Author Archives: KarenFrazier

Mediterranean Lamb Burgers

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lamburgerLooking for a little different burger to grill? Try these delicious lamb burgers with Mediterranean spices, herbed mayonnaise, feta cheese, pickled onions, and arugula.

Mediterranean Lamb Burgers

  • 2 pounds ground lamb
  • 3 teaspoons of garlic, through a garlic press
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons coriander
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten slightly
  • Herbed mayonnaise(recipe below)
  • Pickled onions (second recipe in this post)
  • Baby arugula
  • Feta cheese
  • Toasted buns
  1. Place ground lamb in a large bowl.
  2. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and egg.
  3. Mix to combine thoroughly (I use my hands to do this in order to get it well combined).
  4. Form into six patties and grill on high heat, about four minutes per side until lamb has an internal temperature of about 145 (for medium rare) to 160 (medium).
  5. Allow lamb to rest while you prepare the mayonnaise and toast buns.
  6. Spread toasted buns with prepared mayonnaise.
  7. Top burger with pickled onions, arugula, and feta cheese.

Herbed Mayonnaise

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • leaves from four sprigs of fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 cups lite olive oil
  1. In a food processor, pulse garlic and oregano several times until well chopped.
  2. Scrape down sides of food processor.
  3. Add salt, egg yolks, and vinegar.
  4. Turn on food processor to blend.
  5. With food processor running continuously, add oil a few drops at a time to start, and then in a slow, steady stream until mayonnaise emulsifies.

For gluten-free burgers, serve burger on a bed of rice or arugula topped with herbed mayonnaise and pickled onions.

For dairy free, make sure you’re using a goat’s milk feta cheese or eliminate feta altogether.

Quick Pickles

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picklesMy family would probably tell you I’m obsessed with pickles. I. Love. Them. Every year I wait for cucumber season and watch for pickling cucumbers at the farmers’ market so I can enjoy homemade pickles. I like them garlicky with a touch of heat. These refrigerator pickles are great because they are quick and require no canning. We go through pickles pretty quickly in our house, so I do them in 2 pound batches in a crock.

Zesty Refrigerator Dill Pickles

  • 3 cups white wine vinegar
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, cut into spears
  • 4 tablespoons pickling salt
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 12 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Small bunch fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon cracked peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes (or to taste)
  1. Boil vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan to dissolve salt.
  2. Layer cucumbers, onion, garlic, dill and peppercorns in a large crock.
  3. Pour hot brine over cucumbers. Add pepper flakes.
  4. Allow to sit, uncovered, on the counter until pickles are room temperature.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for three days before eating.

I also like to do a quick pickle to red onions. It removes some of the bite from onions, and the result is delicious on burgers or salads. Tonight, I’m making a quick pickled onion to put on top of Mediterranean spiced lamb burgers.

Red Onion Quick Pickle

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 thinly sliced red onion
  1. Combine sugar, salt, and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk until sugar and salt dissolves.
  2. Arrange red onions in a small bowl.
  3. Pour brine over onions.
  4. Sit at room temperature for one hour.
  5. Cover and refrigerate.

Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf

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baconmeatloafSometimes, my friends, bacon just has to happen. While many people bemoan just how bland meatloaf is, for me it is a comfort food from my childhood. Still, I’m all for jazzing up even the classics, and this bacon-wrapped meatloaf does it in spades, with smoky bacon and a sweet, tangy sauce. So the next time you’re looking for a little classic comfort food, give this baby a try. Serve it with some smashed taters and a side of roasted veggies.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground veal
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or gluten-free bread crumbs for gluten free)
  • 1 cup milk (or almond milk for dairy-free)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sriracha (optional)
  • 1/2 pound thin sliced bacon

