Chinese 5-Spice Burger

Chinese 5-Spice Burger

Several years ago I entered a Sunset Magazine cooking contest for "Best Burger". The only requirement was that one of the ingredients be one of several local wines. Alas, I did not win the Grand Prize, but my name was placed beside the words "Honorable Mention."

Not too bad for someone who typically doesn't eat beef and doesn't own a grill.

I could elaborate with a long story. But today this recipe will be short, sweet, and to the point.

Photo Credit: James Carrier, Sunset Magazine

Equipment Needed

• 8 or 10-inch nonstick frying pan
• medium-size bowl
• charcoal or gas grill
• instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

• 1 cup button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions (including tops), finely chopped
• 6 tablespoons Chinese plum sauce
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons Merlot wine
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
• 1 tsp. dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tsp. salt
• vegetable oil for brushing on the grill rack
• 4 large sesame seed buns, split
• red lettuce leaves

Instructions

1. Pour oil into an 8- to 10-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat; when hot, add mushrooms and stir until lightly browned about 4 minutes. Stir in the green onions and plum sauce and remove from heat.
2. In a bowl, gently mix ground beef with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, Chinese five-spice, and ginger. Shape the beef mixture into four equal patties, each about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Lay patties on a lightly oiled barbecue grill over a solid bed of medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level for only 3 to 4 seconds); close the lid on the gas grill. Cook patties until no longer pink in the center (cut to test) or a thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160°, 6 to 8 minutes total, turning once to brown evenly. After 5 minutes, lay bun halves, cut side down, on the grill, and toast lightly, 1 to 2 minutes.

To assemble

1. On the bottom half of each roll, layer the lettuce, burger, and sautéed mushroom mixture. Cover with the roll tops.

A healthy breakfast sausage

In an effort to eat more healthily (...you're laughing, aren't you?) our family usually opts for poultry and seafood rather than beef or pork. But one item that has been difficult to do without is breakfast sausage. On Monday through Friday, we dutifully toast whole-grain bread and/or pour skim milk on whole-grain cereals. And truthfully, we're always in a hurry so toast or cereal works for us. But on the weekend, we would like to eat a more leisurely breakfast. In the past, we would enjoy eggs and potatoes with bacon or sausage, but we recognize that those aren't really healthy options. (Sigh!).

I can forgo the fried potatoes (although unwillingly). And actually, eggs are not a bad dietary choice. But what about the "meat"? OK, bacon is out. We occasionally cook "turkey bacon", but honestly, it's not even CLOSE to being bacon, is it?

So what about sausage? Full of fat and guilt. But I think we can change that.

Here is a recipe for homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage that has found a place in our diets, and we hope that you will like it too:

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup spicy V-8 (or you could use Bloody Mary mix)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon  ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1/2 teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

1. Soak oats in juice for 15 minutes in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until very well blended. Form the mixture into a 12-inch log. Wrap and freeze until firm enough to slice, about 1.5 to 2 hours. (Do NOT freeze solid).
2. Cut into 32 slices (about 3/8 inch thick). Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and store in a zip-lock bag for up to 3 months.
3. To cook, pan fry for 8-10 minutes--no need to thaw.

Yukon Gold Potato Pizza

Do you surf the internet? What are your favorite sites? One of my daughters loves Pinterest and pins ideas on home décor, crafts, and gardening. My older daughter likes video games, trains, and anything "Disney". My husband likes cars and websites about travel.

I look at recipes.

I've noticed a recent trend in "potato pizza". OK, I think that could be pretty tasty. I LOVE potatoes. But potatoes on top of a bread crust?  I have also seen recipes for pizza made with a puff pastry crust. Why not combine the two?

