Cali Burgers

Tonight we decided to stay in and make some burgers. Avocado is one of my favorite foods. It really is the most perfect food. So we topped the burgers with an avocado mixture.

Ingredients:
1.25 pounds of ground round or sirloin (it has a little less fat than ground chuck)
2 garlic cloves, minced or passed through a garlic press
a couple splashes of worcestershire sauce
a couple splashes of beer
salt and pepper
4 slices of cheddar cheese
slices of cooked turkey or regular bacon
1 Haas avocado
1-2 Tbsp diced red onion
sprinkle of garlic powder
juice of half a lemon
dollop of sour cream
lettuce and tomato (optional)
4 hamburger buns

In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, garlic, worcestershire sauce, beer and salt and pepper. Mix well and form into four patties. Grill the burgers on a hot grill or in a grill pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side. When the burgers are almost done, top with cheese and let melt.

Meanwhile, cut the avocadoes in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the red onion, garlic powder and lemon juice. Mix well. Add a dollop of sour cream and mix well. Making the avocado mixture is better than just slicing the avocado because experience has proven that it will just fall out.

Place the burgers on the bottom buns, top with bacon and the avocado mixture, lettuce and tomato. Place with the top bun. Enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Julie and Julia: The Book and The Movie

In addition to being a fan of cookbooks, I also enjoy chick lit. There is a new movie coming out in August, Julie and Julia, based on the book of the same name. I bought the book a couple of weeks ago and going to start it tomorrow while I lie by the pool. It is about a woman, Julie Powell, the author, who is working as a secretary and decides to cook every one of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking over a span of a year. That is 524 recipes in 365 days. The movie stars the wonderful Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell. The movie looks so freakin' cute and both Meryl and Amy are extremely talented actresses. I'll let you know how I enjoy the book.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Rodeo Turkey Burgers

This is a great cowboy inspired burger made with ground turkey and topped with cheddar cheese, bbq sauce and onion rings. I love barbecue sauce on my burgers.

Ingredients:
1 package ground turkey
1-2 Tbsp Montreal grill seasoning
Sprinkle of garlic powder
favorite barbecue sauce
cheddar cheese
onion rings (either frozen kind or make them yourself, I did the former)
Hamburger buns

In a large bowl mix the ground turkey, grill seasoning, garlic powder and a little barbecue sauce together. Adding a little barbecue sauce keeps the turkey burgers moist. Be careful not to overmix. Form the mixture into four patties. Place on a preheated grill pan. Cook on each side for about 6 minutes. When they are almost done, add a couple slices of cheese. Cover with loosely tinted foil to melt the cheese.

Toast your buns. Place the burgers on the bottom bun, top with some sauce and then a few onion rings. Enjoy with a few napkins nearby, you'll need 'em.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Antipasto Tilapia

I just got back from a 4-day trip to Vegas where I ate total crap and drank too many beers and ciders, so I am back on my healthy kick yet again. And of course, while I was gone, my husband was left home to bachelor devices, so he didn't do too much better.

On my way home from work today I stopped at my happy place, The Fresh Market, on a mission to find fruits and vegetables. My husband was in a "fishy" mood, so I picked up tilapia and stopped at the antipasto bar (or is it antipasti) for some marinated artichoke hearts, feta cheese and olives. I also picked up grape tomatoes to toss with the antipasto ingredients to make a little topping, a salsa so to speak.

I seasoned the tilapia and sauteed it for about 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through and starts to flake. Then simply top it with the antipasto ingredients. It was delicious.

I served it with roasted zucchini. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the zucchini in half, then cut each half in half again, this time lengthwise. Then cut each quarter into thirds. This creates a wedge shape. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss and lay on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Wines for Summer

At least once a week you can find my husband and/or me at this family Italian restaurant, Gino's that is about a mile from our house on North Armenia Ave. in Tampa. It has been around forever and offers great, homemade Italian favorites and they boast a great beer and wine menu. Actually, they opened a great wine shoppe not too long ago.

Last night we attended a wine tasting event there that featured wines for the summer, all white wines of course, which didn't bother me in the least. A lot of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling (my personal favorite). I of course had my husband purchase a few of the ones we sampled and I will definitely be going by there throughout the summer to pick up the others.

The ones we brought home were a Prosecco, a nice Italian sparkling that I had never tried; a lovely German Riesling from Fountain Blue winery, sweet and refreshing during the hot summer months and Twin Vines Vihno Verde, a white wine from Portugal. All reasonably priced.

Gino's has a lot of other events planned for the summer including a beer and food pairing dinner and a beer tasting. I definitely suggest everyone check out this Tampa jewel. They even have a Facebook page now.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ham and Brie Panini

This is essentially a fancy ham and cheese sandwich, a totally delicious one. The combination of ingredients may sound bizarre, but trust me they totally work together. The saltiness of the blue cheese is a great complement to the creamy brie and sweet apricot preserves.

Ingredients:
4 slices sourdough bread
ham steak, sliced thin
slices of brie
blue cheese crumbles, just a little bit
apricot preserves
olive oil, for drizzling on the bread before grilling

If the ham steak is a little thick, slice it in half lengthwise. Then place the ham steaks on a grill pan or in a skillet to warm through. On two of the slices of bread, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Flip the bread over. Place an even layer of sliced brie on the bread. On the other two slices of bread, spread an even layer of apricot preserves on each and the blue cheese crumbles. Remove the ham from the pan and place on top of the brie. Now take the slices of bread with the blue cheese and apricot preserves and place on top of the ham, face down of course. Drizzle the outside with olive oil and place on a preheated panini press or grill pan until golden brown on both sides.

Take my word for it, this is heaven on a plate.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crispy Tilapia with Artichoke Puree

Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
2 tilapia fillets, about 1 pound total
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp salt-free lemon and herb seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
reserve 1 Tbsp of the oil from the artichoke hearts jar
1/2 cup canned white beans, drained
1/3 cup sour cream
zest of half a lemon
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Place egg whites in a shallow dish.

On a paper plate, combine cornmeal, herb seasoning and salt. Add tilapia to egg whites and coat on both sides. Add to cornmeal mixture and coat on both sides. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook about 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through, but not dried out. Once you flip the tilapia, take half the lemon and squeeze the juice over the browned side. Check if the tilapia is done by testing the thickest part of the fillet and if it starts to flake and is white it is done.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine artichoke hearts, reserved oil from the jar, white beans, sour cream and lemon zest. Process until smooth. Fold in parsley.

Serve the tilapia with the artichoke puree. Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lemon over the tilapia.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad