Hey All...
My apologies for being absent these last few days, but they have been busy.
Today, however, It's Memorial Day and the store is closed. I would like to thank the men and women of our armed forces, past and present, for their service to our country. 'Tis appreciated, folks... ...more than you may realize.
On a more personal note, the boy has officially graduated high school, and so we are throwing him a small party. I'm making my uber-delicious Hawaiian honey-teriaki burgers for folks here at Casa Gopher this afternoon. They are the bomb-diggity and they are coming with full-effect. Just so you know...
-- GopherDave
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
Day 357 of 362
There are only five days left in this semi-sartorial, self-improvement journey. So what am I going to do after it ends?
I'm not certain... I've thought about keeping the blog going. It'll probably have fewer pictures of what I'm wearing and more actual content, but don't hold me to that. It will sort of depends on how quickly our agendas for "improving the store and saving GopherDave's sanity" happen.
The first item on our agenda after receiving the rest of the new point-of-sale system and setting it up is hiring one or two part-time people so I can actually get a day off from the place on a regular basis. Once that happens, I'll actually have more time to spend with my wife and family...
Speaking of wife and family, I hope your holidays were good and went well. Mine was fantabulous! Loquacious made (a non-traditional) Christmas dinner of meat loaf, chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake with a hint of orange flavor. It was delicious! ALL OF IT! This was on top of a breakfast of made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls and bacon. My wife knocked herself out providing me with two great home-cooked meals. Thank you, sweetness... I'll never be able to top that... That's how good it was and how much it filled up my soul.
-- GopherDave
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Honey-Teriyaki Burgers
Okay, I spent 20 years in food service in a combination of both manager and employee. In that time, I have become a pretty handy guy to have around a kitchen. One of my talents that throws my wife off to no end is my ability to take disparate items and make a tasty meal out of them.
From that skill comes my love to experiment with food. It doesn't come often, but occasionally my culinary creativity rears its ugly head. Sometimes, it's only to modify a recipe I already know (like taking my mother's good, but bland, taco recipe and adding my own twist to it (see below)). Other times though... ...an idea springs almost fully formed in my head. It may get a tweak or two the first couple of time I try it, but my first try is pretty spot on. This was one of those times...
Hawaiian Honey-Teriyaki Burgers ala GopherDave
INGREDIENTS
Basic Burger
2.5 pounds of ground beef
5 ounces of clover honey
5 ounces of teriyaki sauce
1 package of onion soup mix
Full Effect
Slices of provolone cheese
King's Hawaiian Sweet Sandwich Rolls
Green Pepper(s), cleaned and cut into rings
Red Pepper(s), cleaned and cut into rings
Pineapple Rings
1-- Take the ingredients for the Basic Burger, throw them into a large enough bowl, and mix them well.
2 -- Dole out the meat in 1/2 or 1/3 pound portions and flatten. You don't want them to be paper thin, but you will want them thinner than you average burger of that weight.
3 -- Cook them however you wish (pan-fry, bake, flat grill, gas/charcoal grill). Be VERY careful to make certain that the burgers are done on the inside. The teriyaki sauce, once heated, gives the burgers a dark red coloration that makes them look more cooked than they actually are. Don't be fooled like I was the first time I made these and bit into an almost raw burger.
These first three steps will get you a good burger that's a bit different from the norm, and a nice change of pace. If you really want make it shine, proceed to the Full Effect.
3 -- Cook the burgers on an outdoor grill. Keep a bottle of water handy to squirt down flames as the honey/teriyaki sauce bleeds out of the burgers and makes the fire flare up. Again, watch to make certain the burgers are actually as done as you want them and not undercooked.
4 -- After the first flip, place pepper and pineapple rings on the grill. About halfway when you think you're going to flip the burger, flip the veggie/fruit rings.
5 -- Just as the burger is getting done, place a slice of provolone cheese on the burger to get it to start melting. Once the cheese is soft, take the pepper and pineapple rings and place them on the burger, on top of the cheese.
6 -- Take the whole mass when it's done and place it on one of the Hawaiian sandwich rolls.
Other condiments (ketchup, mustard, pickles etc.), while an option, are actually NOT encouraged. I give you my word that this burger, when done to Full Effect, is good enough to stand on its own with no help whatsoever. Trust me.
Beyond that, enjoy!
-- GopherDave
From that skill comes my love to experiment with food. It doesn't come often, but occasionally my culinary creativity rears its ugly head. Sometimes, it's only to modify a recipe I already know (like taking my mother's good, but bland, taco recipe and adding my own twist to it (see below)). Other times though... ...an idea springs almost fully formed in my head. It may get a tweak or two the first couple of time I try it, but my first try is pretty spot on. This was one of those times...
Hawaiian Honey-Teriyaki Burgers ala GopherDave
INGREDIENTS
Basic Burger
2.5 pounds of ground beef
5 ounces of clover honey
5 ounces of teriyaki sauce
1 package of onion soup mix
Full Effect
Slices of provolone cheese
King's Hawaiian Sweet Sandwich Rolls
Green Pepper(s), cleaned and cut into rings
Red Pepper(s), cleaned and cut into rings
Pineapple Rings
1-- Take the ingredients for the Basic Burger, throw them into a large enough bowl, and mix them well.
2 -- Dole out the meat in 1/2 or 1/3 pound portions and flatten. You don't want them to be paper thin, but you will want them thinner than you average burger of that weight.
3 -- Cook them however you wish (pan-fry, bake, flat grill, gas/charcoal grill). Be VERY careful to make certain that the burgers are done on the inside. The teriyaki sauce, once heated, gives the burgers a dark red coloration that makes them look more cooked than they actually are. Don't be fooled like I was the first time I made these and bit into an almost raw burger.
These first three steps will get you a good burger that's a bit different from the norm, and a nice change of pace. If you really want make it shine, proceed to the Full Effect.
3 -- Cook the burgers on an outdoor grill. Keep a bottle of water handy to squirt down flames as the honey/teriyaki sauce bleeds out of the burgers and makes the fire flare up. Again, watch to make certain the burgers are actually as done as you want them and not undercooked.
4 -- After the first flip, place pepper and pineapple rings on the grill. About halfway when you think you're going to flip the burger, flip the veggie/fruit rings.
5 -- Just as the burger is getting done, place a slice of provolone cheese on the burger to get it to start melting. Once the cheese is soft, take the pepper and pineapple rings and place them on the burger, on top of the cheese.
6 -- Take the whole mass when it's done and place it on one of the Hawaiian sandwich rolls.
Other condiments (ketchup, mustard, pickles etc.), while an option, are actually NOT encouraged. I give you my word that this burger, when done to Full Effect, is good enough to stand on its own with no help whatsoever. Trust me.
Beyond that, enjoy!
-- GopherDave
Tacooooooss...
[NOTE: This is one of the first entries in my previous blog, Maniacal Ramblings. GopherDave Abides actually got started for two reasons; One, I was experiencing a sort of rebirth and wanted to convey that in the blogging sense, and two, I couldn't remember the password to 'Ramblings. The reason why I haven't ported over posts before now is that I wanted to actually make GDA its own animal, and to have at least as many posts of its own as MR did before I brought stuff over. However, looking MR over, this is the only post I want to repeat. So enjoy!]
One of the things I like to do every now and then is cook. Usually for a whole bunch of folks at once. Whenever I do, I break out my taco recipe and go to town. Now I will warn y'all that this recipe is NOT for the casual taco consumer. It can be considered hot though not so hot as to be inedible by most humans. Also, the recipe makes a LOT of food. Thus you have been warned...
Tacos ala GopherDave
INGREDIENTS
5 pounds of ground beef
20 ounces of medium salsa (I use Tostitos Thick 'n' Chunky)
16 ounce jar of jalapeno slices in water/sauce
1 package of taco seasoning (mild intensity)
Step 1 -- Place the ground beef into a pan large enough to hold the contents. Drain the oil from the jar of jalapenos into the pan. Brown the ground beef (with the jalapeno oil) over medium heat. Once all of the meat is a nice brown color, reduce the heat and drain off the grease and oil using a large strainer. Once drained, place the cooked meat back into the pan.
Step 2 -- Place the jalapeno slices into a food processor or blender and fire it up to puree. Once you have a green paste, stop the machine and scrape the spicy baby food into the pan with the meat.
Step 3 -- Add the salsa and taco seasoning to the meat-paste and mix well. Cover and simmer all of this on low heat for about ten minutes or so.
Once this is done, heat up some tortillas (I use flour tortillas), gather some toppings (cheese, lettuce, olives, sour cream, and such) and chow down.
I have found that this recipe creates tacos that are flavorful and possess a slow-burn to them that lingers for a bit.
Try it out and then drop me a comment to let me know what you think.
peace... GopherDave
One of the things I like to do every now and then is cook. Usually for a whole bunch of folks at once. Whenever I do, I break out my taco recipe and go to town. Now I will warn y'all that this recipe is NOT for the casual taco consumer. It can be considered hot though not so hot as to be inedible by most humans. Also, the recipe makes a LOT of food. Thus you have been warned...
Tacos ala GopherDave
INGREDIENTS
5 pounds of ground beef
20 ounces of medium salsa (I use Tostitos Thick 'n' Chunky)
16 ounce jar of jalapeno slices in water/sauce
1 package of taco seasoning (mild intensity)
Step 1 -- Place the ground beef into a pan large enough to hold the contents. Drain the oil from the jar of jalapenos into the pan. Brown the ground beef (with the jalapeno oil) over medium heat. Once all of the meat is a nice brown color, reduce the heat and drain off the grease and oil using a large strainer. Once drained, place the cooked meat back into the pan.
Step 2 -- Place the jalapeno slices into a food processor or blender and fire it up to puree. Once you have a green paste, stop the machine and scrape the spicy baby food into the pan with the meat.
Step 3 -- Add the salsa and taco seasoning to the meat-paste and mix well. Cover and simmer all of this on low heat for about ten minutes or so.
Once this is done, heat up some tortillas (I use flour tortillas), gather some toppings (cheese, lettuce, olives, sour cream, and such) and chow down.
I have found that this recipe creates tacos that are flavorful and possess a slow-burn to them that lingers for a bit.
Try it out and then drop me a comment to let me know what you think.
peace... GopherDave
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