Mini BBQ burgers on a pretzel bun

I am a little sad.  I had such hopes for grilling these burgers, but the temperature dropped twenty degrees in an hour and it got SUPER windy.  Thanks, Lubbock!

However, I had my George Foreman grill, which is an okay replacement.  No, it doesn't give it the grilled flavor, but it isn't too bad.  I love that mine has removable plates.  It makes clean up 1000x easier.

This is really a variation of the turkey burgers I posted in May.  I just really wanted beef this time.

Mini BBQ Burgers on pretzel buns

1/2 lb 93/7ground beef
1/4 cup crushed crackers (I used Texas Firecrackers because they are awesome.)
1/2 an egg, beaten (or, as I used 1 1/2 tablespoons egg beaters)
2 tablespoons milk
seasoning to taste (I used garlic powder, onion powder, red and black pepper, a dash of cayenne and salt)
4 Sister Schubert's pretzel buns (baked according to directions)

Toppings

2 tablespoons Tony Packo's BBQ sauce (or whatever sauce you like)
1 slice cheddar jack cheese
1 tablespoon french fried onions
4 dill pickle slices

The construction of these burgers is really simple.

First, mix all the ingredients (minus the buns) together.  I used my hands, because it mixes more easily that way. 

Next, form them into four small burger patties.  If you are using a George Foreman, make them into meatballs instead.  The grill will flatten them. 

Cook them until they are well done (these include egg, so it is better to be safe).  It took my burgers about 10 minutes, but it will depend on the thickness and the temperature.  I didn't really preheat the grill, so it may take less time. 

Cut the pretzel buns in half and put the burger on the bottom.  Add the cheese, BBQ sauce, and fried onions to the top.  Add the pickles to the other side. 

I served my burgers with sweet potato fries and a small salad with thousand island dressing.  It was a lovely, lovely dinner.  Luckily, I have left overs too :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

My blog went to the back burner (if you will excuse the cooking humor) over the summer because I was focusing on my qualifying exams.  In the fall, I actually took (and passed) those exams.  I've been recovering.  However, I'm feeling pretty good now that I have half a horrible, almost complete draft of one chapter of my dissertation turned in.

In celebration, my food blog is returning!  Yay!  And on Valentine's Day too.

To me, Valentine's Day has always been about more than just romantic love.  It probably comes from my parents always celebrating Valentine's Day with me and my sister.  It was never just about them.  So, I like to celebrate in a variety of ways.  Spending time with friends.  Sending out gifts to family and friends (I made cookies this year---that is a long story that will not be featured here).

This year, I decided to start the day with some heart shaped donuts.  I'd bought a heart shaped donut pan on clearance and I just HAVE to use it.  I was going to make cake batter donuts with red velvet cake mix (using It's Always Autumn's recipe here). Perfect for Valentine's Day, right?

However, I had a sad, brown banana waiting to be transformed, so I looked for a banana donut recipe on Pinterest (where else?)  I found this one from Get Me Cooking.  I modified it a little, mainly because I wanted some peanut butter flavor in there.

Banana Donuts with Peanut Butter and Chocolate

1 small, ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Light Smart Balance, melted
3 tablespoons Egg Beaters
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup PB2, powdered peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1.)  Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray donut pan with non-stick spray.
2.) Mix banana, sugar, and greek yogurt in a small bowl.

3.) Add melted butter, egg beaters (you can also just use an egg), and vanilla and mix well.

4.) Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.

5.) Fold in mini chocolate chips.

6.)  Using a pastry bag or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off, fill the donut pan until about 3/4 full (I overfilled a little so I got 10 donuts instead of 12).

7.) Bake 12-15 minutes.

After I took them out of the pan, I drizzled them with melted chocolate chips and put Valentine's Day sprinkles on them.  They were quite the perfect breakfast with my coffee. 

Yum.  My sister got me the owl mug for Valentine's Day last year.  It is the perfect accompaniment for the donuts!

Greek Yogurt Key Lime Pie

I have a new excuse for the last post this week.  I wrote a recipe out for the UWC after I brought in the pie.  That says something about the popularity of this one, I think.  Mainly, the fact that this is easy (super easy; exceptionally easy) and that it is about 200 calories per slice makes it almost impossible to resist. 

When I first started trying to lose weight, I found this "cheesecake" recipe online.  All it called for was a container of plain or vanilla greek yogurt and some Jello sugar free cheesecake pudding mix.  I made this all the time for dessert. 

Since then, I have made many variations of this.  However, I hadn't made a pie until last week. 

Greek Yogurt Key Lime Pie
4-5.3 oz containers of light greek key lime yogurt (Yoplait or Dannon are good)
1-1 oz box of Jello sugar free, fat free cheesecake mix (not prepared)
1  premade reduced fat graham cracker crust
1/2 container light Cool Whip

1.)  Empty the greek yogurt into a bowl.
2.) Mix the cheesecake mix in.

