Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette

I first made this salad a few years ago and it was an absolute hit. I made it for my family, made it for potluck dinners, made it for company, and shared the recipe with friends. It takes everything that is delicious about a cheeseburger and makes it even more delicious.

You make little burgers, along with a delicious mustard vinaigrette and they are layered on a bed of romaine, cherry tomatoes (I still have some growing in my garden!), and sliced dill pickles. My whole family loves this one, even me.

Here is the recipe for Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette
* I used mild cheddar to top my mini cheeseburgers
* I used ground sirloin for the burgers

Cooking School- Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers

I've mentioned before that I don't really buy any sort of premade snacks. Since I like to spend time in the kitchen, I figure it must be possible to make anything that is out there for snacking, at home.
My daughter asked me if we could make goldfish crackers and I knew that they had been made successfully by smitten kitchen, so I said of course!

These crackers really couldn't be easier. All you have to do is shred some cheese (which my kids love to do and I remember it being one of my favorite jobs when I was their age), put it in the food processor with a couple other ingredients, pulse until a dough forms, roll it out, cut out shapes or make it into squares and bake them up. I was really quite surprised at how easy this turned out to be. So easy in fact, that we made extra dough and have it in the freezer for the next time a craving hits.

And, you don't have to actually make these cheese crackers into goldfish shape. We ended up slicing some of the dough with a pizza cutter and just making them into squares as well. (although the goldfish are pretty cute!)
Here's my helper giving our goldfish their "eye" and smile

Here is the recipe for Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers from smitten kitchen
* I used all white wheat flour in my goldfish
* if you are interested in buying a goldfish cookie cutter, the link is included with the recipe

CEiMB- Twice Baked Potatoes with Sharp Cheddar and Oven Roasted Broccolini

This week's CEIMB recipe was Broccoli and Cheddar Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream. It was chosen by Anne who blogs over at Rainforest Recipes,
I did not make this recipe exactly. I did use some of the same ingredients and made something that my kids would eat.
Somehow I got inspired by the potatos, the cheese and then switched out the broccoli for broccolini. It just tastes so much better.
I baked my potatoes in the oven until I was able to scoop out the insides and then I just mashed the potatoes with 2 Tbls of unsalted butter, 1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt, 2 Tbls skim milk, salt and pepper.

I drizzled my broccolini with olive oil, then added some salt and pepper, and roasted it in a 400 degree oven until it was tender, about 15 minutes.
I put the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins and then covered them with cheddar cheese. I popped them back in the oven, until the cheese was melted and the potatoes were warm throughout.

So, not exactly what the recipe said to do, but sometimes you have to improvise!

Check out the CEIMB Blogroll to see what everyone else did with this recipe!


Recipe for Broccoli and Cheddar-Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream

Fall Pear Galette

The pears were getting ripe, fast. There wasn't much time and we were sick of just eating them. We made 5 batches of pear butter and dried a ton of them, so I chose a few more recipes to use them up. The first one was this simple galette. It used a large mound of pears, a refrigerated crust, and had a crunchy sugar topping. I used the leftover Filling Cream from the Peaches and Cream Cake I made again last week, which is perfect for fruit desserts. This was a simple dessert that didn't take long to throw together and it tasted wonderful, just like fall!

Fall Pear Galette From Cooking Light

Galette:

Cooking spray

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded aged sharp Cheddar cheese

5 ripe Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch slices

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Caramel:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare galette, line a jelly roll pan with foil, and coat foil with cooking spray. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle; place on baking sheet. Sprinkle crust with cheese, leaving a 1-inch border.
Combine pears, juice, and nutmeg in a large bowl; toss well. Add brown sugar and flour; toss gently. Arrange fruit on dough leaving a 2-inch border. (Pears will be piled high on dough.) Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover pears). Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned (filling may leak slightly during cooking). Cool galette on a wire rack.
To prepare caramel, heat granulated sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 4 minutes). Cook 1 minute or until golden. Remove from heat. Drizzle over galette.

BB-Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Once again it is time for Barefoot Bloggers. This recipe was chosen by Sabrina and Alexander of Cooking with The Kids. I used skim milk and also, omitted 1 stick of butter because Anne said she had made it before that way and it didn't affect the taste or texture. Hey, if I can cut the butter in a recipe and still have it taste great, I will do it. I am glad I did. The texture was great. It was light and airy. It kinda reminded me a muffin or cake, not really cornbread. I guess the cornbread I am used to is really grainy. I still had the desire to eat it with honey (that is how we do it at our house), but refrained. It was a great choice and we ate it along side some great veggie soup (see below). Go check out the BB blogroll and see what everyone else thought about this choice!
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread 2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups milk

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan

8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided

1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions

3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature

TWD-Cheddar Apple Scones

This weeks Tuesday's with Dorie recipe was chosen by Karina over at The Floured Apron. I have to be honest and say I was glad when I saw it was a recipe of a less intensity. It was quick and easy to throw together and was ready in a short amount of time. We were split right down the middle on this one. The hubby didn't like it because it reminded him of cornbread and the kids weren't really fans, but the other adults who tried them, loved them, with jam, honey and unadorned, served along side Orange Julius. So as usual they disappeared quickly and I thought they were great. Check out Karina's blog for the recipe and go to the TWD blogroll for everyone else's take on this one!