It was not fru-fru dinner night. And I’m way ok with that. Some crunchy fish filets and fries were on the menu. I’m a fish and chips addict, whether I get them in an Irish pub or out of the freezer. But I gotta have a good tartar sauce (or sometimes, malt vinegar) to go with them. That’s right, ‘them’. Not only do I like a nice dilly sauce with my fish, I also dip my fries in it. Nothing beats it. Try it! Easy dill tartar sauce is great!
Dill Me In
I like to use fresh dill in this easy dill tartar sauce but that’s not always possible. I’ve found that dried dill works just fine. I like my tartar sauce pretty dilly, so I usually add more. And speaking of more, I’d double the recipe even for 4 servings if you’re a tartar sauce maniac like me. Really, that’s mostly because of the fry-dipping thing. Mayonnaise sauces aren’t popular in the US for fries, but they should be. People are missing out in my opinion!
I consider baked beans to be just about the best side dish. There’s just never anything boring about them. There are so many ways to prepare them. Smoky. Sweet. Tangy. The combinations seem endless. Today I made a nice little batch of hula hula baked beans to go with some grilled burgers. A little sweet, and a little citrusy, these beans hit the spot. And they were super-easy to make, too.
Get Chunky
I went with pineapple rings to top my hula hula baked beans. Why? I thought they looked cool. And everyone knew that the beans had pineapple in them. Upfront. No questions. Ok, sure I could’ve gone with crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks. But why? “Hey, there’s pineapple in here!” that’s what my baked beans said.
Can you substitute canned apples like all those other recipes? Sure. But don’t call them hula hula beans any more if you do!
Oh you delicious, crunchy, dripping, yummy sandwich you! This Italian artichoke panini using the Cuisinart Griddler is just another reason my Griddler can be found on my countertop just about every day of the week. I use it that much that rarely does it find its way back into the pantry. Because in just minutes I can have a restaurant-quality sandwich for a fraction of the cost. Hot off the press and perfect.
One Tasty Panini
I tend to put Italian-style meats on my paninis, though it’s not required. You can use your favorites. But I have found that Aldi makes this wonderful pack of Italian meats that also includes provolone cheese. It’s priced right and makes for fantastic sandwiches like this Italian artichoke panini using the Cuisinart Griddler. This isn’t rocket science, as they say. Just use good ingredients and you’ll have a great sandwich.
Just Leave It Be
After you place your sandwich on the hot griddle just leave it alone. Don’t go playing with it. Don’t turn it. Or flip it. Don’t open it to see what’s going on between the slices of bread. Just wait until the outsides get toasty crunchy brown. Then remove it. Then enjoy.
Pre-heat your Griddler with the dials set for high-heat panini griddles.
Set out the bread slices on a cutting board or counter top.
Top with the meats and cheese.
Top the sandwiches with the chopped artichoke hearts.
Add the top slices of bread to form the sandwiches.
Brush the outsides of the bread slices with the oil.
Transfer to the Griddler and close the lid. Cook until the bread is golden brown and crunchy.
Remove and let cool slightly before opening to add mayonnaise to inside of top pieces of bread.
Slice and serve.
Notes
Do not put a lot of pressure on the griddle lid while cooking as it will cause the meats and cheese to escape. Try to keep the lid level so that the tops of the sandwiches cook evenly.
These grilled chicken gyros are exactly why I love my outdoor griddle. Fantastic, tender, flavor-packed chicken. Warm, toasted pitas. A quick-and-easy Greek-inspired salad. And of course, tzatziki sauce. This was one great dish and one we’ll make again and again.
Happy And Happier
The chicken for these grilled chicken gyros using an outdoor griddle needs a bit of time to marinate. Go for 2 hours minimum. Twelve is even better. At most, go 24 hours. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because they have the most flavor thanks to all that fat. If you’re leaning towards the healthier side you can certainly use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. If they are particularly thick you may want to slice or butterfly them before marinating so they absorb maximum flavor.
The recipe for the tzatziki makes a lot. A big batch. So when it comes time to make your gyros, load up. Or serve some on the side for dipping pita chips!
I use this countertop shredder/grater to grate the cucumber. It does a fantastic job and boy, is it ever easy to clean. I won’t miss my old box grater after using this fun tool!
And like that, it was gone. This egg roll in a bowl (er… plate) didn’t last long at all in our house. It was understandable, really. We’re both egg-roll-aholics. These have the same flavors, they’re just easier to make. Yeah you can buy those frozen egg rolls. And some are actually decent. But they’re kinda small. I think the serving size is one egg roll. One egg roll? What? Nah, I’ll make this instead. Just as yummy and I get more!
Low Carb. Or Almost.
If you leave off the wonton strips this egg roll in a bowl is a low-carb dish. If you add just a few it’s not a crazy carby dish. If you go nuts with them, you’ve got carbs. It’s your call. I think it kinda needs a little crunch. Roasted peanuts would work too. I happen to like the flavor of wonton strips. And the crunch. So that’s what I used!
It was not boring hot dog day. But it also wasn’t fru-fru fancy overly-complicated hot dog day either. These blackened chili dogs hit the spot big time. And without a lot of trouble. A little seasoning on hot dogs before cooking them really amps up the flavor. You season hamburgers, right? Why not do the same with your dogs? One bite of these and my wife told me we’re not doing dogs any other way.
