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Friday, August 30, 2013

Grand Slam Stuffed Burger (Bacon, Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Topped with an Egg)

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Good Cook put out the call for a Stuffed Burger Challenge and I totally raised my hand and said "pick me, pick me!".   I was chosen to participate in the  All-Beef Stuffed Burger challenge and the wheels in my brain started to go into over drive.  I had so many ideas from Pizza stuffed burgers to Jalapeno Popper stuffed burgers etc..  I finally settled on what I call a Grand Slam Burger because it's got all the ingredients that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.   I stuffed this all beef burger with a spicy Jalapeno Pimento Cheese filling and BACON.  Talk about a winning combination.  Then I set the bar a little higher by topping the burger off with a perfectly fried egg with a runny yolk.  Now this is what you call a slap in your mouth good time!

Good Cook gave me both the Burger Stuffer Kit and a Cast Iron Grill to help me wit this challenge.   I loved both items because they helped make this burger challenge a breeze.

Cast iron is a fantastic piece of cookware and it is something you can own for generations. Don't let seasoning and cleaning your cast iron cookware scare you off.  I simply scour with kosher salt and scrub brush.  Then I put the cleaned skillet on the stove top and heat it dry and wipe it down with some canola oil.  It's as simple as that.  Once you start cooking with cast iron, you will always have it on your stove or close by.   The Good Cook cast iron skillet rocks and it cooked my burgers perfectly with those lovely grill marks that everyone wants to see on their burger. I cannot wait to make some grilled chicken on it too. :)  

The burger stuffer was so easy to use and it helps form the perfect stuffed burger with minimal hand touching the raw ingredients.  I love how sleek each piece is and it washes easily.   I would recommend both these items for your burger stuffing needs.  I am planning on playing around with the burger stuffer in other ways... so you may see it being used here at Curry and Comfort in recipes that are not burgers.

So If you like (LOVE) my recipe... please head over to goodcook.com and vote for it! :)
You can vote up to 3 times within a 24hr period. Voting begins September 3rd.  Each vote qualifies to enter into the drawing to win 1 of 10 Good Cook Burger Stuffing Kit.

 
 
 Burger Stuffer
Good Cook Cast Iron Grill

Burger Stuffer


Cast Iron Grill Pan



 Good Cooks is offering a 25% off coupon to goodcook.com for the Good Cook Burger Tools. Use CODE: BurgerLovers






  Ingredients: (Makes 4 Stuffed burgers)


1.5 lbs of ground beef

6-8 slices of bacon cut in half and fried until crispy

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 fried eggs

Jalapeno Pimento Cheese (recipe below)

Baby spinach or lettuce

sliced red tomato

Mayonnaise

 Jalapeno Pimento Cheese:
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
red chili flakes to taste
2-3 Tbs chopped jalapeno
2-3 Tbs jarred pimento peppers




Directions:

 Divide beef into four equal portions. Divide each portion into two halves (making the top and bottom of the stuffed burger) and season both sides well with salt and black pepper. Place one patty half into the Good Cook Burger Press and press down so a well is made into the beef.  Fill well with 2-3 pieces of cooked bacon and 2-3 Tbs of Jalapeno Pimento cheese mixture. Place 2nd half of beef patty (seasoned with salt and black pepper) and press with burger press to make stuffed burger.
 
Heat Good Cook Cast Iron Griddle with some canola oil on medium-high heat and place stuffed burger.  Cook on both sides until beef is cooked through (about 5-6 minutes on each side) so the cheese melts inside the burger.  Place on a toasted burger bun slathered with some mayo and garnish with fried egg, tomato and spinach leaves or lettuce. Enjoy.


Disclosure: I received a Good Cook burger kit to review and create a recipe for the stuffed burger contest. All opinions are my own.
   
Please check out more Good Cook Kitchen Products at  Header Logo

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Watermelon Cooler (Throwback Thursdays)

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Two Years ago I wrote:

It's that time of the year when all the wonderful summer fruits start coming back into our lives.  Watermelon is one of the most popular summertime fruits and sometimes we end up with so much of it that we need ways of using it up.  I created this refreshing summertime cooler to enjoy on warm summer nights.  

Note: Throwback Thursday is a new series where I take some of my original posts here on  Curry and Comfort and redo them so I can take better photos


Ingredients:
3 cups seedless watermelon
4 cups lemon/lime soda (ie.. Sprite or 7up)
1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
sugar or sweetener as needed-(optional)
ice (optional)
Mint (optional)

Note:  Sugar/Sweetener is optional because it all depends on your taste and the sweetness of the watermelon you have picked.
Directions:
Blend watermelon until smooth. Pour through a strainer then add soda, lime juice and sugar.   Serves 4-6 people.  Garnish with watermelon slices and fresh mint.  Enjoy.

Optional Versions:
1:  You can blend with ice or add ice later.
2:  You can make this cooler alcoholic by adding some vodka or rum.
3:  You can also give it a minty twist by blending some sprigs of fresh mint into the drink.



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Masala Chicken Skewers

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 I have a confession.. I don't enjoy cutting meat .  If I can buy meat that is cut and prepped beforehand, I always do.   When I find chicken tenders on sale, I stock up because they are already portioned out perfectly for chicken skewers.  I marinated these chicken tenders in my Masala Chicken Yogurt Marinade and quickly baked them off in the oven for a fuss free dinner that everyone enjoyed.  I also skewered some grape tomatoes and roasted them in the oven for a few minutes on each side for a fun side dish then served it all with yellow rice and a cucumber raita. 
   

