking them while I set the table because I have no idea what else to make.  That’s why I do my Saturday Sides feature.  It’s why I give you snackies, and bread, and appetizers.  These are the things that continue to baffle us in the kitchen.  And I will continue to give you those recipes.

Still, every once in a while, I make something for dinner and I think “Wow, I gotta tell my readers about this.  This is knock-your-socks-off good!”  Welp, today’s recipe is just that way.  Not only is it unreal how fantastic this tastes, but it makes you look like you’re a kitchen genius when you make it since it looks even more wonderful than it tastes.  The best news of all is, this recipe is easy.  No flambeing, no sautéing, no shimy-shaying.  Heck I went to culinary school and I still prefer to skip the shimy-shay. 

Announcing TKD

So if you’re like me and you’re hoping for something hefty for Mother’s Day (which is in 18.5 days, but who’s counting) use this recipe to continue your quest toward becoming a Kitchen Diva.  I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to restocking my supply of handmade Mother’s Day cards and gifts. (I keep every single one!  They’re so cool.)  I bet Kitchen Divas get the best Mother’s Day presents.  I think I shall start a club and call it the “TKD”, short for The Kitchen Divas.  From here on out, you can look for the TKD stamp of approval on recipes for your family.  Recipes that will raise your dinner exit poll rating.

When I pick a “TKD” recipe I’ll have four basic questions:

Two yes questions:  1.  Does it taste good enough that most* of my family will eat it?  2.  Does it look good?

Two no questions:  1.  Is it hard to make?  2.  Is it horribly bad for me (or my family) i.e., will it raise my cholesterol by more than 10 points in one sitting?

*Yes, I said most.  There’s five of us, and if four people will eat it - then it’s a winner.

So, for today’s recipe let’s see how it measures up.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Skewers

Does it taste good enough that most of my family will eat it?  Oh heck yeah.  Only my non-meat eater won’t eat this, and sometimes she’s even willing to pick the pecans off thereby transferring some chicken residue into her body.

Does is look good?  Yes.  Yup.  ZOMG yes.  These have a very high presentation appeal, which means “I’d even make these for company they look so good!”

Is it hard to make?  No, not too bad.  A few extra steps for the pecan crust and you gotta make some gravy, but it’s completely doable in an hour or less.

Is it horribly bad for me (or my family)?  Well, it’s not fried and it is chicken, so that’s good.  But it is covered in pecans and you dip it in gravy.  It could be a little better for you, but since it’s oven baked and not red meat it works for me.

Looks like this one is a winner.  So, on to the recipe.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Skewers
Adapted from Taste of the South

8 (6 inch) bamboo skewers
4 boneless, skinless chikcen breasts, cut into half
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
Country Gravy

Cut each breast into half vertically.  Insert Skewer through the length of each piece of chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a shallow bowl, or pan, stir eggs and milk, mixing well.  Place flour on a large plate and pecans on another large plate.  Dredge each chicken skewer in flour, then roll in egg, then roll in the pecans.

Place each skewer on a greased baking pan.

Bake at 400F degrees for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve with country gravy.

For the gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
fresh cracked black pepper (about 1 teaspoon worked for me)
salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.

Add flour, stirring well.
Cook until flour turns golden brown, then add milk and pepper.  Stir well to avoid lumps.

Lower heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  Season with salt and keep warm.

For more information on making gravy you can find a cooking lesson here.

Without pictures:

Pecan Crusted Chicken Skewers
Adapted from Taste of the South

8 (6 inch) bamboo skewers
4 boneless, skinless chikcen breasts, cut into half
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
Country Gravy

Cut each breast into half vertically.  Insert Skewer through the length of each piece of chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
In a shallow bowl, or pan, stir eggs and milk, mixing well.  Place flour on a large plate and pecans on another large plate.
Dredge each chicken skewer in flour, then roll in egg, then roll in the pecans.
Place each skewer on a greased baking pan.
Bake at 400F degrees for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Serve with country gravy.

For the gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
fresh cracked black pepper (about 1 teaspoon worked for me)
salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

In a medium suace pan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add flour, stirring well.
Cook until flour turns golden brown, then add milk and pepper.  Stir well to avoid lumps.
Lower heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  Season with salt and keep warm.