English Muffin Pepper Burgers

Burgers!

Burgers of all kinds are regulars at our house. I think our burger love is Texas deep. This is just one of the many burger variations that I will post: the english muffin pepper burger.

2 lbs ground meat of your choice

1 white onion

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

4 cloves of garlic

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of Worcester sauce

2 tbls of steak seasoning

1/2 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese

8 whole wheat english muffins

Sauce for burgers

1/2 cup of light mayonnaise

3 tbls of dijon mustard

4 tbls of garlic powder OR 5 cloves of mushed roasted garlic

Grate onion into ground meat and combined with worcester sauce, steak seasoning and eggs. Use your hands to mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cut the peppers into long strips and cook them in a large fry pan until they just begin to soften. Make 8 patties out of the meat mixture. Move peppers to the outer edges of the pan and add patties to the pan. Once patties are flipped and nearly cooked through, add shredded cheese to the top of the patties. Once the cheese is melted and patties are thoroughly cooked, it is time to assemble the burgers. Mix all of the sauce ingredients and put desired amount of sauce on the english muffins. Place a single or double patties on each muffin with cooked peppers on top of each patty. I cooked a poblano pepper with steak seasoning and a fried egg to put on an english muffin with peppers for myself. As always, serve and enjoy!

Serves 8 single patty burgers

Tomato Basil Soup Comfort

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

6 - Roma Tomatoes

1 - Medium Red Bell Pepper

6 - Fresh Garlic Cloves (in the skin not peeled)

1 - 15 oz. Can of Crushed Tomatoes

1 -16 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce

1 - Quart of Chicken Stock

16 - Fresh Basil Leaves (approximate)

1 - 6 inch stem of Fresh Rosemary

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Core bell pepper and place on cooking sheet with Roma tomatoes and garlic cloves (still in their skin). Drizzle bell pepper and tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in oven at 415 F. Leave garlic cloves in for only 20 minutes. Bell pepper and tomatoes will take 40 minutes, or until the skin starts to brown all over (you may need to turn the bell pepper and tomatoes while cooking to achieve even cooking). When garlic, bell pepper, and tomatoes are done roasting, do a rough puree for all remaining ingredients (withholding half of the chicken stock and fresh herbs) and put pureed ingredients into a large crockpot. Chop fresh herbs to desired size and place in crockpot (pureeing with other ingredients will lead to an uneven chop of your herbs). Leave all ingredients to cook on low for 5 – 8 hours (ready in 5, but nothing will be hurt if you have to leave it for 8). Add the reserve chicken stock throughout the day as the soup begins to cook down. If you have to leave it for the full 8 hours without any further contact, add the entire quart in the beginning. Serve with homemade croutons, grilled cheese, or enjoy by it’s self!

Serves 6-8 respectively

Cajun Pot Pie

I kind of love one pan meals, and this one is a staple for my south Texas family.

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 small white onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 can of corn OR the corn from one medium cob

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 8.5-ounce box of corn muffin mix (I'm a Jiffy girl)

1 egg

1/2 cup of milk

Cajun Seasoning mix of choice

Paprika

4 ounces of colby jack cheese

1/2 pound of pre-cooked chicken

This meal is easiest to make in a medium/large sized pan that can go from the range to the oven. It can be cooked in a skillet and then transferred to a 9x9 pan too. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook all vegetables (excluding crushed tomatoes) in a skillet until the onions are transparent. Add chicken (already room temperature) to vegetables and mix in 1.5 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning. I use HEB's Cajun Seasoning mix. Cube cheese. Mix cheese, .5 tablespoon of paprika, milk, egg, and corn muffin mix together in a separate bowl. Add crushed tomatoes to vegetables. If needed, transfer mixture to 9x9 pan now and disperse evenly. Now, dollop the corn muffin mixture on top of the vegetable and chicken mixture (the second picture above). While I am sure this can be done to completely cover the entire mixture, I have never tried. Once you have added your desired amount of corn muffin mixture, place in oven and cook for 20 minutes or until a rich golden brown. Allow 5-10 minutes to cool, cut, serve, and enjoy!

