Inspiration: The Juicy Lucy

The Juicy Lucy

Form the patties. Start with the weight you want,

1/3 - 1/2 pound. I know, I know, they're big. That's 

the point. Cut the amount in half, and form two 

patties for each burger.

The Juicy Lucy is traditionally made with American

Cheese. I would suggest using a cheese that melts

really well. Cheddar and Pepper Jack will work

alright, and that's what I'm using here.

Season the two patties, inside and out, and place

them on top of each other. Pinch the ends together

around the outer edges. Next, prepare your toppings...

Fresh sliced tomato, sliced shallots, (red onion

is fine), and shredded lettuce will top my burger.

Sabrina said, "no onions", which is also good.

For best results, I would suggest grilling on a

gas grill and closing the lid in between flips. For

more dramatic grill marks, however, a hot cast

iron grill pan is perfect. Finishing the burgers in

a 350 degree oven will ensure a properly cooked

patty.

Let the burgers rest, covered loosely with foil,

for about 3-4 minutes. Get your bun on!! Top it

 up with all the fixings, and there you have it...

 The Juicy Lucy.

It's what's on the INSIDE that counts, baby!

Lean Options: Grilled Mahi Mahi and Zucchini Ribbon Salad

To make the salad: Start off by slicing the carrot and zucchini

lengthwise. Use a mandolin if you have one, but a knife or box 

grater can fill in for it. Toss the zucchini ribbons in a little olive

 oil, salt and pepper before you grill them. (High heat, or one the grill)

Let the zucchini cool on a cooling rack while you make the

Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. Mix together 1 whole lemon, zested

 and juiced, 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced, 1 tsp dijon

 mustard, 2 Tbl EV olive oil, 1 Tbl chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

I prepared the Mahi Mahi with some olive oil, salt and

pepper. Feel free to use some of the marinade instead,

I'm going to do that the next time I make this.

Grill the fish in a hot pan. Once you see the fish turn white

 half way through, give them a flip. 

Let the fish rest for 2-3

 minutes while you plate the salad.

Present the fish on top of the salad for a dramatic finish!

Don't forget to drizzle some of the marinade over the fish

and around the plate. Enjoy.

Recipe Trial: Mini Pizzas with Arugula, Peppers & Prosciutto

Last weekend I tried my hand at making these cute little pizza's.

The recipe was in the latest Fine Cooking magazine (I have linked it to the title above). It is an Ellie Krieger recipe so you know they are healthy and they ended up being quite delicious. A lot of the ingredients I picked up at Trader Joe's and the rest was from our normal shopping spot - Albertsons. 

I started off the recipe by forgoing the jarred Roasted Red Peppers that it called for and roasted my own! That was a new experience for me and it was really fun. Once that was complete I began preparing the pizza sauce. I am particular to garlic, so like I do with most recipes, I added more then what was called for (3-4 cloves, instead of 2).  I was worried to use the whole tsp. of oregano (it is on the strong side) but it tasted great with it all in there. I also suggest using the San Marzano whole tomatoes, they have such a great flavor.

When the sauce was done I chopped up all the topping ingredients. Arugula is wonderful, it has a nice spice - I love it in salads. The pepper was even better then jarred. It goes to show that doing what you can at home is far superior then buying store foods. There was not a lot of time put into roasting the peppers and they were so yummy! 

The dough was a Trader Joe purchase. It can be found in their refrigerated area. They have both the whole wheat and traditional. I stuck with the recipe and picked up the whole wheat. It did take a little longer to "relax" then it says in the recipe and definitely longer then what the packaging said. I had set it out before I was even ready to begin. When I had it on the counter while I was prepping everything else, it wasn't doing a thing. Brandon suggested I put it in the oven (off) with the oven light on. This helped a lot. All in all it took about an hour and a half to get it to where it should be. I weighed the dough balls out, each was between 1.5oz to 2oz. If I had been really precise I would have been able to get more than 12 rounds out of a 1lb bag (which is what this was). 

Pile it on!!! Sauce - Arugula (lots of it, it wilts down) - Peppers - Prosciutto - Mozzarella - Parmesan. I used parchment so there would be less to clean but the heat would still get to the dough to give it crunch. I used PAM Olive Oil to cover the parchment - can't forget the oil!

20 minutes later (baking time) a delicious lunch! All in all the prep and cooking time was a little over an hour (not counting the rest period for the dough).

Test Kitchen: Turkey Burgers

BBQ Bleu Moon Turkey Burger

Three Key ingredients: 

1. BBQ Rub of your choice, mine favors to pork or chicken

2. BBQ Sauce of your choice. Home-made is always best.

3. North Carolina Vinegar Sauce. Simple to make: cider vinegar,

 catsup, red pepper flakes, and a small amount of sugar.

Mix some rub and vinegar into the ground turkey.

After you give them a flip, glaze with the vinegar sauce.

Serve your burgers up with your favorite toppings.

Shown above: BBQ Turkey Burger with leaf lettuce,

tomatoes, Aged White Cheddar and Bree's Blue Cream Cheese.

Serve it Up!!!

Lay it down with some french fries and coleslaw. Yum!

Past Meals

Oven BBQ Chicken

Pasties - Pepperoni Pizza and Shepherds Pie

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Croissants

We're back! For real this time - I promise!

Every weekend we are in the kitchen cooking it up. We begin to talk about the weekend fare around Wednesday. This gives us plenty of time to research and shop. The above are just a few of the creations we have come up with.
We have been posting most of our food images to The Biggest Menu (there is a link below). But we have so much we want to share along with the stuff it takes to make a really good meal.

Enjoy!