Happy Insides

We are big burger fans.  There is nothing more satisfying on a summer evening than eating a juicy and delicious burger.  We don't discriminate either.  We will try almost any type of burger be it traditional or out there.  We'll eat beef, chicken, vegetarian, bison, etc. when it comes to burgers.  Also with toppings the sky is the limit.

With that said whenever we find a new burger recipe that intrigues us we know that we are going to have to give it a try.  We saw this recipe for Greek turkey burgers on The Novice Chef Blog and knew that these would be on our menu the next week.  They certainly did not disappoint.  We did a little tweaking to the recipe and turned the burgers in to chicken burgers rather than turkey just for personal preference.  We also decided that we would rather eat them in a pita than on a bun so there came the idea for mini burger patties much like falafel patties.

Greek Chicken Mini Burgers
Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog
Makes 4 Servings
12 oz. lean ground chicken
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. sundried tomatoes, chopped (not packed in oil)
1/2 c. chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat pitas
tzatziki sauce (recipe to follow)

1) In a medium bowl mix together the all the ingredients excluding the last two.  Form the mixture into 16 mini patties about 1-2 inches in diameter.

2)  Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Cook the mini burger patties about 2-3 minutes per side until cooked all the way through.

3) Meanwhile warm pitas in the oven for a few minutes.  Cut the pitas in half.  Fill each pita half with 2 mini burger patties, some tzatziki sauce and any other burger toppings you want (onion and some more spinach would be great).  Enjoy!

Tzatziki sauce
1 medium cucumber, peeled
6 oz. fat free Greek yogurt
juice of half a medium lemon
1 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1) Using a grater grate the cucumber fully.  Place the shredded cucumber in a clean tea towel or paper towels and wring out as much excess moisture as you can.

2) Mix the cucumber together with the remaining ingredients and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

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Today is a very special day!  It is Jason's 32nd birthday!  For his birthday Cassie knew that she needed to make him a special treat.  She looked around and found some stuff that looked pretty good, but when she finally found this recipe for a root beer bundt cake she knew she has found her cake.  Jason is a big fan of root beer so she knew he would totally love this cake.  We made it to bring to a family birthday celebration because Cassie's family has 4 birthdays all in the same week.  The cake was a huge hit with Jason and with the rest of the family...Well everyone except Cassie's mom who is weird and doesn't like root beer.  If you like root beer then we definitely recommend this recipe.

One thing we do recommend when making this cake is to purchase a good quality all natural root beer.  Don't go for one that is full of just chemicals, coloring and high fructose corn syrup.  Get the stuff made with actual sugar and real ingredients that you can recognize to flavor it.  It really does make a world of difference.  We used Hansen's brand Natural Soda, but Blue Sky also makes a really good all natural root beer.  

Root Beer Bundt Cake
Adapted from Pink Parsley
2 cups root beer
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/4 c. evaporated cane juice
3/4 c. sucanat
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 large eggs

for the frosting:
2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 t. salt
1/3 c. root beer, plus more as needed
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 c. organic powdered sugar

1) In a small sauce pan combine the root beer, cocoa powder and butter.  Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Stir in the evaporated cane juice and the sucanat and mix until dissolved.  Remove from heat, pour the mix into a mixing bowl and let them cool for about 10-15 minutes.  While this is cooling preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2) In a medium bowl whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and salt. 

3) Whisk the eggs until just beaten and then add them in to the cooled root beer mixture.  Mix until well combined.  Gently fold in the flour mix.  It is ok if it is still somewhat lumpy.  You don't want to over mix.

4) Pour the batter into a 10 inch bundt cake pan that has been liberally sprayed with non-stick spray and then dusted with cocoa powder.  Bake the cake for about 35-45 minutes until a small knife inserted into it comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.  Invert the cake to remove it from the pan.

5) To make the frosting place the dark chocolate in a double boiler over medium low heat.  Stir until the chocolate is melted.  Let the chocolate cool slightly before using it in the frosting.  In a mixing bowl cream together the butter, salt, organic powdered sugar, and cocoa powder.  Slowly add in the root beer and the melted chocolate to the mix.  Beat until the mixture comes together adding more root beer if necessary.  The finished frosting should thick enough to spread and shiny. 

