Danish Do-Again Burgers

Danish Do-Again Burgers

Well by now you know how slave feels about left-overs! Just a short time ago we did Danish Burgers that were fantastic. However the recipe made enough for 6 burgers. Two were frozen for a latter day.

Well slave thought it would help to show you just one of the many ideas and possibilities you have to make another meal with those frozen burgers that doesn’t have to taste like leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 frozen Danish burgers thawed

1 cup light sour cream

2 tbs all purpose flour

1 can Chicken broth

4 or 5 red potatoes

¼ cup non fat creamer

2 tbs butter or margerine

1 lbs fresh green beans, snapped

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees

Do your cutting first! In this case, peel and cut the potatoes and wash the green beans.

Put the potatoes in a pot with just enough water to cover by an inch.

In a large bowl add the green beans and 1 tbs of oil. Mix them up until they are lightly coated. Spread on to a foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle some kosher salt.

Heat some oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Start the water & potatoes on to boil.

Brown the thawed Danish burgers in oil for only about 3 minutes per side, then remove from pan and lay a piece of foil over them.

While they were browning, mix the flour into the sour cream (if you are careful, you can do this in the sour cream container).

Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir up any of the browned bits from the bottom! Stir in the sour cream – flour mixture.

Continue to stir until it is incorporated and starts to thicken.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the burgers and cover.

While that simmers, slide the green beans into the oven. Both will cook for about 15 minutes.

Now back at the potatoes! When that comes to a boil, reduce the heat until it just bubbles. Let cook for about 15 minutes. In a small microwave safe bowl heat ¼ cup of creamer and 2 to 3 Tbs of butter or margarine. This will only take about 30 seconds.

When potatoes are done, dish them into a large heat proof bowl and add the creamer mixture and mash away!

Don't worry if they look too runny. As you mash they will thicken up.

Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. When they have reached what you are happy with, stir in 1 egg yolk, dish up and put on table.

Dish up the green beans in a bowl.

Now take out the burgers and place on the baking sheet. Cover with 1 slice of Havarti cheese and place with buns into the turned off oven.

In the time it takes to dish up the sauce from the skillet, you will find the cheese melted nicely on the burgers.

Now you have served a totally different meal from the original.

This is as good as what you started out with.

slave believes that being efficient and frugal with the food budget is an important part of serving.

It does NOT indicate that you are slacking off in any way. By the way, if You find for whatever reason that “serving” is not going as well as You thought it would, try this: create a small ritual. It will have all the meaning that you invest in it. Religions since the dawn of history have understood how important following a ritual is. Try this and you will be surprised at how much better everything flows.

So happy to be serving my Master Indy (and yes, slave has its rituals)

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Danish Burgers with Caper Sauce and a Fresh Spinach Salad

This was named “Danish” not because of the ground chicken. In fact ground poultry is rarely even found in Denmark! The term comes from the cheese used in the burgers. Havarti was named for the Havarthigaard in Øverød, just north of Copenhagen.

To make this dish more Danish, it is suggested that instead of ground chicken, you use ground pork (pork is the meat most used in Denmark) Omit the poultry seasonings: add ½ teaspoon of thyme and use 2 minced up cloves of garlic instead. Or if you like use Adobo! Be sure to cook the burgers to 71 degrees Celsius (160 degrees F). Use a thermometer to check. Everything else works fine with this cuisine.

Based on a recipe from Rachael Ray so you know it wont take long to make!

Ingredients :

2 lbs. ground chicken
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning  
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
 5 button mushrooms, stems removed, finely chopped
6oz. Havarti with dill cheese
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 5oz cartons of non-fat plain Greek style yogurt!
4 tablespoons capers, drained -

1 seedless cucumber, cut in ½ lengthwise, then sliced into ½ inch pieces
1 small red onion, peeled & sliced thinly
3 plum (also called Roma) tomatoes, sliced
1 lbs sack washed baby spinach
3 tbs white wine balsamic vinegar
4 fancy multi-grain rolls or buns of choice
Directions

The Havarti with dill cheese will be found by the deli – not with the other cheeses! Stick it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This makes it so much easier to work with. Spray both sides of your grater with cooking spray first. Then use the large holes being careful that you only grate the cheese and not your fingers! You will be amazed at what a big pile this makes. Divide it by half. Half for the burgers and half for the salad.

While that is getting cold, mince the shallots (note that is NOT scallions),

Have you ever noticed the shape of a good Chef's knife? 
BTW You need one of these! 
 It is designed for the end to rest on the cutting board while you rock the back part of it up and down to chop. Also push the food under the knife with your knuckles not the tips of your fingers! And DO NOT speed through this or you will lose flesh and no one wants to eat your blood.

Mince the mushrooms. Mince just means to chop into tiny pieces!

Cut the cucumber lengthwise then cut into ½ inch pieces.

