Smoked Gouda Stuffed Burgers

Today was an amazingly warm Texas winter day reaching up into the high 80s in temperature.  The warm weather had us longing for summer cookouts and gave Liam and I the craving for burgers...  However anyone who knows me knows that I can't just make regular burgers, I have to stuff them with cheese.  Today's cheese of choice was a delicious smoked gouda!  It melted very nicely and the flavor complimented well with the burger.  I tried a little different method with adding in the egg to help stick the burger to the cheese but abstaining from using the bread crumbs.  There was one burger that had too much egg and started to fall apart while cooking, but the rest stuck together very well and tasted quite succulent. 

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
Seasoning (Barbecue, Hickory Smoked Balsamic)
1 Egg
Block cheese to be cut into cubes (amount depends on how many burgers you make out of your hamburger)
Hamburger buns if desired
Condiments as desired

Directions:
Put the hamburger into a bowl and season generously, add an egg.  Mix it all together with your hands.  Form into burger circles, add more seasoning on top if you prefer more flavor.  Cut the cheese into cubes for the middle of the burger.  Press the cheese down into the middle of the formed burgers and reform the burger to envelop the cheese.  Cook in a pan on med-high heat.  Press down with a spatula to flatten some for the hamburger bun.  cook until desired level of completion (you may have to cook in several batches depending on how many burgers you created).  Serve and enjoy!

Add burger, seasoning and egg into a mixing bowl

Mix it all together with your hands

Form into burger shapes

Sprinkle seasoning on top

Press blocks of cheese into the middle

Place in pan to cook!

Serve & Enjoy!

Avocado Mac & Cheese

I came across this delicious recipe awhile back and have been wanting to try it but was a little fearful of how it would turn out.  With as weird as it sounds, it definitely was VERY delicious!  Of course I wouldn't recommend it if you aren't a big fan of Avocados or cheese ;)  I also made up some quick and easy grilled vegetable spears that were a nice compliment to the flavor.


Ingredients:

13 ounces dry medium shell pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Alpine Touch, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 Cup Smoked Gouda Cheese (cubed)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh avocado chunks, for garnish, if desired

Grilled Veggies:
1 Zucchini (Peeled & cut into spears)
3 Large Carrots (Peeled & cut into spears)
Olive Oil
Alpine Touch

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in the pasta. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in both cheeses and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.
4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks, if desired.
*Note-the lime juice keeps the avocado from browning. The mac and cheese is best eaten the first day, but it is still good the second day. The pasta may turn slightly brown, but not bad.

Grilled Veggies:
Preheat oven to 425.  Lay tinfoil out on a cookie sheet.  Place the speared vegetables onto the tinfoil and coat with olive oil and season with Alpine Touch.  Cook for about 15 minutes, allow a couple of minutes to cool and serve. 

Cook pasta until Al Dente

Blend avocado sauce until creamy

Melt butter in a pan

Mix in the flour

Mix in the milk

Lay the vegetable spears out on the tin foil and cover with oil and seasoning

Place pasta in a large bowl and coat with the avocado sauce

Coat with the cheese sauce until mixed thoroughly

Remove grilled veggies from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes

Serve pasta with additional avocado slices and cilantro and enjoy!

Smoked Cheesy Chicken Pasta

A delicious and fresh tasting pasta.  My first try and I love how it turned out.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 Large Chicken Breasts (Chopped)

Seasoning (Tarragon, Oregano, Rosemary & Crushed Rep Pepper)

8 oz of pasta (I used large shells however rotini or bowtie would have also been a great choice)

1/2 Cup Sliced Black Olives

4 Stalks Green Onions

1/2 Cup Diced Smoked Gouda

Sliced Avocado 

 

 Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet.  Add the chicken and seasoning and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until cooked thoroughly.  Add the black olives and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir the cheese and green onions into the skillet.

At the same time bring a pan of lightly salted water to boil and add the pasta.  Cook for about 8-10 minutes until al-dente.  Drain and set aside.  

Spoon the chicken mixture onto the pasta and toss lightly.  Garnish with green onions and sliced avocado.

Cook the chicken thoroughly

Cook the pasta thoroughly

Add the black olives

Add the cheese and green onions

Toss the chicken mixture with the pasta

Garnish with green onions and avocado slices