Food Friday! : Balsamic Vinegar Marinated Hamburgers

Balsamic Vinegar Marinated Hamburgers

One of our favorite things to do during football season is to grill out before watching the game (on tv... sad to say), and one of our favorite things to grill are hamburgers. A few years back, I found this incredible recipe for Balsamic Vinegar Marinated Turkey Burgers and we love it so much we use it with hamburger meat too. I remember making this for Handsome Hubby's PawPaw one time and he said it was the best hamburger he had every eaten...from a sometimes picky picky eater, that is a huge compliment! Try it for yourself...you might be impressed!

Ingredients

1 pound ground meat (turkey or hamburger)
One medium white or yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (it's your preference. I love this marinade, and I go for more like 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

Preparation

Finely chop/dice onion or use a food processor. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Add the onion and mix. Pour over meat and mix together. I use my hands...it's just easier. Form meat into small to medium patties and grill until done. I serve this on whole wheat buns, with lettuce (hydroponic lettuce makes for a really beautiful looking hamburger!), avocado, and cheddar cheese (I promise it's not American in the picture), and HH always adds barbecue sauce. :)

Happy Eating! And enjoy whatever football game you may be watching this weekend! GOOOOO JACKETS!

To my Sweetie, Sometimes I leave you notes signed by "Mrs. Dr. B.". This is because I love being your wife, and I'm so proud of the accomplishments you have made!
To the Swede, There is nothing in the world I like more than receiving snail mail (although I don't much like junk mail...). Imagine my surprise when I not only got snail mail all the way from Sweden!!...but, it was a whole package! :) I completely forgot that you were sending it and it made my day yesterday. Hoping the cold weather isn't coming too soon for you already.
To my Small Group Girls, Thanks for a wonderful discussion last night! You ladies are such an encouragement to me and I am thankful for everyone of you...the new and the old! It is always so refreshing to fellowship with you all! Makes my Wednesday's just a little bit brighter. 
To my Dr. B., It was made pretty clear that you would not be doing any procedures/surgeries during your September rotation, but you had a nice surprise yesterday!- you got to put in a chest tube in the E.R. Now, I know it's no open appendectomy or a whipple, but when you haven't been in the O.R. for several weeks, placing a chest tube is an incredible task...one that you were excited to do! Here's to only one more full day in Trauma Surgery and then on to a new month's rotation...I hope filled with so many surgeries you can't even count!

To the Popmiester, Thanks for helping us fix our circa 1927 toilet! Can't believe anyone ever thought that using steel pipes was a good idea (...the pipes are filled with rust!). Thanks for your plumbing expertise and your willingness to work on a project! :) It now takes 2 minutes to fill the enormous tank instead of 30. I'm so thankful that you and Mama Ne' came for the weekend! And Long Dog is even more thankful that you brought along the White Dog. 
To my favorite M-I-L and B-I-L, Yay for figuring out facetime and chatting "face-to-face" with you, at least for a few minutes! It was great to be able to talk to you! We should definitely try and do that more often!
To Stray Kitty, You should really pretend to be more afraid of the dogs. I know you are great friends with Long Dog, but the White Dog spends all of her time licking her lips when she sees you and even tries to nibble your ears when you get close... I wonder what makes her think that kitty cats taste good?... :)
To my Dr. Hubby, My parents got a really good idea of exactly how much you work/ how little I see you while they were here this weekend. As much as they missed seeing more of you, I loved having them here on a weekend that you worked! T minus 3 days until the end of this rotation! Wahooooooooo!!


Picture: This is the steel tank lid on the toilet in our upstairs bath. It's hard to read with the rust build up, but the toilet was manufactured in the USA on June 3, 1927. That is one old toilet!

Food Friday! : Perfect Apple Pie

Perfect Apple Pie

With fall well on its way, and apples in season, I decided to make an apple pie for us to enjoy while watching the Yellow Jackets play last weekend. It turned out great! I must be honest...this is a collaboration of Paula Dean's apple pie filling (from her Crunch Top Apple Pie recipe) and a Cooking Light apple pie crust. It worked well together and the pie was delicious! When I found out Paula's pie crust recipe used 12 additional tablespoons of butter for the same amount of dough, I just couldn't bring myself to make it! 


