Teriyaki Salmon Burgers

Burgers are great anytime. In the summer, they're superb. By the pool, on the patio, by the lake - easy, quick, and delicious. If you're tired of the usual chicken and ground beef preparations, try salmon.


                                               Teriyaki Salmon Burgers


2# salmon filets, cut into 6 pieces (About 5 ounces)
1 cup Teriyaki glaze
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Hamburger buns or rolls


Make sure salmon has no bones. Oil and then season each piece with salt and pepper. Place face down on a well-oiled medium heat grill. Cook 2-3 minutes. Turn over and cook 5 minutes. Baste original face side with Teriyaki glaze. return to grill for 2-3 minutes or until almost cooked. Pull off heat and allow to rest.

Brush buns with olive oil and grill for 2-3 minutes.


Asian Slaw

1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup yogurt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt/pepper

In a mixing bowl add wet ingredients. season with salt and pepper. Adjust sugar to desired taste, less if you like it tart, more if you like it sweet. Add cabbage, carrot, and cucumber. Mix thoroughly.

Top buns with salmon filets, add Asian slaw. Chow down. Can be served with fired sweet potatoes as a side.

Happy eating!

Crock Pot Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

Salisbury Steaks are a great way to use ground beef. Rather than spending the time necessary for stove top preparation, using a crock pot for slow cooking adds a new dimension of flavor. Mini-Salisbury Steaks will be a hit with the kids.




         Crock Pot Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

2# ground beef, 90/10
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbl spoon vegetable oil
2 Tbl spoons butter
2 Tbl spoons AP flour
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbl spoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (Button or Shitake)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine ground beef, diced onion, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Form into small patties (Approx. 2 inches in diameter). Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown patties on each side for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, cover and set aside.

Add butter to skillet. Sauté mushrooms. Coat with flour and mix. Add beef stock. When slightly thick, add to Crock Pot set on high. Add Salisbury steak patties. Cook for 2 hours, and then add heavy cream for richness and to help thicken gravy. Cook 2 more hours. Salt and pepper to taste. Remember, some beef stocks are saltier than others.

Serve with mashed potatoes. makes a great meal. Kids especially love the mini-Salisbury Steaks.

Southwestern Burgers with Ancho Chili Mayo

Summer is grilling weather. Steaks are nice, but burgers are quicker. You can grill them any way you like them. I like them with some bite. Here is a mouth-watering recipe that's sure to please the cowboy or cowgirl in anyone.



                       Southwestern Burgers with Ancho Chili Mayo

1 1/2 # ground beef, 90/10 for a leaner burger
8 slices jalapeno cheddar or Pepper jack cheese
4 jalapeno peppers
4 hamburger buns
1/2 cup cooked black beans, drained, slightly mashed.
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 head lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt/pepper to taste


Place ground beef in bowl. Add two jalapenos, seeded and minced, black beans, cumin, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly. Form meat into 4, 6 ounce patties.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Swab with olive oil. Place burgers on grill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover grill and cook for four minutes. Brush onion slices with olive oil. Take remaining two jalapenos, slice along one side and chop off both ends. Remove seeds and ribs. Roll out into one piece and brush with olive oil. Place Onion slices and jalapenos on grill. Turn burgers. Cover grill. Cook onions and jalapenos 4 minutes and remove. Make sure meat reaches 165 degrees. Add 2 slices cheese to each. Allow to melt slightly before removing burgers from grill.

Cut grilled jalapenos into thin strips.

Place burger/cheese on bun. Add grilled onion slice, jalapeno strips. Top with lettuce and tomato slice. Spread Ancho chili mayo on top bun and cover.


Ancho Chili Mayo

1 small diced Ancho chili with Adobo sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1 lime

Take 1 small Ancho chili from can. Mince. Add to mayo. Add approximately 1/4 tsp. lime juice. Mix thoroughly.

Left-Overs Easy Beef Stew

If you're like most people who grill out on holidays, especially if friends or family come over, you have a couple of left-over steaks and baked potatoes lying around. Here's a quick and easy recipe to use them. It beats re-heating steaks and eating. That makes them tough. Baked potatoes, grilled steak, or any other cooked vegetables add additional flavor to stew.


