Burger and Fries Friday: Caprese Burgers with Basil Balsamic Mayonnaise

This week's burger is one of our absolute favorites. Caprese salad is one of the best dishes in the world, in my opinion, and this is my deconstructed cheeseburger version of it. I top the Italian-style burgers with fresh mozzarella and tomato, and then I stir the basil and balsamic vinegar into the mayonnaise. Couldn't be simpler, more elegant, or more delicious. We always have ours with steak fries (the frozen ones work fine), tossed with olive oil and tons of black pepper. When they come out of the oven, we sprinkle them generously with grated Parmesan cheese. I guarantee that you'll enjoy this meal!

Caprese Burgers with Basil Balsamic Mayonnaise

Source: Cassie

1 pound ground chuck

1 teaspoon hamburger or steak seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

4 slices of tomato

4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup torn or chiffoned basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Sweet Italian rolls, halved, buttered and grilled

1. Combine ground chuck, hamburger or steak seasoning, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Shape into four equal patties. Cook patties to desired doneness in olive oil over medium high heat.

2. While burgers are cooking, combine mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, basil leaves and garlic powder in a separate bowl.

3. Top burgers with mozzarella cheese for the last minute or so of cooking so the cheese can soften. Serve burgers on grilled buns, topped with the tomato and the basil balsamic mayonnaise.

Hot Hoagies

This week's burger will be up later tonight after, you know, I've had a chance to actually make it and eat it. It's a good one this week, so be sure to check back!

I just have to share last night's delicious, simple dinner with you. These hot sandwiches were soooo good, and they took absolutely no time at all to prepare. Please excuse the terrible picture; you're lucky I even took a picture, I was so eager to sink my teeth into these!

Joe and I both really liked these sandwiches. I made the full recipe so we'd both have lunches for today. I made a few changes to the recipe, just to fit our preferences. I think some chopped pimiento, or even some pimiento-stuffed olives, would be a great addition to the sandwich topping, too, so I may try that next time. I think these are going to find their way into the regular rotation pretty quickly!

Hot Hoagies

Source: adapted from Laura at Real Mom Kitchen, who got it from Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe

1 loaf french bread, cut lengthwise

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 cup sour cream

2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-Jack blend)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place french bread on large baking sheet. Mix all topping ingredients together in a bowl. Spread topping evenly on top of both lengths of french bread.

2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and edges are lightly browned. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Peppers

Without a doubt, Wednesday night is my favorite night of the week. That's grilling night at our house, and there is nothing I like to eat more in the summer than food fresh from the grill. Last night, we had chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing and seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and to go with them, these delicious, cheesy, grilled stuffed peppers.

I saw these peppers in Food & Wine magazine quite a while ago, and ever since then I've been dying to try them. They were so good! The Cubanelle peppers provided just the right amount of heat, which balanced nicely with the sweet, creamy, gooey filling. They held up nicely on the grill; they maintained their crunch, and the filling stayed right where it was supposed to. I adapted the recipe to serve just Joe and me, but if you want the original recipe just click the link below. What a perfect, easy side dish these were. Joe told me, "This is definitely something we should make again," and I completely agree!

Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Peppers
Source: adapted from Food & Wine, April 2009

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Cubanelle peppers
Olive oil for rubbing

1. In a medium bowl, blend the ricotta with the cream cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. Light a grill or heat a grill pan. Using a small, sharp knife, remove the stems from the peppers and reserve. Cut around inside the peppers to detach the membranes and remove the seeds. Using a butter knife, fill the peppers with the cheese mixture and reattach the tops. Rub the peppers with olive oil.

3. Grill the peppers over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until blistered all over and the cheese filling is piping hot, about 7 minutes. Transfer the peppers to plates and serve.

Frozen Banana Bites

Every Sunday evening, my stepmom and stepsister come over to my house to watch our very favorite TV show, True Blood. It doesn't start until 9:00, which is too late for us to eat dinner together, so at the beginning of the season we decided to make sweets to eat during the show instead. We're supposed to be taking turns, but I've selfishly made the snack two weeks in a row. Last week we enjoyed strawberry pretzel squares, and this week I made these absolutely delicious frozen banana bites.

This is an idea I originally saw in Bon Appetit magazine a couple of months ago, and I've had it in my mind to make my own version ever since. You can roll the chocolate-dipped bananas in any coating you want; I chose miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanuts, hazelnuts, and vanilla wafer crumbs.

This is the perfect summer treat, hands-down. The frozen bananas are somehow still really creamy, almost the texture of ice cream. Add in the chocolate and the salty-sweet coatings, and this is truly a heavenly -- and simple! -- dessert. I can see myself making these for my kids in a few years!

Frozen Banana Bites
Source: inspired by Bon Appetit

1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into slices (about 12 slices per banana)
Assorted coatings for bananas (peanuts, hazelnuts, miniature chocolate chips, vanilla wafers crumbs, toasted shredded sweetened coconut, chopped candy, etc.)

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler over low heat. Meanwhile, place each coating in a separate dish and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Using a fork, dip a slice of banana in the melted chocolate, shaking off the excess. Immediately drop banana in coating, using your fingers to sprinkle more coating over the top of the banana. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining bananas, chocolate and coatings.

3. Freeze for about 3 hours, or until firm.

Honey-Teriyaki Chicken

Inspired in equal parts by Lisa and Jessie, I've been working on implementing a new meal planning system in our house over the past week or so, and so far it's working pretty well. It involves assigning "themes" to each night of the week that are consistent from week to week. It's really helped me organize the recipes I want to cook, and I've been doing a lot better at actually cooking dinner rather than opting for frozen pizza or a quick sandwich. My husband is part of a spring softball league that's been occupying the better part of his Monday and Thursday nights, which makes cooking on those nights pretty tough, but after his games are over I'll definitely start sharing my meal plans with you.

Anyway, the theme I've decided on for Saturday nights is international cuisine, and this week I made a fantastic meal brought to you straight from the pages of Everyday Food. Joe and I both really enjoyed this honey-teriyaki chicken. I thought it had great flavor, and although I worried it would be too sweet, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. I love cooking with chicken thighs; they're always so tender, and this dish was no exception.

I would suggest cooking the chicken in a casserole dish, or anything with high sides, rather than on a cookie sheet as the recipe suggests. The honey mixture bubbled up quite a bit in the oven, and it could have easily run over the sides of the cookie sheet and made a real mess that I wouldn't have enjoyed cleaning up at all. The skin on the chicken got a bit darker than I would have liked, so if I make these again I may cook them at a lower temperature for a little bit longer. Apparently the skin was still edible, though. I peeled the skin off my chicken, but Joe seemed to enjoy crunching through his!

I served this with Asian cabbage slaw, and it was a delicious accompaniment. This meal is definitely a keeper!

Honey-Teriyaki Chicken
Source: slightly adapted from Everyday Food, May 2009

1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, mix honey, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Transfer chicken and sauce to baking sheet.

2. Bake chicken, skin side up, basting occasionally with pan juices, until well browned and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve chicken drizzled with pan juices.