Guest Blogger-Greek Feta Burgers from Running with the Deviled Eggs

How's everyone doing so far? Even though I'm having a fabulous time, I REALLY do miss all of you! Today we dock in Venice, Italy in the afternoon and I can't wait to walk the cobblestone streets and take a night time gondola ride. 


I'm so excited to have our next Guest Blogger here with us today. This is her first time doing this sort of thing and I'm THRILLED and HONORED that she decided to share herself and her wonderful recipe with us. Please join me in welcoming Katrin! 

Katrin, or Betty Martha as her close friends like to call her is the lady behind Running with the Deviled Eggs blog. A recent newleywed and mother of 1 fabulous teenager (Little Ugh), Katrin spends her time in her kitchen dancing around to music from all genres while trying to prepare healthy and tasty dishes for her family.  She tries to keep her ingredients as fresh and as local as possible, keeping frozen or pre packaged foods out of her cupboards. When she is not in her own kitchen she spends her time at work, in another kitchen, baking cakes, cupcakes, and other various desserts. Her mantra - Food for your mouth, Fuel for your soul!

Running With the Deviled Eggs is a food diary with everyday recipes for the novice to advanced cooks with a little tune to keep you dancing in the kitchen. When Carrie put our a call for some help guest posting I was so excited to be asked I said yes immediately! I never get asked, I'm like the kid who's picked last to play basketball (white girls can't jump).  So of course I feel honored to help her out while her kitchen is being revamped but more than that, I love Carrie's blog!  Her creativeness makes me drool ALL the time.  I only hope my recipe will make you drool like hers do for me! (Awe, thanks Katrin and my daughter and I were drooling over these burgers too!)

Last week there was a sale on lean ground beef $1.88/lb! We don't eat beef all that often but how could I resist that price? It meant meatballs and burgers were comin'. Burgers are meant to be juicy, flavorful yet simple. There's no need to load it up with fillers or toppers. Sometimes subtlety works. This is just the case here.

Now, I can't say for sure but I believe the fact that I froze the patties and cooked from frozen may have had an extra helping hand in the moistness factor. I plan on trying it out again soon (with a different recipe) just to test the theory but at least you know you can freeze them well and cook from frozen.

I've said it before, when cooking I don't necessarily measure ingredients, I eyeball consistencies, taste (where I can) and use the "little of this" mantra and this recipe is no exception. The amounts are generalizations of my recollections so feel free to add, omit or change flavors up a little

Greek Feta Burgers

Enough to make 4 1/4lb burgers
1 lb lean ground beef
1 egg
1/3 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 red onion grated
1 clove garlic grated
4 tbsp. chopped feta
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together in one bowl. If a little wet add in a bit more bread crumbs. Form into 4 patties making the inner part thinner for a more even cooked burger. I placed them between layers of parchment and tossed them into a freezer bag and into the freezer for a few days before we grilled them (about 5-7 minutes per side from frozen!) Top with homemade tzatziki, cucumbers, feta, tomatoes or olives. Mine just had tzatziki! YUM!

You can aldo find Katrin on Facebook and Twitter

Click HERE for the original post. 

Sun Dried Tomato & Asiago Cheese Turkey Burgers

Well, today is officially Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for this year. I have a wonderful family and support system that is there for me whenever and wherever (and I hope I'm there just as much for them!). I have my health, which in past years has been a little sketchy and also known by some as "The Farias Curse".  I have a roof over my head(even if we loose heat and electric once in a while..lol) and I get to do what I love best every single day...experimenting in my kitchen and sharing my passion with each of you. You truly are amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading what I have to say each day here in my little corner of this vast foodie universe. :)


So, since I'm a little busy cooking our Thanksgiving feast today, I figured I'd at least share with you one of my recent creations. Hey, at least it's turkey-something! 


Happy Thanksgiving!

Sun Dried Tomato & Asiago Cheese Turkey Burgers
1 lb. 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey
1/2 c. Asiago Cheese, shredded
1/4 c. Scallions, chopped
1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes, not packed in oil
1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Canola Oil


Mix all ingredients together until well blended and form into four patties. Grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until internal temperature is at least 165 degrees. Makes 4. 


Points+=7


Now go and watch the parade....Enjoy!

Kalamata Olives & Havarti Chicken Burgers with Oregano Fried Potatoes

I know...a weird combination but they were actually very tasty(even though the olives look like cherries in the picture). However, if I make these again, I'll probably make a couple of changes.

1. Use a regular grill vs. my indoor one(it was raining and I didn't feel like standing outside). By the time I got decent grill marks on my burgers, they were a little dried out.

2. Use a slightly less olives. Kalamata olives are VERY potent and you have to really like their flavor or it could be a little too much.

Kalamata Olives & Havarti Chicken Burgers
1 lb. Ground Chicken
2oz. Havarti Cheese, diced in small pieces
1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
12 Kalamata Olives, pitted and chopped
1 Clove Garlic
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together until well blended and form 4 patties. Grill until internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees. Serves 4.





Next, I was in the mood for some french fries with our burgers so instead of the traditional way, I cut them up into small cubes, fried them, then tossed them in a mixture of salt, pepper and oregano...Yum!

Oregano Fried Potatoes
5-6 Medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c. Canola Oil
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the potatoes. Allow potatoes to get golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels or a brown paper bag to remove excess oil. In a separate bowl, mix together your seasonings and add the cooked potatoes. Toss well. Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Cheeseburger "Sliders"

To me, I just call them mini-hamburgers. But in today's day and age, they are infamously known as "Sliders". Growing up, the only real mini-burger we heard of was at White Castle and it took a good 45 minutes to get to the closest one from where I lived. Now, they have a whole food category all on their own. In fact, when searching on FoodNetwork.com, there are 78 listed different kinds of them on their site alone...amazing! So I did a little bit of research to find out who REALLY invented the slider and this is what I found out. 

In the 1940s, Walter Anderson formed White Castle. He wanted his burgers to be as inexpensive as possible so he made them small and came up with his own cooking process (that still exists in the business today). White Castle sells its own original burgers under the trademark Slyders, these will always be known as the first and the best.

So, there you have it. Mine aren't that special. Just some ground beef, cheese, ketchup and Kosher Dill Sandwich Pickles; however, I only use Kings Hawaiian Sweet Rolls when I make mine. I stumbled upon them by accident several years ago after coming home from a weekend in MA and visiting Fall River for some Chorizo and Portuguese Sweet Bread. We brought some bread home and it was about to get stale so I decided to put hamburgers on it. It was so good and added a little sweetness; which a regular roll doesn't have. Then I found these Kings Hawaiian rolls at the supermarket and decided to try them out and it was a close match. 

We don't have this meal often (as you can see by my over 50+ recipes in the last month and not one burger has been had for dinner) but every now and then, my kids crave some good 'ole burgers and fries. We're not a "fast-food" type of family. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've eaten at one in the last few years. Though, when Wendy's came out with their Sea Salt French Fries, my youngest was all gung-ho and wanted to try them. But then, once she had them, she said "it was not a big deal" and hasn't asked to go back since. Who needs Wendy's when you can make them at home yourself in minutes!

Cheeseburger "Sliders"

1 lb. Ground Beef

1-Package of 12 Kings Hawaiian Rolls

6 Slices American Cheese

Form 12 mini-hamburger patties and grill approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Add 1/2 slice cheese to each burger until it is melted and put on roll. Top burger with your favorite condiments. 

Enjoy!