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This recipe concept came from watching Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". I didn't believe it when I saw the episode, so we set the TiVo to capture the action in a replay later in the week. I watched the episode once more and took notes. This is what resulted from my effort to recreate it. I think I'm pretty spot-on with the flavor. It honestly does taste just like a cheeseburger! Amazing!
Cheeseburger Soup2 T. butter1 medium sweet onion, chopped1 to 1.5 lbs. ground beef1 can (14.4 oz.) beef broth1 c. half & halfslurry: 1/2 c. water + 3 T. flour; blended10 to 12 oz. Velveeta +/- 1 c. lettuce, chopped1 tomato, diced 1. Brown your meat. I used real ground beef, not ground turkey this time. 
2. In a separate pot, cook your onions in the 2 T. butter: 
Open your can of beef broth; pour it in with the meat......along with the cup of half & half, and the "slurry".
Let it simmer a little, then add the onions:
Chop up the cheese into chunks; there are four slabs there, and I ended up adding two more, so I think it was about 10-12 ounces of cheese.
Drop it in; stir well...
Make sure the cheese is all melted and incorporated, then add your 'maters:
Give it a good stir, then add the lettuce:
Mix well...I let it simmer for about 5 or 10 minutes, then I couldn't wait anymore!
At the table, I tried some garnishes of shredded cheddar and diced dill pickles:
Not pictured, but we both tried it with a blob of ketchup on a spoonful, but we decided it didn't need it.
I'll warn you: this is a VERY filling meal! It is fantastic "comfort food" though.
REFERNCES:
Guy's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on Food Network
(Dives Worth a Drive, Episode DV0710; recipe credit to: Grovers Bar & Grill, East Amherst, NY)
The cole slaw on the plate was from Carriage Court. The driver had forgotten it when he delivered our order one night. A few days later, we were out running errands and stopped in because it was along our way home. They apologized, gave us a little styrofoam container, and we happily went home...where we opened the container to find pasta salad!!! We called, laughed, and the driver was actually sent out to our house to deliver TWO containers of cole slaw! How's that for customer service?!
Anyways, back to my...Pan-seared Salmon2 salmon fillets (about 4 oz. each)2 T. Parmesan1 t. parsley flakesdash of: salt, pepper, paprika1 T. butter2 T. olive oil- Mix Parmesan, parsley, and seasonings in a shallow dish.
- Pat salmon fillets dry. Dredge and press salmon into Parmesan mixture to coat each fillet.
- NOTE: after coating each fillet, set it aside on a plate. You want to put all the fish into the pan at approximately the same time!!! This is important if you want them to be equally done cooking.
- Heat a frying pan with olive oil and butter in it. Allow it to warm up pretty good. Test it by dripping a TINY drop of water in the pan; it should skitter across the surface like crazy.
- CAREFULLY lay the fillets into the pan. (always lay away from yourself; meaning, if there is a splash of oil, you want it going opposite of where you are standing. make sense? yah? good!)
- Do not scoot the fish around the pan. Just let it sear where it is at. Cook for 3 minutes, flip to other side, give it 2-3 minutes more.
- Serve immediately!
p.s.I don't think there's any parsley flakes on the salmon above, now that I'm looking at the photo more closely. But I did make dinner for some friends recently, and that was when I added the parsley flakes.
How cute is THAT?!!!
Is NordicWare trying to bankrupt me or what?! LOL!
I just love cake pans. Ask anyone. Or, better yet, look in the cabinet above my fridge...maybe I should take a picture of it....hmmmm....(thinking to myself)
They really should be put to use more often. I think I'll make a resolution right now to make some different cakes for the holidays. Give the cakes away, if I have to. Just to make use of those pans.
I need to get Claire's pound cake recipe, too. She's an awesome little chef!
LINKY:
NordicWare Igloo Cake Pan
Another last minute improvisation of mine. I used a Jiffy brand pizza crust mix to make some cheesey scone-like biscuits. I think I put Italian seasoning or oregano in them...