Dough Ingredients:
 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (of course, I used half all-purpose flour, and half whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water
Cooking spray

Filling Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples(I use 3-4 medium sized peeled apples, depending on how stuffed you want the pie...)
1 (16-ounce) jar applesauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces


Preparation

Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add ice water; toss with a fork until flour mixture is moist. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Gently press each portion into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap. Cover and chill 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 425°. Prepare filling: Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in apples, apple sauce, and lemon juice. Set aside.

Once the dough is chilled, unwrap and place 1 portion of chilled dough on floured wax paper. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Place dough in 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Spoon apple mixture into pie pan and dot with the 2 tablespoons chopped butter. Unwrap and place the second portion of chilled dough on floured waxed paper and roll dough into another 12-inch circle. Lay over the top of the pie and press edges of the pie together, also removing excess dough hanging out of/off of the dish. Cut several slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape. You can also decorate with any left over dough pieces.

Still unbaked, but having a little fun with some fall-inspired leaves!

Place pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 40 minutes or until browned. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy (best served with vanilla ice cream)!  :)

 

To my Teaching Dr. B., Among many many other things, your job right now is largely managing patients and their care. And managing/teaching med students. The good and the bad. Sometimes you get really lucky, and you work/teach/train an excellent student. Such is the case this month. And as it turns out, he will be the same student on the G.I. service next month! You couldn't be more happy and I couldn't be more happy for you! 
To Weathergirl, Thanks for sending some rain our way! I was so excited this morning to pull out my wellies!! :) I still think it's so appropriate that you gave them to me. Next on my list of weather items? A new umbrella. I'm embarrassed to show you the condition mine is in currently... How about a new IKEA one? Nothing better than a Swedish umbrella with (kinda) Georgia Tech colors!
To Mama Ne and the Popmiester (and White Dog and Sadie Girl), You're coming to visit this weekend and I am beyond excited to catch up over cups of coffee, play disc golf with Popmiester's birthday gifts (disc golf discs, of course!), take the 3 dogs on long walks, and eat great food! I know that only Long Dog will be more excited than me that you're coming... which is why I haven't told him yet. Afterall, he has zero concept of time. :)
To my "golfing" buddy, Warm up your disc golf arm! There's going be a showdown this weekend! I'm not competitive, am I?

To my Dr. B., Thank you for all of your medical consultations. I'm sorry that I have so many aliments sometimes. ;) Thank you for your patience...
To Long Dog, It has been no secret that you were probably a fire-dog in your last life. You love anything that smells like smoke (grill smell included), and you howl at the passing firetrucks...not bark, not whine, howl... I love it and we have been forever trying to catch it on video. I now have the proof! You are such a funny dog and I love you.
To Fall, Yet another reason why I love fall: new episodes of my favorite shows! Can't wait to curl up with Long Dog, some hot tea, on this probably rainy afternoon, and watch the recorded Castle premiere from last night! T minus 8 hours of work remain! The perfect cure for my incredibly sore throat...
To Kung Fu Panda, I was watching you on tv yesterday while doing laundry (yes, I know...26 and watching kid's movies in my spare time...by myself!) and I was surprised to be reminded of a wonderful blessing I experience everyday: Grand Master Oogway said "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why they call it the 'present.'" Lord, thank you that you have blessed us with today. Thank you that you make each morning new. Thank you for the provisions and strength you give us to get through each day. It is a wonderful gift. Remind me each and every night that today is just one more day that you gifted me. 


Anyone notice that I had to prompt Long Dog's howling? :) We sound so much alike! Like mother like son (kinda)... 

