Carmelized Beer-Onion and Bacon Burger

8

slices bacon, crisply cooked, drippings reserved

2

large sweet onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 lb)

1

bottle (12 oz) pilsner style beer

1 1/2

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper

4

slices (about 3/4 oz each) Cheddar or American cheese

8

leaves red leaf lettuce or red romaine lettuce

4

slices tomato

4

kaiser rolls or crusty rolls, split

1 In 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.

2 Reserve 1/2 cup of the beer. Stir remaining beer into onions. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cool.

3 Meanwhile, roughly chop 4 slices of the cooked bacon; set aside. Roughly chop half of the onion mixture; stir into chopped bacon.

4 In medium bowl, stir chopped onion and bacon mixture into beef. Add salt and pepper. Shape beef mixture into 4 large patties, thinner at center and thicker at edges for even cooking.

5 In 10-inch skillet, heat remaining bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 8 minutes for medium-rare, 10 minutes for medium, 12 minutes for medium-well, turning once. After turning, add reserved 1/2 cup beer to burgers, then top burgers with cheese. Cover skillet to melt cheese.

6 Place burgers on bun bottoms; top with lettuce leaves, tomato slices, and remaining caramelized onions. Cut remaining 4 slices bacon in half; crisscross 2 pieces on top of onions on each burger, and cover with tops of buns.

Giant Ganache Topped Whoopie Pie

Cake

1/2

box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix (about 1 2/3 cups)

1/2

cup water

1/4

cup vegetable oil

2

eggs

Filling

3/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1

cup powdered sugar

1

teaspoon vanilla

Ganache

1/2

cup whipping cream

4

oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped

1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray with flour. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans. Bake 14 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

2 In large bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. On serving plate, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down. Spread filling over cake, spreading slightly over edge. Top with second layer, rounded side up.

3 In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over low heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until melted. Cool about 10 minutes. Pour ganache onto top of cake; spread with spatula so it just begins to flow over edge of cake. Store loosely covered.

oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped

Gingerbread Waffles with Lemon Whipped Cream

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it (I just used a little dried)

1/2 tsp salt

4 large eggs

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter( I only used 6 tablespoons) , plus some to butter the iron

Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table (I made a lemon syrup to go with these. The recipe will be in tomorrows post.)

Preheat waffles iron.In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Spray the waffle iron and cook waffles in batches. Keep warm in the oven (200 degrees). Serve with lemon whipped cream, butter and powdered sugar.

Lemon Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

5 Tbsp powdered sugar

4 tsp lemon juice.

Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl. With a hand mixer set on high, whip the cream. Once cream is starting to thicken slightly, start adding the powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time while mixing. Once powdered sugar is incorporated, add lemon juice. Mix until cream is thick. Serve over waffles.

Pasta With Five Cheeses

Ingredients

• 1 pound Rigatoni, fusilli or small shells, dired
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Basil, dried
• 1 cup Crushed tomatoes in heavy puree
• 1 package Italian blend cheese, (8 ounces divided - mozzarella, mild cheddar, provolone, and asiago)
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Boil pasta two minutes less than the package directs in plenty of well-salted water and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the cream, crushed tomatoes, basil, 1 1/2 cups of Italian cheese blend, and gorgonzola cheese.
3. Add cooked pasta to the cream

Choco Coco-Nut Mini Ice Cream Pies

1

roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

1/3

cup hot fudge topping

1/3

cup roasted chopped almonds

1

cup coconut ice cream

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Remove cookie dough from pouch; cut dough into 12 slices. Firmly press 1 slice in bottom and up side of each muffin cup. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• 2 Spoon 1 teaspoon hot fudge into each cup; top with 1 teaspoon chopped almonds. Divide ice cream evenly among cups. Freeze uncovered until firm, about 3 hours.
• 3 Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with remaining hot fudge and almonds.

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• Ham
• !/4 cup red onion,diced
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 4 large eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar
• 2 flour tortillas

Directions

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the canola oil. When the oil is hot, cook the ham, red onion, and bell peppers until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt and pepper.

Coat the skillet with cooking spray and put it over medium-low heat. Add the beaten eggs and gently stir with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook the eggs until they set, 4 to 5 minutes. Put the cooked ham and vegetables back into the pan and stir to combine.

Wrap the tortillas in a damp towel and microwave for 30 seconds to warm them. Put a tortilla on a plate, add half the egg mixture, and top with half the cheese. Wrap the ends of the tortilla up and then fold in the sides. Repeat for second burrito and serve warm.

Cherry Almond Crisp

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash nutmeg
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• Four 12-ounce bags frozen tart cherries
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons almond extract

To Serve:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Start with the crumb mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

Cut the cold butter into pieces. Add the butter to the bowl and use a fork or pastry blender to cut it into the flour mixture. The mixture should resemble a moist, coarse meal. Add the slivered almonds and combine thoroughly.

Place the still-frozen cherries in a bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch and almond extract and gently stir the cherries to combine.

Divide the cherries between 8 ramekins (about 1/2 cup each). Top with the crumb mixture, evening out the surface.

Bake until the topping is crisp and golden brown, about 45 minutes. If the topping appears underdone, continue baking in 10 minute increments until it's done.

To serve: Add the heavy cream and granulated sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve the individual crisps warm or at room temperature with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.