Easy Cheesey Scones
1 pkg. Jiffy pizza crust mix
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. warm water
dash of Italian seasoning
flour for rolling out dough
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough. Allow to stand 5 minutes.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead it around a little.
Flatten dough ball into a circle, about 2 inches thick.
Using a long sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 wedges. (think of a pie, and how you'd slice it into pieces.)
Move the wedges to a buttered cookie sheet and bake at 400˚ for 15-18 minutes, or until they are nicely browned.
I made this spur of the moment, so I just kinda improvised as I went along, and didn't write anything down at the time. This is the best of my recollection as to how I made it! LOL!
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Saute 1lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced & chopped. (I used both cuts to provide some variety.) Remove them from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
Then put about 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan, allow to melt.
Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour; cook a minute or two, stirring constantly.
Things moved fast from here, and I'm sorry I didn't get to the camera for the next steps, but you slowly pour in 3 cups of milk. Allow it to thicken before you continue adding more milk, or else it'll just be watery. Whisk it, if you start seeing clumps. Add the mushrooms back in. Season with salt, onion powder, and a dash of red wine if you have some handy (I didn't have any). 
Let this simmer for about 15 minutes on VERY LOW heat; give it a stir once in a while to make sure it's not getting gooey on the bottom or burning. I said "very low heat" didn't I? Yeah, keep an eye on it, and taste it to see how the flavor is coming along.
The longer you allow it to blend with the milk, the richer your soup will be, but don't burn it! Oh, you can also add half & half for a portion of the milk, but not too much or else it will turn into gravy.
This was a fantastic soup that we had for lunch one day last week. Sorry I'm late in posting it, but we've been busy.
Enjoy!
This is a favorite snack of ours. It's very simple. Maybe "burnt cheese puddle" does not sound appetizing to you, but that's basically what it is. :)
Burnt Cheese PuddleTake a string cheese stick out of its package and tear it in half. (You can cut it, if you're that picky, but I don't care, so I just tear it.) Put the pieces side-by-side in a small fry pan, and turn up the heat to medium or medium-high. Let the cheese brown on the bottom, then flip it over and brown the other side. 
It's wonderful. It tastes like the crispy-gooey cheese edge of a pizza. Makes a perfect low-carb snack, too!
Wow....you guys, I really hit it out of the park with this one. Amazing bread, I'm telling you. If you ever wanted to make a bread recipe, this would be the one to try. Hands down the best loaf of bread I have ever made!
Tomato Herb Bread
1 c. water (warm) 1 T. olive oil 2 T. tomato paste 1 T. brown sugar 2 t. minced dried onion 1/2 t. Greek oregano, crushed 3 c. flour 1 t. salt 1 pkt. bread machine yeast (or quick dry active) Optional: 1/2 c. chopped Greek olives Put all ingredients into bread maker, in order listed above, and set to "dough only". Let your bread machine do all the work to mix and knead the dough! If you'd like, you can also add 1/2 a cup of chopped Greek olives to the dough as it is mixing—let the main dough form before you add them in. After dough has risen in machine, dump it out onto a well-floured surface, and knead it around for 5-10 minutes. Shape into a loaf, place in buttered baking pan, slather top of loaf with butter, cover with waxed paper and a towel; allow to sit in a warm place for about 30 minutes to rise a second time. Heat oven to 350˚. Bake bread for 27-32 minutes, until top is browned lightly, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a knife. MY NOTES: This bread was an improvisation based upon a recipe called "Greek Olive Bread" which is in the Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook. I wanted to make olive bread for my friends, and I was considering what else I could add to enhance the flavor. As usual, a peek into the pantry turned up some brilliant inspiration in the form of a little can of tomato paste. Unsure how much to add to the recipe…..I guessed! Two tablespoons gives the bread a nice tangy tomato flavor without being overwhelming. Casey and I were standing over the loaf, nomming on warm buttered slices of it, proposing other uses of the dough, such as: pizza crust, bread sticks, dinner rolls, etc. I also am now noticing that a couple of pages further in the book, there is a baguette recipe which calls for pesto and sun-dried tomatoes…but I like my bread concept better!
p.s. Amy, you have to try this recipe!