6)  Spread a thick layer of frosting over the crown of the cake and let it set before serving.

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Recently Cassie signed us up for a recipe swap on a message board she frequents.  The theme of the swap was an easy weeknight meal.  We thought it would be a fun challenge as well as a great way to try a new recipe.  Plus we figured we could doctor up just about any bad recipe if need be.  Well fortunately for us that was not the case.  In the swap we received this great recipe from Giada deLaurentis adapted by Lisa from Lisa's Cooking Adventures.  It was so good.  We really enjoyed the flavors of the dish it DEFINITELY fell under the "easy" category for the night.  Also just in case you are wondering this is the recipe we shared in the swap.

When we got the email for the dish we automatically knew it would be a winner for our house.  You see Jason is a sour fanatic.  He is one of those weird people that likes to eat lemons plain or with a little salt.  He even buys pure citric acid (sour salt) and mixes it with water for a "treat".  In fact he would probably rather eat a lemon than a cookie most nights.  Not right, huh?  Well this recipe uses three lemons.  It had a great lemon flavor and immediately Jason said that we need to make it again soon.

Spaghetti al Limone with Shrimp
Adapted from Lisa's Cooking Adventures
Makes 4 Servings
12oz. whole wheat spaghetti

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
4 cloves garlic, minced

salt to taste
3 medium lemons
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. milk or heavy cream
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan
ground black pepper to taste
small handful of fresh basil shredded
red pepper flakes


1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook the spaghetti until it is al dente.  Reserve 1 c. of the pasta water and then drain pasta and set aside.  

2)  Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and the shrimp and saute about a minute on each side until the shrimp are pink and fully cooked.  Salt to taste and set aside.

3)  Also while the pasta is cooking zest and juice the three lemons.  When the pasta is done in a large pot add 3/4 c. of the reserved pasta water, milk or cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil.  Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.  Return the pasta to the pan and toss well to coat with the sauce.  Toss in the Parmesan and black pepper to taste.  Serve with basil and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top of the pasta.  

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Just this past weekend we celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim.  For those that don't know what Purim is can read about it here.  Purim is a very fun holiday with lots of joyful celebrations, costumes, good food, and you are supposed to get a little drunk.  You heard us right.  Overindulging in wine is a good thing on Purim.  Of course you don't want to get totally wasted, but a decent buzz is A-okay.  As part of our celebration this year we made Hamentaschen.  Hamentaschen are little triangle cookies filled with various fruit preserves.  They are a favorite treat of Cassie's and if you are going to make 1 cookie recipe from this blog then we definitely recommend that this be the recipe you use!  Everyone who had them absolutely raved about them.  They were soft and moist and fruity.  They were perfect.

A quick note on this recipe...We use whole wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose flour a lot in this blog.  Usually can easily just switch it back to all purpose if you prefer with no real harm, but in this recipe it is important to stick with the whole wheat pastry flour or at the very least only sub half of the flour for all purpose flour.  The texture will be all wrong if you use all purpose flour for 100% of the recipe.  Also for this recipe we used both raspberry and blue berry preserves.  You can use any flavor you want. 

Hamentaschen
Adapted from Judaism 101
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

2/3 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
1 egg
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
your favorite preserves, pie filling or fruit butter

1) In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the butter and the evaporated cane juice.  Add the egg and then the orange juice beating each until fully incorporated.

2) In a separate bowl whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Slowly add the flower mixture to the wet ingredients 1/2 c. at a time.  When all the flour is incorporated turn the dough out onto plastic wrap.  Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3) Remove the dough from the fridge.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  On a well floured surface roll the dough out at thin as you can get it.  Using a circle cutter cut circles approximately 3-4 inches in diameter.  Place the cut out circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  In the center of each circle add a small dollop of your filling (about 1/2-1 t. worth).  Fold the circle into a triangle by folding 1 edge over the filling.  Then fold the second edge over.  With the third edge you want to tuck the corner under the corner of the first edge (clear as mud?).  You want each of the three edges to have 1 corner on top and 1 corner underneath.  This will keep the dough from opening up and spilling out your filling while baking.

