Here's something new- Italian Chicken Burgers

This weekend was a scorcher! Wow! Not the kind of day that makes me want to spend a bunch of time outside. I'll be honest, when it comes to heat, I am a wussy and I'm perfectly ok with that. So, what did I miss by being a party pooper over the weekend? A popular local "urban farm" was hosting their first garlic festival. Live music, food and drink, but 95 degrees out there. The Greek Food Festival was also this weekend. Three days of authentic Greek food, beer, entertainment, but again, temps in the nineties. Instead of roasting alive outside I decided to spend the days in the air conditioning cooking.

One of my projects was a brunch dish loaded with fresh berries. Don't worry, I have already shared the recipe. Another recipe was a cheesecake- a matcha and hibiscus raspberry swirl cheesecake to be exact. Talk about stunning color and flavor. You are going to love this recipe. That left me with chicken, and I had a couple great chicken ideas, one that involves a lot of herbs and gets roasted and delicious, and one of which was a burger. Wanna hear about it?

Ever look at a plate of Chicken Parmesan and think..... "man, that's going right to my thighs"......?? I have!! With this clever twist on a burger, you get all those delicious flavors without all the breading and frying and piles of cheese. The burgers are made with chicken (or turkey if you prefer) and are loaded with tons of flavor. You get the HINT of that crunchy fried coating with the dredge in herbed cheesy panko, and the garlicky mayo is just bursting with flavor. If mayo is not your thing, you can also serve the burgers topped with a couple tablespoons of marinara sauce.

To get your Sinful Food products, click HERE.

Italian Chicken Burgers

1 lb ground chicken (you can sub turkey)

1/4 very finely diced provolone or mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup minced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 or 5 pieces sun dried tomato, minced

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, plus more

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Signature Seasoning

2 tablespoons panko or Italian dry bread crumbs

Sinful Food garlic olive oil
sliced Provolone, if desired

4 toasted burger buns

garnishes such as lettuce, sliced tomato

In a mixing bowl, break up the chicken with a fork. Add the provolone cheese, onion, sun dried tomato, garlic, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and the herbs. Season with Signature Seasoning. Mix lightly until combined, adding a splash of wine if needed. Form into four patties and set aside.

In a shallow plate mix the remaining Parmesan with the bread crumbs. Add some chopped parsley if you like.

In a large heavy skillet, heat a couple swirls of olive oil until hot. Dredge each burger patty in the crumb mixture then place in hot oil. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook until cooked through. You can top each burger with a slice of Provolone if you like. Serve in toasted buns spread with Garlicky Herb Mayo (recipe follows) and topped with desired garnishes.

Garlicky Herb Mayo

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Signature Seasoning

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill until serving time.

So good! Mixing the onions into the meat helps keep the patties so juicy. You are going to love the cheese mixed into the meat. It adds a salty savory component you really can taste. The breadcrumbs and Parmesan on the outside make a crispy coating that's just as delicious as the deep fried version, plus, come on- it's a burger! How fun is that?

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Foodie Field Trip- Small Town Iowa and the Kitchen Outlet Store

Springtime is springing all around Iowa so Katie, who I would describe as my little sister, suggested we go on a Saturday road trip to somewhere fun. Nothing we have to pack for, or overnight, just a short drive, some interesting sights to see, lunch in a new spot, and maybe a little shopping if we find anything cool. Our original plan called for a very early, up-with-the-chickens day, on the road by 6:30 and headed to Owatonna, Minnesota for some shopping at Cabela's, the outlet mall in Faribault, lunch at Nick's Pizza and then a leisurely drive home. Mother Nature did not agree and her plans for the day included severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, and not wanting to be hundreds of miles from home driving in tornado strength wind, we opted for something a little closer. 

We made our plans Friday night. We'll sleep in a little later and drive about 30 miles away to Ames and then Boone. Lots of things for both of us to discover in Ames, and Boone is home to a very well known bakery. Surely we would find antique shops and cute gift type stores and things like that along the way. We are both chefs' wives so we wanted to track down something good to eat for lunch along the way. Both Ames and Boone have lots of great foodie spots, like The Cafe and Hickory Park.