3.) Scoop into the premade graham cracker crust.
4.) Smooth the filling out.

5.) Cover with the Cool Whip.
6.)  Chill for at least an hour and serve.

Unofficial #7--stand back.  This pie goes fast.
 

The other great thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile.    Change the flavor of the yogurt and you get a new pie.  You can also drizzle chocolate sauce on top (which would be great for coconut or banana or raspberry pie).

Mango Cheesecake Parfait

Yesterday, I ate pizza for two meals and it was GOOD.  Really good.  However, I felt REALLY bad.  Of course, the whole day was a bit of a mess on my part.  It began okay.  I had set my alarm for 8 AM to get up and Remy on his morning walk.  Because it had rained (yay for rain!) the night before, I was conflicted about what to wear. I checked the weather and it was a bit cool, so I put on jeans and a tshirt then took Remy out.

Within five minutes, I was hungry and thirsty, but Remy wanted the longer walk because he didn't get one on Friday.  It seemed like a good idea anyway, since the park was probably a mud hole.  I walked him around the neighborhood and he was in rare form.  He barked at a bunch of dogs.  A bunch.  Even dogs that he normally would ignore, he barked at.  My patience was wearing thin.  Finally, we got back to the complex.  I had to throw Remy's poop bag away, so I went to the right.  Remy, however, was desperate for his breakfast, so he went straight.  My feet started to slide in the mud, and I tried to right myself.  I thought I had managed it, but my other foot slid when Remy try to pull me towards the apartment again (not that he has that much power). I started to fall, grabbed out for the stupid bushes and still hit the ground.  I was caked in mud and Remy was not sympathetic at all.   He wanted breakfast.

After that lovely experience (and a shower), I went back to bed.  However, I had plans so I had to get up eventually.  Between the fall and missing my exit to Jill's house, I was finished.  Pizza for lunch!  Then, I had a birthday party for a friend's son, and I went for pizza and cake there too.  I won't go into the other things I ended up eating yesterday.

So I was determined to be better today.  And I was.  Part of that "better" came from not falling on either of Remy's walks today :-)  The rest of it was from a lovely dessert I made myself for a late night snack.

I do this "cheesecake" a lot and I use a lot of variations.

Mango Cheesecake Parfait

1/2 a medium mango
1 container greek yogurt (I used Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla)
1/4 box of Jello sugar free cheesecake pudding mix

Slice the mango.  You can use another mix in/layering agent here.

Mix together the yogurt and cheesecake pudding mix.

Layer the mango and the yogurt (I only did two layers of pudding with fruit in the middle, but if you use a container that isn't as wide, you can use more).

Top with whipped cream and a cherry (or other toppers).  Crushed graham crackers would work here too.

It is about 130 calories and it fills in that need for something sweet after dinner.

Apparently my new blogging day is Sunday

So, I still don't know what day it is.  Or I was just too crazy tired this week to post on a Friday.  I'm not used to teaching every day anymore.  Really, I've never been used to teaching the same prep every day. 

Also, my plan for this week's post didn't happen, for a variety of reasons.  I blame the weather.  However, this post is even BETTER than my original plan. I'm notorious for having a single banana left over.  That does not support the making of banana bread, really.  I have used a lovely recipe that my vegan friends Phil and Judith sent me.  It is Polka Dot Banana Bread from Chocolate Covered Katie.  I just figure out what it needs for however much banana I have.  Awesome. 

The other--read lazier--thing I do with leftover single bananas is banana muffins using the small batch mixes.  Sometimes I use the Honey Bran mix, but I was in a corn muffin mood this week.  Also, I had blueberries and blueberries can only make things better, so I added them in too.

Banana Blueberry Corn Muffins

1 pkg. Jiffy corn bread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
1 banana, extra ripe
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1.) Preheat the oven according to the corn bread mix directions (400 degrees Farenheit)
2.) Spray a 6-tin muffin tin (I needed an extra cup)
3.) Mix banana, egg, and honey together.
4.) Add the Jiffy mix, cinnamon, and milk. 
5.) Stir until combined.  Avoid over working it or the muffins will be tough.  Lumps are okay.
6.) Add blueberries and mix gently.

7.) Fill the muffin tin.  Divide the batter evenly between the tins.  As I mentioned above, I needed a seventh.

8.) Bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (About 15-20 minutes)

Remove them as soon as they have cooled a little or the bottoms will get damp/gummy. 

Of course, if you are making them in the morning for breakfast, there won't be enough time.  I always eat them when they are hot.  I won't eat all six though.

Now, for a last minute explanation of  the lack of photos.  Tony Awards.  That is all I have to say.  I've made a variation of these muffins a hundred times, but with no photos.  However, the Tonys kept me too distracted to actually take photos when they needed to be taken, so fail.  I got the important ones though!

And on that note, I will go back to prepping for class tomorrow.

