New House...New Kitchen! New way to make burgers?

 We just moved into a new house...

with a much nicer and larger kitchen ...

 I'm almost afraid we'll have to change the title of this blog! Well...maybe not...
Anyway, today I'm going to share my first cooking experience in our new kitchen.  It was not our first meal here, just the first I cooked.  So without further ado...

Homemade burgers!!!
But wait, Dave, you are thinking.  You've already done an entry about homemade burgers...
True, but that was a Wordless Wednesday...I'm gonna talk about these ones.
As we have just moved in, I did not have my usual seasonings at my disposal...okay, so I once again started prepping the meat before CHECKING that I had everything I needed.  So I got creative....

The ingredients from left are nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, Panko breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, "woostah", black pepper, Newman's Own Mango Tango salsa, also added, but not pictured: one egg and crushed up blue corn tortilla chips.  Yeah, I know, ghetto, right?

They tasted AWESOME!  Despite their Frankensteined creation, they turned out juicy and delicious, especially when topped with Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue sauce.

Join me next time when I talk about some of the foods I enjoyed on my recent trip to Brazil!

Fri Fam Faves: Nutty Noodles!

I'm about a month overdue for one of these features.  Today I'm sharing a recipe that is Audrey approved. 

If you haven't seen my previous posts mentioning this, my 5-year old daughter, Audrey, is a bit picky and often fickle about her culinary preferences.  

However, she loves peanut butter, cucumbers, noodles, and green peppers.  So a dish that combines them is right up her alley. 

So, I present to you...NUTTY NOODLES!  A delectable dish that is similar to Thai Peanut Noodles without the heat. 

Drink Review Monday DOUBLE FEATURE: Bell's HopSlam and Dogfish Head 120 Minute Pale Ale

So, after a near month's inactivity, I have returned with an as promised Monday Drink Review.

For this inaugural entry, I have decided to copy my co-conspirator contributor on Epic Portions and do a review of HopSlam.

First, a little back-story about my budding relationship with Bell's Brewery.  I had just discovered this awesome microbrewery last May when I went home to good old Saline, MI for my post-deployment leave.  I had some of their Oberon summer ale and quite enjoyed it.  It was bittersweet, though, knowing that as a microbrew in Michigan, I would probably be hard pressed to find their offerings once I returned to VA.

Family Faves Fridays: Tofu Mac and Cheese

This recipe is a family staple.  You can ask either of my two oldest girls what's for dinner on Monday nights and they will tell you "MAC AND CHEESE!"  This started with Kraft brand, then Amy started making her mom's recipe, then her own variation, before discovering yet another tasty recipe by Nava Atlas for Mac and Cheese with Secret Silken Tofu sauce.  The recipe is very simple and with the substituting tofu for milk, soy cheese, and margarine for butter, it's also vegan.  However, we stick to god ol' Kraft cheddar cheese and Horizon organic butter.

    Cook the pasta of your choice (I prefer cavatappi or shells) as you normally would.  Puree one 13.5 oz package of silken tofu in a blender or food processor.  Transfer to a saucepan and add 2 Tbls butter or marg along with 2 cups of cheese.  We like to use either mild or extra sharp cheddar, shredded.  It also pays to buy the Kraft or Sargento brand rather than trying to save 50 cents with the Always Save, Kroger, or Food Lion brands.  You're using tofu, people, pamper yourself a bit!  You could even go all out and get the "fancy shredded" cheddar.

   Anyway, bring the sauce to a simmer, then heat on low until cheese is thoroughly melted.  Finally, combine the cooked pasta and sauce in a serving container and stir together, adding salt to taste.  The tofu makes the sauce extra rich and combined with the pasta, it creates a complete starch and protein for the meal.  So tasty, they'll never know it's good for them.

And don't you dare tell them...

By the way, the beverage in the pic is a Sam Adams Imperial Stout and is so strong, it makes Guinness taste like spring water.

Homemade Sushi

This past weekend, my mother came to visit us and one of her requests was that we make sushi for her. Now, Amy and myself are by no means experts nor an authority on sushi, nor even skilled enough to do anything fancy such as maki rolls, but we feel fairly competent with the basic California Roll or some fun experiments using imitation crab or softened sweet potatoes. We haven't tried using raw fish yet, though we have extremely fresh fish readily available in Norfolk. Maybe we'll get some from the farmer's market next time we feel like making it.

But I digress...