Slice the tomatoes using a serrated knife and sawing them. Don't just push, it will get messy!

Peel and slice the red onion (a sweet yellow onion also works) slave used a mandolin for this as I wanted a very thin slice. Again separate about a ½ cup out for topping the burgers.

Combine ground chicken, poultry seasoning, chopped shallots, Dijon mustard, chopped mushroom, grated Havarti, and a SLIGHT drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. If you wish add a pinch of salt and pepper to your tastes.

Mix thoroughly, slave uses a short wooden spoon for this. Lay out a sheet of waxed paper and divide the meat in to nice thick patties. Shape each of these into your burgers. Slave makes a lot of hamburgers to stretch the budget so I have a small hamburger press that makes nice round ones. However hand-formed burgers sometimes just taste better! Slave found this recipe large enough to make 6 patties.  
Press your thumb down into the center just enough to make a nice dent in the middle. This will give you a flat patty when cooked and not a meatball!

Preheat oil in a skillet to medium-high heat. Give the patties a quick spray with cooking spray – this will help brown them. Cook 6 minutes per side until the patties are firm to the touch and cooked through. (170 degrees F or 71 degrees C) Set a timer so you know when to turn them and when to remove them, but do not rely on time alone.

Check with a thermometer!

While the burgers are cooking, open and drain the small jar of capers. Run a table knife into the jar a couple of times just to break them up a bit.

Use a medium bowl to mix the drained capers into the yogurt. Taste it and add maybe a touch of mustard or pepper if you like. Slave tried a half teaspoon of sugar to offset the bitterness of the capers. But You adjust to Your tastes. You can chose to do this the night before to really combine the taste! This also makes a great dipping sauce! Just seal and refrigerate. 

 

If you ever get caught with left over capers you can ALWAYS make this dipping sauce!
 
In a salad bowl combine the cucumbers, sliced onion, tomatoes and cheese into about ¾ of the sack of washed baby spinach. Dress the salad with white wine balsamic vinegar, then drizzle with a couple tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to coat the salad lightly and evenly. Toss to combine.

Split the rolls or buns. Place the burgers on the bun bottoms. Top with a some of the onion, a bit of baby spinach and a heaping spoonful of herb-caper dressing! Toss the remaining sauce into the salad.

Slave is serving this with roasted asparagus and a desert of “little blue tart”! Tonight it is my honor to invite over my best friend forever Charlie for dinner, since my Master Indy is in Denmark now! Even so slave is still serving its Master from across the globe!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Left Over Into Stroganoff

Left Over Into Stroganoff

slave is a strong believer in serving left overs ONLY if they are presented in a different way than originally served. A few days ago a great crock pot roast was presented and it just proved too much to eat at one setting.

So now slave is pulling it out and trying a different way of doing a Stroganoff with the left overs.

Ingredients:

Half package of noodles

at least 8 oz left over roast, cut into small strips.

1 5oz carton non fat plain Greek Style yogurt

2 tbs all purpose flour

1 cup beef stock

1 medium yellow onion sliced thin

1 pkg fresh white mushrooms – washed and sliced

1 stalk celery diced

Directions:

Do all of you cutting.

Cook noodles according to package instructions.

Mix the flour with the yogurt, you can do this right in the yogurt carton. Stir until it is well mixed and set aside.

Heat oil to a medium low in a skillet and add the sliced onion. If it sizzles the pan is too hot. Cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally until the onions are a light brown and have caramelized. Add the mushrooms and celery, stir well then cover and let cook for about 4 more minutes as the moisture leaves and flavors are blended. Stir in the strips of meat to warm, cover for another 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place in bowl with some foil over to keep warm. Raise the skillet to a medium high heat and add the beef stock. This should loosen the “fond” or any bits on the bottom of the pan as you stir. Add the yogurt mixture and continue to stir as the stock thickens.

Return the beef & vegetables to the sauce and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes then serve over the noodles.

If any left over from this, in not more than a couple of days, mix into a sprayed casserole dish and cover with foil. Heat in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. After that, give up and throw it away.

Another idea is to bag and freeze any leftovers. Then you have an almost instant meal. Just add a green vegetable. By planing and stretching you can make that simple crock pot roast go for 3 to 4 meals, (so far slave has made it stretch 6 meals.)

slave hesitates to call this a full recipe, yet it is an important example of what you can make from left overs and how to manage your kitchen budget. Now THAT is really serving a Master!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

A little blue tart with a heart

It was pointed out to slave that lately some elaborate recipes have been posted. So perhaps it is time to get back to simple, simple, great tastes!

The other day as slave was wondering through the store, it found the most fantastic display. Fresh Michigan Blueberries! Oh My does my Master love blueberries! Now slave believes that perhaps the Florida blueberries might be considered sweeter. However the Michigan variety just has the nicer balance for my Master's tastes.

