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.Similar Posts:

• The Burger Imposters
• Dinner on the Fly: Freezer Burritos
• Harried Kitchen Basics: Ground Meat and Chili in 20 Minutes
• Homemade Pizza – Faster than Delivery. For real.
• And we feasted

Hi.

It’s me again.

I’m Bob, Angie’s better half.

Don’t tell her I said that, though.

At any rate, Angie Pangie is busy making food for Easter.  We’ve got a dozen or so guests coming, and she’s running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.  Which is especially funny, since right now she’s carrying a turkey with it’s head cut off.

OK, maybe I’m the only one that thought that was funny.  Sorry.  Please don’t leave.  Angie told me I could blog here from time to time since so many of you enjoyed my Tuscany Glazed Turduken in Hollandaise post.  So, this seemed like a great time since she’s so busy.

I think it is expected for me to post a silly-looking picture of Angie.  Let me get this one out of the way:

No, that’s an American Indian.  Chippewa, if you’re curious.

Here’s the embarrassing picture of Angie:

Hey!  That’s not a goofy picture of Angie, that’s a goofy picture of me! 

Hooray!  I’m a nice guy!

Anyways, guest posting also gives me a chance to plug my own endeavors for a minute.  I know that many of Angie’s readers are bloggers, as well, so hopefully this will be useful to you.  I’ve started a blog called The Writing Journey, and it’s been a blast.  That blog is devoted to helping Internet writers (bloggers, content writers, freelancers, article writers, etc) to improve their lives by improving their writing.  If you want a good feel for the blog without having to page through everything, I’d suggest you read The 8 Most Common Internet Writing Mistakes and Bang Your Gong: A Call For Action From The Internet Writing Community.

OOH, and since Angie hasn’t mentioned it here, let me show you the Awesemo-9000 cake she made for Game Master’s Day.  I’m not sure how she did it, but I think it involved a bowl.  And maybe eggs, I dunno.  If you want the recipe, though, I bet she’ll put it up if you ask for it.

Also, before I get to my little cooking experiment, let me plug Angie’s free Chinese New Year cookbook.  Now, I know that Chinese New Year is done for 2008.  But, my understanding is that there will be one again in 2009.  On top of that, I also understand that some folks like to eat Chinese food even when it’s not Chinese New Year.  So, go sign up for free Email updates to Angie’s Pangies and go get the darn thing here.

OK, anyways…

A couple of weeks back, Angie asked me if I’d like to try making a recipe from her Simply Delicious magazine.  It was called Thai Beef Stir Fry, and it sounded simple.  And delicious.  Hence, Simply Delicious.

At any rate, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of stir fry.  After all, I’ve barely mastered “pan fry.”  But I figured that the worst to come out of it would be a last-minute Taco Bell run, so either way it’d be all right.

I’m happy to tell you that this dish was both simple and delicious.  We changed the recipe a bit, so if you’re checking my work you’ll see that there have been some changes. 

(Also, if you’re checking my work, you need to get a life.  I mean, who the hell goes around from one cooking blog to the next checking to see if people change recipes from what is printed in a magazine?  Geez, I thought I was a dork.  You’ve got some serious issues, lady.)

Anyways, the dish turned out all right.  I think it did, anyways.  I’ve had a cold for a couple of weeks now, and my taste buds have been off.  I think I’d have liked it a bit more spicy, but I think it was probably right for the family.

At any rate, here’s the modified recipe:

Thai Beef Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons peanut butter
4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, thinkly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons peanut (or vegetable) oil, divided
1 (8 oz) can bamboo shoots, drained
1/2 cup julienned carrot
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more, if you like it spicy)
Hot cooked rice

Oh, I’ve got a couple of notes before I give the directions.  Those of you who cook often prolly know this, but you want to get all of your stuff together before you start frying your beef.  It’s called mise en place, I’m told.  Here’s my mise en place:

Also, be aware that when you hit the step where you spoon the peanut butter mixture thing into the stir fry pan thingy, it will be gloppy and kinda gross looking.  That freaked me out.  But it resolved itself after it started cooking.  You can see all that from the pictures, but I figured I’d warn you ahead anyways. 

Here are my thinly sliced steak strips:

I actually used half steak and half venison. Mmmmm… venison.

I didn’t know what “Julienned” meant, so Angie ’splained it to me.  I guess it just means you cut the peppers into strips. 

