Author: Mike

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms on the Char-Broil Big Easy

These bacon and cheese stuffed mushrooms on the Char-Broil Big Easy are the perfect grilled appetizer. Tender mushrooms that still have a little ‘bite’ to them. The cheese mixture is fantastic. Three different cheeses and a little seasoning combine with bacon and bell pepper for bite after bite of deliciousness. I say ‘bite’, but if you use small mushrooms you can pop these little treats into your mouth like popcorn. Sure, I did.

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms on the Char-Broil Big Easy

These disposable Dutch oven pans are perfect for making these bacon and cheese stuffed mushrooms on the Char-Broil Big Easy. They’re the perfect size for this recipe and they’re the perfect size for the Big Easy basket or bunk bed basket. They’re sturdy so you don’t have to worry about them collapsing. I use them for a lot of my Big Easy dishes.

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

You can pre-make these mushrooms by doing steps 1-8 then refrigerating the mushrooms for later. Then, when you’re ready to finish them, remove them from the fridge and let come to room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to a pre-heated Big Easy to cook and heat thoroughly.

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms on the Char-Broil Big Easy
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5 from 1 vote

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms on the Char-Broil Big Easy

These are the perfect easy appetizers.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword mushroom, stuffed
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 159kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Julia’s Album

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces mushrooms 12-16 small whole mushrooms
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
  • ¼ cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 slices bacon (plus more for garnish if desired) cooked and finely chopped
  • ¼ green bell pepper (plus more for garnish if desired) very finely chopped
  • cayenne pepper to taste
  • paprika to taste
  • parsley chopped, for garnish, if desired

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F. Spray a small disposable pan with non-stick spray.
  • Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems.
  • Dip the mushrooms cap-side down into the butter and place onto the baking dish cap-side up.
  • Pour the remaining butter into the baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt. Bake 10 minutes. The mushrooms should just be soft and most of the water in them should be cooked out.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, Mozzarella, bacon, bell pepper and a pinch or so of cayenne. Add salt to taste.
  • Using a small spoon, gently fill each mushroom with the cheese mixture. Mound it up high. Place in a small disposable pan that will fit onto the Big Easy or place directly on a Big Easy basket or Bunk Bed Basket.
  • Sprinkle tops of the mushrooms with paprika.
  • Fire up your Big Easy and let it get good and hot.
  • Transfer the basket and/or pan to a Big Easy basket and place into the cooker. Cook 15-20 minutes or until the stuffing is hot.
  • Garnish with more bacon, bell pepper and parsley if desired and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 388IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Freddy’s Fry Seasoning

One of my favorite side dishes to make are crispy homemade French fries. The thin ones. The kind with crunch on the outside and fluffy yummy inside. I like to season my fries with something tasty, something a bit different than salt and pepper or adobo seasoning (actually a big favorite of mine). This copycat Freddy’s fry seasoning is perfect on hot-out-the-fryer fries. I mean like crazy good. The added sweetness and earthiness of the seasoning adds a totally different flavor than if I’d just used salt and pepper. I go heavy on this seasoning, it’s really flavorful!

Copycat Freddy's Fry Seasoning

There’s only one thing I’d do differently next time I make this copycat Freddy’s fry seasoning: make a bunch more. It’s great on burgers. Baked potatoes. Cottage cheese. Just about anywhere that you think you should be using salt and pepper, use this instead.

I didn’t have turmeric on hand the first time I made this. A good substitute is dry mustard, which is what I went with. It’s a perfect replacement. You can also use cumin if you don’t have turmeric, but I’d use a bit less than the recipe calls for for the turmeric.

If I make a big batch of seasoning I like to keep it in these big spice bottles. I use blue painters tape to write the contents on the bottles. The tape comes off easily when if used up the seasoning!

