Cooking with the dillmans

We eat a lot of pork and beef in our house. I really love pork, (chops, bacon, sausage, tenderloin, ribs, bbq, etc.) and we do love beef (steaks, ground beef, etc.) So I like to try to use some different meats from time to time. I've been buying a bit of ground turkey and making turkey burgers out of them, so that hubby will eat it.

We have a great burger place near us, Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, and they have the Frenchie burger which is turkey, brie, applewood smoked bacon, grilled apples and garlic mayo. Yum-o! Well we adapted out own version of this last night. We skipped the bacon to make one less step but I think next time it might be a good idea to add some crunch. We also didn't add the mayo, but we DID add caramelized onions!

Photo via Once Upon a Cutting Board I like her recipe a lot too!!!

I adapted our recipe from Bobby Flay's:

Ingredients

2 pounds freshly ground turkey
Four 1-inch cubes of Brie cheese, 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper (feel free to add garlic powder/onion powder, etc.)
1 large granny smith apple, cored and sliced 1/2-inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large yellow onions
BACON! (to your liking of course)
Four rolls

Directions

To prepare the burgers:

Start by caramelizing the onions, as this step can take up to half an hour.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, stir to coat with oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread onions out evenly across the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.  Don’t stir the onions too often so they can brown, but don’t leave them alone long enough to burn or stick to the pan.  You may need to reduce the heat or add a splash of water to deglaze the pan a few times to prevent onions from burning.  Once they’re done, set aside in a small bowl.  This step can be done ahead of time and onions can be warmed up in the microwave before topping burger.

 Shape the meat firmly into 4 round uniform patties about 1 1/2inches thick. Make a small indentation in the center of each patty and place 1 cube of the cheese in each. Knead the meat slightly to cover the hole. Brush both sides of the burgers lightly with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook the burgers to your liking. Brush the apples on both sides with the vegetable oil. Grill (in a grill pan) until golden on both sides. Place a burger on the bottom of each roll, top with 1 or 2 apple slices.

Yum yum.
xoxo,
Amanda

Cooking with the dillmans

I absolutely LOVE Mexican food. I crave it and could eat it almost everyday. Cheeses, meats, veggies, sour cream, guacamole, etc. I LOVE IT. We tend to have some type of ingredients to make a Mexican meal at home and I came across this recipe last night on Pinterest and decided that is what's for dinner. A "healthy mexican casserole with roasted corn". YUM!

 

Photo via Pinch of Yum

 

It was easy to make and includes some great veggies. We used the Frontera enchilada sauce to keep the sodium down and because our Uncle is the graphic designer for all things Frontera so we love to support him and Chicago! It's also more fresh. (I HIGHLY recommend the Frontera guac starter, it's super tasty!) So here's the recipe for the casserole via Pinch of Yum! 

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 jalapeno or 2 chipotle peppers (optional – just for more kick)
• ½ red onion
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon is a good ballpark measure)
• 2 cups Mexican cheese (mine was a Sargento blend)
• 18-20 corn tortillas
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 cups red enchilada sauce
• cilantro, guacamole, or sour cream for topping

Instructions

1. Roast the veggies: Dice the peppers and mince the onions. Heat a large nonstick skillet with NO oil over high heat. Add the onion and peppers, sprinkle with chili and cumin, and do not stir. This allows the peppers to roast and brown on the outside. After a few minutes, give the pan a shake or stir and let the peppers sit again for a few more minutes without stirring. Remove and set aside. Repeat the roasting process with the corn, sprinkling with chili and cumin, removing from the heat when browned and roasted on the outside. Sprinkle the roasted veggies with a little bit of salt and toss to coat.
2. Prep the ingredients: Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Put the refried beans in a bowl and mix with a little bit of water to make them easier to spread.
3. Assemble: Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer in order: half of the tortilla strips, ALL the beans, half of the veggies, half of the sauce, half of the cheese. Cover with the other half of the tortilla strips, veggies, sauce, and cheese.
4. Bake: Cover with foil (I usually spray mine with cooking spray) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or anything in the world that you want.

