June 30, 2011

Queso Bacon Burgers with Avocado Salsa



Burgers are awesome.


These burgers are even awesomer.  (Awesomer is my new word that is not actually a word)


Burgers encased with bacon & roasted jalapenos, dripping with a queso cheese sauce & loaded with an avocado salsa.  


Can I offer you a napkin to wipe the drool from your chin?
In a skillet (cast iron if you have one), cook the jalapenos in a little bit of oil until softened & charred.  Transfer to a bowl, cover, & let cool slightly. Remove & discard the skin, stem, & seeds - and finely chop the chiles.




Fry the bacon until crispy & reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.

In a large bowl, combine the reserved bacon fat, half of the chopped chiles, & crumbled bacon.  Then mix in the ground beef.  Form into 6 patties & season with salt & pepper.




In a medium bowl, combine the crumbled queso fresco, mayo, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, & the remaining chiles.  Season with salt & pepper - refrigerate.


In another bowl, toss together the sliced avocados, onion, cilantro, & remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Set aside.


Grill the burgers, turning once, for about 10 minutes for medium rare - longer if you like them more well done.  Just before the burgers are done, toast the buns on the grill (or skillet) for about a minute.  


Place a burger on each bun bottom, top with some avocado salsa & queso fresco dressing - and finish with the top half of the bun.  



Queso Bacon Burgers with Avocado Salsa


Ingredients:
  • 6 jalapenos
  • 3/4 pound of bacon
  • 3 pounds ground chuck
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 avocados, pitted & thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • hamburger buns


Instructions:


In a skillet, cook the jalapenos in a little bit of oil until softened & charred. Transfer to a bowl, cover, & let cool slightly.  Remove & discard the skin, stem, & seeds - and finely chop the chiles.


Fry the bacon until crispy & reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.

In a large bowl, combine the reserved bacon fat, half of the chopped chiles, & crumbled bacon.  Then mix in the ground beef.  Form into 6 patties & season with salt & pepper.


In a medium bowl, combine the crumbled queso fresco, mayo, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, & the remaining chiles.  Season with salt & pepper - refrigerate.


In another bowl, toss together the sliced avocados, onion, cilantro, & remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Set aside.

Grill the burgers, turning once, for about 10 minutes for medium rare - longer if you like them more well done.  Just before the burgers are done, toast the buns on the grill (or skillet) for about a minute.  


Place a burger on each bun bottom, top with some avocado salsa & queso fresco dressing - and finish with the top half of the bun.



MrsHappyHomemaker

June 29, 2011

Kraft Parmesan Cheese - Just $1.76 each!


Amazon is at it again with an awesome deal on Kraft Parmesan Cheese.  We use a ton of it in our house & this price is great being that they usually run for $3.50-$4.50 a piece, and coupons on it are pretty rare.  

Currently, you can pick up a 12 pack of the 8oz containers of Kraft Parmesan Cheese on Amazon for $24.86.  Select the Subscribe & Save option & the price drops down to $21.13 & it ships for FREE.  That breaks down to just $1.76 a container.  

If you would no longer like to receive future shipments, simply remove the subscribe & save in your account after receiving your shipping notification.




MrsHappyHomemaker

June 27, 2011

Firecracker Float



The 4th of July is almost here, and with that comes fireworks.  Lots & lots of fireworks.  Well, why not make some fireworks of your own - but edible ones?  Don't worry, I'm not suggesting we light a fuse in your mouth, but these Firecracker Floats sure will make you feel like you have a fireworks display going on in there!


This is one that the kids are going to LOVE.  That is, of course, as long as the adults don't hog them all!  ;)


All you need is:




Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass, followed by 1/3 of a pack of pop rocks.  Repeat twice.



Then, pour in the lemon lime soda to the top.  


Sip.  Pop.  Pop. Pop.  Sip.  



Yum.





Firecracker Float


Ingredients:
  • lemon lime soda
  • 1 pack of pop rocks per float (strawberry is my favorite)
  • 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream per float


Instructions:


Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass, followed by 1/3 of a pack of pop rocks.  Repeat twice.  Pour in the lemon lime soda to the top.  

