Spring is here, SPRING IS HERE...Bacon Cheeseburgers for all!

After a roller coaster of a winter (remember that morning in late January when it was in the low 50's?) and an even stranger March and April (anyone else's furnace STILL on as of last week?) spring appears to have sprung this weekend! Getting weather in the mid-60's to low-70's; sun shining bright; and sunscreen needing be applied, yes, SPRING IS HERE!

While the grill has been out for a number of weeks already - I refuse to let chilly temps keep me away from the magic of charcoal - tonight when it was fired up, it just felt right. And to top it off, we enjoyed Ultimate Bacon Burgers.

The recipe (straight from tastefullysimple.com) follows below but what makes something like this great, is you can make it your own, too. For instance, we chose Pepper Jack cheese instead of Cheddar at our house; we also chose to go without the buns. I finished mine off with sliced red peppers and mustard.

Ultimate Bacon Burgers
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
2 lb. lean ground beef
2 Tbsp. Ultimate Steak™ Seasoning or to taste
8-10 slices bacon, cooked and drained
6 slices Cheddar cheese
6 hamburger buns

Directions
Combine first 2 ingredients; shape into 6 patties. Grill to desired doneness. Top with cheese; grill additional few minutes until cheese melts. Place burgers on buns; top with bacon. Makes 6 servings

Ode to sloppy joe's

Serious goodness we enjoyed last night - sloppy joe's. Growing up, you might have known them as Manwich, sloppy joe's, saucey loose meat burgers...no matter the name, it was all pretty much the same. Grab some ground meat, toss it with some savory sauce, load it on a bun and enjoy! Sometimes, mustard, pickles, ketchup, hot peppers, cheese would also become toppers. My favorite way to enjoy it - in the past - was on a poppy seed bun with sweet pickles and mustard. Notice, I said, in the past. My new favorite was last night and it was a HUGE hit with the family. Making use of 3 Tastefully Simple products, an easy version of these turned out quickly and deliciously.

I browned 1.5 pounds of ground pork with about 2 Tbsp. Everyday Grillin Seasoning. I then mixed in Bacon Bacon (to taste) and Honey Apple Grill Sauce (about 1/2 to 1 cup - again, depending upon how sloppy/saucey you want the meat). I allowed the meat/sauce mixture to heat through, then served. The final outcome - with products - pictured below, followed by the recipe.

Honey Apple Sloppy Joe
1.5 pounds ground meat (personal preference, I used pork)
2 Tbsp. Everyday Grillin Seasoning (which is one black capful)
Bacon Bacon to taste
1/2 to 1 cup Honey Apple Grill Sauce
Bread or buns (optional)

Directions are above. If you choose to not serve on bread or buns, simply serving over rice or as a stand-alone with a side or two works as well!

More meatballs please

Meatballs are a big hit at our house - no matter the form or fashion with regard to recipe. I experimented with a new-ish Tastefully Simple product (new to many, as last time it was in the line was about 7 years ago at least) - Chunky Artichoke Dip Starter - to make the latest version, which got rave reviews.

I combined italian sausage from Fareway (local grocery store chain, fantastic fresh meats) and ham loaf; mixed in some of the dip starter, along with Dried Garlic and Tomato Pesto, formed into palm sized meatballs and baked for at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

We served these without sauce, over spaghetti squash and a size of broccoli. The full details are below.

Chunky Artichoke and Pesto Meatballs
2 lbs. Italian sausage
2 lbs. ham loaf
4 to 5 oz. Chunky Artichoke Dip Starter
2 Tbsp. Dried Garlic and Tomato Pesto Mix

Preheat over to 350 degrees; mix all ingredients well; form into meatballs (size is personal preference); bake until done.

The return of 5 products from the past

They are back and better than ever...well, at least as good as they previously were! Garlic Pepper Seasoning, Hoppin Jalapeno and Bacon Dip, Sweet Chipotle Pineapple Salsa, Berry Buckle Cake Mix and Mocha Chip Frappe are back from past catalogs beginning May 1 and available through June. Grab the collection and a free gift of a new product - Strawberry Colada Parfait Mix - is tossed in for added enjoyment.

I truly love when Tastefully Simple brings back products each summer. It is a bonus for party  guests, many familiar with the products but also many anxious to try for the first time. It is also a testament to Tastefully Simple truly listening to clients and consultants, who vote in polls and send general feedback to the company on what they want to see return.

Enjoy these while they last (starting in a couple of weeks) as once they retire, we never quite know if or when they will return.