Our trip started out with a quick stop at a toy store so Katie could pick up her little boy's Easter gift. It just so happens that the toy store was pretty close to a new coffee and bagel shop we've both been wanting to try, 5 Borough Bagels, was right up the street. Every day we have seen them advertising very tempting coffee flavors and since we're both coffeeholics, that had to be the kickoff for our day. Katie got the Birthday Cake latte and I got the Scotcheroo. They were......ok. The coffee flavor was good, but the Birthday Cake latte was awfully sweet even though it's flavor did remind me of birthday cake.The Scotcheroo latte didn't really have that peanut butter/butterscotch flavor at all. It just tasted like a regular latte. Not overly sweet it was good, but not great, and came with a big pile of whipped cream on top, which is something I would rather leave off. Another drawback- the coffee only comes in a 16 oz size. No small, medium, large. No tall, grande or venti. Just one size. It was worth trying but since it's out of the way for most of my running around town, I don't know if I'll go back or not.

We hit the highway after the toy store and while chatting decided to it up and head east instead of north and check out the outlet mall in Williamsburg. Talk about happy happy happy- they have a kitchen outlet!! Foodie heaven! It's a good hour drive and by the time we got there we figured it would be best to feed our young traveling companion before hitting the shops so we headed into the town of Williamsburg, just south of Interstate 80. It's a cute little Iowa town, postcard perfect with a coffee and antique shop in an old Victorian house. Businesses such as banks, shops and restaurants circle to town square which is a grassy park. I'm so glad we visited when we did. The recent spring rains have changed the grass into a lush green carpet and spring flowers are blooming everywhere.

Just off the square is the Sundown Bar and Grill. After googling options in the area we decided to check out the place. Now, I have been to many many mom and pop small town eateries over the years and some are barely mediocre with a menu packed full of deep fried everything but that was not the case here. There were a number of fried things, like onions rings, breaded mushrooms and cheesesticks and fried pickles, but they also offered a nice selection of hand pattied burgers, breaded or grilled pork tenderloins, steaks, broasted chicken and even a wood fired pizza menu. Since we were there at lunch they had not yet fired up the wood oven, so Katie chose a generously sized and juicy cheeseburger with fried mushrooms and I went with the Iowa classic- the tenderloin. The tenderloin was fantastic- one of the best I have ever had and it came with crinkle fries- the absolute BEST crinkle fries I have had in forever. If our simple sandwiches were any indication of the care and quality of the rest of the food, this town has a goldmine right on the main street. 

After lunch we headed up to the outlet mall. Kitchen Collection was our destination and I wasn't five feet in the door before I found something I have been wanting- a mandolin. A few feet later was a wall of cast iron. Knives, utensils, linens, gadgets, seasonings, small appliances, cookware, dishware, coffeemakers and tea pots- everything a foodie could possibly want and at incredible prices. A few items mysteriously fell into my cart of course.  After the kitchen store we hit a couple clothing stores, jewelry, chocolate and sporting goods shops, and an Amana store where you can get Amana products like pickles, jams cheeses and so on. 

The sky was darkening and storm clouds threatened so we headed back towards the city, thankfully missing the crummy weather. We didn't make it to the winery because we had Pupcake with us so we made plans to head that way again soon, and you know we'll tell you all about it.

So what did I buy at the kitchen outlet? Just a couple things. A handy small blender for making smoothies and shakes- so I probably will share some recipes and suggestions with that in the future and I also purchased a mandolin. Now, just to get you up to speed about ten years ago I bought a mandolin. LOVED that thing, I was so excited to use it and its many exchangeable blades for different types of cutting. The very first time I used it, I was slicing onions and cucumbers for salad. Silly me, holding that onion, I didn't think I needed that safety guard- I'm a seasoned pro, right? WRONG! I ended up cutting my thumb in a very horrible way which ruined the salad and absolutely ruined my day, and many to follow as the pain was one step away from unbearable. I threw the mandolin away swearing them off for life. Seeing chefs on cooking shows using them with their unprotected hand gave me the creeps- seriously, like it made me queasy. They always WHIZ through slicing things and I fear for every finger on their hands.

