Bistro Burger and Garlic Parmesan Fries

Bistro Burger

1 1/4 lbs of ground beef
1 T. ketchup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. basil
1/2 t. thyme
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. Cavenders
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, using your hands, combine the beef with all ingredients. Divide into 4 patties and grill to likeness. (Side note: We used our indoor grill pan due to excessive heat! If you don't have one, you need one.)

Meanwhile, slice 1 small onion and 1 cup of mushrooms. Saute in 1 T. of butter until browned. Once burgers are cooked, top with sauteed mushroom and onions then finish off with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese.



Garlic Parmesan Fries

2 large baking potatoes
2 T. vegetable oil
1 t. salt
2 T. butter
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
2 T. parmesan cheese
1 t. dried parsley

Using a mandoline or by hand, cut potatoes into strips leaving the skin on. Then toss potatoes with oil and salt. Spread on greased cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes at 400 degrees turning potatoes over after 20 or so minutes.

Place butter, garlic powder and dried parsley in a small bowl and microwave until butter is melted. Toss butter mixture with cooked fries and top with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Kim

(Disclaimer: My photos are in no way professional! Good thing our blog is about food and not photography.)

Kim's Chris Filet Mignon

This is my cousin's recipe for an exceptional Filet Mignon (or any steak for that matter). It makes one great steak that rivals any that you would get at Outback, Fleming's or Ruth's Chris. The marinade is simply a combination of soy sauce and garlic powder. It depends on how many steaks you make to the measurements. For six steaks I used one 10 oz. bottle of Soy Sauce and 3 tablespoons of garlic powder. Lay the steaks in a baking dish and pour marinade over steaks. Marinate for 1 hour turning over at 30 minutes. Before placing steaks on the grill I added a bit of Cavender's for a bit of peppery taste that is not too overpowering.

Heat the grill to medium high heat (some people say high heat, but I think it's too dangerous to cook the steak too fast and make it tough). Grill steaks for 5-10 min. on each side (depending on how you like your steaks cooked). A trick to make grill marks on the steaks is to turn the steaks 90º to create the cross-hatch look.

We cooked some baked potatoes and grilled some corn on the cob to go along with the steaks.

- Enjoy the Steaks! They are phenomenal!
Alex

Beasley's BBQ Chicken

One morning Alex was on his way to work and a car happened to pass him that was advertising Beasley's Best Bbq Sauce. Fast forward a couple of months and we just happened to find the Bbq sauce at a little general store in downtown Wake Forest. We went to our local grocery store and bought a whole bone-in chicken to grill.

To grill the chicken:
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and seasoned salt.
Place chicken on the grill on low heat (heat too high will dry the chicken out).
For the final 5 minutes, baste the chicken with Beasley's BBQ Sauce.
Make sure chicken is cooked through (or heated to internal temperature of 160-170 degrees).

Take chicken off grill and enjoy! We also grilled some corn on the cob and diced potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil with onions and garlic.

Stuffed Chicken

3 pieces of chicken breasts
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of sliced grape tomatoes
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 box of bow tie pasta
1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 cup of heavy cream
Seasonings: Italian seasoning and rosemary

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken between two pieces of saran wrap then pound flat a meat tenderizer (or whatever you can find). Layer the cheese, seasonings, mushrooms and tomatoes on each piece of chicken. Carefully fold the chicken in half then stick several toothpicks through the top of the chicken to hold everything together. Place chicken in a greased 9x13 dish and cook for 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to box directions.

Sauce: In a blender (or we use the magic bullet!) crush the can of diced tomatoes. Mix crushed tomatoes with heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then let simmer on low heat stirring occasionally.

Serve chicken (don't forget to take out the toothpicks!) over pasta and drizzle sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Tacos

This was my first recipe I came up with. When Kim and I were first dating, I flew from Raleigh to San Antonio to see her at her grandparents house. On the way back, I had a 3 hour morning layover in Dallas at the DFW Airport. Of course, to pass the time I got a bite to eat at the TGI Friday's and ordered breakfast tacos (they don't serve anymore) and they were fantastic! As I ate the tacos and reflected on my wonderful weekend with my beautiful girlfriend Kimberly (now my wife) I thought to myself, "I could make those..." And so once I got back to my apartment I made them, and they were even better than the TGI Friday's version if I do say so myself.

Here's the recipe:
3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 lb red potatoes, diced
1/2 lb sausage, crumbled
5 eggs, scrambled
1 cup or so shredded cheddar cheese, for topping tacos
Spices (Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, Cavender's Greek Seasoning (my favorite), Seasoned Salt, Salt and Pepper, and Italian Seasoning)
4 Taco size flour tortillas

Heat oil in large skillet and place potatoes in the skillet. While the potatoes are cooking, season the potatoes with all the spices (the main two to use the most of are chili powder and italian seasoning). Don't be afraid to season liberally because the potatoes are where the seasoning comes from in the tacos. Next, cook the sausage and the eggs in separate skillets. Finally brown tortillas in a buttered skillet. After the potatoes, sausage, and eggs are cooked thoroughly, place them in the tortilla and top with cheese. Fold tortilla like a taco and enjoy!

- Alex

Restaurant Review: Catch 31

Alex is on Easter Break from school so we made a quick getaway trip to Virginia Beach, VA. We had some great seafood there and one of the restaurants we ate at was Catch 31 at the Hilton Oceanfront Hotel. (Don't worry we stayed at the Comfort Inn...)

We had a wonderful lunch sitting outside overlooking the beach. Our appetizer was french fries tossed in herbs and butter served with a side of chipotle ketchup.

I ordered the fish tacos which served as a tasty, light lunch. On the other hand, the tacos did not contain as much fish as I would have liked.

Fish Tacos

Alex ordered a soft-shell crab sandwich. Although it looks like they fried the thing alive, it was absolutely delicious! It was simply a soft-shell crab deep fried (real healthy, I know!) served on a bun with mayonnaise and tomatoes. It definitely made for a great sandwich. He also had a side of sweet potato fries.

Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich

Overall we would give Catch 31: 4 out of 5 stars.

We're Alive!

Sorry we haven't updated in awhile. Life has been somewhat hectic for the past week and a half with a wedding and the birth of our new nephew, Philip Joshua.

We will be posting a new recipe shortly...Stuffed Chicken. You do not want to miss it!

In the meantime, you can "ooh" and "aah" over this sweet picture!

Love, Kim