Roll, Roll, Roll Your Dogs
This isn’t some big huge complicated thing. Pour some seasoning out onto a plate or cutting board. Kinda spread it around evenly. Grab a hot dog and roll it around. Back and forth a few times. Get the seasoning all over. Don’t handle them rough, be gentle. You want maximum seasoning. Heck, stand them up and get the ends, too. We’re after flavor here!
Now just cook up your dogs. Grill. Air fryer. Oven. Whatever. Well, not whatever. Don’t boil them. That’d defeat the purpose. So don’t do that.
I used to be addicted to tater tots. I loved crispy crunchy potatoes. But then along came crispy crowns. Same wonderful potato flavor. But crunchier. They’re thinner. Crispier. They’re so addictive. But how to make them even better? Serve them with this dipping sauce. Creamy. And spicy. A hint of ketchup (kind of a nod to the old days when I just used ketchup). Crispy crowns love this dipping sauce and so do I!
Get On The Potato Mayo Wagon
My hope in life is that everyone try dipping potatoes in a mayonnaise-based sauce at least once in life. Ok, it’s not really my hope. But I really wish people would try it more because it’s a great combo. Much better than ketchup I believe. This dipping sauce for crispy crowns will make a believer out of you if you are on the fence.
PS: I used to serve my tater tots with butter. I’d say try it, you’ll like it, but this dipping sauce is much better!
Oh boy. You’re right, I didn’t need something else to come along that is so good that I can’t stop eating it. I have a long list of things I make that fit that description. But, add another. This smoked Everything Bagel cream cheese is really hard to stop eating. It’s the perfect appetizer. Easy. Creamy. Flavorful.
Cook’s Treats
One of the greatest things about being a cook is ‘cook’s treats’. Those are the things I make that I get to try first. Usually when no one is looking. Like when I’m out at the smoker by myself. I can take a bite, let the flavors sink in, and smile and be happy with the results. This smoked Everything Bagel cream cheese is the perfect Cook’s Treat. That’s why I put more than one on the smoker. Some for me, some for everyone else. Seems fair enough!
A Blank Canvas
I used Everything Bagel seasoning, but you can smoke cream cheese using just about anything to season it. You can even go with the sweet route, with a combination of sugar and cinnamon. It’s also a great way to use up some of your favorite seasonings in your pantry. Grab that BBQ rub. That rotisserie chicken flavoring. Whatever you like on other foods will be great on smoked cheese. Be adventurous!
Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use whatever wood you prefer, but I recommend a lighter wood (such as apple) since the cheese will easily absorb the smoke.
Unwrap the cream cheese but leave it on the foil.
Place into the freezer for 10 minutes to harden slightly.
Use a knife to cut diagonal slits across the top of the cheese. Cut about 1/4" deep.
Sprinkle the cheese liberally with the seasoning. Press it down gently to get into the slits you just cut.
Place the cheese (on the foil) onto your smoker and smoke 1 1/2-2 hours depending on how smoky you want your cheese. The cheese should soften slightly but not melt.
Remove and serve with crackers.
Notes
I place my cream cheese on a foil-wrapped cedar plank. I found that it makes it easier to get the cheese on/off the smoker. As the cheese softens it slides off the foil easily onto my serving platter.Leftover cheese can be served cold or warmed in an air fryer, oven or microwave.
The messier it is, the better the burger. I’ve always lived by that motto. I was happy when I made these smash burgers with sweet chili special sauce. They were messy. The kind of messy where the sauce runs down the back of your arm when you pick them up for that big bite. The sauce is the star here and it shines big. It’s what that other ‘special’ burger sauce wishes it were: fantastic!
Heat, Too!
The sweet chili special sauce on these smash burgers has a nice little ‘kick’ to it. Not enough that you’ll be screaming ‘it burns! it burns!’ but it’s there and it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. If you’re afraid of the heat, leave it out and you’ll still get to enjoy a great burger sauce. Or add more and wake up your burgers even more!
The sauce does get better the longer it ‘rests’ in the fridge. So, if you have the time, make it the day before you’re going to use it. Just give it a good stir before using it on your burgers.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients except for the lettuce in a small bowl.
Add in 1/4 cup of the shredded lettuce and stir to coat.
Reserve until ready to use.
For the burgers
Preheat a griddle on your grill on high for 10 minutes.
Form the beef into 4 4-ounce balls.
Place the balls onto the griddle and let cook for 30 seconds then flatten them out until then using a spatula or grill press. Season well with the salt and pepper.
After 3 minutes flip the patties and season. Continue cooking until almost done to your preference.
Add the cheese and cook another minute until melted and the burgers are done.
While the burgers are cooking toast the buns.
Remove burgers from the griddle and place onto the bun bottoms. Top with the lettuce, plenty of the sauce mixture, and onion slices.
I can sprinkle cheddar cheese seasoning on my popcorn all day long. And I’d be happy. Or I can take a extra few seconds and make smoky nacho cheese popcorn seasoning and take my cheesy popcorn addiction to a new level. I’ve been ditching potato chips as my go-to lunch snack because I cannot be trusted with them. Well, I can’t be trusted with seasoned popcorn either but it is at least a little better for me!
You Won’t Need Much!
You can ‘dust’ your popcorn with smoky nacho cheese ranch popcorn seasoning. Kinda sprinkle it a bit then gently shake or stir it. Or you can just go for it. Pour it on there. Use your hands to get it all over the popcorn. And your fingers. It’s gonna happen anyway. You’re gonna want to get maximum smoky cheesy heat yumminess. Don’t worry, it’s really not that spicy.