Photo Credit: Image by Markus Spiske from Pixabay 

Potato Pizza

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a 17.3-oz. pkg Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, (1 sheet), thawed
• 3 medium (about 1 lb.) Yukon Gold (waxy) potatoes
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 jar Alfredo pasta sauce
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup fresh arugula

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14x12-inch rectangle. Place the pastry onto a baking sheet. Brush the edges of the pastry with water. Fold over the edges 1/2 inch on all sides, crimping with a fork to form a rim. Prick the center of the pastry thoroughly with a fork. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. While the pastry is chilling, prepare the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Fill a large pot with the potato slices. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Add two teaspoons of salt to the water and place the pot over a high flame. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and cover. Check the potatoes after about 5 minutes--you want them to be crisp-tender because they will cook on top of the pizza.
4. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat; sauté the onions until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rosemary. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
5. Spoon the onion mixture onto the pastry. Cover it with the potato slices, then drizzle with the Alfredo sauce.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Let the pastry cool on the

Copycat Recipes - Olive Garden's Cheese-Filled Soffatelli

First, let me state that I do not have a fear of dining in restaurants. 

My family has (finally) grown accustomed to my desire to create everything and anything related to food in our kitchen. While others watch an advertisement for a local restaurant and say "Mmmm, that sounds good. Let's go there to eat", I always say "Mmmm, that sounds good. I'll bet I can make that."

Such is the case with a 2011 television commercial for Olive Garden's cheese-filled soffatelli. I have no problem with the folks who operate Olive Garden. I've eaten there many times and have enjoyed every meal. But..... I also enjoy cooking, enjoy finding ways of making new things, and enjoy Italian food. So, why not try to replicate a recipe from a place I hold dear in my heart?

Well, I never tasted the soffatelli at Olive Garden. And it is no longer on the menu. So, I'm exercising a tremendous amount of ego to offer this recipe, and, if you use it, you are taking a giant leap of faith in my culinary skills. Let's jump off that cliff together, OK?

Olive Garden's Cheese-Filled Soffatelli

Ingredients

• 1 17.3 oz package puff pastry sheet, thawed
• 1 package Stouffer's Spinach Souffle (see note below)
• cooking spray
• One 8-oz packageSargento Fancy Shredded 6 Cheese Italian Cheese
• 2 whole fresh lemons
• 1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Puff pastry sheets are typically found in the frozen food section at your grocers. Unwrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to thaw. There are two sheets in each package. Unfold them, and cut each into 4 pieces, to make 8 squares total.
3. Remove the spinach souffle from its package. Lift one corner of the plastic wrap to vent; cook on full power in the microwave for 5 minutes. Remove, stir and return to the microwave. Cook for another 2 minutes. The mixture will be almost firm but not fully cooked. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
4. Divide the spinach souffle mixture into 8 equal pieces. Place one piece on each puff pastry square. Top each spinach souffle mound with 1 tablespoon of Italian cheese.
5. Bring the corners of each puff pastry up to the center—pinch together and seal the sides to form square "envelopes".
6. Lightly coat a large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place spinach/cheese-filled puff pastry envelopes on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, or until well-browned and puffed.
7. While the puffs are baking, prepare the sauce.
8. Using a zester, remove the yellow portion only of the lemon rind (don't cut into the white pith--it's bitter) and set aside. Mince the parsley until you have about 3/4 cup.
9. Heat the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the minced garlic and lemon rind; cook until the garlic and lemon are fragrant and then remove from heat. Stir in the minced parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Divide the sauce among 8 serving plates and place one baked soffatelli on top of each.

NOTE: What if you don't have/can't find Stouffer's spinach souffle? You can make your own. Here's the recipe:

Substitution for Stouffers Spinach Souffle

• 9 cups fresh spinach, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Wash spinach leaves. Place in a large (5-6 quart) pan. Cover and cook, stirring several times, until leaves are wilted. Pour leaves into a colander set in a bowl; let drain. When cool to the touch, squeeze excess liquid from the spinach with your hands. Reserve liquid.

In a food processor or blender, puree spinach with 3 tablespoons of the reserved liquid, eggs, flour, garlic, and lemon peel. Add salt to taste.