To do that, though, you have to remove the lid by cutting a circle around the top of the pepper:

And taking out the gunk:

Also, I used fresh-pressed garlic:

So, anyways, here are the actual directions:

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Stir in peanut butter and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce; set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the beef, garlic, pepper, salt, and remaining soy sauce in 2 tablespoons oil until meat is no longer pink; remove and keep warm.

Add last tablespoon of oil to the wok and add peppers, bamboo shoots, carrot and pepper flakes; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until tender.

Stir cornstarch mixture; add to the pan.  Bring to a boil, cooking and stirring for 1 minute, or until thickened.

 
Return beef to vegetables, stir together, heat through and serve with rice.

I used minute rice, but you should probably make the good stuff.  Incidentally, the recipe can be found in the free eCookBook, Angie Pangie Celebrates:  Chinese New Year.  (See how I did that? )

OOH, I made these, too:

All by myself, even.  I took them right out of the package, put them on the pan, and put them in the oven.

See you all next time!Similar Posts:

• Download Chinese New Year Cookbook FREE!!
• Conquering the burn: Thai Inspired Curly Noodles with Chicken
• All I want for Christmas is my Crockpot. And Stew. Regular Beef Stew.
• Easy Dinner: Soup and Spicy Corn Muffins with Sweet Butter
• Do Over: Crockpot Apricot Chicken

We’ve lived in Michigan for darn near 10 years now and frankly, I still don’t think I like it much.  Take today, for instance, we had this pesky little thing they like to call a “snow day”.  Now, I grew up in Indianapolis, and while the weather there isn’t great in the winter, it is milder than it is here.  It also ends sooner, as in a month or so before we’re done having cruddy winter-time, my family in Indy is enjoying the crocuses and gearing up for cookouts and spring break.

When I was a kid, just like every other kid on the face of the earth, I loved snow days.  We had them in Indy, sure.  We just didn’t have so darn many of them.  And, as you all know, I’m hard at work on my first cookbook, with a deadline quickly approaching.  I have a short week anyhow, since the kids don’t have school on Friday (thanks to a teacher’s professional day).  Today’s snow day really cut into some important work time.  Apparently, now that I’m not a kid any longer, snow day translates into a “Angie Pangie doesn’t get any work done today-day”.

It’s not that my kids want to hang out with me and enjoy my company that’s keeping me from getting any work done.  I could deal with that – you know, play some Monopoly, work on a jigsaw puzzle, have a tickle fight on the couch . . . nope, since they’re a bit older now, they’re busy doing their own thing.  They’re quite entertained planting themselves in front of Hannah Montana, the computer, the Playstation, or maybe just arguing about which Webkinz is cutest.  If I suggest a tickle fight, I get a “MO-OM, I’m trying to sort my Pokemon cards here!  You just knocked my Turtwig into my Blastoise!  KNOCK IT OFF, MOM!”  And so, you see how it goes.

Today, I got a grand total of one recipe written, researched two recipes, and reconciled about one week’s worth of business expenses.  That’s it.

On the other hand, I did get to cook a hot lunch for my kids (stir-fried ginger and garlic pork with tamari and white rice) which was quickly replaced by a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a handful of wheat thins.  Don’t worry, I enjoyed it immensely, even if they didn’t.  Oh, and the highlight of the day – I got to load and unload the dishwasher TWO times, not just once.

I suppose I’ll just have to work extra hard and long on my cookbook tomorrow.  At least the girls all got a much needed break from school.  They were all feeling the mid-January slump.  Still, by the time dinner time rolled around I was tired, frustrated, and too hungry.  I wanted to avoid the lunch-time PB&J incident again and decided on an old standby; spaghetti and meatballs.  I made a huge batch of meatballs last month and still had most of them in the freezer.  It took me a grand total of 15 minutes to put dinner on the table tonight.  The next time ground beef or turkey is on sale you might consider putting a batch of these together.  They perk plain spaghetti sauce right up, and if you need to used jarred sauce – no one will even notice.  Oh, and these make fantastic meatball subs!

Typically, I make about 5 pounds at a time.

Italian Style Meatballs

1  lb ground beef, turkey, venison, pork, or any combination of these
1  egg
1/4  cup milk
1/2  cup italian or plain breadcrumbs
1/2  teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon dried oregano
1  tablespoon fresh parsley, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2  teaspoon garlic powder
1/2  teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4  cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand for best results.

Roll meatballs to golf ball size – about 1 1/2 inches.

