Chris's Gourmet Hamburger Patties

These are quite possibly the best homemade hamburgers I have ever had. They were so scrumptious. This is our 3rd time having them in 1 month. I really don't repeat meals that often so it just goes to show how delicious they are. They are so perfect for summer grilling out on the deck with family and friends. I love summer and all the food that comes with it. This burger goes great with pepper jack cheese! This recipe comes from my wonderful sister-in-law Christina. She is an excellent cook and makes up tons of her own recipes. She also has a fabulous herb garden and uses all her fresh herbs in her recipes. Fresh herbs make a huge difference. You have got to try these burgers!

Chris's Gourmet Hamburger Patties

1 lb hamburger
3/4 - 1 lb ground sausage
1 T dry thyme or 2 T fresh thyme
1/4 C dry onion or very finely chopped fresh onion
Salt and pepper

Mix together and form into patties. Grill until done all the way through.

Our favorite way to serve this is with:
Pepperjack cheese
Grilled onions
Barbecue Sauce or Ranch
Tomato (optional)
Lettuce (optional)

Parmesan Zucchini

I've seen this style zucchini all over the web and my mom also makes zucchini this way. If you haven't yet tried it, it is delicious. I love zucchini so of course I enjoyed the dish. The hubs hates zucchini, but thought it was the best zucchini he had ever had.

Zucchini

Summer Squash (if you want)

butter

parmesan

garlic salt

pepper

Cut zucchini and squash into slices. Layer in the bottom of a baking dish. Place butter chunks on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Then top it off with parmesan. Cover with foil and cook at 400 for about 20 minutes. Take off foil and cook for about 5 extra minutes.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

This recipe was fantantic! It sounds like the craziest combination of spices, but it turns out marvelously. We absolutely loved it. It turned out so juicy and tender also. I found this recipe at a blog called Annie's Eats. (I only made one pork tenderloin and halved the recipe.)

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

For the spice rub:

2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)

2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic

1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce (I used Frank's Hot Sauce.)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes (I put mine in a glass baking dish), until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Super Easy Stuffed French Toast

So we had all this left over bread hanging around from a family reunion. I couldn't freeze it because my freezer is packed. I was trying to think of some way to use the bread because I hate wasting food. This stuffed french toast was the perfect solution. This was so easy to make and so good.

Ingredients:

12 pieces of bread

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

cinnamon

5-6 oz. cream cheese

2 Tbls. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

whipped cream

berries

1. Soften the cream cheese and mix in the sugar and vanilla. Spread this mixture on a slice of bread and top it with another piece of bread. Repeat with remaining bread.

2. Heat your griddle. Mix the eggs, milk, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Dip the stuffed bread in the egg mixture. Turn to coat all sides. Then place on griddle and cook.

3. Top with whipped cream and berries. Delish! (Makes 6 pieces of stuffed french toast.)

Linked to: 
This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking

Honey Mustard Pork and Mango Kabobs with Coconut Cilantro Rice

My hubs and I got our first grill last summer. We have absolutely loved grilling. I'm always trying to find new recipes for the grill. I got this idea from some random store recipe and then created these pork and mango kabobs! These are fabulous! We loved them. This one is a keeper!

Honey Mustard Pork and Mango Kabobs

6 Wooden Skewers

2 Tbsp. honey mustard (I used French's honey mustard dipping sauce.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. pork cut into cubes (I just cut up boneless pork chops)

2 mangos (You want the mangos to be almost ripe, but still firm. If they're too ripe, they get mushy on the grill.)

1/4 cup honey

1. In a large bowl, mix honey mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Coat cubed pork in this marinade and cover. Let it marinate at least 1 hour (preferably over night).

2. Cut mangos into cubes. Thread cubes of pork and mango onto skewers, alternating meat and fruit.

3. Set your grill at medium-high heat with the flame directly under the cooking area. When grill is ready, lay skewers on, close lid and cook about 10 minutes. Turn occasionally until pork is browned on all sides and cooked through.

4. Coat kabobs with honey and cook about 1 minutes longer.

So yummy! Here's the Coconut Cilantro Rice recipe we paired with it! It was perfect.

Cilantro Coconut Rice

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) basmati (or jasmine) rice
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 Tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh jalapeno, including seeds
2 Tablespoons vegetable/Canola oil
2 cups water (I cooked the rice in part water, part coconut milk)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Wash rice in several changes of cold water in a bowl until water is almost clear. Soak rice in cold water 30 minutes, then drain well in a sieve. (I totally skipped this step).

2. Spread coconut in a skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden; watch carefully so it doesn't brown too much or burn. Cool completely.

3. Cook ginger and jalapeno in 1 Tablespoon oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until chile is softened, about 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

4. Stir in water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, covered. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.

6. While rice cooks, pulse together coconut, cilantro, scallions, and remaining Tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely chopped.

7. Add cilantro mixture to cooked rice and stir gently until combined well.

(found on Epicurious.com)

Oreo Cream Cheese Brownies

My hubby's all time favorite dessert is brownies. The boy loves them. He can eat at least half a pan in one night. I kid you not! I've been trying to come up with ways to fancy schmacy up these brownies for a little variety (for me of course). We really love these brownies. Of course, we love anything with Oreos and brownies combined.

Oreo Cream Cheese Brownies

1 package brownie mix (Hubby loves Pillsbury brownie mix!)

20 chopped Oreos

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to the setting directed by the brownie package. Line an 8x8' baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Prepare the brownie mix as directed by package. Fold the 20 chopped Oreos into the batter. Pour into the baking pan.

3. To prepare the cream cheese mixture, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix until well blended and smooth. Drop the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in dollops. Use a butter knife and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the brownie mixture.

4. Cook for time directed on package. I needed to use the higher time when cooking them plus a few minutes. Check with a toothpick until it comes out mostly clean.