Ingredients: 
Around 15-20 chicken tenders or boneless breast/thigh cut into thick strips

Lemon/Chili Rub:
2 Tbs of lemon juice
salt to taste (about 1Tbs)
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of red chili powder (or to taste)


Yogurt Marinate:
1 cup of yogurt
1tsp of garam masala
1 Tbs of paprika
1Tbs of cumin
4-5 cloves of garlic grated
2Tbs of grated ginger
1tsp onion powder or some pulverized onion
black pepper

Directions: 
First rub lemon/chili ingredients on chicken.  Then marinate boneless chicken yogurt marinade 4-6 hours (or over night)

Thread chicken on skewers. Then place on a foil lined baking sheet (sprayed with cooking sprayed or lightly greased).  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (flipping them over once) until cooked through.  ** Cooking time depends on the size and thickness of chicken.  Cook until fully cooked, but not dry.

 Serve with rice, naan, raita or any curry meal.  Enjoy.

 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Spaghetti with Hot Dogs- One Pot Meal

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 I am not ashamed to tell you I was bit of a "geek" in school.  I think I am still a geek. :)   You would think that since I was a geek that I would have watched a show called The Big Bang Theory all these years... but I haven't.

 I recently started watching the show when it came on re-runs on TV.  I quickly became a major fan of the show.  So now you are asking yourself, what does Spaghetti with Hot Dogs have to do with a TV show?  Well one of the characters on the show (Sheldon) who is a genius has a favorite childhood meal... Spaghetti with Hot Dogs.  They spoke about this dish twice since I have watched the show and I had to try it out.  I made my version here... and to tell you the truth... It was great. :)  You can use what ever kind of hot dogs you like: beef, chicken, pork or even tofu.  Just spend a little extra money and get a good quality hot dog that is made with good ingredients.

 This is a great week night one pot dinner that comes together fast.  I also highly recommend the raw garnish of onions and peppers. It compliments the meal perfectly.



Ingredients:
1 box spaghetti cooked to al dente in well salted water.  ( I actually used linguine)

Hot Dog Spaghetti Sauce:
1 packet of hot dogs (I used good quality all beef hot dogs with no nitrates)
1 medium onion chopped  (save some for garnish)
1 green bell pepper chopped (save some for garnish)
1 large jar of prepared spaghetti sauce (ie.. Ragu, Prego etc...)
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar- if needed
red chili flakes to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
2Tbs canola oil

Garnish: Diced bell pepper, onions, Parmesan cheese


 Directions:
Cook pasta in well salted water according to package directions.  Drain and set aside in colander.  In the same pot you cooked the pasta, heat 2 Tbs canola oil and saute onions and bell pepper with a little salt on medium heat.
 When onions begin to soften add garlic, black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil and red chili flakes. Saute for another 2 minutes.  Next add the cut up hot dogs and saute for 2 minutes.

 Next add jar pasta sauce, sugar (if needed) and adjust salt.  Simmer with lid on for 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat.  Finally add cooked pasta and toss well in sauce for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with onions and peppers. Enjoy.

Good Cook recommended tools:
"Classic" Dutch Oven With Lid, 5qt.
Stainless Steel Leaf Colander, 4 Qt 
Santoku Knife, 5"
Plastic Cutting Board, 8 X 11


 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Green Cabbage Mellun Curry

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 This green cabbage mellun brings back wonderful memories of my childhood.  My mother has been making this vegetarian/vegan friendly curry for a long time and it's a family favorite when we eat a rice and curry meal.  The trick to making this curry is to get the outer green layers of the cabbage.  The white cabbage will not give you the correct texture for the mellun. You will need a good knife to shred the mellun or a food processor with a shredding attachment can make quick work of it. My mother is "old-school" and she cut it all by hand.  We ate the meal with a Basic Lentils curry, meat curry (coming to the blog soon) and a simple cucumber and onion salad. It was a perfect meal shared with my family. 


Ingredients:
1lb green cabbage leaves (do not use white cabbage leaves)
1 medium onion sliced
1-2 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 tsp cumin seeds
1 small cinnamon stick
1/2 cup dessicated coconut (unsweetened)
10-12 curry leaves
1-2 small pandan leaves
4-5 dried red chilies broken into small pieces
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
salt to taste
 
Directions:
Cutting core out of cabbage
My mother's steady hand cutting cabbage
 Take green cabbage leaves and wash them well.  Cut out the center core/stem by taking a small knife and cut a v-shape to easily remove it.  Stack several green cabbage leaves and roll it into a cigar shape and then cut thin slices or shred in food processor.
 
Once all the cabbage is shredded place in a pan with 2Tbs water and some salt.  Then place a lid on pot to steam on low heat until cabbage is tender, but not over cooked.  The cabbage should still have a little bite to it.  Remember to stir cabbage so all the cabbage gets steamed evenly. Add a tablespoon of water (if needed) at a time until  cabbage is steamed.

In a separate pan heat 2 Tbs canola oil and saute the curry leaves, pandan leaves, red chili pieces, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, onion and salt for 3-4 minutes until onions become softened.

 Next add the dessicated coconut, turmeric and red chili powder to the steamed cabbage and mix well.  Finally add add the coconut/cabbage mixture to the frying onion mixture.  Toss well and mix all ingredients (tip: you can use the back of a wooden spoon to stir this easily).  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Serve with rice and curry meal.  Enjoy.



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.