I know what day it is, I swear

Summer confuses me.  I have a horrible time keeping track of what day it is.  However, that problem will soon be solved (ish) as I start teaching next week.  Of course, that actually might not help much, since I teach five days a week.  We shall see.

My hope is that I will actually have a blog post on FRIDAY this coming week. Super sigh.

Now, on to the important part:  the food! Lately, I have been buying a lot of fruit.  Summer berries.  Yummy.  I made strawberry biscuits, but I have more strawberries.  What ever am I to do with them?

While I was Pinteresting this week, I kept finding these recipes for Monkey Bread of various sorts.  Most people don't know this, but Monkey Bread is one of my favorite things EVER.  I love it.  However, it is a bit difficult to make small batches of it.  Generally, my mom would make it in a bundt pan.  That's a lot of Monkey Bread and I would eat it all.

Why I never thought of this, I do not know, but I saw a recipe for Monkey Bread for Two from Sweet as a Cookie on Pinterest.  Pudding mix is not a standard addition to Monkey Bread, but I'll try it!

Then, I saw this recipe for Strawberry Vanilla Monkey Bread from Dessert Now Dinner Later.  I had never thought about using fruit in it!

Since I can't leave anything alone, I sort of combined the two for a Strawberry Cheesecake Monkey Bread.

Strawberry Cheesecake Monkey Bread for Two

1 small can of Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits (not Grands, just the small 6-biscuit tube)
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix
8 strawberries, sliced/chopped (or enough to alternate between the biscuits)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Grease two baking dishes.  You can use a muffin tin, if you don't have little ramekins.  Place them on a lined baking sheet. Don't make my mistake and just toss them in the oven.  They will overflow some strawberry juice (or it might just be because I didn't and fate does that to me).

Cut the biscuits into quarters, roll them in the pudding mix (not prepared), and then place them in the ramekins.  Alternate the biscuit with the strawberries.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  The biscuits will rise and fill in gaps.

Once all of the biscuits and strawberries are layered in, sprinkle any left over pudding mix over the tops.

In a separate ramekin (because I am lazy, I just used the pudding mix ramekin), microwave the butter and sugar until it is melted.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange extract (these are all optional).   Mix it together, then drizzle it over the top of the Monkey Bread ramekins.

Bake them at 350  degrees Fahrenheit for about twenty minutes, or until they are brown on top and cooked through.

Let them cool for five minutes (if you can, because they smell so good). 


I will admit that the cheesecake flavor doesn't really come through, but I might try it with some cream cheese added in, but that might cause some problems.

The good news is that this was a 330 calorie breakfast, which isn't too bad. The bad news is that I want a traditional Monkey Bread now. 

Or even just this one: 

Strawberry Biscuits

We had a girls day brunch the other day.   I made Sangria (from Sally's Baking Addiction's recipe) which was amazing.  I just didn't know what to make with it.

Since I went a little strawberry crazy (the recipe calls for 10 strawberries and I bought two quarts), I decided I should do something with those strawberries.  I'd already eaten bowls of them, put them on ice cream and yogurt, and added them to spinach salad.  However, I wanted something a little special to go with the brunch.

I've been eyeballing the blueberry biscuits in the refrigerator section of my local grocery store.  I want them so bad, but I don't need eight biscuits and I know I would eat them all.  I have no control.  With that in mind, I decided to try my own take with these strawberries.

I have to admit that I am not the best biscuit maker in the world.  Whenever I do rolled biscuits, I overwork them and they end up tough.  Really, whenever I make biscuits completely from scratch, I overwork them and they end up tough.  I went with my old friend Bisquick to avoid the problem.

However, I almost didn't avoid eating the whole batch by myself.  Good thing I made them immediately before I needed to leave!

Strawberry Biscuits

3/4 cup Heart Healthy Bisquick
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
 1/4 cup light almond milk (or whatever milk you have on hand)
1/4 cup chopped strawberries


milk for coating
Sugar in the Raw for dusting

1.) Preheat oven to 450 F.
2.) Mix together the Bisquick, sugar, and nutmeg.

3.) Add the chopped strawberries.

4.) Add the milk and mix carefully, just until fairly incorporated.
5.) Divide dough into four parts.
6.) Form the dough into round disks (or just drop it onto the cookie sheet).



7.) Dab the tops with milk to help the raw sugar adhere.
8.)  Sprinkle raw sugar on top.

9.)  Bake until golden brown (about 8 minutes).
10.)  Cool for as long as you can :-)

Obviously, I went for the drop biscuit form.  Also, you may notice that there are fewer here than were in the previous photo.  Yeah.  Meagan and I ate them, before Andrea even got here.

After I told my dad about these, he had a couple of good points.  First, almond extract would highlight the berry flavor a bit.  Second, I could have made a simple glaze for these.  Either (or both) would be a lovely option.  I also thought about adding some lemon zest to the dough.  However, these were awesome just as they were.

I think I may go make these again :-)