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat oil in a saute pan and cook onion until transparent, about four minutes.
  3. Add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. Set aside to cool.
  5. While onion and garlic cools, combine milk and bread crumbs in a dish and stir well. Set aside.
  6. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, veal, salt, pepper, eggs, bread crumb/milk mixture, cooled onions and garlic, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, garlic powder, hot sauce, and onion powder.
  7. Stir (I use my hands) until all ingredients are extremely well combined.
  8. Turn out mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet (line it with foil to make clean-up easier) and form a free-form loaf.
  9. In a small saucepan, heat ketchup, vinegar, sriracha and brown sugar until sugar dissolves.
  10. Spread half the sauce over the loaf. Return the remaining sauce to heat and allow to boil before removing it from heat.
  11. Arrange thin sliced bacon in a single layer to coat the entire loaf.
  12. Bake in a 350 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 60 minutes.
  13. Remove meatloaf from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes, tented with foil.
  14. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Pancakes around the World

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Dutch baby

One spring break when the boys were young, we had a “Pancakes around the World” week. Every morning, I made a new kind of pancake for breakfast. It was a huge hit – and one that the kids asked to have repeated a few times as they were growing up.

While the kids are now less prone to exciting food gimmicks, they still like a good pancake now and then.

Here are my recipes for some of my pancakes around the world.

Dutch Babies

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sifted flour
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place a 9×9 square pan or cast iron skillet in the oven with butter in the pan. Allow butter to melt as oven preheats.
  3. Meanwhile, whirl eggs  in a blender until well light and fluffy.
  4. Leaving the blender running, add milk through the lid slowly.
  5. Whisk together flour, salt, and nutmeg and add in two to three additions to running blender until combined.
  6. When oven is preheated, swirl melted butter all around the bottom of the pan to completely coat.
  7. Carefully pour batter in pan on top of butter.
  8. Bake until puffy and brown, about 12 minutes.
  9. Serve immediately.

Topping Suggestions

When I was growing up, my favorite topping for Dutch babies was a dusting of powdered sugar and a little lemon juice, but you can also top with fruit compote, warm fruit, or syrup.

German Apple Pancake

This is a long-time family favorite. Follow the link above!

Swedish Pancakes

With a Swedish grandma, this is a family favorite. Really, it’s crepes but no one needs to know.

  • 4 tablespoons of butter, melted – plus extra for cooking.
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1-3/4 cup milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • Dash salt
  1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Combine butter, flour, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a blender and process until well combined.
  3. In a non-stick, flat-bottomed skilled, melt about 1 teaspoon of butter.
  4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter in pan and whirl around the pan until it forms a very thin layer on the bottom.
  5. Cook until the pancake is set.
  6. Carefully flip pancake and cook a minute on other side.
  7. Roll pancake and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm until the batch is done.
  8. Serve filled with a little powdered sugar or jam and top with syrup or fruit.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Sure, you can use a mix but nothing beats the flavor of old-fashioned buttermilk pancakes.

  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 large separated egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  1. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
  2. In a large liquid measure, add milk and buttermilk. Stir to combine.
  3. Whisk in egg white.
  4. Whisk egg yolk with melted butter, and then whisk into milk mixture.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Don’t over mix.
  6. Heat a griddle and brush lightly with butter.
  7. Cook pancakes on both sides until browed and set.

Add your own family favorites to the rotation and IHOP won’t have anything on you!

Maple-Orange Glazed Pork Shoulder Roast

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porkshoulderJim got a smoker for Christmas, so right now he’s totally into smoked meat. I, on the other hand, am getting tired of it. Still, we’re having a New Year’s Eve dinner gathering of friends, so we decided to break out the smoker. I’m adapting a recipe I enjoy making either in the oven or on the grill to the smoker – Jim will smoke it low and slow for several hours. If you’d like to cook it in the oven, then I recommend roasting at 325 for about an hour per pound. For the brine:

  • 8 quarts of cold water
  • 1 cup sea salt

For the roast:

  • 5-6 pound pork shoulder roast
  • Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