This struck me as being mostly true and extremely hilarious...
Advice from an Old Farmer: * Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you. * Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment. * Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none. * Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.* Don't judge folks by their relatives. * It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word. * Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain Dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.* Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
~author unknown; infinitely forwarded email message
Portobello Pizzas4 large Portobello mushroom caps1 jar/can pizza sauce2 c. mozzarella cheesegarlic powdersalt- Heat oven to 375˚.
- Rinse mushroom caps, and remove dark gills from underside. I scrape them out with a spoon—if left in, these can make the mushrooms taste bitter.
- Salt mushroom caps lightly and bake at 375˚ for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. You may need to dab some of the juice out of the cap after baking.
- Add sauce....
- Add toppings and cheese...
- Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese browns to your liking. Serve immediately.
NOTE: These make a nice appetizer if you use smaller mushroom caps, but I served them on this night at a main course. They were amazingly tasty! In varying combinations, I used some deli ham, chopped breakfast sausages, mozzarella, Swiss, and a dash of Parmesan.
When I asked Casey what toppings he wanted on his, he asked me, "can I have mushrooms on my portobello pizza...?" LOL!
I've made some edits to this recipe, and tried two different crispy toppings. I think they were still lacking in moisture—I should have added more butter—and then it would have crisped up more. Don't get me wrong; it was still darn good. Still room for improvement, though. Below is the edited recipe, which should be fine.Apple Crisp 6 to 8 apples (depends on size) 1 T. lemon juice 1/3 c. sugar 1 t. cinnamon topping: 1 stick butter 2/3 c. flour 1/3 c. brown sugar 1/3 c. oats 1 t. apple pie spiceButter a 9x13 baking pan. Heat oven to 400˚. Peel, core and slice apples. Toss in large bowl with lemon juice to prevent apples from browning. 
Add sugar and cinnamon. Add to baking dish to form an even layer.In another mixing bowl, cut butter into dry ingredients until it looks like crumbs.
Sprinkle crumb mixture over top of apples, starting at edges and working your way inward, to cover apples completely. 
Bake at 400˚ for 30-40 minutes until it gets bubbly along the edges and you can't stand to smell the aroma anymore without diving in with a spoon. 
Try to allow it to cool a little in order to avoid 3rd degree burns in your mouth.Serve with vanilla ice cream. (which will help with your burned mouth. I told you to wait, didn't I?!)NOTES:I made two dishes of apple crisp. One for us, and one to take next door. I added the oats and more butter because as you can see in the smaller, blue dish, the topping just looks sugary and not really crumby at all. The oats stretched the topping further, and added more texture; it came out crispier, too. The recipe above reflects my changes to the original recipe.
Thumper took my spot!I got up to get another cup of coffee and Thumper decided he wanted to sit on the couch where I was...he kept my remote and, apparently, was going to continue writing down Rachel Ray recipes, too...
Okay, so maybe this was cheating, but I used a box mix to make the cupcakes. Yeah, I know, I suck. I am, however, including Aunt Martha's pumpkin cake recipe, which she makes from scratch, and, wow, is it ever good. Pumpkin Cupcakes 1 pkg. spice cake mix (I used Betty Crocker brand)1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (not pie filling) 3 eggs 1/3 c. water1/3 c. oil Mix all ingredients with electric mixer until well blended. Spoon into lined cupcake pan, and bake according to package directions for cupcake portions. Allow to cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.
Aunt Martha's Pumpkin Cake2 c. sugar1 c. oil1 1/2 c. pumpkin (15 oz. can)4 eggsBeat these ingredients together. Then add:2 c. flour2 t. baking soda1/2 t. salt2 t. cinnamon1/4 t. ground nutmegMix well and pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350˚ for 45 minutes; test with sharp knife for doneness. Options: For pumpkin cake squares, pour batter into a 9x13 cake pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes. Top with Butter-rum glaze:1/4 lb. butter (1 stick)1/4 c. water1 c. brown sugar1/2 c. Bacardi dark rumMelting butter in a sauce pan; stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Spoon over cake, slowly.These went with us to the Halloween party....mmmmmm.....
