Texan Burger on Texas Toast

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What MAKES this burger not your average burger, is the vehicle the Texas toast provides. I never have Texas toast but I was obsessed with this idea and it took a few weeks to come to fruition. Texas Toast bakes up surprisingly soft and easy to bite through for a burger! My toppings could probably get more amped up a bit, but dinner was fast approaching. The burger gets BBQ sauce in it, and on it, with some meat rub, onion, and some great flavors. I topped the bread-shaped patties with colby jack cheese and a bbq sauce/ketchup smear.

The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger

Ingredients:

4 slices of cheesy Texas Toast
1/4 pound ground beef/chicken/pork
1/4 white onion, diced finely
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tbs dry rub
2 slices colby jack cheese

Directions:

Mix the meat with onion, bbq sauce, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce, and mustard.
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger
(we did his & hers patties of beef=his & ground chicken=hers)
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger
Form into thin oblong patties, keeping in mind the size of the Texas toast.
Dust the outside with the rub.
Bake the Texas toast according to the package (likely 8-12 minutes).
Grill until cooked through, being careful not to overcook.
Top with cheese & sprinkle some more rub onto the burger.
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger
Mix together 1 part bbq sauce & 1 part ketchup.
Assemble the burger with chopped lettuce, pickles, burger, and BBQ/ketchup sauce.
Enjoy!

I was a bit fearful that the bread would be too crusty and thus hard to eat since it is also so thick! It wasn’t at all! Yee-haw! I loved the smokey flavors and how juicy the burgers came out being. I’m telling you, liquid smoke goes so nicely here. Get some.  It’ll take your chili to the next level.
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger

Yum. We loved this. I have the other half of the Texas toast package so we’ll see where that goes. It seems like just the perfect snack…just saying.

Pork Tacos with Pomegranate Molasses and Pineapple

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I looove pork tacos. I decided to sweeten the filling whilst on my never-ending quest to find my favorite salsa. I might need to be making my own. Hmm. Different story for a different day. I added some fresh pineapple and some pomegranate molasses. I love that stuff on brussels sprouts. Ahhh: stay. on. topic.

The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pork Taco

Ingredients:

pulled pork shoulder (a great use for leftovers)
2-3 slices of fresh pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
flour tortillas
shredded white cheddar
lettuce
white beans
salsa/pico de gallo
guacamole

Directions:

Saute the pork with pineapple and molasses over medium heat. The goal is to warm the pork through and soften the pineapple a bit…about 5 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pork Taco
Taste, and add more pomegranate molasses, if necessary.
Fill the tacos with the pork/pineapple, lettuce, cheese, white beans, and salsa.
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pork Taco
Top with guac, and enjoy!

I loved the sweetness to these tacos! The pineapple was a nice touch of sweetness and tartness. The fruity touch was so great, and different than flavors we typically have. I added in some white beans, partly because I had them and it felt like they’d go. The little one eats beans but I’m always trying to use them before they get slimy.

I found my favorite guacamole and now I’m wanting better salsa. I want fresh salsa. It’s often too thick or too sweet. I like restaurant-style salsas. Sal-sa. I’ll have to work on that. Aren’t the taco stands so cute? I love my tacos upright.

Apple Cider Pancakes

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I used apple cider to make oatmeal awhile back and the other day a light dinged when I gave the babe some pancakes. Ah-ha! I thought cider would be good in place of the water! I kept these really straight forward but they’d be great with apple chunks, cinnamon and the cider.

The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Pancakes
Ingredients:
Pancake mix
apple cider

Directions:
Measure out the pancake mix according to the package. Replace the water with apple cider.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Pancakes
Preheat a grill pan or skillet to medium heat.
Mix until smooth.
Cook pancakes, flipping once the bubbles pop.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Pancakes
Serve with syrup and a drink of cider!
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Pancakes
The cider is a really light touch. I don’t know that everyone would necessarily taste it without knowing it was in there. An apple cider syrup would be delightful on these. So, in the end it worked just fine but wasn’t a strong flavor.