Enjoy!
xoxo,
The Dillmans

Cooking with the Dillmans

Last week I was craving something sweet, not just a piece of chocolate, but a good dessert. I knew we didn't have much to make something with but I had Nutella so I began searching for some recipes that I could possibly make, and it led me to a 5-ingredient cookie with sea salt via Ambitious Kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 cup nutella
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour + 1 tablespoon
• coarse sea salt for sprinkling

That's it!! So we followed the instructions and about 20 minutes later we had gooey nutella goodness. They tasted awesome and I was sick so my taste buds weren't up to par so I'm confident that they'll be even better next time. I've also been craving them since we made them. A little tip, Harris Teeter just happens to have the large jars of Nutella on sale for $5.30 from $8.75, so make yourself some cookies!

(photo via Ambitious Kitchen)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine all ingredients besides salt in a large bowl with electric mixer until well combined. Place dough in freezer for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes roll dough into approximately 1-inch balls, place on ungreased baking sheet at least two inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes until cookies are set, then very carefully transfer to a wire rack. Generously sprinkle with sea salt.

xoxo,

Amanda

Cooking with the Dillmans

Let's start the week off with something yummy, gooey and oh so good. Last night I made baked ziti for a dear friend of mine who just had a baby. I was trying to think of something I could bring over and finish off in their oven and something everyone would want to eat. So I found Pioneer Woman's Bake Ziti recipe and it was a pure hit!! It was relatively simple to make and left us with a ton of servings!

Recipe via Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 can (28 Ounce Can) Whole Tomatoes, With Juice
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces, weight Ziti Or Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente
• 1 tub (15 Ounce) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1-1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 whole Egg
• Fresh Minced Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.) Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.
Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
(Sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta before serving!)

Hope you'll try this recipe too!!!
xoxo,
The Dillmans

Cooking with the Dillmans

We actually do a lot of cooking around these parts and I figured I'd start sharing some our domestic abilities (somewhat), but more importantly recipes that we use that I'd recommend others try. So here's another installation to the blog over at Home Chic Raleigh, called Cooking with the Dillmans. (Mostly because I can't take ALL the credit for cooking because hubs does a LOT of it... whoops!!)

Last night we made P.F. Changs chicken wraps. Actually they were pork wraps, which I like pork and Harris Teeter did not have ground chicken or turkey on Sunday... I know, weird!!! I guess too many people were making chili last week with the snow. Anyway, pork is used a lot in Asian dishes so I didn't mind using the pork. Here's the recipe I found via Pinterest.

 

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:
16	Boston, bibb,butter lettuce leaves or Iceberg lettuce.		*(We recommend iceberg after this because the Bibb was way too soft and kept dissolving and popping open.
1	pound ground chicken breast          *(You can use pork, turkey, etc.)
1	large onion, chopped
2	tablespoons minced garlic
1	tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
¼	cup hoisin sauce
2	teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1	tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2	teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce (see Note) *(We used Sirracha!)
1	can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
1	bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2	teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Directions

PREPARATION: Rinse lettuce leaves, keeping them whole. Set aside to drain. Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce. Cook until the meat is crumbled and brown. Add water chestnuts and green onions. Cook until onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. I double the ingredients. Stir in sesame oil. Arrange lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a platter. Spoon meat mixture in center. Allow diners to spoon meat mixture into lettuce leaves and eat like a taco. Dipping Sauce: 1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce 1/4 teaspoon chili paste with garlic 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon chinese-style hot mustard (extra hot)

COOK'S NOTES: Asian chili pepper sauce can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. Some brands contain garlic, which is fine. You can use 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes instead.

All in all it may have taken 30 minutes total create this meal and it was quite good! Some things I'll change next time and it definitely left me with wanting more crunch and I think some of the crispy noodles would be good on top, and definitely switching the lettuce.

Hope you enjoy!
xoxo,
The Dillmans