Burger and Fries Friday: BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers

This week's burger is the result of a fierce barbecue craving I've had recently. It was inspired by Bobby Flay's Dallas burger, but it's definitely simpler than his. I've always topped barbecued shredded meat sandwiches with cole slaw (a quirk of my mom's that she passed along to me), and I knew it would be wonderful on this burger -- and it was. Joe and I both absolutely loved these burgers, and just writing about them is making me salivate. They were delicious.


BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers
Source: Cassie

1 pound ground chuck
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon steak or hamburger seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
8 strips of bacon
4 slices of American cheese
Your favorite BBQ sauce (we love Sweet Baby Ray's)
Prepared cole slaw
4 sesame hamburger buns, split

1. In a large skillet, fry bacon to desired crispness; set aside to drain on a paper towel.

2. Meanwhile, combine ground chuck, Worchestershire sauce, steak or hamburger seasoning, and salt and pepper; separate into four burgers.

3. Fry burgers in bacon drippings to desired doneness. Brush each burger with BBQ sauce and top with a piece of cheese.

4. Serve burgers on buns, topping them with the bacon and the cole slaw.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Am I the only one who thinks that this is one of the best food-related ideas ever? All the deliciousness of a jalapeno popper wrapped up inside a breaded chicken breast? Genius!

This dinner definitely did not disappoint; Joe and I both thought this chicken was a winner. I ended up only using one jalapeno for the filling; I bought two, but as I was chopping the first one some of the juice splashed right up into my eye, and if you've ever had that happen to you you know how NOT FUN it is. I was pretty much done with chopping the jalapenos after that. So this was actually pretty mild, and I missed the extra spice that the second jalapeno would have added. The original recipe doesn't call for it, but I added some bacon to the filling as well, because I prefer my jalapeno poppers with a little bit of bacon. It was a delicious addition to this dish. Plus, I made Joe's potatoes on the side and fried them in the leftover bacon grease, which made them even more delicious. (Did I say this meal was healthy? No, no I did not.)

Regardless of how unhealthy it is, you should definitely try this chicken. It's incredibly, unbelievably good.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken
Source: adapted from Allrecipes

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
4 strips of bacon, diced
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used regular bread crumbs and seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

2. Stir together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapenos in a small bowl.

3. Cut a pocket horizontally through the thickest side of each chicken breast, and fill with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Secure with toothpicks.

4. Roll the chicken breasts in bread crumbs to coat. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 8 minutes per side. If your chicken breasts are thick, like mine were, they can be finished in a 350-degree oven.

Announcing Burger and Fries Friday: Surf and Turf Burgers with Spicy Caramelized Onion Mayonnaise

I'm beyond thrilled to announce a new weekly feature here at Cassie Craves: Burger and Fries Friday!

Food-wise, there are few things I enjoy more than a really good burger, and I'm always bookmarking burger recipes that I'd like to try. What better way to ensure that I try some of them than to commit to making a different burger every Friday for...well, for as long as I can? And that's the goal of this whole little idea of mine: to cook a new burger recipe every Friday. Maybe sometimes I'll get creative with the "fries" portion, too, but I'm not promising anything. I think it goes without saying that Joe is definitely on-board with this idea.

For my inaugural Burger and Fries Friday post, here's a burger that looks and sounds fancy but is oh-so-simple to throw together: a surf and turf burger with spicy caramelized onion mayonnaise. This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens, and it was chosen by my dear husband. A burger with chopped shrimp mixed right in -- what a brilliant idea, huh? Brilliant, and ultimately delicious. We both really liked these burgers and loved the flavor of the caramelized onions in the mayo. The recipe, slightly adapted, is listed below.

Feel free to join in the fun and cook some burgers with me, if you're so inclined! You can even grab that nifty little badge if you want. (I just had to mention it because I made it myself and I'm so proud of it.) (Okay, that's not entirely true; the clip art was free, I just added the text.) (But still, I'm pretty proud of that darn thing.)

Surf and Turf Burgers with Spicy Caramelized Onion Mayonnaise
Source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
4 ounces peeled and cooked baby shrimp, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 large rolls, split

Lettuce and sliced tomatoes for serving (optional)

1. To make mayonnaise, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion in hot oil for 7 minutes or until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Season with cayenne pepper. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl; cover and chill. Stir mayonnaise into chilled onion mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. (This can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.)

2. Combine ground beef, shrimp, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; mix well. Shape mixture into 4 patties about 1 inch thick.

3. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Place burger patties in skillet and cook until desired doneness, turning burgers once halfway through grilling.

4. Toast rolls, if desired; serve burgers on rolls. Top with the mayonnaise, and, if desired, lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese and Butterfinger Frosting

Do you ever just see the title of a certain recipe and immediately start salivating? That's what happened to me when I saw this cake on Epicurious' list of their Top 30 cakes. This is the first cake I've ever made simply because I HAD TO HAVE IT -- not for someone's birthday or a potluck of some sort. And does this cake ever live up to its name! It is so unbelievably rich and delicious. I made it on Sunday, and Joe and I have single-handedly nearly finished it off. Ah, now I remember: that's why I never make cakes just for us. They're too tempting. Especially this one. There are just no words for it. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese and Butterfinger Frosting
Source: Epicurious

For the filling:

2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 pound golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

12 ounces cream cheese (1 1/2 8-ounce packages), room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Butterfinger candy bars, coarsely chopped

1. For filling, bring cream and sugar to simmer in saucepan, whisking to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; let stand 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in peanut butter. Chill uncovered overnight.

2. For cake, preheat oven to 350°. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions.

Divide batter among pans and spread evenly. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes 5 minutes. Turn out onto racks; peel off parchment. Cool cakes completely.

3. For frosting, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk whipping cream and 3/4 cup powdered sugar in bowl until mixture holds medium-firm peaks. Fold into cream cheese mixture in 3 additions; chill until firm but spreadable, about 1 hour.

4. For assembly, place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on 9-inch tart pan bottom. Spread with half of filling. Place another layer, bottom side up, on work surface. Spread with remaining filling; place atop first layer. Top with remaining cake layer, bottom side up.

Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.) Press candy onto top of cake.

Buffalo Chicken Potato Casserole

I would like to begin this post by showing you one of my son's most favorite activities ever in the world:

Don't let those innocent eyes fool you. He loves being destructive. He systematically goes through all of the recipe pamphlets and cards I've collected over the years, turning them over and over in his hands as he inspects them, and then he tosses them over his shoulder and moves on to the next one. I can't even tell you how many times I have to clean up this mess every week. I really need to find a new home for that basket of pamphlets.

Over the weekend, after Andrew had moved on to something else, I was picking up the mess when I came across a Betty Crocker magazine I don't even remember buying. It was all about casseroles, and when I started flipping through it I couldn't believe all of the delicious-sounding recipes it contained. As soon as I saw this buffalo chicken potato casserole, I knew I had to make it right away. So Sunday night, that's exactly what I did. And let me assure you that it tasted just as good as it sounds.

So thank you, my messy little boy, for helping me to rediscover this wonderful recipe booklet. I'm definitely going to be making a lot more recipes from it!

Buffalo Chicken Potato Casserole
Source: Betty Crocker Recipe Card Casseroles Magazine

1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
6 cups frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing (I used ranch)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 10-ounce can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs (I used crumbled Ritz crackers)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 3 medium)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and wing sauce.

3. In large bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup. Spoon into baking dish. Place chicken strips over potato mixture.

4. In small bowl, stir together crumbs and butter. Sprinkle on top of chicken strips.

5. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thickest pieces are cut. Sprinkle with green onions.