November 2015 Round Up

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November is which a whirlwind for work. Our Thanksgiving fundraiser makes my October & November a bit nutty. By the end of the month I was really exhausted physically, I got a bit sick, I was tired of going to bed thinking about work and waking up thinking about work. I made a few quick dinners but I was glad to not add too much to my plate and just try to focus/enjoy the ride.

This month, sis’ bday was a fiesta! I made Mexican Street Corn and Mr. J made margaritas. Other than that, Mom made everything else. I looooved the corn. It was creamy, salty from the cheese, sweet from the corn, and had just a hint of zest from lime. It was so great as a side. I’d also definitely be willing to put it on a taco. This one will be a quickie repeat.
The Three Bite Rule - Mexican Street Corn
The Three Bite Rule. Turned. Five. Yes, 5 year old. Craziness!

I wanted something really good in the crockpot. This crockpot cassoulet wasn’t the best I’ve ever made, but I liked it annnnd I used dried beans, so that was a first.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet

Queso Smothered Chicken over a bed of black beans and peppers was the perfect tweak on taco-night.
The Three Bite Rule - Queso Smothered Chicken

The Little One:
He is so funny. He’s movin’! He took his first steps just before turning 10 months. I love Mr. J’s monthly photos. He always looks like: splat! Like he’s stuck! There are about 5 seconds before he wiggles off. He has no interest in staying still. The poor babe. He had hand, foot, and mouth. It felt like forever. This photo was delyaed while he was cov-ered in it. Ugg. It’s a total yuck one. Let’s not do that again….ummk?
10 month 2

Progress on this year’s goals:
The Year of the Earring:  I missed it this go-round. 

make more salad dressings: I made a dressing for the Mexican Street Corn…counts, right?

factor more time into how long every-day tasks/trips will take: I’d say I did OK during my busiest time of the year. 

recreate restaurant menu items: Nope, I missed this one too.

be more adventurous with my reading selections: I haven’t read much. 

use the crockpot more: Yup! I made Crockpot Cassoulet. 

seafood once a month: Nope, I’m behind on that.

Crockpot Cassoulet

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I didn’t mean to disappear. I was all like, 5 years, not going anywhere blah blah blah. Work is just nutty right now. Now until Thanksgiving I’m up to my eyeballs in pie. 20,000 pies for Thanksgiving is no joke. As busy as it is I reallllly wanted something delightful to come home to in the crockpot. I borderline feel bad for the dogs to salivate all day, but it’s usually worth it. I prepped most of this the night before then dumped in the crockpot and came home to it.

The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
I made a quick cassoulet before, which I think I prefer to this crockpot one, but it was good and nice to come home to with some bread for dipping.

Crockpot French Cassoulet

based on NY Times Slow Cooker Cassoulet
Ingredients:
white beans, dried
4 garlic cloves
2-3 potatoes, chopped
3 carrots, pealed & chopped
1 white onion, chopped
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup ham, chopped
3 chicken sausage links
1 cup pulled pork shoulder (or substitute seared duck legs)
2 tbs dijon mustard
1-2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1-2 cups chicken broth
salt & pepper

Directions:

Overnight, soak the dried white beans.
Also prep the garlic, potatoes, carrots, herbs, ham, sausage, pork and mustard.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
Add everything into the crockpot for 6-9 hours.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
Taste and add salt & pepper as needed. Serve with some baguette for dipping.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
It was a bit too tomato-y for my taste. I liked it a lot, but it didn’t seem like cassoulet to me. It was a great stew with some good flavors. I read the NY Times recipe (which also includes duck which I didn’t have) and the comments were it was lacking flavor. I think amping up the herbs and getting the mustard in there was good for this.

I found bake-at-home baguettes which were so good. There were 2 in the pack and I froze the other one. That’ll be in handy with the leftover cassoulet I froze for next time. I’ll probably stick to my quickie cassoulet the next time I go to make it.
cassolet_bowl_590_390

I never really work with dried beans. The overnight soak worked well. I was afraid I’d come home to a crockpot full of overcooked veggies with hard beans. They all were cooked fine! My little one ate some and loved messing with the carrots, potatoes, beans and the sauce. Now, what’s the next crockpot idea for next month?