Copycat Freddy's Fry Seasoning
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Freddy’s Fry Seasoning

Course Seasoning
Cuisine American
Keyword French fry, seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Calories 112kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients.
  • Keep in an air-tight container until ready to use.
  • To serve, sprinkle on freshly-fried or baked fries and toss gently to season evenly.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 11634mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1970IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Smash Burger Patty Melts

Anita and I had lunch at a burger pub the other day. Anita ordered their patty melt. It looked (and was) delicious. She said it was the best patty melt she’d ever had. “A challenge!” I thought. Time get make something even better. At home. And I did. These smash burger patty melts are now the best patty melts she’s ever had. They’re tastier. Juicer. And less messy. And made with our favorite, smash burgers instead of overly-thick patties.

Smash Burger Patty Melts

To make smash burger patty melts, you’ll need some sort of griddle or grill pan or even cast iron skillet for your grill. I use a big ole cast iron griddle. Yes, I have one for most of my grills because they’re great for more than just burgers. I find myself using them all of the time. They don’t take up the entire grill surface so I can still cook on the grates too if I need.

I don’t go crazy nuts obsessing about it, but I like to keep my griddle pretty clean. Specially if I’m toasting bread. No one wants yesterdays chicken on today’s Texas toast. I use these scrubby pads attached to a long handle holder that prevents me from burning myself.

Last, I gotta get my patties thin and spread out. I use a burger press. I wrap the bottom in foil for easy clean up. This press makes for fantastic smash burgers with the right thickness so I get that little crunch around the edges. Perfect!

Also try my not-so-plain plain ole smash burgers!

Smash Burger Patty Melts
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5 from 1 vote

Smash Burger Patty Melts

Flavor-packed patty melts that never disappoint!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword burgers
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 787kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Kent Rollins

Equipment

Ingredients

For the sauce

  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce I recommend a smoky sauce.
  • 1 tablespoon Ketchup
  • 1 jalapeno grated, You can substitute finely minced pickled jalapeno.

For the burgers

  • mayonnaise
  • 8 pieces Texas Toast
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into squares, divided
  • 1 large sweet onion sliced thin
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 20 ounces ground beef I prefer 5 ounce patties for this. You don't have to be super accurate with the weight.
  • your favorite burger seasoning to taste. Salt and pepper works great too
  • 4 slices Swiss cheese
  • 4 slices pepper jack cheese

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the burgers

  • Fire up your grill with a griddle or grill pan over direct medium-high heat.
  • Clean your griddle well. I use a brush and water, it works better than a scraper. Just be careful adding water to a hot griddle. DO NOT have any body parts nears the griddle when you add the water as it will instantly create a cloud of very hot steam. Then scrub, scrub, scrub. Repeat as necessary. You want the griddle clean to toast the bread.
  • Lightly spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread. Working in batches if necessary, lay the bread mayo-side down on the hot griddle and toast for 2-3 minutes or until lightly brown and crunchy.
  • Flip and lightly brown the non-mayo sides too. Remove to a plate for the final assembly step.
  • Once the griddle is hot add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted add the onion and cook for 20 minutes or longer, until they are golden brown and caramelized. Stir and flip often with a spatula or tongs. If they start to burn reduce the heat. If they get too dry add a bit more butter.
  • Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1 more minute. Remove to a bowl and cover with foil or a plate to keep warm.
  • Form burger into 4 5-ounce patties. Don't pack them tightly, just get them lightly shaped.
  • Season beef on both sides. Don't be shy with it.
  • Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the griddle. Add the burgers. Let them cook for 3 minutes then smash out as thinly as possible using a burger press.
  • Continue cooking burgers until you see a bit of a crunchy edge. Flip.
  • Cook burgers another 3 minutes. Add 1 slice of Swiss and 1 slice of pepper jack to each patty.
  • Divide the onion between the patties. Grill another minute or two to melt the cheese.
  • Divide sauce between the non-mayonnaise sides of the bread. Use a little or a lot, it's up to you.
  • Add the cooked patties and top bread slices and serve!

Notes

This recipe is best made using a griddle on a gas or charcoal grill. You can also use a griddle grill. If you don’t have a griddle you can use a large cast iron skillet, but you’ll have to cook the burgers in batches.

Nutrition

Calories: 787kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 621mg | Potassium: 620mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 742IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 369mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.