Tortilla Wrapped Herb Burgers

I was on a walk with the family the other night when the smell of freshly grilled burgers wafted across my olfactory senses. I couldn't escape it's grasp and HAD to have a burger. I didn't have a grill to work with and as you can see from the picture buns so I got creative with the four tortillas we had in the pantry. I know you'll enjoy!

1 lb ground beef

1 package of Lipton Savory Herb and Garlic soup mix

1/4 cup of shredded (not grated) parmesan or romano cheese

1/2 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese

4 large tortillas

Olive Oil for coating the pan

Combine the ground beef, soup mix, and cheese in a bowl. Divide into four burgers. Cook until done, I prefer mine to be slightly pink...but that's me ;)

Sprinkle some of the cheddar on the bottom of each of the tortillas. Place a burger on top and sprinkle with more cheddar. Fold all four sides over to create a square.

Coat pan with olive oil and heat on med.-hi, place the folded sides down until light brown, turn and cook until brown and crisp.

And there you have it! Yummy flavor packed burgers. I had to cut them in half to eat. I mostly enjoyed not messing with a bun, yet still having just enough texture to make this burger a winner!

Cherry Chocolate Cake

My birthday was this week! February 9th to be exact and my co-workers and I always celebrate with food. I'm usually in charge of cakes and since mine are (not to brag but true:) ) pretty great, I had to make my own. I chose to go with one of my favorite flavor combinations: chocolate and cherry. I top it off with some homemade whipped cream and a cherry. It's almost like a sundae in cake form!

Cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix (see box for additional ingredients, substitute water with milk and use eggs at room temperature)

1 sm box of INSTANT chocolate pudding

1 can of Cherry Pie filling

Frosting:

2 pints heavy whipping cream

2tbs confectioners sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract (clear if possible)

*optional jar of hot fudge...YUM

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Prepare cake according to directions on the box. Substitute the water for milk and use room temperature eggs. Add in box of pudding. Beat mixture for 6 minutes on medium speed. Fold in 2/3 of Cherry Pie filling. Reserve the remainder for later. Bake for 22-28 minutes, cake is done when a tooth pick is inserted in the center and comes out clean. Cool on baking racks.

Pour whipping cream, vanilla and sugar into a chilled bowl. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over beat because you'll end up with sweet butter instead : ).

Spread the bottom layer with some of the whipped cream mixture and the remaining cherries from the can of pie filling. At this point just use the cherries because the filling will ooze out of the sides. Place the top layer on the filling. Frost with the remaining whipped cream. For details like the picture I filled a piping bag with the whipped cream and used a star tip around the top and bottom of the cake.

*OPTIONAL*

You may poke holes in the cake while it is still warm and spread the hot fudge (heated up) over the bottom layer. After it cools follow the remaining steps to finish the cake.

*just FYI the cake shown was a two layer six-inch cake.

Breakfast in a Crock Pot???

I originally came across a version of this recipe in a 5 Ingredient Fix It and Forget It book. The name was Blueberry Fancy (Leticia A. Zehr, Lowvile, NY). I'm not going to lie, I was almost averted by the idea that I might find something with this title at a family reunion but when I read what was involved I got excited really quick not to mention that it is made in a crock pot! I did change several things and the one I am going to share today doesn't have any blueberries in it. Note that the fruit and flavors of the cream cheese in the recipe are interchangeable, just use what you like. Today I'm working with strawberries and pineapple cream cheese. I've used strawberries and blueberries with strawberry cream cheese in the past and YUM! I have also used the original recipe which called for plain cream cheese. I don't recommend this because it is too tangy and there isn't enough sweetness from the blueberries (or fruit of choice) to cut it. FYI I'm still trying to find an appropriate name for this...comment if you come up with something!

1 loaf French or Italian Bread cubed, divided

1 pint of strawberries, sliced (frozen is fine)

8 oz pineapple cream cheese divided

6 eggs (beaten)

2 cups of milk

1 tsp vanilla

2tbs granulated sugar

1. Beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar in a separate bowl

2. Place half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the crock pot

3. Sprinkle half of the strawberry slices over top of the bread

4. Drop teaspoonfuls of the pineapple cream cheese over the strawberries using half of the container.

5. Pour half of the egg mixture over the layers.

6. Repeat all three layers

7. Cover and cook on low until the dish is set, between 3 and 4 hours.

*I am looking to cook this in the oven to speed things up. I'll update you when I come up with temperature and cooking time. Also if you're feeling adventurous feel free to beat the cream cheese into the egg mixture. I would imagine it smooths things out and you don't end up with a big bite of cream cheese and nothing else...not that it would be so bad ;)

*** UPDATE***

The oven version was a SUCCESS. I even took my advice and beat the cream cheese into the egg mixture. I tested it out on our guest this morning. I guess he liked it because he got two helpings. Just follow the directions above except you need to preheat the oven to 400, layer the ingredients in a 13x9 pan and bake for 25 minutes or until set.

Roasted Garlic, Lime Rubbed Roast

Tonight I am preparing the most delicious roast ever. It takes no time at all to prepare and cook. This is sure to please your family, and if you choose, your dinner guests.

1 Pot Roast

20 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp thyme

zest of 1/2 lime

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste (use a little more salt than you think is necessary, trust me!)

Preheat oven to 350

Place garlic in a frying pan on low heat with a cover until soft and golden brown. Place all remaining ingredients in a food processor and puree until mostly smooth. Cover the roast completely in the garlic mixture. Place a meat thermometer in the center of the roast. Put in the oven until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. This will take about 30-45 minutes. Let the meat rest so the juices redistribute and the roast remains moist. Slice thin and serve with mashed potatoes or the side of your choice.

*I suggest saving half of the roast and using in in beef wraps the following night. Just slice thin, add some provolone cheese and wrap in a tortilla. Warm in the microwave for 20-30 sec. Sear in a frying pan to finish off with a nice crisp! There's no better way to deal with left overs : )

What's Cooking Jess?

I would like to dedicate this blog to all of the yummy stuff I come up with to cook. Sometimes I'll review or revamp a recipe I find. I would love for you to test things out, tell me what you think! Things will vary from sweet to savory, made from scratch to out of the box. I can't wait to get started, maybe you'll be able to come up with something to test out on your own. Happy Eating!