Serves 6-8 respectively

Not Your Momma's Spaghetti

1 large white onion

1 small zucchini squash

1 Poblano pepper

5 white pearl mushrooms

2 large tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 16-ounce can of tomato sauce

½ pound ground meat of choice (can easily be left out)

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

12 ounces of spaghetti noodles (whole wheat is preferred for extra fiber)

1 cup of milk

¼ cup of butter

Basil

Salt

Pepper

½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Brown meat in a skillet with 1 tbls of Basil, salt and pepper to taste. Take the skillet off of the heat and set aside once the meat is cooked through. Dice all of the vegetables and brown in large pan. Once onions are transparent, add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, 1 tbls of Basil, and salt and pepper to taste to pan and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes minimum. Bring water to a boil in a large pan for the noodles. Once noodles are added, reduce heat to a simmer for noodles. Once noodles are done to your taste (still with some “bite” is recommended since they will continue to cook until cooled completely) drain and place back in large pot with ¼ cup of butter. Take sauce and blend it well in food processor or blender with milk. Stir half of the sauce in with the noodles and add the meat. Serve the spaghetti by putting some of the reserve sauce and shredder Mozzarella on top of each serving. This spaghetti will provide the Italian comfort you are looking for and the nutrition you want to give your family. As always, enjoy!

Serves 6 – 8 respectively

Breakfast Shakes

My two-year-old has consistently been a below par eater. Just like most moms, I am constantly worried about her getting the nutrition her growing body needs. So, I make a shake for her at breakfast time that is packed full of nutrition to ease my worries. She calls it her "breakfast milk" and I call it a life saver. I have been making it for her since she hit 1 year (because she started to drastically loose weight when she stopped nursing) and it has done the trick in keeping her, me, and the pediatrician happy!

2 bananas

1/2 cup frozen fruit

1/2 cup all natural yogurt

1/3 cup Carnation Breakfast Essentials

1 tsp ground, milled flax seed

~ 3 cups whole milk

Break up bananas into 3 of 4 pieces each and place them in blender. Add frozen fruit and then add yogurt. Next, add Carnation breakfast powder and flax seed. Last, fill blender up to the 5 cup mark or 1125 ml mark with whole milk. Place on the lid and blend well. It is so yummy mom can enjoy it for breakfast too! The batch makes enough for 1.5 - 2 days (if mom doesn't want any). I usually let her have it first thing in the morning, right after her nap, and sometimes right before bed. I store the excess in a protein shaker bottle in the fridge so that any separation that occurs can be quickly undone before I serve her some through the day or the next day. Sometimes, I switch out the frozen fruit for 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (any nut butter could be used) for a little protein boost with awesome flavor. Remember, always blend well and enjoy!

About Me

I am a Navy wife, mom, student and horse trainer. In the midst of the craziness, dinner must be served every night. Cooking at the end of the day is something the helps me to find my center and bring my hectic family together. While eating with a 2 year old climbing on you is the most calming thing, the time we all get to spend together is priceless. The role of chef is an important one. In every meal, it is my job to meet my family's nutritional needs without boring them. It is my goal with every family supper to provide the nutrition needed and the flavor and fun we all desire, without spending the monthly budget just on groceries. So, after being asked for recipes from friends, I decided to start writing down my recipes more often so that they can be more easily shared. So, here it is! My creations open to the public. With every different meal for my family, I will post the recipes for you. Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated thin crust pizza dough (or your own pizza dough recipe

to cover a standard rectangular baking sheet)

1 can refried beans (I use black refried beans)

½ pound ground meat of choice

1 small white onion

1 small Poblano pepper

1 Roma tomato

2 sprigs of green onion

½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

½ cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

4 ounces of Queso Fresco cheese

¼ cup green salsa

Cumin

Paprika

Garlic Powder

Black Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brown meat and diced onion and Poblano pepper in a skillet until onions are transparent and meat is cooked through (about 10 minutes). Season meat mixture with 1 tablespoon Cumin, 1 tablespoon Paprika and garlic powder and ground pepper to taste. Unroll dough on baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes or just until it begins to hold its shape (you do not want it to brown at this point) and remove from oven. Mix refried beans with salsa. Chop green onion to desired consistency and dice queso fresco and tomato into small cubes. Assemble pizza. Flip the dough on the backing sheet and spread the bean mixture on dough leaving a half-inch crust (I usually have leftover bean mixture). Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly on bean mixture. Evenly distribute meat, onion, Poblano pepper, and queso fresco until the pizza is well covered. Add the tomato and green onion to the pizza until evenly distributed and cover everything with the Colby Jack cheese. Put pizza in oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until exposed crust turns a light buttery gold. Cut into 18 square pieces and enjoy!