Fast forward ten years and here I am again. Wiser. Much wiser, and also very willing to accept the fact that the safety guard is provided for a reason, and I will be using it. I have a couple veggies to play with so let's play with the new mandolin. Since I am such a sucker for a good potato, that was my first vegetable to play with. I had a sweet potato and russets, so I went with the russets. I carefully unpacked the mandolin from its packaging, where it was all safe and snug in a relatively small box. I knew right away this was NOT going back in the same box- no way, no how. Anyway, the unit comes with the v-shaped cutting blade in place. There is a safety cover on and to be honest, I damn near cut mu hand off trying to get the safety cover off. Whoever designed this- let's just say I don't like you much. I did NOT touch the blade but eyeballed it from a safe distance. The attachments include a julienne slicing blade (I left that securely wrapped up) and two more slicing adjuster things- basically you swap them out on the unit for thick, normal and super thin slices. The unit is set up for super this straight out of the box. Those attachments are easy to remove, there is a push button and they pop right off. The base and "runway" are sturdy and don't slip around on the counter.

The food safety guide thing- I wouldn't even think of not sing it this time around. Following the instructions that came in the box I cut the potatoes in half first then stuck them on the pins in the food guide. There are a bunch of pins in there and they held the potatoes firmly in place. I gathered my guts and started slicing and guess what? I got potato slices with NO FINGER MEAT!! So excited! Since I had left the thinnest slice attachment in I had slices you could easily have made homemade potato chips with. Instead, since I don't like deep frying at home, I made a dish similar to Potatoes Anna but I call it Potatoes Erika because my mom always made this.

I used a medium skillet and added a good swirl or rosemary Sinful Food olive oil and heated until the oil was screeching hot and very fragrant, then I placed the slices in the pan overlapping and covering the bottom and built up until I had used all the potatoes and seasoned well with salt and pepper. I turned the heat down to mediumish and covered the pan to make sure the potatoes cooked through. I left them untouched for about 10 minutes and then checked them- the bottom was nicely browned and crisp. Grab a big spatula and flip them over (after drizzling a touch more oil over) and cook uncovered until the bottom is also browned and crisp. Slide out of the pan and slice into wedges to serve.

Get your Sinful Food oils by clicking HERE.

I ate the whole thing. Ha!! It was only two potatoes to begin with so it wasn't piles of food, and you know what? I wasn't that scared! I actually like how this mandolin performed and cleanup was super easy- I used running water and a brush on a LONG handle- piece of cake! As I predicted, it did not go back into the box so I'll have to figure out a good way to store this but I guarantee I'll use this again and again, in fact........ I have something in mind for a post in the very near future! Stay tuned!

Three Meals with Blue Apron- Part 2

Today we are making recipe number two from our Blue Apron meal box that was gifted to us by the girls at The Spoon and Pint. You might remember our first recipe, Kale and White Cheddar Quesadillas. Today we are making burgers- Shiitake Mushroom Burgers with Miso Mayonnaise and Roasted Sweet Potato to be exact. The Chef and I love a good burger and I'm super excited to try this Asian-influenced burger with garlic, shiitake mushrooms and hoisin sauce. I'm a little anxious about the miso mayo however. My prior experience with miso is limited to soup and I thought it tasted awful, but I'm approaching this with an open mind and willingness to try something new, so here we go......

The ingredients are-

10 ounces ground beef

2 potato buns

2 cloves garlic

1 scallion

1 sweet potato (1/2 lb)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sweet white miso paste

1/4 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms

Prepare the ingredients and make the miso mayonnaise- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry the fresh produce. In a bowl combine the mushrooms and 1 cup of HOT water; let stand for at least ten minutes. Halve the buns. Halve the sweet potato lengthwise, then slice thinly crosswise. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut off and discard the root end of the scallion; thinly slice, separating the white bottom and green top. In a bowl, combine the miso paste and mayonnaise; season with salt and pepper.

