About as close to Hawaii as I'm gonna get this year!

How is it that everyone I know has been, is, or will be going to Hawaii this year? My own parents informed me last weekend that they are going in October! Unfortunately these burgers are about as close to Hawaii as I'm gonna this year.

My vacation disappointments aside, I'm pretty excited about these burgers!

Yesterday afternoon I was exhausted and lacking motivation to cook anything for dinner, so I decided we'd just have hamburgers. When I started getting the meat together, I couldn't help myself...I wanted to jazz things up a bit. Arnold has a good friend that always puts barbeque sauce and sliced pineapple on his burgers. Australians also put pineapple on their burgers...as well as beets, fried eggs and a myriad of other random items...but I digress. So at first I thought I'd just do the pineapple slice thing. But then I decided to create a whole new burger, with pineapple and barbeque sauce as my inspiration....

...and thus this recipe was born! We loved it! Even Reese gobbled up half a hamburger.

Arnold thought I should call them Monterey Jack Hawaiian Stacks, but I decided on Hawaiian Barbeque Burgers...Which name do you like better??

HAWAIIAN BARBEQUE BURGERS
(Mindi Original)

For the Burgers:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
1 C. Panko bread crumbs
1 C. pineapple tidbits
½ C. sliced green onions (about 6 including a good portion of the greens)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic; finely minced
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

For the Barbeque Sauce:
½ C. ketchup
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. brown Sugar
2 t. white vinegar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. garlic powder
Salt & pepper

6 slices Monterey Jack cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Hamburger buns

1. In a mixing bowl dump all the ingredients for the burgers. With your hands mix the ingredients until well incorporated. (Try not to over-mix. If ground beef is over mixed it will become rubbery and tough, that’s why it’s important to mix everything at one time. You never want to add some ingredients, mix, then add more and mix again.)
2. Form the meat into 6 hamburger patties.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the barbeque sauce. Allow the sauce to sit for at least 30 minutes to ensure the sugar dissolves and the flavors come together.
4. Grill the patties, melting a slice of Monterey Jack cheese on top during the last few minutes of grilling.
5. Toast your hamburger bun of choice.
6. Assemble the burgers as follows:

Bun
Barbeque Sauce
Burger
Cheese
More Barbeque Sauce
Lettuce
Tomato
Top bun

*Makes 6 good size burgers

Fish...it's whats for dinner.

Several years ago I was at a ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers...yes there is an International Council for Shopping Centers...crazy but true!) Marketing Conference in San Diego, CA. One night we had dinner at this fun little Seafood Restaurant, right on the water. I had the most amazing Mahi Mahi dish. When I got back to Utah I was determined to deconstruct and re-create it. I love doing that!

At the time, I was on a diet...so not only did I deconstruct it...I tried to make it much healthier than the restaurants. I really liked my version, it wasn't quite as rich, but I'm sure that had something to do with my "healthy" twists. I made it a few times and always enjoyed it, but I kind of forgot about it.

Last week when my husband agreed to eat fish...shocking...I started thinking about this dish again. I hadn't made it in years, so I thought I'd resurrect it and see if it was as good as I remember. I'm sure glad I did.

MAHI MAHI WITH LEMON GARLIC SAUCE
(Mindi Original)

4 Mahi Mahi fillets (4-6 oz. each)
3/4 C. Panko bread crumbs
zest of 1 lemon
1 T. dry parsley
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper
cooking spray

2 large cloves garlic
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
2 T. flour
juice of one lemon (about 1/8 cup)
½ C. chicken stock
½ C. milk
salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Dip each fillet in the bread crumb mixture. Make sure each fillet is well covered in bread crumb mixture. Place the fillets on the baking sheet and spray the top of each one with cooking spray.
3. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven. Make sure the fish is done, but not too dry.
4. While the fish is baking, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the olive oil and allow to heat.
5. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat.
6. Add the flour and stir to incorporate.
7. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock, cook for a minute then add the milk. Continue cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
8. Season with salt & pepper.
9. Serve the sauce over top the baked fish fillets. Also serve with Seasoned Brown Rice (recipe below).
10. Serves 4.

