Bacon Cheese Chorizo Burger with Whiskey Sautéed Onions

This burger is a carnivores dream. Just look at all of that deliciousness. I have to say, this is one of my favorite burgers that I have made….and I’ve made many. It starts with beef and chorizo blended together to form one juicy, slightly spicy (but not too spicy) patty. Then there is cheese that is melted on top that will make a cheese lovers taste buds sing. And what’s next…. there is the bacon…yes bacon. Some nice crispy bacon, but that’s not all….no my friends there is sautéed onions that have been simmering in whiskey, butter and kissed with brown sugar and thyme to add another swoon worthy layer of flavor. For me a burger isn’t done until some tangy mustard and ketchup are added with the slight crunch of pickles. This is all nestled in between a buttered, toasted bun. Oh, how I could go for another one of these right now.

If you’ve never had chorizo in a burger, you really should to try it. I used Mexican chorizo because it’s uncooked and mixes well with ground beef. I prefer mixing ground beef with the chorizo because it helps cut down on the spice level of the chorizo and well…..the two together make a terrific pairing. This is definitely a must try burger.

Here’s what you need:

For The Onions:

*1 large onion, chopped

*1 TBS. butter

*1 TBS. olive oil

*1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

*3 TBS. whiskey

*1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar or more to taste

*pinch of salt or more to taste

*pepper to taste

*1/4 tsp. dried Thyme or more to taste

For The Burgers:

*1 Lbs. ground beef

*1/2 Lbs. Mexican chorizo

*1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce

*salt and pepper to taste

*slices of bacon; I used two slices per burger

*sliced cheese; I used Colby Jack

*butter for the hamburger buns

*sturdy hamburger buns

*desired condiments

In a small sauce pan heat to medium and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter melts add in the onions and the rest of the ingredients for the onions.

Stir well to combine. Continue cooking while stirring frequently. If onions start to brown too fast, turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook until the onions start to caramelize, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Keep warm.

Cook the bacon until it’s done to your liking and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the ground beef, chorizo, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

Form into 4 equal patties.

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Place the patties in the skillet.

Cook for about 5 minutes or until a crust forms on the bottom. Turn over and cook another 5 minutes or until the burgers are cooked in the middle to your liking.

Place the cheese slices over the patties and cover the skillet, cook for about 1 minute or until the cheese melts.

While the cheese is melting, spread some butter over the hamburger buns and lightly toast them.

Place the chorizo burgers onto the hamburger buns and add the bacon over the cheese. Spoon the onions over the bacon and top with any other burger toppings that you like.

Enjoy!

Advertisement

Pages: 1 2

Spaghetti Rice

Hello everyone. I hope you all are staying warm…..or cool if you’re in the middle of summer where you live. It’s finally feeling like winter down here in the south. If you saw my last post we got snow down our way. If you live in the south where it doesn’t snow much, when it does, you have to take advantage of it.

For times like that when you can’t get to the store, it’s a great time to start pulling out the pantry staples and leftovers in the refrigerator and cook up something new…..or at least new to you. That’s kind of how this latest dish came about. I had some really nice homemade pasta sauce leftover from the previous night’s dinner, but I didn’t have any pasta left. I always keep rice on hand in the pantry because it’s definitely a staple in our house. When I saw the two, it reminded me of when I was young, my mom would make rice with pasta sauce for a quick lunch. It was so simple yet so comforting. So naturally I thought this would be a great way to use up that delicious meat sauce. This was a nice change from the usual pasta dish.

To make this even faster if you don’t have leftover pasta sauce, you can use sauce from a jar and instant rice. Grate some parmesan cheese over the top and pair it with some nice crusty bread and a salad, and you have a really tasty dinner.

Here’s what you need:

*rice; you can use any kind. I used long grain instant rice

*butter to taste

*salt to taste

*pasta sauce; homemade or from a jar. If you need a fast but tastes like homemade pasta sauce, try my Shortcut Meat Sauce

*grated parmesan cheese

Cook rice according to package directions; add butter and salt to taste once the rice is tender.