This dish is a derivative of the “Old Icebox Cake” from the 30's that slave has presented elsewhere on this blog. It is so simple to make and the results will surprise you at the way they change from what you put into it.

Ingredients:

1 pint of fresh blueberries

1 pkg of 8 UNFROSTED brown sugar & cinnamon toaster pastry tarts

1 pkg (4 servings) instant pudding mix, no sugar added (I used Cheesecake flavor but plain vanilla works just fine.

1½ cups cold skim milk

1 8oz. Frozen whipped topping – thawed out!

*Note: this recipe works great with any store brand of the above! Just make sure the “tarts” are UNFROSTED

Directions:

Rinse your blueberries well and spread on paper towels to dry out.

This gives you a chance to pick out any you don't like the look of and snap off any tiny stems that might still be attached.

In an 8 x 8 cake pan, baking dish or any other such dish, lay out a single layer of the “tarts”. Cut any to fit the pan completely.

Mix the pudding mix as directed on box EXCEPT only use 1½ cups of milk not the full 2 cups. Once mixed, carefully FOLD in half of the thawed topping. You don't want to beat it – it will lose its fluffiness!

Spread out the blueberries over the layer of “tarts”. With a spatula, spread the pudding mixture over to completely cover. This is important for the magic to work.

Lay another layer of “tarts” across the top, then cover and seal with the second half of the reserved plain topping. Again, be sure to seal the top.

Cover the dish with an airtight covering and place in the refrigerator overnight. This is where the magic happens. Not only will the flavors blend, but the pudding will soften the pastries which in turn flavor the pudding. If anything it is even better on the third day, slave thinks, but rarely has any lasted that long!

This does not have to be a desert full of guilt either. Use fat free and no sugar added and the results, will be downright healthy. With all of those anti oxidants and vitamins that are packed in the blueberries and the extra vitamins stuffed into the pastries. Plus this entire dessert cost less than $5 to make! Less if you get the generic brands – which taste just as good in this dessert.

Anyway slave is sure that you will enjoy this surprising taste which is greater than the sum of its parts!

No words express how happy I am to be Master Indy's slave. To be able to create something so unique to His tastes makes me feel so lucky! This might appear to be just a simple little thing that was thrown together, but it is filled with all of the love and caring that slave can give.

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

An Easy Cowboy: Fun with an old favorite!

Back in college, slave learned of an easy skillet dinner called “Cowboy”. Simply brown a pound of hamburger in a skillet, drain, and add a can of baked beans! Cheap and easy! Lets face it we have all had fun with someone we know that is “Cheap and Easy”.

A great way to stretch the food budget is to buy hamburger in larger quantities and freeze. At my local supermarket, I'm finding hamburger climbing to over $6 a pound! Might as well put a gun to my head! However if I buy in a package of 4 to 5 pounds the cost might drop to less than $4 a pound!

Since slave is not intending on opening a soup kitchen, it is so much easier to form the meat into ¼ lbs patties on wax paper, then bag in plastic and freeze. Anytime you need to fix a dinner with loose ground beef just thaw 4 and break them apart as you cook!

slave has a tendency to add way too much to the mix when doing hamburgers, when that happens, you get meatloaf nasties that do not stick together nor have any flavor. Trust me on this! So when mixing this latest batch up, slave only added some kosher salt, a touch of pepper, and just a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the 3 lbs of meat. You can always add, but rarely subtract!

For this quick meal:

2 thawed hamburger patties.

1 strip of bacon

16 oz can of baked beans (well drained)

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees

Cook the strip of bacon in a medium skillet. Turn about every 3 minutes, you will know it is cooked when you notice there is now bacon grease in the pan. This is where you want it, not in your food!

Take that out to drain on a paper towel. Then use the grease to brown each side of the hamburger patties. This is just for the caramelization. No more than 3 minutes per side.

Then place the patties into a sprayed casserole. Spoon the can of drained baked beans over them. Top with the piece of bacon, you could even cut it up if you wish.

Cover and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Now this is where the hamburger will get completely cooked. The meat will soak up some of that great baked bean flavor.

After a half an hour check it. If you didn't get the beans drained enough, now is a good time to use a big spoon to get some of that liquid out. Check the meat by inserting a thermometer into a beef patty. You want it between 160 and 170 degrees, don't mess with undercooked hamburger.

Put it back in without the cover to finish up. It is even better if it gets a “crust” on top!

You can doctor the beans up first by adding chopped onions, chopped apple and some yellow mustard, or more Worcestershire sauce.

(just like we fixed the baked beans before in the crock pot.)

Maybe even sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese over the top for color and flavor. This is just for some fun anyway, enjoy yourself!

Or just throw it together while you decide on a green vegetable.

Just remember: keep it cheap and easy! This is a cowboy you are gonna be glad you asked home to dinner. :-) (Save a horse!)

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon