Bacon Bleu Cheese Garlic Sliders

These were so good I just had to share! I Instagrammed my way right through this recipe.

2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
10 strips precooked bacon
4 oz. (container) crumbled bleu cheese
3-5 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup yellow onion
1-2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. Seasoning Salt (like Lawry's)

Prepare by finely mincing the onion, pressing the garlic and chopping the precooked bacon into tiny bits. Next place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together by hand until well combined. 

Once combined, form little meatballs ever so slightly larger than golf balls and then squish them into adorable little patties that are cute enough you are thinking of naming them all and crocheting bonnets for them. Don’t do it. It will make it much harder to turn around and eat them and believe me… you really want to eat them!

When you are done forming them into adorable patties, admire them and imagine what all of that bumpy bleu cheese is going to look like once the sliders are grilled.

BBQ the sliders on a nice hot grill, turning only after the first side has some nice grill marks. Flip. Finish those puppies off and then bring them inside. Don’t overcook them. It would be so sad if they dried out. Dry sliders aren’t anywhere near as cute as juicy ones.

Serve on little adorable buns. We used hawaiian rolls. Lettuce (or coleslaw!), some mustard and mayonnaise… Heaven on a bun. Take them from amazing to FREAKING amazing by making some of Ree’s super delicious onion strings to put on top! ((hold me))

Chili and Cornbread

This is what we had for dinner tonight and it was super duper yummy. You probably already have a favorite chili recipe but I'm going to post mine anyways. It's just a series of cans to be opened.

Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 can Heinz chili style beans

1 can black beans

2 cans oregano and basil seasoned diced tomatoes

1 small can diced green chiles

1/2 cup beef broth

several shakes chili powder

several shakes cumin

salt to taste

Brown beef, garlic, onions and seasonings until cooked and onions are tender. Drain. Dump all canned items and meat mixture into large pot. Simmer for 1 hour. Top with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. YUM!

It hit the spot tonight. Accompanied by a friend's recipe for Mexican cornbread, it was just perfect!

Mexican Cornbread

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1/3 cup honey

4 eggs

1 small can green chiles

1 can cream style corn

1/2 cup shredded Monty Jack cheese

1/2 cup shredded Old Cheddar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 green onion, minced

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

4 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter, honey and eggs together. Beat well. Add chiles, corn, cheese, buttermilk and onion. Beat well again. Add dry ingredients (sift together ahead of time if desired... I didn't because I didn't have time and it turned out divine so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.) Blend well. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. DELISH!

Abominable Cheezeburger Casserole

I can't believe what I am about to do.

I've said those words before and somehow they never keep me from doing what I can't believe I'm about to do. Blame it on my OCD.

I am going to give you a recipe that calls for Cheeze Whiz (hence the spelling of the word cheezeburger in the post title). I have never ever purchased Cheeze Whiz until yesterday. I can't believe I'm going to admit that I have now incorporated it into a meal. Real cheese just wouldn't cut it... only the creamy processed stuff, of which my Mother in law says, "It just melts so beautifully." Not only am I going to give you this recipe but I am also going to admit to you that I personally created this recipe. I wanted a cheeseburger in a casserole dish so I made it up. The result was yummy... if you can contemplate anything containing Cheeze Whiz being yummy.

I've decided to name the recipe: Combo #1 Whopper with cheese and can I have onion rings on the side instead of french fries casserole

Yes, it's a sort of long title but that is the taste I was going for, as wrong as that is. Please believe we actually eat quite healthy on a regular basis. We eat lots of green vegetables and olive oil and low fat meats. My kids order salad when we go out to eat and some of their favorite foods are naturally green without food coloring.

So without further ado I give you Combo #1 Whopper with cheese and can I have onion rings on the side instead of french fries casserole (feel free to substitute the light version of any of the following products as I did.)


1 lb. ground beef
1/2 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
Seasoning salt to taste
3/4 cup Mayonaisse
3 Tbsp. Ketchup (approx.)
2 Tbsp. Mustard (approx.)
Pasta (we used shells) cooked and drained
1 jar of Cheeze Whiz (NOTE: If you shop at Costco or Sam's Club for your Cheeze Whiz it will probably be much less than one jar!!)
1 can French's French Fried Onions



Bring lightly salted water to a boil and cook shells until tender. Meanwhile brown ground beef, onion, garlic and season with Seasoning Salt. Drain fat from beef. In a small bowl mix the Mayonaisse, ketchup and mustard. (You are going for a pinkish color.) Stir this mixture into the browned ground beef and mix well. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and put it back into the pot. Add the Cheeze Whiz and stir until melted and evenly distributed.

In a casserole dish (I used the french white oval Pyrex). Pour half of the pasta into the casserole dish. Then layer the beef mixture over it, spreading it out evenly. Add the remainder of the pasta on top of the beef. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the French Fried Onions over top of the pasta and bake for another 3-5 minutes to brown them.

There you have it. I can't remark upon the health value of it other than I believe it probably has fewer calories than the real Whopper... but who's counting?

My Lasagna

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 white onions
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
few dashes of pepper
1 Tbsp. dry white wine
1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cups Mozarella cheese
1 container Ricotta cheese
Sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
Lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. While cooking the beef, in blender, blend together the 1 large can of diced tomatoes, the onions and the garlic. Blend them up until smooth. Drain the ground beef. Add the contents of the blender, the 1 small can of diced tomatoes and all of the seasonings and the wine. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or so.
Layering it:
In a 9x13 casserole dish, begin with a layer of the hot sauce mixture, followed by lasagna noodles (you'll have to break one up to fill in the gaps at the ends. The next layer should be Ricotta cheese. Use a spoon and spread evenly just less than half of the container onto the noodles. Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering pattern once again, ending with a top layer of mozz. cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
Cover with foil and place on cookie sheet (because it tends to bubble over a bit). Cook in a 375 Degree oven for 1 hour (usually more like 55). Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Meatloaf

2 pounds ground chuck
1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix--any flavor (I used Savory Herbs)
1 cup of water
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup BBQ sauce, any flavor, divide into two 1/4 cup servings

Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the BBQ sauce

Shape meat mixture into 2 oval loaves, side by side, in 13 x 9 inch baking
dish. Top with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce.

Bake @375 degrees for 35 minutes or until the center is no longer pink.

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb. of extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups non-fat sour cream
1 can mild green enchilada sauce (La Victoria)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
5 flour tortillas
1 cup cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Add the sour cream and enchilada sauce and stir until well mixed, simmering on low for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in black beans.
Layer beef/bean mixture, ripped up tortillas and cheese, starting with the sauce mixture on bottom and ending with cheese on top.
Bake in 375 oven for 20-25 minutes.
To make it just a little more evil, sprinkle Fritos over it when serving. Add a dollop of guacamole.
Everyone scarfed it down and wanted seconds. :^)