Pull out the leftover pasta sauce and warm it up in a sauce pan.

If you are making the sauce from scratch, you might want to start the sauce first then cook the rice as the sauce simmers.

Place the rice in a serving bowl or plate and spoon the sauce over the rice. Grate the parmesan cheese over the top and enjoy!

Pages: 1 2

Southern Winter Wonderland

We woke up to a very pretty view this morning. Down my way in the south we don’t see a lot of snow, so when it does snow we have to take advantage of it.

But as my hubby who is from Boston declared, This is just a dusting.

Compared to my Northern friends, yes it isn’t a lot, but I’ll take it.

Open Faced Cheesy Pepperoni English Muffins Topped with A Fried Egg and Marinara Sauce

This is another one of my hubby’s creations. It turned out really good, but to be honest, we really didn’t
know what to call this one. It’s not really a pizza…ok maybe a reverse pizza? This is a really simple and quick lunch or dinner.. or even breakfast if you desire. It’s layered with cheese, pepperoni, a fried egg then topped with marinara sauce. This one does require a knife and fork, but it’s worth it when you first cut into the gorgeous egg and the yolk spills all of that tasty goodness onto the muffin. Heaven.

Here’s what you need to make your own:

*English muffins

*shredded cheese; I used a cheddar and Colby Jack blend

*pepperoni

*eggs, one per each half muffin

*2 tsp. canola oil

*salt and pepper to taste

*marinara sauce; jarred or homemade

Preheat oven to 400°

In a small sauce pan, heat up the marinara sauce.

Separate the muffins and place on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the cheese over the English muffins.

Layer the pepperoni over the cheese.

Place in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the muffins are lightly toasted around the edges; about 3 to 5 minutes.

While the English muffins are in the oven heat a non stick pan on medium high heat and add the oil. When the pan is hot, crack the eggs into the pan.

Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny; season with salt and pepper.

Take the English muffins off of the baking sheet and place on serving plates. Carefully place an egg onto each half muffin over the pepperoni.

Top with the marinara sauce.

Enjoy!

Pages: 1 2

Skillet Chorizo and Potato Breakfast Hash

This breakfast hash I made with the leftover chorizo from the previous night’s Chorizo and Potato Tacos With A Cilantro Slaw. I will admit, it was the first thing I thought about that morning. But, as most of you know, I tend to think about breakfast a lot. Hubby, however, didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm. He really isn’t a breakfast person, hence the picture showing only one serving. But of course you can double this to serve as many as you wish. Oh, and hubby might not have been excited as I was at having this for breakfast, but he did indeed have some later and declared it was really tasty.

The good thing about this dish, is that it’s all cooked in one skillet so clean up is easy. I used frozen dice potatoes because it takes less time to cook and when I’m hungry, I want breakfast done as soon as possible. Don’t you too? The potatoes cooked up nice and crisp on the outside but tender on the inside, then there’s all of that slightly spicy, slightly smoky chorizo sautéed with onions to create some drool worthy flavors. Then it’s all topped with an egg. But it’s not quite done because it’s then baked in the oven so the egg gets those nice, crispy edges, but still has that beautiful runny yolk that bathes everything in it’s velvety glory. *sigh* It was really hard not to eat it straight out of the skillet.

I must confess, as I do a lot on here, that I had some chopped cilantro all handy and ready to go over the top, but as you can see, I was so eager to dive into this that I completely forgot. I did however, remember after I started eating and added it later. I do recommend it because it does give everything a nice touch of added flavor.

Here’s what you need to make your own:

This makes 1 or 2 servings but can easily be doubled

*1 cup frozen diced potatoes; use more if this is for more servings

*1/2 small onion, chopped

*1 Tbs. canola oil

*3/4 cup chorizo precooked and chopped; I used the Colombian variety, but you can use any kind.