                                                   Left-Overs Easy Beef Stew

1 steak, cooked, cut into 1" cubes
2 baked potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
2 tbl. spoons All-Purpose flour
1 small onion, sliced (Or chopped grilled onion)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup frozen corn (Or leftover cooked corn)
2 tbl. spoons vegetable oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups beef broth
2-3 dashes hot sauce
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
s/p to taste


Heat 6-quart pot on medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onion, carrots, celery. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour to make roux. Reduce heat to medium. Add corn, mushroom soup, stock. Cook 25 minutes. Add steak, potatoes, thyme. Lower heat to simmer 30 minutes.  Add hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

If using fresh meat instead of leftovers, add meat before onions and cook 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, and flour and cook 4-5 minutes before adding stock . If using uncooked potatoes, add after stew has been cooking 25 minutes and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Carne Asada with pico de gallo

Summer is for grilling. I love Mexican food. This Carne Asada (Grilled Steak) recipe is easy and feeds several for an inexpensive cook out. Goes great with tea or a good Mexican beer, like Dos Equis or Tecate.


                                                                 Carne Asada

2# skirt or flank steak
1 large onion, sliced
1 avocado, peeled, sliced

Marinade
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 limes, juiced
1/2 orange, juiced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Remove silver skin from steak and into slice very thin strips. In a bowl, mash dry ingredients into a paste and mix with liquid ingredients. Place steak into plastic bag with marinade mix, cover thoroughly, and allow to refrigerate 2 hours.

Get grill hot. Oil grill. Place onion on grill and cook 4-5 minutes. Turn over, Add meat to grill and cook quickly - 3-4 minutes per side. Serve Carne Asada, grilled onions, and avocado slices on warm flour tortillas with pico de Gallo and slices of avocado.

Pico de Gallo

4 Roma tomatoes, small diced
1 red onion, small diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl. spoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

For sweeter pico de Gallo, substitute pineapple for tomato,

Slow Cooker Oriental Pork

Crock pots, or slow cookers, are a time saver, especially for families with a hectic schedule. I love Oriental dishes and crock pots are a great way to cook them without slaving over a hot stove. This pork dish is easy to prepare, savory and tasty, and should please even the most picky eater.


                                                 Slow Cooker Oriental Pork

2# pork steaks or boneless pork chops
2 Tbl spoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 small container Shitake mushrooms
1 small bunch Enoki mushrooms
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on a bias
1-8oz can tomato sauce
2 Tbl spoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tbl spoons brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Heat a skillet over medium high-heat. Add vegetable oil. Sear pork steaks or chops until browned. Place in slow cooker. Layer onion, mushrooms, and carrots over pork. Mix tomato sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, salt and pepper together and pour over layered pork and vegetables.

Cook on high 4-4 1/2 hours, or better yet, cook 6-7 hours on low. Prepare before lunch, go out and enjoy the day, and come back to a prepared meal.

Serve over cooked rice. Top with sliced scallions.

Italian Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork chops are the other white meat. Cooked properly, they are moist, tasty, and healthy. This recipe combines stuffed bake chops with coated fried chops.



                                               Italian Stuffed Pork Chops

4 thick pork chops
4 slices prosciutto
4 slices Fontina cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbl spoon dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 coves garlic, minced
1 cup Italian seasoned crouton, crushed or 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 Tbl spoons olive oil


Mix beaten eggs and milk in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and herbs in second bowl. Season chops with salt and pepper. Slice pocket in the side of each. Insert prosciutto and Fontina cheese. Seal with toothpick. Dip chops in milk/egg mixture, and then coat with bread crumbs. Place in heated sauté pan over medium heat with 3 Tbl spoons olive oil and garlic. Cook both sides until brown - about 5 minutes.

Place sauté pan in oven at 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until done (145 degree internal temperature).

Serve with Parmesan mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans.

Parmesan Mash Potatoes

5 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
5 quarts water, salted with 1 tsp salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat salted water to a boil. Add potatoes. Boil until done - about 15 minutes. Drain. Add butter and half of the heavy cream. Mix with blender or by hand. Add additional cream until smooth. You may not need all the cream. Stir in Parmesan cheese by hand. Season with salt and pepper.