For the glaze

  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 3 tablespoons whiskey
  • Zest of one orange
  • Juice from two oranges
  • 1-2 tablespoons sriracha or to taste (red pepper flakes for paleo)
  1. Combine water, brown sugar, and salt in a cooler, mixing well.
  2. Add pork shoulder and allow roast to brine for about 5-6 hours.
  3. Remove roast from brine and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels.
  4. Season pork with salt and pepper. Smoke at about 225 degrees, one hour per pound.
  5. While roast smokes, combine syrup, soy sauce, whiskey, orange zest, orange juice, and sriracha in a small saucepan.
  6. Simmer the glaze until syrupy.
  7. Begin brushing glaze onto meat in about hour #3 of cooking, and brush glaze every 15 minutes.
  8. Cook meat to an internal temperature of 190 degrees.
  9. Remove from oven and allow to sit, tented with foil, for 30 minutes, before slicing.

Nut Butter Noodles

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PBNoodlesWhether you like peanuts, almonds, or cashews, making noodles with a nut butter sauce makes a fast and delicious week night meal. I’ve made these with peanut, cashew, and almond butter, and they are equally delicious served hot or cold.

  • 1 package spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions (or soba noodles or rice noodles for gluten-free)
  • 1/2 cup sugar-free nut butter (peanut, almond, or cashew)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons grated ginger root
  • 6 scallions, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • Sriracha or chili oil to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  1. Cook spaghetti or other noodles (such as udon or ramen) according to package directions and drain them.
  2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse garlic, ginger, and 4 scallions until thoroughly chopped (set aside remaining two scallions).
  3. Scrape down vegetables from side of food processor and add nut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, coconut milk, and sriracha. Pulse food processor to blend.
  4. Taste and add salt or more sriracha as necessary.
  5. Toss sauce with hot noodles and add sesame seeds and remaining two sliced scallions.
  6. Serve hot or cold.

Variations:

  • Add cooked marinated chicken or other meat.
  • Add steamed veggies such as broccoli.
  • Replace soy sauce with teriyaki sauce for a sweeter sauce.
  • Add your favorite curry.
  • Garnish with chopped nuts or bean sprouts to vary textures.

Warm Spinach Salad

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baby spinachI have a certain person in my family who despises green food, and it’s not me or one of the kids. Still, I can get him to eat his spinach when I make this warm spinach salad. You can vary it in a number of ways, which I’ll include after the recipe. For the salad, I prefer baby spinach, which is more tender and flavorful; however, you can use other types of spinach, as well. The recipe below serves four.

  • 8 ounces of baby spinach
  • 2 Tablespoons duck fat
  • 5 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
  • 2 shallots, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or raw apple cider vinegar)
  • Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
  1. Wash and drain baby spinach. Place dry spinach in a large, heatproof bowl.
  2. Heat olive oil in pan and cook chopped bacon until crispy.
  3. Remove bacon from fat with a slotted spoon and put in bowl with spinach.
  4. Add shallots and cook until soft.
  5. Add red wine vinegar, scraping browned bits off bottom of pan.
  6. Pour dressing from pan over the top of spinach and bacon and toss. The bacon will wilt slightly.
  7. Top with fresh pepper and serve immediately.

Variations:

  • Change vinegar to sherry vinegar or balsamic
  • Add pine nuts
  • Add zest from one orange to dressing when you add sugar

Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs

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srWhile people traditionally think of ribs as a summer BBQ food, beer braised beef short ribs are the perfect hearty food for the winter, especially when served over a bed of smashed red jacket potatoes.

