Stuffed Burgers

Summer grilling getting a little boring? Trade out those hot dogs and bland burgers for a stuffed burger! They take longer to make, but are completely customizable! The possibilities are endless. Just buy a burger press (I used these http://www.buystufz.com/ ) and start creating those delicious burgers. 

For ours, we used ground turkey meat but you can use ground beef as well. Use smalls cubes of cheese, bacon crumbles, peppers, onions, barbecue sauce, or anything else you like…ground chicken stuffed with blue cheese and buffalo sauce is also AMAZING.

So try making stuffed burgers of your own and let me know what deliciousness you create! 

 

Make Boxed Cupcakes Taste Like Homemade

Don’t have enough time to bake cupcakes from scratch, but want that nice homemade flavor? Well I discovered a trick to help make those box mixes taste a little better…milk! Replace the water with milk or a richer flavor. Want to make those cupcakes extra delicious? Substitute melted butter for the oil as well!

 

How to make epic pancakes with your Japanese rice cooker

Rice Cooker Pancakes

Bacon and Cheese Pannekoek

One of the most delicious foods I had the pleasure of trying in Holland was a pannekoek, a Dutch pancake. These pancakes are far different from American ones. They are not fluffy, but instead are thin like crepes. Locals fill them with fruits, meats, cheeses, or just top them with powdered sugar.

I tried the bacon and cheese pannekoek and it was AMAZING! If it were any bigger, I don’t think they’d have a plate big enough for it! The batter has a unique and deliciously fresh flavor, while the fillings were cooked perfectly. There was a perfect ratio of pannekoek to bacon and to cheese.

I finished off dinner with a traditional favorite…sprinkled with powdered sugar! There is something so wonderful about a food like this. It’s so versatile and, unlike most foods you eat out, doesn’t make you feel sick afterwards. I ate a LOT of food here, and I felt full and happy. No regrets!

So if you are ever in Holland…I would strongly suggest ordering up some pannekoeken! You won’t regret your decision.

Punny Restaurants

Punny Restaurants

I stumbled across this today as a “suggested post” on my Facebook news feed. I hope you enjoy!

Portuguese Sweets

Portugal is famous for a little custard tart called nata. Here is a box containing a nata as well as the traditional pastry of Sintra and two other delicious goodies!

Dutch Apple Pie and Hot Chocolate

I don’t have a recipe for this, but I wanted to share some of the delicious foods I consumed on my trip to Europe. First up, Dutch apple pie! And let me tell you, it was delicious!!!!

Mini Madeleines

For this recipe I used a madeleine mold for 1 inch long cookies. The recipe yielded 60 1-inch madeleines.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Set aside to cool. Grease and flour madeleine pan.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs and vanilla until frothy. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar until batter is thick and satiny.
Sift together flour and baking powder. Sift 1/3 the flour mixture into the egg batter. Gently fold in. Repeat for remaining 2/3 of flour.
Fold in melted and cooled butter. Spoon batter into prepared molds about 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown and cookies spring back when touched, about 10 minutes.
Immediately remove from mold and place on cooling rack. Once cooled, dip the cookies in melted chocolate and let set. Store in airtight container and enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Hearts

Looking for a fun holiday recipe to make with the kids? Or maybe you’re tired of buying those hot cocoa packets. Either way, these are the recipe for you!

Ingredients:
9 ounces quality milk or dark chocolate
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
*milk

Additional Supplies:

quart size Ziploc bag
parchment paper
baking sheet

Instructions:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Break chocolate into small chunks and melt, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Stir until smooth.
Add confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder. Mix Well. The chocolate mixture should resemble the consistency of frosting.
*If the consistency is too dry, add small amounts of milk until it looks more like frosting.
Spoon chocolate into Ziploc bag. Twist the top to form a cone with one of the bottom corners of the bag (like a piping bag). Cut off the tip of that corner.
Pipe chocolate onto parchment lined sheet in heart shapes (1-2 inches across) or other shapes. Let harden.

Store in airtight container. When ready for use, place 2-5 (depending on your chocolatey preference) hot cocoa hearts in a mug of hot milk. Stir until chocolate dissolves into milk. Wa-la!

Twice Baked Potatoes

I LOVE POTATOES

Ingredients:

4 large unpeeled Idaho or Russet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
4-5 strips bacon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and stab several times with a fork. Place potatoes in preheated oven and bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove potatoes from oven. When cool enough to hold, cut potatoes lengthwise and scoop filling (potato) into large mixing bowl. Make sure you do not scoop too close to the skin so skin still holds shape.
Mash butter into potatoes. Meanwhile, cook bacon according to package directions. Chop into small pieces.
Add milk, sour cream, and salt. Mix until incorporated. Stir in bacon and cheese.
Scoop filling into potato skin “shells.” If desired, sprinkle tops with more cheese.
Place potatoes on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until hot.

*If you wish to freeze the potatoes, wrap in foil and place in a Ziploc bag. Freeze before the second bake.