4)  Place baking sheet in the oven on the center rack and bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.   Cool completely and enjoy.

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Recently there have been a lot of brown butter recipes out there.  You find it in sauces, savory dishes and desserts.  Browning butter before you use it gives it a rich nutty flavor that is really satisfying.  We decided after we have seen so many great recipes out there with browned butter that we needed to go ahead and jump on the band wagon as well.  We made these brown butter chocolate chip cookies and they were amazing.  The flavors were great and everyone who had some just raved about them.  The cookies were definitely more of a crispy cookie than a soft chocolate chip cookie.  They all have their place, right?  We hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

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We cannot tell you how excited we are to share this meal and this series of books.  The meal was delicious and the books are some of the best we have ever read.  We are talking about the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.  These books are Stephen King's Magnum Opus, and if you like any of his works you will love these.  In fact, you will find some very familiar scenes and characters from King's other books within the pages of this series.

The story chronicles the journey of Roland of Gilead.  He is the last gunslinger and is on a quest to travel to and climb to the top of the Dark Tower.  The world has moved on since he was young and things such as time, distance or direction no longer are quite so measurable or trustworthy anymore.  Roland, along with his new found Ka-tet (group of friends brought together by fate aka Ka), must fight against the forces of the Crimson King that wish to destroy the Dark Tower and with it all existence.  This journey traverses different worlds, times, and many miles (or wheels).  It also spurs many emotions within the reader and leaves you with a sense of longing after you have finished.  The main characters Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, Oy, and Pere Callahan will all strike a nerve because they are all so human and so real.   

The meal we planned for this story is actually drawn from the third book "The Wastelands."  After traveling a great distance across a fairly desolate beach Roland and his Ka-tet come to a wooded area.  There they are able to hunt deer and find vegetation to eat.  One of the things they make is deer meat wrapped in leaves.  These concoctions are dubbed Gunslinger burritos by Eddie at one point and we felt that they would be an excellent addition to our literary lunch.  We didn't have deer meat available to us so we used beef, but feel free to use any meat or game that you want.  Also we embellished on the contents of the burritos a bit and made them more into a lettuce wrap style meal.  We hope you enjoy both the books and the meal. 

Gunslinger Burritos
A Jason and Cassie Original
Makes 4 servings
For Steaks: 
1 lb. sirloin steak (preferably grass-fed)
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

For Beans and Rice:
1 t. olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeno diced (with or without seeds)
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. water
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 small lime
1 handful cilantro leaves, rinsed and chopped

For Vegetables
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced

1 Head lettuce

1)  To prepare the steaks:  Season sirloin steak with the chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper.  Grill steaks about 3-4 minutes per side over medium heat until medium.  Set aside and let rest a few minutes before slicing.

2) To prepare the beans and rice:  heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and jalapeno and stir fry for about 30 seconds.  Add the rice, beans, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Simmer and let heat through for about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the lime juice and cilantro.

3) To prepare the vegetables:  Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and peppers and let saute about 10 minutes until they soften and begin to brown.

4) Separate all the leaves on the head of lettuce.  Wash each leaf well and then dry.  To serve place a small amount of each of the steak, beans and rice and vegetables on top of each lettuce leaf.  Wrap up and enjoy.

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Recently we have been on a homemade bread kick.  It is so satisfying to eat fresh bread and this bread was no exception.  We made it to go with some soup we were making one Sunday night and it turned out so wonderful.  It is lightly cheesy, spicy and fluffy.  We will definitely be making this again.

One thing about homemade bread is that in ever recipe the last step includes the instruction to let the finished bread cool at least 1 hour before slicing.  Does anyone actually do that?  In our household the bread comes out of the oven and all bets are off.  In fact it was almost a miracle that we managed to get this photo taken before we ripped into it.  We are of the opinion that there is nothing better than hot straight from the oven bread with a generous dollop of butter melting all over it.  Pretty much heaven! 

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