To my Dr. Husband, I know you care for very, very sick patients on a daily basis, but you may be impressed to know that I saved one of my "patients" yesterday too! He stopped breathing after a dose of anesthesia, and I started chest compressions and prayed that his life might be spared. Almost 15 seconds later, life was breathed back into his little body and he started gasping! I promise I did not do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation...
To our Concerned Friends and Family, WE HAVE A/C! Real a/c, not a window unit. It's nice to have the house really cool, even if it because it might be 65 degrees outside and we have all of the windows still open. Oh, and all the electricity in the kitchen works too!
To this Perfect Fall Day, It might still be officially summer, but what a wonderful day! Beautiful temps, white chicken chili, cornbread muffins, apple pie, and the GT football game (what a wonderful surprise, since I didn't think it would be aired on any of my cable channels)!!! It would only be better if we were actually at Bobby Dodd Stadium! GO JACKETS!
To my Golfing Bee, Did you ever think that you would have time during your intern year to play in a golf tournament?! I sure didn't. I'm so glad you got to play today, and you still have the rest of the weekend off! I heard you played really well!



What's your favorite fall meal/food?
 

Food Friday! : Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches

Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches

It's a bread! It's a cookie! No, it's a sandwich!...

Last Sunday, I attended a potluck lunch and I had signed up to bring a dessert (enough for 12 people). Of all the dessert recipes I had, I decided to search for a new recipe to try and I came across this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, featuring recipes that included end-of-summer produce. These cookies, as indicated by "bread" in the name, are much more spongy and chewy than your normal cookie, and I might go so far as to say that they are almost like a muffin top. The cream cheese filling gives this sandwich a very oatmeal cream-pie look (especially tempting for children...and adults!), although I think these cookies might be just as good sans filling. Even still, they were a big hit! One (half)word: delish!

 Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (separated)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preparation

Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat 1 stick of the butter and the sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Then, beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix in zucchini (mostly "de-watered"), oats, and walnuts. Refrigerate 1 hour before baking.

While waiting, make the icing: beat together remaining 1/2 stick butter, the cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets (or silpats), spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 15-17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Once cookies are completely cool, spread/pipe roughly 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie, and sandwich with another cookie.

One of the most helpful things my mother taught me in her kitchen was that a piping bag was not necessary. An easier, cheaper, less messy way of piping is to use a ziploc bag: spoon the filling/icing into a gallon-size ziploc bag, close the top after squeezing most of the air out, push contents down to one corner, and twist the top of the bag to keep contents in that corner. Then, when you are ready with a cookie (or whatever you are icing) in hand, cut the corner of the ziploc bag off and pipe away! Since I don't own (yet) a icing piping bag or tips, this is how I pipe everything I make.

I made these cookies the night before and stored them in the fridge until ready to serve. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies, or 15 sandwiches. Enjoy!

To my Dearest Friend, We have spent the last 6 days without A/C at our house. Last night was finally the last straw and when I saw that the temp on the alarm clock upstairs read 90 degrees, we moved our mattress downstairs to the family room and had a slumber party there (a good 5-10 degrees cooler!). Thanks for making me feel like a little kid again. :) I love slumber parties! To Long Dog, You became so excited when you thought we had moved our mattress downstairs all for you! Nice try, Mr. Cool. Thanks for participating in the slumber party too!
To the Non-functioning A/C System, You had a good run. 17 years of a long life + 1 miserably hot week and we are ready for your replacement! Thank you though for reminding us how privileged we are to normally have A/C. Thank you for reminding us that many people go without such luxuries on a regular basis. Lord, you have blessed us with much! To the new A/C System, T minus 16 hours until you are installed. Not one minute too soon...Coincidentally enough, it's just in enough time to not need the A/C for the beautiful weather weekend!
To the Squirrels, I will just make it known that when I take Long Dog outside to go potty, I am not intentionally invading your territory. There is no need to hiss at or pelt me, Long Dog, or Stray Kitty with acorns. We will ignore you if you ignore us. Otherwise, it's on... bring it! :)
To my Mr. B., Last night, you decided we would buy a window A/C unit to help keep us cool (which may come in especially handy because the upstairs is always hotter). Thank you for being so concerned for my well-being. If only we had thought of it sooner... Of course, the Med-Student Housemate came up with a great solution already: take more overnight call so you can sleep at the air-conditioned hospital! :)

P.S. Shout out to Caitie-Bug! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Is this your 7th anniversary of your 21st birthday? :) Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!