This recipe is a modified version of something I saw on FoodNetwork. Credit to Robin Miller's "Quick Fix Meals". Pumpkin Soup
1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream
1 t. ground cumin
2 bay leaves 2 T. brown sugar 2 T. butter
Salt and ground black pepper to taste tiny pinch of cardamom
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together pumpkin, broth, milk, and cumin.
- Add bay leaves and set pan over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper; stir in brown sugar and butter.
- Bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. Add a tiny pinch of cardamom; stir.
- Remove from heat, remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
- Garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts.
LINKY:http://www.foodnetwork.com/quick-fix-meals-with-robin-miller/index.html
Yes, the photo is obscured by steam actually coming off of the food! LOL! These turned out very good, and I shared them with friends. Ricotta Stuffed Shells36 (12 oz. package) jumbo pasta shells 4 c. (2 lbs.) ricotta cheese 2 c. (8 oz.) mozzarella, shredded; 1/2 c. set aside3/4 c. Parmesan 3 eggs 1 T. parsley flakes 1 t. garlic powder 1/2 t. oregano 1/2 t. salt 32 oz. jar marinara (or your favorite pasta sauce)- Cook shells according to package instructions, drain, rinse with cold water, and then leave shells floating in 2 inches of cold water. (this will prevent them from sticking together and/or drying out.)
- Heat oven to 350˚.
- In a 9x13 baking pan, pour a layer of your sauce to make a base for the shells.
- In large mixing bowl, combine: cheeses, eggs, and seasonings.
- Place a kitchen towel on the surface where you are working, to catch the extra water which may drip off the shells.
- Pick up one shell and drain over pot; move over to workspace and fill shell with about 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture. Place in baking pan.
- Continue filling shells and line them up in the prepared pan.
- Pour remaining sauce over the stuffed shells; sprinkle with that 1/2 cup of mozzarella you had set aside.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350˚ for 30-40 minutes, until you see the sauce bubbling at the sides of the pan when you lift the foil.
- Serve with garlic bread and a nice side salad.
This is some salmon that I decided to broil in the oven because it was rainy and icky outside and Casey didn't want to get the grill out. I think I just seasoned it with marjoram, garlic salt and a little pepper. Then I put it under the broiler for about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Not really a recipe, but the photo looked appetizing, so I thought I'd share.
Soon to come: my pan-seared salmon that Casey said was the best salmon he ever had.
I made this a week ago, and I can't recall where I had found the recipe, but it has been sitting around for a while. It turned out good; very dense and wheaty tasting.
Squaw Bread1/2 c. yellow corn meal
1/2 c. rolled oats1/2 c. cream of wheat cereal1/4 c. wheat germ2 c. boiling water2 pkgs. active dry yeast1/2 c. warm water (115-120°F)1/3 c. honey2 T. butter or margarine, melted2 eggs1 t. salt2 c. whole wheat flour3 c. white flour, divided- In a 1-quart glass measuring cup or bowl, combine cornmeal, oats, cream of wheat, and wheat germ.
- Pour in 2 cups boiling water. Stir thoroughly. Set aside to cool.
- Place yeast in large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup warm water. Stir to dissolve yeast. Add honey and butter; mix thoroughly.
- Add 1 cup of flour. Mix well and allow to stand, covered, for 30 minutes, while cornmeal mixture cools.
- Add cooled cornmeal mixture and eggs; mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups of flour with the wheat flour and the salt. Stir into wet ingredients, then knead together in bowl to form dough.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for 10 to 12 minutes until smooth. Add additional flour as necessary.
- Shape dough into ball. Lightly grease clean mixing bowl and add dough, turn to coat. Allow to stand, covered, in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size—about 60 to 90 minutes.
- Punch down dough to remove air bubbles. Turn out onto lightly floured board. Divide dough in half.
- Shape each half into a round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased pie plates. Cover. Place in warm, draft-free place until double in size—about 60 minutes.
- Bake at 350° 30 to 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from cookie sheet. Cool on wire racks.
Open your can of beef broth; pour it in with the meat...