*salt and pepper to taste

*1 egg per person

*chopped cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a cast iron skillet add the canola oil and heat to medium high heat. When the skillet is hot add in the potatoes and the onions.

Cook stirring occasionally until the potatoes start to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add in more canola oil if the skillet becomes too dry.

Add in the chorizo and cook for another 3 minutes or until the chorizo starts to brown, stirring occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Crack an egg in the center of the skillet over the chorizo mixture. If using more than one egg, place them around with out touching.

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the eggs.

Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro if desired.

Serve and Enjoy!

Pages: 1 2

Chorizo and Potato Tacos With A Cilantro Slaw

Happy 2022 everyone. I hope this year is really good to all of us. On my home- away -from -home site that I follow (FoodTribe) the question was asked what was the first thing you cooked in 2022. I wished that I had a grand answer, but it was breakfast…..which if you’ve looked through my blog you will see there is quite a few (ok more than a few) breakfast posts. So I guess this could be the second thing that I cooked in 2022, chorizo and potato tacos with a cilantro slaw.

My mother in law has been staying with us for a few months so we took her to one of our favorite local Mexican grocery store. I always have a hard time not bringing home half the store. They have such wonderful meats, produce and other food items that I just can’t find at our regular grocery stores, not to mention my hubby has given me a love for Latin and Mexican cuisine that I never fully appreciated until I met him. It was on this shopping trip that I found some Colombian chorizo. I’ve bought and tasted several different kinds of chorizo, but not Colombian. Colombian chorizo is not as spicy as the Mexican version and it does not have as much paprika as the Spanish kind. This is one is a nice change. It has a little hint of smokiness with just a touch of heat. The finely chopped green onions and cilantro mixed into it adds another level of flavor. I decided this would be great in tacos. I really wanted to let the flavors shine so I didn’t want to add a whole lot to it. The potatoes added a nice subtle flavor, while the cilantro slaw added a nice crunch and cooling texture as well, and cilantro is always a nice touch in my book. All of it came together nicely to make one tasty taco.

If you can’t find Colombian chorizo don’t worry, you can use Mexican or Spanish. Mexican chorizo is generally a fresh sausage and is cooked like ground meat or other sausage links. The Spanish version is more like a dried cured sausage, which is closer to the Colombian version.

Here’s what you need to make your own:

*1 large potato; peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes; I used russet potatoes but you can use gold potatoes as well.

*1 Tbs. or more canola oil

*1 lb. pre cooked Colombian chorizo (or any other style of your choosing) chopped

*1 small onion, diced

*salt to taste

*cilantro small bunch roughly chopped and divided; some will be used for the slaw and the tacos

*lime juice

*soft flour or hard corn tortillas; I used both.

For The Cilantro Slaw

*shredded cabbage mix for slaw; I bought the pre mixed kind in a bag.

*mayonnaise to taste

*olive oil to taste

*cilantro to taste

*salt and pepper to taste

*lime juice to taste

Fill a pot with water and add potatoes. Bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until potatoes are almost tender; drain.

While potatoes are boiling, add the ingredients for the slaw in a large bowl.

Mix all of the ingredients together tasting it as you go.

Add in more until it is to your liking; set aside.

In a large skillet (preferably cast iron) add canola oil and heat to medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add in the potatoes and the onions.

Cook while stirring frequently until potatoes start to brown and onions are soft; about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt.

Place chorizo in the skillet with the potatoes and onions.

Cook while stirring frequently until chorizo starts to brown; about 3 to 5 minutes. Add some lime juice (about 2 tsp.) and cilantro ( a little less than 1/4 cup). Stir together and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add in salt if needed.

Warm up the tortillas. If using the hard corn tortillas that come in a box, warm up according to package directions.

Spoon the chorizo potato mixture onto or into the tortillas and top with the cilantro slaw.

Enjoy!

Pages: 1 2