P.P.S. I came home to a wonderful surprise on my front porch! Busby's Heating and Air dropped off a window A/C unit so we don't have to buy one! Almost made me cry to see it sitting there. Thank you, Lord for your provision! And thank you Busby's for your kind heart!

To my Doctor B., Sometimes when you come home and talk about your patients, I think the only reason they are still alive is because you cared for them today.  Thank you, Lord, that you have given him the discernment he needs to treat and help your children. May he continue to have your favor and the favor of those physicians you have placed in his life! Give him the patience, kind-heart, endurance, and understanding he needs to do what you would have him do.
To my A/C, Did I insult you last week when I said that the weather had been so nice, we no longer needed you? You have officially died (at least the compressor) and you started making our breaker box inside the house smoke...eek!! So, we spent all weekend without you. To Weathergirl, Thanks for the slightly cooler weather! It looks like we will be without A/C for another couple of days...so, keep it up!!
To Banker Boy, It's been fun catching up with you this summer after episodes of Suits [insert shameless plug for USA Network here]. I love when I get a call after the show airs with you wanting to know what I thought! Can't believe we will have to wait 10 months before the new season starts. Let's pick a new show and keep up the tradition... 
To my Silly Sweetheart, Last night as we sat down for dinner, you handed me a fork, and called it a "brush". I thought for sure you were just delirious in your post-call sleepy stupor, but then you started humming songs from The Little Mermaid. It's no wonder you connect well with kids. But, I think you meant to call it a dinglehopper. :)

Food Friday! : Italian Sausage Stuffed Green Peppers

Italian Sausage Stuffed Green Peppers

I found this recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen, and when I saw that green peppers were on sale this week at Kroger, I planned it for one of our weeknight dinners this week. Handsome Hubby loved it (and of course, only wished there was more cheese in the stuffings!). This is a fairly easy recipe, and only slightly time consuming because of the baking time.

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain brown rice
4 large green bell peppers, bottom trimmed, cap end cut off and diced, and seeds removed
1 large onion, diced
2 links turkey Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 tsp. ground fennel
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese


Preparation

Preheat oven to 375º. Cook rice according to package directions. So the peppers don't wobble, trim the bottom of bell peppers to make them flat. Cut off the stem end of peppers, and remove seeds. Place hollowed-out peppers in a greased 8x8 baking dish.

Dice pepper caps (without stem) and the onion and, in a large skillet with approximately 1 tbsp olive oil, sauté diced pepper and onion for 3-4 minute or until they are starting to soften. Remove pepper-onion mixture to a bowl, add 1 tsp. more olive oil, then squeeze sausage out of the casing and cook until it's lightly browned, breaking apart with a spatula.

Once the meat has browned, mix together the onions/peppers and the meat in the sauté pan. Add the dried spices, and saute 2-3 minutes to blend the flavors. Then add cooked rice and Parmesan cheese, season the mixture with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and cook just long enough to warm, about 1-2 minutes.

Stuff the filling mixture into the hollowed-out peppers, using a spoon to press the mixture down so it's tightly packed into the pepper shell. Sprinkle Swiss cheese generously on the top on the stuffing. Bake peppers for 30 minutes and serve hot. Enjoy!

To the Love of My Life, This song came on my Pandora while getting ready for work this morning. It might be cheesy to say this, but it reminded me of how I felt when I met you. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with such a wonderful husband!
To my little Blog, Happy 1st Birthday! Congrats on one official year, 59 precious comments, and 64 posts down (including this one) and many more posts to go. Thanks to the readers for making it a success! And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Auntie J...wish we were there to celebrate with you!
To Weathergirl and Hurricane Hunk, I just know that you "ordered" this weather just for me! A million thanks over and over for bringing fall a little early (can anyone tell fall is my favorite season?!). We have been able to keep the 3 open-able windows (yes, only 3...) in the house open every night this week. I know my utility budget thanks you too!
To my Busy Bee, Two words: Trauma Surgery. You may be up well before the sun rises, home after the sun sets, doing two interns worth of work, managing a ridiculous number of patients, and getting zero O.R. time, but you are making the most of it. And after all of that, you still ask me about my day. Just one of the many ways you make me feel loved. P.S. You've packed your lunch everyday this month (with a little help)! Thank you for staying committed to keeping our fast food budget down, although I know McD's and the hospital cafeteria will miss your regular contributions. :)



What is your favorite thing about fall?

To my Fall Wreath, The weather was beautiful today and much cooler than normal, and I just could not hold out any longer. You have officially made your debut for this fall season! Wahoooo! I planned to put you out on the first day of fall...at least I lasted until after the unofficial first day of fall. Besides, Einstein's Bros Bagels has pumpkin bagels, pumpkin smear, and Autumn Roast coffee out already... P.S. I was shocked beyond belief to hear that the ATL area had highs below 70 degrees today. I wish this weather was here to stay! 
To Long Dog, Today was the perfect day for a bath. You are soooooo happy when you are clean! And I just love it that you smell good enough to cuddle with! 
To TV Watchers, When do the "collectors" on American Pickers become hoarders? Some of these people have a TON of stuff...
To my Doctor Hubby, Sometimes you come home frustrated because of how some health care professionals treat the patients at the hospital. It's refreshing to know you are an incredible physician and a patient advocate.



For those interested, I made this wreath two years ago from leaf garlands that I found at Michael's for $4 each (I used two garlands). For lack of a better idea, I used a straightened wire hanger and twist-and-ties to secure and support the garlands. It was that simple...

To my Favorite Date, Thanks for spending the evening sitting on the 3rd baseline with me! Had a blast with you eating sunflower seeds, rooting for the home team, and singing/stretching during the 7th inning stretch! You can take me out to the ball game anytime!
To the Green Jackets, The bottom of the 5th was impressive! Way to score 8 runs all in the same inning to tie up the game. Last I heard, you were still in extra innings. Wishing baseball season would last just a little while longer...
To the Birthday Girl, I hope you had an absolutely wonderful birthday today. Thank you for making the treck down I-20 to visit and bringing my favorite B-I-L with you. May you be blessed immensely from now until your next birthday...when you turn 29, right?.
To my Mr. Fix-It, I'm was so embarrassed to admit the process of events that resulted in you playing plumber. You couldn't believe that I used an old toothbrush to try and get something out of the sink drain, then dropped the toothbrush down the pipe, then used the hemostat from your medical bag to ultimately push the toothbrush farther down the drain. All in all, I ended up with a leaking pipe and a clogged drain. When I confessed to you what had happened, you created a new nickname for me: Lucille Ball. Thanks alot...

Birthday Girl with her handsome boys!

Birthday Girl with a Birthday Cupcake!

Food Friday! : White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies

I know, I know. It's a mouth full for a cookie's name...

This recipe is adapted from the Oatmeal-Walnut Cookie Recipe that I found on cookinglight.com. With the recent health "events" in my family, I have decided that we (Handsome Hubby and I) eat too many processed foods. My dad's smooth recovery has largely been due to his good health- diet and exercise- and I want to make sure I am doing my part to help us eat healthier. We eat well-balanced meals (especially dinner), but snacking is one area that we are more likely to grab an over-processed item. Hence, the recipe below was born. Albeit, it is still a cookie, but it has some especially delicious and nutritious components that will help us last until meal time. We have certainly enjoyed them! Now to find the balance between too many over-processed foods and too many home baked goods. ;) I reduced the sugars by almost half, which makes this more of a "breakfast" cookie than a dessert.


Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup each of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour)
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries (or raisins, if you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/4-1/2 cup chopped white chocolate chips


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350º.

Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, oats, and salt to egg mixture; beat well. Stir in chopped cranberries, pistachios, and white chocolate chips.

Drop by the tablespoon, 1 1/2 inches apart, onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (or silpat). To make them more of a flat cookie instead of a thick rounded one, I gently press each dough mound with the flat bottom of a glass cup (see pictures below). I first dip the cup in sugar before flattening each dough mound to prevent the dough from sticking to the cup. Bake at 350º for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; let stand 2 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet; serve warm (although room temperature taste just as great!). Depending on the size of your cookie, this recipe makes approximately 3 dozen cookies and freezes well. Enjoy!

After lightly pressing them with the flat bottom of a cup.