*This dish can also be made with Talapi, or any other white fish. I’m sure Salmon would be good as well.


SEASONED BROWN RICE

1 ½ C. Chicken Stock
2 T. chives
1 t. salt
¾ C. brown rice

1. In a sauce pan over high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil.
2. Add the chives, salt and brown rice.
3. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 50 minutes.
4. Fluff and serve.
5. Serves 4.

Over 19 years of grilling goodness...

This is pretty much my all time favorite marinade recipe. I love it because it works with just about ever kind of meat, with the exception of fish. And it is like meat candy...ok, maybe that sound gross, but I promise it isn't. It is sooooo good.

I'll never forget the first time I had this marinade. My sister made it for me when I was staying with her the summer after she got married, almost 19 years ago. Oh my gosh!! I just realized...if I'm doing the math right...my sister will have been married 20 years this October. Are we really that old?! Or I should say...is she really that old? Either way...I'm only 2 years behind her...in age that is. I will have been married only 3 years this June. I guess you could say our lives have been on very different tracks.

But my sister is an amazing cook. Cooking has always been something we've shared and both loved. Maybe one of these days I'll convince her to join me in blogging and share all her talents, tricks, tips and recipes with the world. One day...maybe...


CHICKEN, TURKEY, BEEF OR PORK MARINADE
(Recipe from Jen Uibel)

½ cup oil
½ cup Teriyaki
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons minced onions
2 clove garlic
½ teaspoon ground ginger or 2 tsp. fresh minced ginger root

1. Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a large zip lock bag.
2. Add meat of choice (about 4-6 chicken breasts, turkey fillets, steaks or pork chops).
3. Allow meat to marinate in the refrigerator at least four hours or overnight, turning and squishing bag as many times as possible.
4. Remove meat from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to grill. (Meat always grills or cooks better when starting at room temperature.)
5. Grill away!

*Because of the honey in this marinate, you will get pretty good char marks. Don't worry if it looks a little burnt on the outside. If grilled properly it will be nice and juice on the inside and taste like candy goodness on the outside.

Monday Moments - Hard Water Headache!

If you have hard water...you know what I'm talking about. I hate hard water! It's so "hard" on everything in my house. From the dishwasher, washing machine, sink, shower, toilet bowls. It leaves it's mark everywhere it goes. But I have found the cure... other than installing a water softener. Lemi Shine is the shine in my cleaning kit. I love this stuff.

Did you know that hard water mineral built up will reduce the effectiveness or your dishwasher and washing machine? Over time, hard water build up can also lead to major repairs on your household appliances. Not to mention the film it leaves on your dishes and the stains it creates on tile, toilet bowls, faucets etc...

Have no fear, Lemi Shine to the rescue. It's amazing stain fighting power will remove that film from your dishes, deodorize your garbage disposal, remove film from bathroom shower doors and tile, clean your toilet, and tackle hard lime scale in your tub and on water fixtures. That's why this stuff is a must!

Lemi Shine is an all natural product made from lemon juice, citrus oils, real fruit acids, and fragrance. You can find it at your local Walmart and most grocery stores. It comes in the package pictured below, but it also come in a box with individual pouches for cleaning the washing machine, dishwasher etc. You follow the instructions on the box or bottle (they are different for each application).

If you have hard water...run to the store as soon as possible and get this stuff! You will be amazed!

*As a side note, I was not compensated in any way for this testimonial. I really do use Lemi Shine and just wanted to share how great this stuff is. If you live in Utah, you can purchase this at any Walmart or Target location. But if you don't live in Utah and want more information on Lemi Shine and/or need to find a distributor near you, click HERE for information. This site also contains detailed instructions for cleaning all the different items around your house.