Mushroom Steakhouse Burgers

There's nothing like a good burger. We are huge burger lovers and usually have burger night once a week. My favorite way to eat a burger is simple: cheddar cheese, with mayo, ketchup, lettuce and a slice of tomato. But I definitely like to try all kinds of burgers.

My sister in laws were recently in town to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Everyone returned back to Florida after a few days but my sister in laws stayed. We spent our days by the pool, at the mall, and on the floor in the family room, entertaining a certain one-year-old. Rachael Ray's show was playing in the background one afternoon and we all stopped to "ooo" and "ahhh" over a burger that was being assembled on screen.

I still hadn't figured out what to make for dinner that evening and we were all suddenly dying to try that burger. After a quick trip to the store I had all the necessary components to whip it together. And I gotta tell you, it was so easy!

Source: adapted from Rachael Ray (the meat mixture is my own recipe)
Servings: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 pound ground sirloin
1 1/2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1/8 teaspoon oregano
pinch of basil
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices Swiss cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted and buttered

For the steaksauce:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup A-1 steak sauce
half the juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper

Place ground sirloin in a mixing bowl. Add BBQ sauce, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Lightly mix to combine. Score the meat into four sections so your burgers will be about the same size. Form 4 patties, using your thumb to make an indention in the middle. You want them to be plump on the sides, skinny in the middle so they'll cook evenly. Set aside.

Preheat oil in a small skillet. Add mushrooms to pan and begin to brown. Once they start turning brown, salt and pepper them to taste. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, then reduce and caramelize until there is a rich brown coating. Remove mushrooms from heat and set aside.

Heat another skillet with oil to medium. Place the patties into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes; flip and then cook for 3-4 more minutes more, depending on how rare you like your burgers. Turn off the heat and top burgers with 2 slices of cheese and mushrooms. Allow to sit for 1 minute for cheese to melt. In the meantime, make the sauce.

To make the sauce, place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Drain burgers on paper towels before placing on buns. Toast the hamburger buns and butter both sides. Assemble the burgers, topping with a dollop of sauce.

Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce

I've been eating a lot of tomatoes lately. I'm not a huge tomato person, I like them in salads, sandwiches but I could eat brushetta all day long. But for some reason I've noticed myself buying batches of tomatoes at the store. It's not because of a pregnancy craving either; I'm not dying to stuff them in my face.

But somehow they are making their way into my cart.

My favorite tomatoes are cherry tomatoes. I like to halve them and throw them into a salad or mix into pasta. I also like to make small caprese salads with them, drizzled in lots and lots of olive oil. This was a perfect way to use up what I had left of my tomatoes last week.

It's a super easy meal, so easy I categorized it as a "weeknight meal." You can get this on the table in 15-20 minutes. I loved the homemade butter spread in the recipe, however, next time I think I'll double it. The sauce could have used a bit more!
 
Source: Bon Appetit
Serves: 2

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped marjoram or oregano (I had oregano)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 cups mixed cherry tomatoes (My store didn't have mixed)
Flat-leaf parsley

Mash butter, garlic, marjoram (or oregano), and paprika in a small bowl to blend. Season butter with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet, cover, and cook until no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Tent chicken with foil to keep warm.

Increase heat to high. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Add remaining marjoram butter to skillet. Crush tomatoes slightly to release juices; stir 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

The hubbs and I are not huge tomato sauce fans. We're white sauce, or bechamel people. However, I do like to make spaghetti and meatballs on occasion. If I've got the craving for it. Usually I'll buy a can of plain tomato sauce and add my own herbs and spices to it. This time I was in the mood for something a little different. 

And I have to say...this sauce was the bomb. Haha. I don't know where that came from.

It's sweet, has a little bit of chunk to it (depending upon your chopping skills, you can determine whether you want it smooth or chunky), and is by far the best tomato sauce I've ever had.

