Carribean Style Burgers

I was inspired to share this recipe inspired by Brenda180 from YouTube.
She hails from New York City by way of Trinidad.
I have been making these burgers for two months. My family cannot get enough of them. I do not think we will ever go back to regular burgers.

I have used ground turkey for the meat as well as ground chicken. They both taste great.

I did not have the Trinidad Congo Pepper, so I substituted Jalepeno Pepper once and Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper other times. If you use the Jamaican pepper, please be sure to use rubber gloves with flocked backing. I made the mistake of NOT using them the first time and the capsaicin made my hands throb all the way to the bone for hours. You can neutralize the heat on hands by pouring lime or lemon juice on them and then washing well with soapy water. I also used lemon juice to neutralize the heat on my cutting board. Please be careful not to touch your eyes.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground meat (chicken, turkey or beef)
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (you can omit this if you like. I used it to stretch the recipe for a family of five)
1 egg
2 packets of Sazon (if you do not want to use this, you can substitute 1 tsp Lawry's Season Salt)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 chopped garlic cloves
1 Jalepeno or Scotch Bonnet Pepper, chopped.
1/2 Bell Pepper chopped
1/4 Onion Chopped.
Fresh Thyme to taste (you may substitute dried herbs if you do not have fresh)
Fresh Oregano to taste

Dress/Garnish
Whole Wheat Kaiser Rolls
Mayo
Ketchup
Mustard (I used Spicy, but you can use Honey Mustard or whatever kind you like)
Lettuce
Tomato

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix ground meat, seasonings, herbs and chopped veggies.
2. Add Old Fashioned Oats and egg.
3. Form into patties.
4. Cook burgers for 4 minutes until brown on each side.
5. Add water and steam for 4 additional minutes.
6. When water evaporates, the burgers are done.

Please enjoy Brenda's Video

Mushroom Barley Soup

Barley is a long chain carbohydrate. It has a low gycemic index. I have a love for mushrooms. These are what piqued my interest in this recipe. There's nothing like a hearty hot soup to warm your insides on a cold day. We enjoyed this soup! The hubby said it was missing just one thing, "MEAT". Maybe I will try preparing it with a few beef stew cubes in the future. I felt like this had too much barley. The next time I prepare this I will probably reduce the amount of barley in half.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil
1 rounded tsp chopped garlic
1 yellow onion chopped
2 carrots diced
2 ribs celery diced
1/2 pound white button mushrooms diced or sliced, whichever you prefer

64 ounces of hot broth (divided)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 cup of pearlized barley
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in heavy bottomed stock pan.
2. Add garlic, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until tender.
3. Add mushrooms.
4. Add herbs and seasonings and White Wine Vinegar.
5. In a separate pot heat half of the broth until boiling. Once it has boiled, pour over softened veggies.
6. Rinse sort and rinse barley. Add to stock pan.
7. Simmer on low for 2 hours.
8. The barley will have swollen and softened. As a result you may not have very much stock left.
9. Add remaining half of hot broth to the stockpot and stir.
10. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.

Enjoy

Refreshing Asian Salad

Humble Beginnings









INGREDIENTS

3 Romaine Lettuce Hearts (I only used one)
1 Red Onion (thinly sliced into rings)
1 Navel Orange Halved and segmented (or 2 drained cans of Mandarin Oranges)
5 Radishes (thinly sliced)
*optional
- 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 cup of Chow Mein Noodles
- Chopped Grilled Chicken

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash all produce.
2. Slice the Romaine Hearts
3. Add Sliced Red Onion
4. Add Sliced Radishes
5. Add Oranges
6. Toss
7. Add Toasted Sesame Seeds and Chow Mein Noodles just before serving.
Add Asian Dressing. Click
HERE for recipe
(This will not keep for a long period, as the dressing will break down the noodles)

Enjoy!

Salmon Cakes

This is a slight variation on my grandmom's recipe.
She used white bread, green peppers and did not bread the cakes.



INGREDIENTS

Oil for frying (Just a thin layer. The fish cakes will absorb a lot of this.
You don't want to deep fry this)
2 cans Salmon
2 slices Whole Wheat bread
1 medium Yellow Onion
1/2 each of a red and yellow bell pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt (optional)
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 or 2 eggs well beaten
3/4 cup flour (I used Whole Wheat & Unbleached)

DIRECTIONS

1. Drain Salmon and set aside.
2. Cube 2 slices of bread and set aside.
3. Dice Onions and Peppers.
4. Add seasonings.
5. Add bread.
6. Add beaten egg.
7. Form cakes.
8. Pat cakes in flour.
9. Heat oil in pan.
10. Fry cakes until golden brown on each side.

Enjoy



Cube 2 slices of whole wheat bread (set aside)



Dice onions & peppers (set aside)









Drain the Salmon



Break it up










Mix well



Add garlic powder



Add ground black pepper



Add 2 slices of cubed wheat bread

Fancy Deviled Eggs

Famous for their "sinfully rich" savory filling, these rich little goodies will make you the hit of summer gatherings.

Perfect for cook-outs, bridal and baby showers, these are sure to please.

Humble beginnings



Mayo, Yellow Mustard, Sweet Relish



Lawry's Seasoning Salt and other essential herbs/seasonings.
(not pictured, optional paprika and dill weed for garnish)



These secret weapons will help your deviled eggs to have a beautiful presentation. You do not have to use these exact items. You may be able to find like ones in your kitchen tool arsenal.



Crinkle Cutter, for enhancing fancy presentation.





Easy Accent Decorator for piping filling into eggs. You could also use a plastic bag with the one of the corners cut.

I ended up rigging up a combo of plastic bag with my decorator because the ring is BROKEN! grrr. My professional pastry bag with tips is M.I.A. *tear*



Thin Mesh strainer of some kind. I used the mesh portion of my sugar shaker.









Place eggs in pot. Add water. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar to prevent major eggshell cracks.








Delicate Yolks pressed through the mesh make this a lump-free filling.




Garlic Powder



Ground Black Pepper (fresh cracked would taste better)



Ground Cumin



Celery Seed (don't go overboard with this stuff!)



Mix well.




Add sweet relish and other wet ingredients. Mix well.












Empties on a platter




Empties refilled




Garnished with Paprika and dried Dill Weed



Transferred to Chillzanne Rectangular Server




INGREDIENTS

1 dozen Large or bigger eggs (hard boiled)
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1/3 tsp ground Black Pepper (although fresh cracked tastes better)
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
3 tsp Sweet Relish
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp Yellow Mustard

optional
paprika
dried dill weed
(olive slices, or baby shrimp)

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil Eggs. Cool, crack and peel them. Cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside.
2. Separate egg yolks from the egg whites.
3. Mash yolks or push them through a sieve for finest crumb quality.
4. Add herbs and seasonings. Mix thoroughly with a fork.
5. Add relish and wet ingredients. Mix well.
6. Add filling to a plastic bag. Cut the corner. Generously pipe filling into egg whites.
7. Garnish if desired.
8. Transfer to serving platter. Chill and enjoy.