MrsHappyHomemaker


June 20, 2011

Gerber Snacks - Cheap on Amazon!



My little guy loves the Gerber Cheddar Puffs more than all the other baby/toddler snacks out there.  He is actually eating some right now!  So, when I saw this deal, I acted fast - and bought 3 cases.  With the savings, they work out to $1.45 a container & free shipping.  


Just choose the subscribe & save option - then use the code GERBR434 at checkout for an extra 15% off.


The cheddar puffs are not the only ones on sale -all of the Gerber snacks are.  So take a look at what all there is to choose from! 




MrsHappyHomemaker

June 19, 2011

Menu Plan Monday 6/20/2011-6/26/2011


This week is going to SO busy here!  My girls have their required homeschool testing this week PLUS Harris Teeter is having the start of their super double coupons starting on Wednesday.  


So, the majority of my meals this week are a little on the easier side, and a few are halfway prepped & in the freezer from my June freezer cooking day.  Plus, we have a HUGE crop of banana peppers right now from our garden, so I must use them up.

June 11, 2011

Strawberry Orange Smoothies



Smoothies have become a big part of my families life.  Even my 14 month old has one in his sippy cup with a little extra milk added to it to thin it out.  (Much cheaper than those yogurt juice things they sell in the baby department!).


A few months back, I started making smoothies during my freezer cooking days in pint sized freezer bags & I absolutely love the convenience having single servings ready when I want them.  


These Strawberry Orange Smoothies have quickly become my ultimate favorite kind to have in the mornings.  You can even sneak in a little pureed carrot to it to give it a little more of a nutrition boost, and you can't even taste them.




Strawberry Orange Smoothies


Ingredients:
  • 20-25 whole strawberries
  • 4 cups orange juice
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • ice cubes to your preference


Instructions:


Combine everything in a blender or food processor until smooth.  (You may want to divide this in half & blend it in 2 sessions depending on the size of your blender/food processor)  Serve, or freeze in pint sized freezer bags for later use. 

From frozen, just unthaw a little until mushy :)



MrsHappyHomemaker

June 9, 2011

Creamy Gouda & Garlic Potatoes Au Gratin



I love starch.

I love cheese.

I love garlic.

And, I LOVE these potatoes.  I CRAVE these potatoes. Creamy, cheesy, garlic-y perfection.

June 8, 2011

Freezer Cooking Day & Dog Fights



Today was my big freezer cooking day.  I had a decent sized list of things I wanted to make today, and despite one little snag - I got them all done.



June 3, 2011

Rainbow Cupcakes


My youngest daughter just celebrated her 10th birthday - she's double digits now!  How that happened, I'm not quite sure.  I was pretty confident that she wasn't more than a day over 3.  It REALLY does not feel like 10 years ago that I had her.  What they say is true though with children - the days are long but the years are short.  (Too short!)


My mother and father made the nearly 6 hour journey up to my house with birthday cake in hand for her - so I was 'off the hook' this year for it.  However, she had a homeschool event the day after her birthday so I thought it would be nice if I made some cupcakes to share amongst her friends for the occasion.  




It didn't take me long to decide upon Rainbow Cupcakes.  They are the easiest things to make, and they just brighten up the kids eyes.  They even risen the curiosity in the moms.  Each time I bring them anywhere, not excluding our little homeschool event, I always have people ask me 'HOW did you make these??  They are so cool!".  


They are so cool.





All you need is your standard yellow or white cake mix.  You can make it from scratch, or you can make it from a box.  It doesn't really matter at all.  Mix up the cake batter, and then divide the batter between different bowls.  How many bowls is completely up to you - it just depends on how many different colors you want in your rainbow cupcakes.  Squirt in enough food coloring in each bowl to give it a vibrant color, and stir it all up.  




In a cupcake pan, spoon a dollop of each color inside the cups.  When they are 2/3 of the way full (or more full if you want bigger cupcakes) - bake them according to your cake mix directions.  Let them cool before frosting.  







MrsHappyHomemaker


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