Sunny Saturday - another great week, celebrate with pancakes

After an amazing Spring day to start the week Monday, the weather turned into gray and rain, making it a week to otherwise forget weather-wise. However waking up to brilliant sunshine on a Saturday morning (albeit a bit chilly for mid-April, but who is counting :)), enjoying coffee, talking sports with your oldest while he has once again snagged our favorite section ahead of me, is but an easy reminder of why not to just forget this past week. Having accomplished a lot in many areas of a life I am LIVING (re: to others, busy - to us, not sitting on the sideline watching life go by) - it was yet another great week.

Shuffled boys to baseball and soccer; supported Kari through another tough week of tests and homework for her classes; crossed many projects off my list at work; got in my first training swim of the season followed by 2 great runs and 2 solid indoor bike workouts (not all in one day :)); ate dinner as a family almost every night; ensured Kari had 2 successful classes taught at the gym; balanced touching my Tastefully Simple business every day with meaningful activities; attended a networking group meeting for the community...there might just be something I am forgetting, maybe?

I don't list this to brag, to say I am the busiest person in the world or by doing all of these I am better than anyone. I do it as a way to know I am keeping up with my life mantra.

Today's post is in fact simple - get out there and live your life. Own the ups and the downs. See your dreams and chase them. Empower others along the way. Don't forget, we go around once, MAXIMIZE YOUR LIFE.

And while doing so - eat pancakes!

Comfort food...in April?

Most of the time, comfort food is associated with fall and winter - certainly not April. Although really, there is never a wrong time for comfort food, as by the simple words, what is implied is what makes you feel good, at ease...you know, comfortable. Anyway, it is oddly and most definitely comfort food weather today from where I type this. Rain all day, temperature did not break 40 and heck, possible mix of rain/snow tomorrow (and all kinds of snow to the north of us). So tonight we served up a nice pot of chili for supper. Other comfort foods I lean on: lasagna, pizza, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, pancakes are certainly at the top of the list. This baked rigatoni would also qualify: http://tsrecipes.com/mama-mia-baked-rigatoni/

 

 

I wish you all an enjoyable comfort food meal soon!

Dinner tonight?

Some days, details get away from you and all of a sudden, the thought of  "What is for dinner tonight?" arrives in your head. While meatloaf might sound like the need for a grand plan and lots of ingredients/prep time, it does not have to be that way. With a handful of base ingredients - either from your fridge, or easy to grab on the way home at the store - and a couple of flavorful Tastefully Simple items, deliciousness is but an hour away. This recipe requires very little but leaves you wanting more and feeling like it took alot, that is what takes the enjoyment of TS products to another level in our house. Check it out:

2 lbs. ground meat  beef, pork, chicken, turkey or any combination thereof

2 eggs

1 cup dry breadcrumbs or panko

1 Tbsp. Ultimate Steak™ Seasoning

1 capful Onion Onion™ (one capful = 2 Tbsp.)

2 cups mixed chopped veggies combo of bell peppers, kale, carrots and zucchini is a good mix

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients with your hands until it’s well blended. (Mixing with your hands gives it the best texture.) Bake in a 9 x 5 loaf pan 50-55 minutes.

 

So this is the base level - another level -

 

• Top with Honey Apple Grill Sauce or Bayou Bourbon™ Glaze before baking. (pictured above, front photo)

• Make it “en croute” using a tube of crescent rolls: (above, back photo) o Separate the rolls into triangles.
o Line the inside of a lightly greased loaf pan with the tips hanging over the edges.
o Fill with the prepared meatloaf mixture.
o Wrap the crescent roll tips over the top of the meatloaf and bake as directed above.

This will not be the last time we talk meals! Enjoy the week

How do you use Garlic Garlic?

Just this week, a friend of mine sent me a note detailing how she had found a recipe on Pinterest and altered it to incorporate using Garlic Garlic. While I use Tastefully Simple products with virtually every recipe I make - whether it is a recipe that calls specifically for a TS product or not - it is great to hear how others use them, too. She added it was a hit with the family and labeled the recipe as a "keeper". I have shared it below - thanks Virginia Roudabush:

 

Two packages 30-40 count shrimp

1 stick of butter, melted (she noted she would use ½ stick next time)

2 lemons

Garlic Garlic (she didn’t measure, maybe 1 cap full – adjust to taste)

Slice lemons, thin. Spread over jelly-roll pan. Cover lemons with single layer of shrimp. Pour butter over all.

Sprinkle with Garlic Garlic.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Get the grill fired up!

Grilling season in full force at our house, and the new Ultimate Steak Seasoning is getting heavy use for any item headed for the classic charcoal grill! Tonight, it was chicken breasts seasoned with the aforementioned seasoning - keeping it simple. We paired it with steamed veggies, flavored with Seasoned Salt and then some quinoa and broccoli slaw - the final item with Vidalia Onion Dressing, pictured above - http://tsrecipes.com/vidalia-onion-broccoli-slaw/. Yes, it is good to have the grill fired up in the spring.