6/29/13

A Moment of Gratitude

Hola Amigos: It's almost midnight in my neck of the woods, another work week has come to an end and again by the Grace of  The One Above I was able to share my recipes, projects or simply thoughts with you my readers and fellow bloggers!
As some of you, now with kids at home, house chores, summer activities and  just trying to keep everybody happy and entertained I've had my hands full! It has been a little difficult to post, catch up with linky parties and most of all answer to all the sweet comments you so kindly take part of your precious time to write on my posts.

This post is for all of you that have stopped by the blog and not gotten your comment answered yet....Thank You! You have no idea how your comments keep me going and bring a smile to my face on days when things are kind of crazy and all you can do is...keep going!

To all of you who are kind enough to invite me to your awesome parties...Thank You...I still can't believe that great bloggers like you want me to hang out and bring my recipes or crafts over  and  be part of your blog and share my ideas with your readers!

To all the friends I've made through blogging, Thank You! Your support is invaluable, when I see your name on a comment I feel comforted that you are back, like an old friend stopping for a cup of coffee and telling me how her day was. You know who you are...and I know you are smiling and nodding your head as I you read these lines And know that when you don't show up for a while...you are deeply missed! That is what happens when you are in first name basis with someone else..lol!

I just wanted to take a minute to Thank You all for making these my blog a place that I look forward to come at the end of my day and try even harder to create something worthy of all your support and appreciation!

Have a great weekend my friends! Enjoy the company and love  of your family and friends. I'm blessed to have you all  as part of my world!
Besitos, 
Lizy

Also giving thanks to friends found at these Fabulous Parties:
Nanny to Mommy
Create with Joy
Sincerely, Paula
Judy H-J's Thoughts

6/27/13

Apple and Sage Pork Burgers with Green Apple Slaw Recipe

Hola Amigos! The weekend is almost here,  I can't believe how fast this week has gone by! and why it always feel like that when it comes to summer, while winter days seem to last forever...oh well, let's enjoy the sun while it lasts.
Tonight's dinner was prepared while we were busy mowing the lawn, weeding and all the stuff that you do to keep your yard in shape. So far only tiny strawberries and 0 blackberries...hmmm wonder what's going on with this year's crop...but back to the recipe.
 Something quick and easy needed to be done, so my hubs got his grill out and cooked some hot dogs for kiddo, some sausages for him and some pork burgers for me!
This burgers I made the same way you would made a pork  loin or chops. All the herbs but just a tiny touch of them because they can be strong and take over the flavors and apples! On top of the burger and on the side, Green Apple Slaw everything on a Hawaiian bun. Sounds tempting? Here is the recipe!

Apple and Sage Pork Burgers with Green Apple Slaw
1 Pd. Ground Pork
2 TBSP Apple Sauce
1 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp Sage (or to taste)
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Thyme Leaves (or to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste 
Hawaiian Buns
BBQ Sauce Optional

Add all these ingredients to the ground pork and mix until everything is combined. Form your patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the herbs can infuse the pork.
When this is done, grill your burgers keeping in mind is pork and it needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 (We are old school and still go to 155-160).

Green Apple Slaw
3 Cups Pre-Bagged Cole Slaw
2 Green Apples, no core, chopped in any fashion you like.
1 Small carrot shredded
1/4 of a Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
1/4 of a Orange Bell Pepper finely chopped
1/4 Red Onion Sliced
1/2 Cup Mayo
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
The Juice of Half a Lemon

Mix all the veggies and mayo in a salad bowl. Squirt a little bit of the juice of you half lemon into the chopped apples so they remain green and add them to the veggie bowl. In a measuring cup add the rest of the juice of your half lemon, mustard and brown sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, Add this to the veggie/apple mix, toss to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
I know the amounts of ingredients might look odd to you ( 1/4 of a bell pepper for instance) but I'm trying to keep it real and that is exactly what I used. 

Listo,

They were good and very satisfying. I just love the crispiness and tartness of the creamy green apple slaw combined with the sweetness of the Hawaiian bun with a bite of earthy and herb infused pork!

I'm sure you noticed that the burgers were glazed with BBQ sauce, my hubs, the grill master this time, likes everything with sauce so before I knew it it was already on the burgers, but they still were delicious!

The thing I love the most about burgers is that there is no wrong way of doing one! As long as you don't burn it of course!

And in case you were asking for cheese? Why not...Melted Swiss Cheese goes heavenly on top of this burger!

Thank you for sharing yet another burger recipe! Hope this one along with other favorites like our Hawaiian Burger with Aloha Sauce or the Black and Blue Burgers with Pimento Dressing becomes one of the burgers you'll give a try this summer!

Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love,
Besitos,
Lizy

6/25/13

Pizza Burgers Recipe

Hola Amigos, Ciao Paisanos! We are having pizza for dinner tonight, what's so great about it you are probably asking? It's a Pizza Burger! Everything you like in your pizza, just put it in a patty and a bun! It's summer folks, I let other people do the cooking,,I just deal with the prep, can you blame me?..LOL
This burger is super easy but remarkably tasty with endless possibilities, just like your regular pizza. Ready to give it a try, here is what I used.
Pizza Burgers

The Meats
The Veggies to top your pizza
 Your choice! Either roasted of raw, it's your pizza!
The Cheeses
A good 1/2 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese and Slices of Mozzarella to top your patties.
The Fixings
Your favorite veggies, more cheese, olives and pizza sauce.
The Bread
Extra Yuminess
 Roasted Garlic Butter
1 Stick of softened unslated butter, 1 TBSP chopped Italian Parsley, a pinch of salt and 1 Head of Roasted Garlic (peel garlic, chopped top, exposing top of the cloves, rub a little bit of olive oil on top, wrap your garlic on aluminum foil and bake in a 400F oven for 30-35 min. Remove from oven and when cool to the touch you are ready to squeeze each clove onto whatever you choose!)

Make your patties by mixing the meats, in regards of the pepperoni, there is no amount of it mentioned because you add as much as you want. You could either grind it up to have the same texture as the rest of your meat or diced it finely to get a spicy chunk in every bite. Add 1/2 of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and make patties to fit your buns. Mine were rectangles, grill until sausage is cooked. 
Top each burger while hot with a slice of Mozzarella Cheese and Pizza Sauce.
 Listo,
Now to put your burger together! To make it taste more like your favorite pizza dough add a little of Roasted Garlic Butter to each slice of Bread

 I got 4 good size burgers and 2 smaller ones for my little guy!

Just Consider the endless topping possibilities with this burger! I think I will make a Hawaiian soon!

So here is my Pizza Burger for tonight folks! Hope you enjoyed today's recipe and try a Pizza Burger of your own, would love it if you make it and let me know how it was! 

Thank You for sharing this meal with me! Remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love,

Besitos
Piccoli Baci, 
Lizy

Sharing some Pizza Burgers at these Fabulous Parties:
Feeding Big
Sara Howe
The Dedicated House
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
twelveOeight
Clairejustine oxox
Ms. enPlace
WCFS
Who Needs a Cape
4 You with Love
Sew Licious Home Decor
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Serenity You
Cherrios and Lattes
Whipperberry
Diana Rambles
Dear Creative
My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring
Simply Designing
The Best Blog Recipes
The Home Girl
504 Main
Love and Laundry
One Artsy Mama
The Pin Junkie
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Walking on Sunshine
My Turn (for Us)
Living Better Together
Sparkles and a Stove
Consider me Inspired
the Mandatory Mooch
Easy Life Meal and Plannig Food Done Light
No Minimalist here
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Real Coake.com
Sew Crafty Angel
Life with the Crust Cut Off
The Shady Porch
Dragonfly Designs
Ginger Snap Crafts
Ducks 'n a Row
Marty's Musings
Fluster Buster
Mom's Test Kitchen
Clean and Scentsible
Savvy Southern Style
Titi Crafty
Under The Table and Dreaming
Between Naps on the Porch
Food Done Light
Do Small Things with Love
Be Different, Act Normal
Chef in Training

6/24/13

Salmon and Shrimp Burgers Recipe

Hola Amigos! Happy Monday. Summer is here to stay now! Yesterday we had a rather hot and humid 90 degree weather day. Ufff...it can't get a little too hot sometimes but it's all good because at night we had the most amazing Super Moon!!! Oh My Word!...what a beautiful sight it was! and if you allow me to say this, the first thought that crossed my mind was God is Good!
But back to our burger today, Grill Master " Big Boy" had friends over and he wanted to try something different for them, could you please get me some salmon burgers at the store? he said...so off the store I went, no pre made patties though, time to improvise with fresh wild caught salmon and why not...add some large raw shrimp into the mix. I've never done home made salmon burgers before and never for a hungry teen crowd, talk about pressure!!! There goes nothing, I said...and here are the results:

Salmon and Shrimp Hamburgers

1 1/2 Pounds Salmon, finely minced and skinned
12 oz Raw Large Shrimp, finely minced, save a couple for garnish
1 Cup Panko
1 TBSP Seafood Seasoning
1/3 Cup finely chopped trilogy (celery onion and bell peppers)
1tsps fresh grind ginger
1 clove garlic
salt and peper to taste (optional)
1 Large Egg beaten
1 tsps Lemon juice
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
Buns, lettuce, fixings of your preference (we prepared or "copy cat campfire mayo and our go to glaze) 
In a large bowl mix Minced Salmon, shrimp, panko, trilogy, ginger and garlic.Mix with your hands until all ingredients are fully combined. At this moment you may add salt of pepper if you choose to, I did not.
In a separate bowl, combine egg, soy sauce and lemon juice.
Add this mixture to the salmon and shrimp bowl, mix and at this point make your patties.
Oil your grill (very important), place your burgers and cook to desired doneness . 
As soon as your burgers are done, grill the saved shrimp for a couple of seconds and garnish each burger with one of them . 
Fix them to your liking 
Listo. 

I tell you friends I had to steal 2 burgers in order to take some pictures, because I think they were gone the minute they were out of the grill, teens can really devour food when they feel like it, lol

I figure either they were good or the kids were plain hungry!