Roast the sweet potato- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the sweet potato on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to thoroughly coat. Arrange in a single, even layer. Roast 16-18 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, leaving the oven on, and transfer to a plate. Set aside in a warm place. Discard the foil.

Form the patties- While the sweet potato roasts, thoroughly drain the mushrooms (discarding the water) and transfer to a cutting board. Finely chop. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the ground beef, garlic, hoisin sauce and white part of the scallion, season with salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine. Using your hands, form the mixture into two 1/2 inch thick patties, transfer to a plate.

Cook the patties- While sweet potato continues to roast, in a medium skillet heat 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium high heat until hot. Add the patties and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare, or until browned and cooked to your desired doneness, transfer to a plate and set aside in a warm place.

Toast the buns- Place the buns, cut side up, on the sheet pan and toast in the oven for  3 to 4 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven and transfer to clean, dry work surface. 

Assemble burgers and plate your dish- Spread a layer of the miso mayonnaise onto the cut side of the toasted buns. Top the bun bottoms with the cooked patties. Complete the burgers with the bun tops. Divide the burgers and roasted sweet potatoes between two dishes. Garnish the sweet potato with the green top of the scallion.

So how was it? Delicious! The burger was so juicy from the added mushrooms. They really added a ton of moisture and flavor to the meat. The garlic, hoisin sauce and minced scallions (I minced the white part so they would mix into the burger more evenly) gave the juicy meat an Asian flavor. Remember how afraid I was of the miso? It was delicious!! It added a different level of flavor to boring mayo- lightly sweet, definitely savory. I think this might encourage me to try more miso recipes.

The only drawback was the one burger per person in the recipe. That's fine for me but The Chef is a growing boy- he usually eats a couple burgers. To make up for it we supplemented the sweet potato with an extra sweet potato and increased the olive oil accordingly. Also, after I took my picture I picked all the green scallion tops off the potatoes and put them on the burger as well- I highly recommend doing the same.

This meal was absolutely my favorite of the three and something I will make again, thanks to the enclosed recipe card!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free with no expectation that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

His and Hers Burger Night

I really love date night. When you share life with a chef you don't usually get weekends to go out and enjoy a nice dinner like everyone else. Instead he is cooking their dinner and I'm on my own. Date night for us happens on a Tuesday or a Wednesday and rarely includes things like prime rib and crab stuffed shrimp specials. It usually means a big juicy burger, and honestly, that's what we really like.

On a recent Tuesday night after my work hours we ran his and hers errands, and met up after for dinner, our version of date night. I keep a running list on my laptop of places in the area where I want to eat and check out the menu. Tonight's dinner spot isn't on that list. Shame. I might have explored it sooner!

Tucked away on a busy intersection in Clive, Iowa, sits a sports themed restaurant. Now usually I am not too impressed by places like this- hordes of loud and obnoxious sports fans swilling brews and chomping on wings and generally annoying me. Rookies Sports Bar and Grill is nothing like that. Sure televisions line the room- and I mean line the room completely, and a couple different baseball games were playing, with the volume on, but it was just the perfect volume- loud enough to hear the play by play and not having to yell at my date. I totally enjoyed that, and it's LOCAL. Locally owned, not a big nationwide chain with flashy commercials and cheesy gimmicks. I much prefer supporting a local business over throwing my money at a bazillionaire chain.

Rookies has two large dining rooms and a great selection
of brews and cocktails

The menu was classic American grill- a large selection of appetizers, many fried, but hand breaded and homemade, a great selection of sandwiches, just enough entrees to suit most peoples' taste, and a lineup of really really good burgers. Chatting with the owner was great- he was very friendly and knew the menu- obviously not a guy who sits at a desk somewhere and run the business from afar. 