You can prepare these two ways:

Drop raw meatballs into large pot of sauce and simmer for about 3 hours.  Stir infrequently and gently so that you don’t break them into pieces.

OR
Bake meatballs in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.  To avoid having your meatballs sit in a puddle of grease; place a cooling rack across the top of a sheet pan with one inch sides and place meatballs on top of the rack.  They can be close together, but not touching.

Meatballs freeze well.Similar Posts:

• WFMW: Quick Dinner – Meatballs
• The trifecta
• Angie Pangie tries Lamb Stew. For real this time.
• Hey, I’m just sayin’
• Conquering the burn: Thai Inspired Curly Noodles with Chicken

Today was the first day back to normal.  The kids have all returned to school, hubby went back to work (o.k., he retreated to the desk in the bedroom, but he was working), and I went back to being a housewife.  It was a good day; productive in that I got to clean a little bit around here, but also I spent some much needed time in the kitchen.  During the process, I discovered that my downstairs pantry and freezer are a mess and need some serious attention.  These projects excite me.  Tomorrow, I will put on my winter gloves and spend an hour digging around in the freezer coming up with all sorts of goodies and ideas!  I will place all the cans, bags, and boxes in little rows in the cabinets and I will feel peaceful and complete. 

It was dismal here today; warm, but rainy and grey.  Perhaps you could even say it looked foreboding outside.  Well.  When my kids got home today and dh turned off his laptop and called it a day, all hecky broke loose.  So much for my peaceful feeling.  Teen daughter was being a chaos monster, Aspie girl wet her pants at school and didn’t seem to even know where she was, and little one was hungry, coughy, and a bit snarky.

Dinner was a disaster.  Teen daughter threw a total fit because I made her eat a mushroom.  It was a major battle.  She’s still crying and it’s been over an hour ago.  You know that little saying “Pick your battles”?  It kept running through my head when that mushroom was sitting there on the end of her fork, but I had already picked this battle and quite frankly I’m tired of the constant food issues we have at the table.  I was aiming to win.

O.k., one thing you should know.  Dinner was a disaster, but the food was fantastic.  Give me my kitchen without hubby and kids poking in my way and I’ll work some magic.  Today did turn out that way.

So, lucky you!  You get the good part of dinner – the recipes.  I’ll keep the teenager, and her mushroom anger.

Crockpot Venison in  Mushroom Sauce – serves 6-8

2 pounds of venison, stew cut

1 pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used white button)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I used the low cal, low fat version)

1 medium white onion, cut into rings

1/3 cup red wine

1/2 cup apple juice

1 package of dry onion soup mix

1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)

4 strips of bacon

Mix all of this together and cook it in the crockpot.  5-6 hours on high, or 7-8 on low.  I fished the bacon slices out at the end (these were just added for flavor, venison is very lean, which can make it taste ”gamey”, chewy, or bland).  You can leave the bacon in, but you really don’t need it.  This got thick and creamy and was super yummy.  I served it over egg noodles.  Now, if you aren’t lucky enough to be blessed with a freezer full of venison, use stew beef.  You won’t need the bacon if you use beef.

Oh, did I mention?  I also made a pie.  Hubby and I are dieting, so this is a lower calorie, lower fat option to Key Lime Pie.  And it’s good.  Make sure you make it the night before, or in the morning, because you serve it frozen and you don’t want to try to put this together right before you eat (unless you want soup pie).

Frozen Key Lime Pie

1/2 (0.3 oz) package of lime sugar free gelatin

1/2 cup of key lime juice

1 (14 oz.) can of fat free sweetened condensed milk

4 oz (half a tub) of fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 graham cracker pie crust (reduced fat, of course)

Place the lime juices in a bowl and use a whisk to stir the gelatin into the juice, until it dissolves completely.  Then pour in the condensed milk and whisk until it’s all combined and light green.  Lastly, mix in the whipped topping.  Save the other half of the whipped topping to garnish the top of the pie later.  Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust, cover the pie, and place in the freezer until completely frozen.  Cut into 8 pieces and garnish with whipped topping.  Oh, yeah, then call me up and I’ll come over for some!Similar Posts:

• WFMW: Quick Dinner – Meatballs
• Potluck Help: Tiramisu Brownie Trifle
• The trifecta
• Snackies: Bruschetta, er ah . . . I mean Italian Salsa
• Saturday Sides: Spicy Green Fries