  • 2-4 lbs of beef short ribs
  • Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • 4-6 slices thick cut bacon
  • 2 red onions, sliced thinly
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons flour (sweet rice flour for gluten-free)
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 cups Guinness Stout (gluten-free beer for gluten-free)
  • 2 cups gluten-free chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme)
  1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Season short ribs liberally with salt and pepper and bring to room temperature.
  3. In a large, oven proof dutch oven, crisp bacon over medium high heat. Remove bacon from oil with slotted spoon and set aside.
  4. Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, brown short ribs on all sides in bacon fat over medium high heat. Put them in the pan and maintain contact with the bottom without moving it, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove short ribs and set aside.
  5. Add red onions to bacon fat. Allow to sit in contact with medium high pan for 2-3 minutes before stirring. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
  6. Add garlic and cook just until it releases its scent – about 30 seconds.
  7. Add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour loses raw flavor, about 3 minutes.
  8. Add vinegar and beer to pan, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
  9. Add thyme and return short ribs and bacon to pan. Bring to a simmer on the stove top.
  10. Cover tightly with the Dutch oven lid and place in the preheated oven.
  11. Cook for about 3 hours, until meat is tender.
  12. Remove ribs from pot and set aside on a plate, tented with foil.
  13. Put pan back on the stove over medium heat. Simmer liquid in pan until reduced to create desired consistency.
  14. Serve ribs on a bed of smashed potatoes with sauce spooned over the top.

Roasted Garlic Red Jacket Smashed Potatoes

  • 2 heads garlic
  • Drizzle olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 1 pound baby red potatoes
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
  1. Several hours before you make the potatoes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut the tops off the heads of garlic and place garlic, root side down, in an oven-proof glass dish.
  3. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Cover the glass dish with foil. Put in the oven for 60 minutes – until the garlic is soft.
  5. Set aside to cool.
  6. When garlic has cooled, squeeze it out of the bulbs into a dish and set aside.
  7. Clean red potatoes and place them (whole) in a large pan. Cover with water.
  8. Put the lid on the pan and bring potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat.
  9. Boil potatoes until they are soft – for baby potatoes it should take about 20 minutes.
  10. When potatoes are done, drain them and put them back in the pan.
  11. Add garlic, butter, and heavy cream to the potatoes.
  12. Use a masher to roughly mash the mixture to the desired consistency.
  13. Stir in chives.
  14. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cinnamon Rolls

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cinnamonrollsThese are incredibly moist and freeze well in an airtight container. The rolls are giant, and the batch is large, so sharing is always a great option.

Rolls

  • 1 cup hot mashed white potatoes
  • 2 cups milk
  • 7 cups (or more) flour
  • 1-2 packages quick rise yeast
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 large eggs

Filling

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • Cinnamon to taste

Icing

  • 1 package softened cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 pound sifted powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk (0r more to achieve desired consistency)
  1. Combined potatoes, milk, and one cup of flour in a large glass bowl.
  2. Beat until well combined.
  3. Cool to lukewarm (about 110 degrees) and stir in yeast.
  4. Cover and let rise until light, about 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and then turn off.
  6. Stir down mixture with a wooden spoon.
  7. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar.
  8. Add salt and eggs and beat until blended.
  9. Stir butter, sugar, salt, eggs mixture into yeast mixture.
  10. Add remaining flour to make a firm dough.
  11. Knead until elastic, about 10-15 minutes.
  12. Grease an ovenproof bowl with butter.
  13. Put dough in bowl.
  14. Cover with a warm damp cloth and place in warmed oven (make sure it has been turned off) to rise – about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
  15. Punch down dough.
  16. Turn onto a floured surface.
  17. Spread softened butter onto dough and top with brown sugar and cinnamon.
  18. Roll dough into a large log and cut into cinnamon rolls.
  19. Place in a greased pan.
  20. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
  21. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  22. Bake risen rolls for 30 minutes.
  23. Allow rolls to cool.
  24. Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar.
  25. Add milk and vanilla to desired consistency.
  26. Use to ice rolls.

Baked Apples

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bakedapple

  • 4 apples, cored with tops cut off
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter (coconut oil for dairy-free)
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Place apples in a square pan with cut core up.
  3. Place 1 tablespoon brown sugar in each core hole.
  4. Top each with 1 tablespoon butter.
  5. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
  6. Add apple juice to pan.
  7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for one hour.