It does take a while to cook. Be sure to read through the recipe- a total of about an hour and 20 minutes. When my sauce had about 20 minutes to go, I put the meatballs in the oven and started to boil the water for my spaghetti. Also, be sure to keep the heat on low while it's simmering, or you'll have a pretty messy red splattered kitchen... I speak from experience. :)

Source: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped (omitted)
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (32 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until the veggies are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste (I also added oregano, garlic powder, and basil at this point). This sauce can be also be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.

I'm getting a kick out of all this homemade stuff. It's fun.

Pork Chops with Fresh Berry Compote

Oh my was this good. So good that I just had to share this with you today. Nevermind the back load of posts I already had lined up. You know how I get excited.

Celebrations are great. They usually involve food, (at least all of mine do) and our anniversary was no exception. I saw this in Rachael Ray's magazine a few weeks back and didn't think it worthy has an anniversary dinner, but I'm SO glad I decided to make it. It really does look fancy all plated up.

It's delicious, mouthwatering...it's borderline dessert! I almost feel like I can't have it often because I'll weigh 400 pounds. But it's fruit, right? Therefore it's healthy, making this a very healthy dinner. Even my side was healthy, quinoa with lemon and parsley. Also very good. But that's another post...

It's like blueberry syrup. But better. And so easy. Ready in less than five minutes. Thank goodness it's practically berry season. You can make this sauce all the time! I swear it goes with almost anything, vanilla ice cream, waffles, french toast, pancakes...although, omit the onions, that might be a little weird.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray

5 tbsp. EVOO
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I used a shallot)
1 pt. blueberries (I used half my container of blueberries)
2 tbsp. sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 sprigs thyme (I used dried)
Salt and pepper
4 bone-in, 1/2-inch-thick pork chops (I used pork tenderloin medallions)

Don’t wash blueberries more than 1 day ahead of using or they may mold.

Preheat a grill. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-low heat; add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, thyme sprigs and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Simmer until the blueberries have released their juices and the compote has thickened, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and keep the sauce warm.

Brush the pork chops with 2 tbsp. EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes for medium; remove from the grill and let stand.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, prepare the couscous according to package directions. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the parsley, lemon zest and remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the couscous onto plates. Add the chops and any juices and spoon the berry compote on top.


I made only a few changes. I didn't use bone-in pork chops (I sliced up a pork tenderloin) and I didn't grill them. I pan seared them and instead of using a red onion, I used a shallot that I had on hand. I'm curious to see if there is a difference with grilling the chops, I'll try that next time. 

What dishes scream "fancy" to you? When do you like to serve them?

Pork with Mushroom Sauce

I've poured this sauce over everything. It is my second best sauce, over this one. Chicken, pork chops, your Thanksgiving turkey, even steak. I bet it would go well with stew or pot roast too. This is a magical sauce! 

You can up the mushroom quantity depending on how much you like mushrooms and how mushroom-y of a sauce you want.We all know how disappointing a big pot of mushrooms can be. You start out with a lot and end up with what seems like half. It's the same with spinach. Okay, maybe not as drastic, but you know what I mean...

I chose to use this sauce with the pork tenderloin I took out to defrost earlier this week. It was also on my menu plan! Yeah! :) The sauce complements pork wonderfully. Especially since I have the tendency to overcook my pork (does this happen to you?) and with this gravy you can't to tell! Yayy. It will still be moist and flavorful. That's a success in my book!

I halved the recipe dramatically as it was only the two of us. I included the recipe as is, but take note of what I did if you don't want a huge pot of sauce!

Source: Cooking Light

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
4 cups chicken broth (I used 1 1/2 cups, but I also like it thick)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoon water (I used one)
1/4 cup butter (I used two tablespoons)
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet (or saucepan) over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute 1 minute. Add mushrooms and saute 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook until slightly reduced. Combine flour and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and whisk. Stir flour mixture into mushroom mixture. Simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat and add butter and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Who's ready for the weekend? I'm thinking of baking these and these. What are you cooking/baking this weekend?