Cooking for a family, while making family time
It’s not very often I get invited to adult only events, so when I do I want to be sure to bring adult food. Enter my antipasto skewers, a portable version of the always favorite antipasto platters. These platters are always such a hit and […]
I like to plan a few home activities for the kids when they’re with me all summer. We had done structures like this at a family school event before but with marshmallows. The kids and I both loved building them together so I was eager […]
I love a good hamburger! They are hands down one of my favorite things to get out at restaurants. I like to get them out, because admittedly they are not one of my favorite things to make. However, I do sometimes make them at home, but I take a lot of short cuts to get there. First, I usually make sliders, less burger shrinking and becoming angry Mommy Spice that my burgers didn’t come out perfect. To keep things even easier and quicker on yourself you can buy fresh pre-made burger or slider patties in the refrigerated meat section of your grocery store. Now if you want to keep things super easy, you don’t even need this post, some of the pre-made burgers come with seasoning or stuffed with things and those usually don’t need any additional work at all. However, I like to get the plain pre-made burgers or sliders and just add this quick seasoning.
Ingredients:
1lb hamburger meat rolled into patties or pre-made patties
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Additional ingredients:
Worcestershire sauce
Method:
Let your burgers sit on the counter, while you make your seasoning dry rub. Cooking tip, if you let the beef come to room temperature before grilling you will get a more even cook throughout (no well done burger edges and Medium done inside). Now to make your seasoning dry rub just combine the salt, garlic, paprika and brown sugar in a small bowl. Next, evenly sprinkle the mixture over both sides of each hamburger patty, pressing slightly to make sure the seasoning all adheres. If the burgers seem dry at all, you can add a teaspoon or so of Worcestershire sauce to your dry rub. This will make it more of a paste consistency, but does add additional flavor. Next, grill your burgers to your desired done-ness. Add cheese and other toppings and enjoy!
I love this little short cut, for adding flavor but keeping the burger process easy. If you enjoy making burgers from scratch feel free to throw the seasoning mix into your meat mixture before forming your patties. A good burger tip for this burger recipe or any burger recipe is to toast your bun! Butter the inside of both sides of your buns and get them lightly toasted, either on the top rack of your grill or in a frying pan. Getting a crust on your bun helps it to support the weight of the burger more and also it holds up to condiments and toppings without making your bun soggy. Having a crust on the bun also adds additional flavor from the butter and a nice texture contrast with the soft bun exterior and crunch on the inside. I hope this helps to take some pressure off of making hamburgers at home, and shaves off some of the time you have to spend in the kitchen.
Alright so parfait is a stretch, but the title was too cute to resist. However, you could layer this like a parfait and it would ring true to its title. Now that we got our food terminology out of the way we can get to […]
I had quickly written about these before but never in a formal post. Summer snack fest is upon us Mom’s now that it’s summer break. I like to have some extra healthy options around the house for the kids when they’re bugging for ANOTHER snack. […]
Alright foodies this one is a little different than what I usually post. We will be using kitchen ingredients, however, we’re not going to eat it, we’re going to paint with it! That’s one way to have fun with your food right? This 2 ingredient (3 if you include water) chalk paint is a summer staple activity at our house. It’s a fun twist on regular side walk chalk, and also makes for more vibrant results on your driveway and sidewalks.
Ingredients:
1- 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
Food dye
1- 1/2 cups water
Additional supplies needed:
Muffin tin
Paint brushes
Method:
Whisk together the cornstarch and water until fully combined, it should look like watery milk and be very white. Evenly pour your cornstarch mixture into the cups of your muffin tin. Next, add a few drops of food coloring to each muffin cup. Stir to incorporate the color into your cornstarch mixture. Take your muffin tin of chalk paint outside, give the kids some paint brushes and let them go to town on the pavement.
We’ve been making this paint chalk for quite a few years now and I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks to make yours more successful. I find using the gel food coloring works better than the liquid dropper. Also I like to leave a muffin tin cup or two just plain white for painting. If your driveway is black like ours, the white contrasts really nicely. I like to also be sure to bring a cup of water to rinse the paint brushes between colors. An array of sizes in paint brushes is good too. My toddler does better with the shorter, fatter paint brush handles, whereas my oldest prefers a smaller paintbrush for adding details to her artwork. The best part of this, it rinses off just like regular sidewalk chalk. So hose it off when you’re done, or wait until the next rain, the artwork will wash away no problem. Your muffin tins on the other hand, will need a good scrub once you’re done, so rinse them once you’re through painting.
I have just fallen in love with Mexican street corn. It became a staple around here last summer, the flavors are just awesome! I decided to try and take my love for this side dish and make it the main dish and boy did it […]
This recipe lives up to its title, EASY! It only requires 3 ingredients, one of which is water, so really only 2 ingredients! This lemonade comes together quick and is a hit for springtime potlucks, barbecues or birthday parties. Once you master the base of […]
Do you ever find you only make certain dishes seasonally? Potato salad is one of those items for me. It just screams BBQ and warm weather. I make potato salad every spring for Easter with my family, my Dad always loves it and says it reminds him of the potato salad my grandmother made. Can’t fight the classics, and that’s exactly what this dish is.
Ingredients:
5-6 medium russet potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup red onion
1 cup celery
Salt and Pepper
Optional:
Hard boiled eggs
Method:
Peel and chop your potatoes into bite size chunks about 1” and place into a large pot of salted cold water. Boil your potatoes until fork tender, about 12 minutes or so. Fork tender just means you can easily pierce your fork into the potato pieces. It should be soft enough to chew and eat. Once you potatoes are cooked, drain all of the cooking liquid out and line then on a baking sheet to cool. While your potatoes cool, make your dressing. Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper until smooth. Next dice your celery and onion small and around the same size. Now place your potatoes into a large bowl and pour in your dressing mixture, tossing gently to coat completely. Then add in your veggies and sprinkle with extra salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Cover and place in the fridge for at least a few hours to overnight for the best results. Eat within 72 hours.
It might sound strange that I mentioned above, laying your potatoes flat on a baking sheet to cool. I do this so that my potatoes cool evenly, if you place them in a bowl the potatoes on the bottom will keep cooking from the residual heat of the potatoes on top. Also your potatoes will start to brown or gray if exposed to the air for too long, so be sure not to cool them too long. You can also rinse your potatoes in cold water if you desire after boiling and this will help both cool them faster and prevent browning. I think the flavor is best in any mayonnaise based salad if you give it a solid 12+ hours in the fridge before eating. That being said, making your potato salad the night before will actually give you less to do the day of, just take it out and give it a good stir and you’re ready to go.
We took our first Disney vacation as a family last fall and it was just as magical as I had hoped it would be. I did so much research and planning it felt like my head was spinning with Disney knowledge. I figured I might […]