But it turns out they were good! As a matter of fact, I even heard the "we gotta make these again"! Whoot Whoot! Victory!

I think I've a hit among the teen crowd and will keep them coming for more!
Not quite sure is a good idea for my wallet, but I love to see them happy and well fed as you can see they also ate all of their veggies without protesting!

The campfire sauce is so easy, just 1/2 cup Mayo, 3 TBSP  BBQ Sauce and  1 TBSP Relish, yumm!

Yes there is a bit more work involved than just buying the ready made patties, but I tell you is well worthy, fresher taste, quality ingredients and best of all a happy crowd.

Thank You for visiting today! I hope your summer is extra warm with the love of your family and friends gathered around every meal!
Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love! 
Besitos,
Lizy

Sharing Grill Master Big Boy's newest creation at these Fabulous Parties:
Sara Howe
twelveOeight
Clairejustine oxox
Ms. enPlace
WCFS
Who Needs a Cape
4 You with Love
Sew Licious Home Decor
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Serenity You
Cheerios and Lattes
Whipperberry
Diana Rambles
Dear Creatives
My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring
Simply Designing
The Best Blog Recipes
The Home Girl
504 Main
Love and Laundry
One Artsy Mama
The Pin Junkie
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Walking on Sunshine
My Turn (for Us)
Living Better Together
Sparkles and a Stove
Consider Me Inspired
The Mandatory Mooch
Easy Life Meal and Planning
Food Done Light
No Minimalist Here
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Sew Crafty Angel
Real Coake.com
Life with the Crust Cut Off
The Shady Porch
Dragonfly Designs
Ginger Snap Crafts
Ducks 'n a Row
Marty's Musings
Fluster Buster
Savvy Southern Style
Love Bakes Good Cakes
Shaffer Sisters
Memories by the Mile
Rate The Plate Utah
Nap Time Creations
Pint Sized Baker
Sugar Bee Crafts
Our Home Away from Home
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Mom's Test Kitchen
Clean and Scentsible
Titi Crafty
Under the Table and Dreaming
Between Naps on the Porch
Do Small Things with Love

6/22/13

Marshmallow Salads Oreo and Strawberry Recipes

Hola Amigos! Happy First Day of Summer 2013!!!! Let the good times roll!!! Today I'm ending my series of Deli Salads with one seeing everywhere...the marshmallow salads...they must be good because they are in every single deli counter I've been. As it has been happening so far, I tried some...and some where too sweet   (to the point of  giving me a headache) yikes, some had nothing but marshmallows and no fluff and some others were just right but too many calories. Here is my version of the 2 most popular ones, chocolate and strawberry, I think I managed to keep them "waist friendly" but just in case I made only small batches!

Oreo Marshmallow Salad

1 1/2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
1/2 Container Fat Free Whipped Topping
1 (4 oz ) "Whips" Chocolate yogurt
6 Oreo Cookies Crushed, plus 4 for garnishing
1 1/2 TBSP French Vanilla Creamer
1 TBSP Chocolate Syrup

Mix all the ingredients, saving 4 Oreo cookies for garnishing. Chill and serve after 2 hours.
Listo,


Strawberry Marshmallow Salad

1 1/2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
1/2 Container Fat Free Whipped Topping
1 (.3oz) envelope Sugar Free Jello
1 (4 oz) "Whips" Strawberry yogurt
1 mandarin orange in segments
4 Strawberries chopped
2 TBSP shredded coconut
Maraschino cherries for salad and garnish

Mix all the ingredients saving some Cherries for garnish. Chill and serve after 2 hours.
Listo,


Pretty Tasty I should say and definitely a treat for kids and summer!

It's on the sweet side, so I'm glad I made small batches so it won't be tempted.

I don't think there's any way of making this salad light...I tried though, but with the marshmallows...forget about it, lol

There you have it my friends, we have explore this week at the blog a few of  my favorite Deli Salads, I hope I have inspired you to go and make some of your own. Who knows what beautiful and tasty things we are all capable of creating! Have a fantastic Summer everyone! and remember, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,
Lizy
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Bringing some marshmallow fluff at these Fabulous Parties:
Cheerios and Lattes
Life with the Crust Cut Off
Dragonfly Designs
Ginger Snap Crafts
Ducks 'n a Row
Marty's Musings
Fluster Buster
Clean and Scensible
Love Bakes Good Cakes
Shaffer Sisters
Memories by the Mile
Cozy Little House
Anyonita Nibbles
Feeding Big
Nap Time Creations
Our Home Away from Home
Sugar Bee Crafts
Hun...what's for dinner
Pint Sized Baker
I Gotta Try That
This Moma's Ramblings
WCFS
Opulent Cottage
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Sweet2Eat Baking
Dessert Now, Dinner Later
Classy Clutter
Sew-Licious Home Decor
Heatherly Loves
Life in Lakeshore Drive
Spatulas on Parade
Navy Wifey Peters
Pink When
The Chicken Chick
Ms. enPlace
Frugal Foodie Mama
twelveOeight
Claire Justine oxox
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Under the Table and Dreaming
In the Kitchen with Jenny
The Shabby Nest
Chocolate Chocolate and More