Of course, we chose burgers. The Chef chose The Wisconsin Burger, a half pound of hand pattied beef topped with Swiss, American and Mozzarella cheeses and served on grilled garlic Parmesan bread. 

The Wisconsin Burger- I had to take a pic on the fly as The
Chef wasn't wasting any time digging in.

I chose The Steakhouse Burger- the same giant half pound of beef with American cheese, bacon, onion straws, lettuce, mayo and steak sauce on a great big toasted bun. Brew pub fries came with the burgers- nice steak fries tossed with seasoning. 

The Steakhouse Burger comes gored with a steak knife.
It was massive!!

Now you guys know how picky I am about salad dressing. It's always got to be homemade vinaigrette for me, period, and I am not a ranch dressing person at all- unless I'm eating fries. Then I must have ranch, and their ranch was really good- if it wasn't homemade it was a good mix!!

Needless to say........ I ate too much. We really needed to have Double Date Night with another couple so we could sample more foods, but I'm quite sure we will be back many times. Rookies has a pretty nice drinks menu and beer selection, with cocktail specials but they really focus on the food. Definitely more restaurant than bar, and that's the kind of place I like to hang out.

Rookies is located at the corner of Hickman Road and NW 156th Street in Clive, It's tucked behind a convenience store but not really hidden. They also have a website with their full menu and a Facebook page.

Finding inspiration in one man's dream

Lots and lots of people dream of owning their own business. It's not easy to take those first steps. Lots to consider- money, legal issues, insurance, inventory, taxes, employees, benefits, regulations- the list goes on and on. What holds most people back? For most people, for the vast majority, it's money. Somewhere along the line "crowdfunding" was created. You, and your dream, can become a reality through the generosity of friends, family, and complete strangers willing to kick a few bucks into your Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign. I think this is the greatest thing ever, and opens the business world to many people who might otherwise not even have tried.

Which brings me to a gentleman by the name of John-Michael McCullough. I was browsing online the other night when I received a message from him. He had been referred to me by a friend and wanted to share what he is working on and if I wouldn't mind, could I help him get the word out. 

Pic from Mac's Facebook page

Mac's Burger Shack. Sounds like a simple, classic place to pop in for a burger, right But what makes it special? What makes this concept different, especially for me, than all the other burger joint out there? Let me tell you, if you have known me for any length of time you KNOW I am very involved in veterans' issues. No matter what our individual politics are, we must support our veterans. Homelessness. Hunger. Abuse in the home. All vitally important issues that need to be handled. So how does this fit in with hamburgers and fries? Mr. McCullough's plan is to staff the restaurant entirely with veterans, homeless men, women and teens and victims of domestic abuse- in all phases. As a veteran himself, he understands the challenges faced when re-entering the civilian workforce. His dream is to create the opportunity for those who truly WANT to become self-reliant. From the ground up- designing the interior, designing the uniforms, create the menu and work front and back of the house. Why? Because they deserve it. They need a chance to regain their dignity, empower themselves and become a self-reliant American again. If they are willing to work, this is the opportunity to do so. Something about this really struck a chord with me, and I want to share it with you.  

First of all, let's visit Mac's IndieGoGo campaign. Click HERE to see it. 

John-Michael has been busy!! He has an active Facebook page with lots of ideas and updates and building a steady following. He is buzzing around the Twitterverse as well sharing his idea and a mighty tasty-looking profile pic!! If you're on Google+ you can find him there too.

Often on Rockin' the Kitchen we visit local restaurants, or whatever city we happen to be in, and review the food, the locale, the atmosphere. We can't do that with Mac's yet. It is my solemn hope and prayer that his dream will come true, with the help of all of us! In watching him realize his dream, he is also fulfilling the dream of many people who right now, tonight, tomorrow, and next month, feel like they have no more dreams left. Please help if you can- donate, share, help spread the word. Share the link. Like Mac's Burgers' Facebook page. Follow on Twitter and G+. The more people who see and learn about Mac's Burgers, the sooner this dream comes true. I'm actually kinda hungry......for a Mac's Burger!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."