Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders w/My Special Burger Sauce.

I created this recipe using the same concept from my previous post Chipotle Sliders.  Here's what I learned in this recipe remix:

1. Use American cheese.  It melts so well!
2. To get my grill to a medium heat I have to set the burners to low.
3. You may want to spray the grill grate with nonstick.
4. Make the burger sauce a head of time and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Andrea's Special Burger Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's, baby!)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (don't use fresh garlic, flavor will be off)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of paprika
• squirt of yellow mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe

 

Ingredients:

• 1 package (12 ounces) Hawaiian sweet rolls
• 1 dash salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 slices American cheese, folded in half twice to make a stack of four squares
• 8 slices crispy bacon, broken in half

Directions:

• Place 1 roll in a food processor; process until crumbly. Transfer to a large bowl; add the salt, pepper and Hidden Valley Ranch packet. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 8 patties.
• Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Top with cheese. Grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
• Split 8 rolls.  Spread burger sauce on each half.  Place burger on the bottom half of roll, top burger with one piece of bacon broken in half, and the top half of the roll.

Chocolate Cake.

I saw this recipe on the Simply Recipes website and had to have it.  It would be my first attempt at a three layer cake.  I even had a fancy frosting gadget this time around (thanks, mom)!  Here's what I learned:

1. I used regular all purpose unbleached flour.  Didn't feel like springing for cake flour.
2. The old pans I used were a little misshapen.  When it came time to frost the cakes there were pretty big gaps between layers because of the funky pans.  Made it a little tricky to get the frosting on nicely.
3. My standard cake plate with lid was too short for this big boy.  I ended up covering it with multiple layers of plastic wrap which in turn allowed it to dry out faster.
4. This cake is no joke.  You need to either be a serious chocoholic or invite many people over to help you take this down.  It's gigantic.
5. I  *gasp* ended up throwing some away.  It dried out before it could be eaten.

Even our house mascot, T-Rex (or Ree-Rex as Penelope affectionately calls him), had to help...

  Recipe can be found here:  Chocolate Cake

Guest Blogger!

When Ana from Blue Bird Kisses asked me to be a guest blogger I was so excited!  Next came the task of choosing a recipe to make.  A long time ago a friend shared one of her favorite recipes with me called Hot Bandanas.  Wow, were they fabulous!  I knew it would be the perfect choice.  Check out Ana's blog for this yummy recipe!

Hot Bandanas recipe and guest blog post:  Hot Bandanas Recipe on BBK

Pizza Take Two.

The last time I made homemade pizza I froze half the dough.  I wasn't sure how it would thaw.  Turns out Pizza Take Two was even better!  Here's what I learned the second time...

1. Only bake it 10 minutes people!  10 MINUTES!  That's all it took.  The cheese was pretty brown but the crust was oh so much better!!
2. This time my toppings were (in this order):  Sauce, little mozzarella, chopped white onion, roasted bell pepper mix, green olives, turkey pepperoni, spinach leaves, more mozzarella, and a sprinkle of seasonings.

Recipe can be found in my previous post:  Homemade Pizza

Charlotte.

Charlotte the pug is a sweet little girl recently adopted by my parents.  I guess that makes her my sister?  She had quite the journey finding her forever home.

Back in April, my parents made the heartbreaking decision to put their pug boy Snort to sleep.  In another room at the same veterinary clinic was little Charlotte.  She was suffering from a horrific injury (broken pelvis) at the hands of her previous owner after he threw her against a wall.  The doctor likened it to a dog being run over by a car.  After weeks of surgery and rehabilitation Charlotte was on the road to recovery.  The clinic wanted to find her a loving family that would nurture and care for her.  This little girl had already been through way too much!  A few phone calls and visits later and my parents knew it was meant to be.

Please meet the lovely Charlotte...

 

 
Attempted to get a picture of the three amigos but no such luck...

Grilled Quesadillas and Pudding Pies.

There really isn't a recipe for either of these but they were so good I wanted to share!  A friend suggested both and WALA a yummy dinner and dessert!

Grilled quesadillas were filled with chipotle ground beef, bell pepper mix, black beans, and cheese blend.  I topped them with guacamole, sour cream, and smoky salsa.  Basic idea of how it went:

1. Heat grill to approximately 350 degrees.
2. Brush one side of a burrito sized tortilla with olive oil.  Flip it over and top with 1/2 cup cheese, meat, veggies, and another small sprinkle of cheese.
3. Place on the grill and cover cooking until the cheese is almost melted.
4. Fold in half and continue to grill until browned to your liking.
5. Top with whatever you prefer!
6. One tortillas worth of quesadillas was very filling!

The pudding pies were so easy.  I filled pre-made mini graham cracker pie crusts with banana pudding, top with sliced bananas, and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips.  YUM!

Jolene.

This song is requested daily by my girl.  Half way through the video she sings it.

Cashew Chicken.

This recipe is going into the make again pile.  Here's what I learned:

1. I used roasted/salted cashews instead of raw.  Cheaper, check.  Easier, check.
2. 1.5 cups of onions was plenty.
3. 10 oz package of sliced mushrooms was almost too much.  3 cups would have been mushroomfest 2011.
4. When it says you may need to add some of the marinade back into the pan they really mean some.  I put it all back in and it was too saucy.
5. I skipped the ginger.
6. I used a sprinkle of green onion for color.
7. Trader Joe's organic brown rice (freezer section) is one of my favorite things.  Microwave it for approximately 3 minutes and it's perfect.

Recipe can be found here:  Cashew Chicken

Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

My husband said it was like eating cookies for breakfast.  I'm already thinking about making them again!  Very tasty!  Here's what I learned:

1. I didn't have chocolate milk on hand.  Instead I mixed white milk with cocoa powder and sugar.
2. I would recommend using 2% or whole milk.
3. Sliced bananas on top were delicious!
4. The batter seems runny but no worries.
5. They got a little burnt around the edges but I like it that way.

Recipe can be found here:  Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Daddy.

This is what Penelope's daddy taught her...

A Happy Birthday.

It's been a great couple of days.  I had a wonderful birthday that started with delicious chocolate chip pancakes (recipe to follow in upcoming blog post), a trip to the fountains with my girl and my guy, and ended with a fun family BBQ!  Thanks everyone for making it special!

Chocolate chip pancakes.  YUM!

My girl loved them!

Off to the fountains to play...

Cousins in their matching shirts and matching blue eyes...

Random pics from the family BBQ...

 The cake was fantastic!

Celebrating the 4th with a little pool time and sidewalk chalk...

Homemade Pizza.

This was my first attempt at a recipe from Shutterbean.  It was easy and very good!  Here's what I learned:

1. I used regular all purpose unbleached flour instead of bread flour.
2. I didn't use the toppings suggested in recipe.  My layers were:  Light layer of sauce, small sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, andouille sausage slices, roasted red peppers, fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of oregano.
3. I baked it at 500 degrees and it was ready in about 11 minutes.  Recipe states 20-25 minutes which seems really long at that temp.
4. The dough recipe makes two crusts.  I put one ball of dough in the freezer.  We'll see if that works!

 

Recipe found here:  Ahh-mazing Pizza