Summer Dinner Menu

After going some time without a gas grill we are enjoying Allen's birthday gift of same immensely.  As a rule we eat very simply around here.  Natural and generally unadorned foods grace the table most often. The girls and I have been motivated to improve our game a bit in this area, especially since Allen is traveling very rarely now and has no restaurant respite. <g>  While simple is still the rule, we are playing around with old standbys.  This was such a dinner, a Mexican twist on burgers and fries.

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
  • 1 clove garlic crushed and finely minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black or seasoned pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground chile mild
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 slices Monterey Jack cheese or 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend of cheeses
  • 4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
  • 1 can (4 ounces) chopped mild green chili peppers, drained
  • 4 large slices sweet onion
  • 1 medium tomato, sliced
  • 4 leaves lettuce, romaine or your favorite
  • chunky salsa, fresh or good purchased salsa

Preparation:

Mix lean ground beef with garlic, pepper, ground chile, and salt in a large bowl. Shape into 4 flat patties. Preheat broiler or grill, then cook burgers about 4 inches from heat, turning when halfway done. Cook until very little or no pink remains. Just before serving, place a slice of cheese or grated cheese on each burger. Top each bun with a hamburger patty and cheese, green chile peppers, an onion slice, tomato slice, and lettuce leaf. Serve burgers with a dish of salsa on the side.
Serves 4.  (We added sliced cheese at the end vs in the middle of the patties and we multiplied the recipe obviously ; ))


Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lime rind
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, optional
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, optional
  • Salsa and sour cream for dipping, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil or spray liberally with vegetable oil. 

Place lime rind, lime juice, oil, chili powder,garlic powder, and onion powder in a large zip-top bag. Squish around in the bag until combined. 
Scrub potatoes and dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Continue cutting halves lengthwise into wedges about 1/2-inch thick. Add potato wedges to the oil in the zip-top bag, seal, and toss to coat. 
Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated Monterey Jack or cheddar. Return to oven and bake an additonal 10 minutes or until cheese is golden. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. 


That is the 'official' recipe, but as I have confessed before I don't follow directions well. <g> We added the cilantro to the bag itself.  And instead of topping with cheese we served the potatoes with queso dipping sauce on the side. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pound green beans, fresh, trimmed and cut in half
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Place the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the onion and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook for about 2-3 minutes more. Add the water, salt, and green beans. Stir. Cover and lower to medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until done. Stir in the cilantro.


Now very honestly, since I am the laziest chef on the planet and usually there are people sticking beans up their nose or feeding the dog my ingredients while I cook I didn't do all that.  I pretty much threw it all together with frozen green beans vs fresh, simmered a long time, and it was way better than our usual plain beans. If you actually follow the directions you could certainly expect to have much more success than I.  : )  

Ok – still reading?  I just go on and on, don't I?  But really, don't miss the cheesecake.  Never miss the cheesecake. I worked hard on this one.  

Citrus Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a hands-down favorite in our family.  It is a dessert I can enjoy as well since it is largely flour free, especially if I make a small crustless one in a ramekin or the like for myself.  Honestly, this is probably THE best cheesecake we have made.  I should add though that we prefer a dense, New York style cheesecake.  None of the recipes we have found have delivered til this one.  I have made a couple changes to the recipe linked so will copy it here the way we made it. 

CRUST  (Again different from that linked.  We use this basic crust most often but this time Moira doubled the butter accidentally which is why it looks funky in the photo.  Didn't seem to slow anyone down however.)

1/3 c softened butter
1/3c sugar
1 egg
1 1/4c flour
 Mix well and press into bottom of the pan.  Bake at 425 for 5 min. Cool and fill. 

FILLING 
4 – 8-ounce packages Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature 
8 oz ricotta
1 3/4 cups sugar 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
Finely grated zest of 1 orange 
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs 
2 large egg yolks 
1/4 cup heavy cream 


Beat the cream cheese and ricotta in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, flour, salt, zests, and vanilla and beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating only until thoroughly incorporated, about 15 seconds after each. Beat for another 30 seconds. On low speed, beat in the heavy cream. Scrape the mixture into the pan and smooth the top. 
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour longer; the top will
be golden brown. Cool to room temperature on a rack. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 6 hours; overnight is best.  Unless you are as likely as I am to find an unattended cheesecake missing large sections of itself by morning…..


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2 thoughts on “Summer Dinner Menu

  1. Kim,
    Can I include this in a little book we are compiling for Lizzy’s wedding? It has several recipes from family, and we definitely consider you all to be part of our! They sound delish!

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