I’m a huge fan of smash burgers. Juicy. Delicious. And with a slight crunchy edge that harkens back to the days of great diner food. Nothing beats a great smash burger!
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Pico de Gallo Smash Burger
A classic burger with a spicy twist on a classic sauce.
Baked potatoes find their way on our dinner menu with some regularity. Sometimes they are served up as side dishes, but often they are the main course. They’re easy to make, and pretty fuss-free depending how crazy you go when you top them. These quick fix broccoli and cheese baked potatoes are about as easy as you can get. Just bake some potatoes, heat some frozen broccoli and cheese, and boom! A fantastic baked potato is served! Well, ok, I added some bacon bits too but those aren’t that hard either! I just opened the bottle!
Feel free to peruse the frozen vegetable section in your grocery store. You might find other cheesy vegetables that would be just as good on a baked potato! And if they don’t include a cheese sauce, don’t fret. Just heat them as instructed and then top them with some freshly shredded cheese. Shredding your own is so much better than the pre-shredded stuff!
Rinse the potatoes under cold water and brush off any dirt. Dry well with a paper towel.
Pierce each potato 4 times with a sharp knife.
Brush potatoes with oil.
Sprinkle some salt onto a plate and roll the potatoes in the salt.
Place potatoes directly on the oven center rack. You might want to put a baking sheet lined with foil beneath them to catch any drippings.
Bake until potatoes are done (210 F internal temperature, or tender all the way through when poked with a knife), 40-60 minutes depending on their size. You can also test for doneness by squeezing the potatoes (with potholders on). If they give easily, they are done.
While the potatoes cool prepare the broccoli per package instructions.
Cut the potatoes open. Fluff the insides with a fork if desired. Add butter, and season well with salt and pepper.
Divide heated broccoli with cheese sauce between the potatoes and serve topped with bacon bits.
Notes
Don’t be shy when seasoning your potatoes, they need plenty of salt and pepper!
Nothing beats meatloaf when it comes to a quick, easy, delicious dinner dish. Perfect on a cold night. And who doesn’t love the leftovers? Meatloaf sandwiches are one of my all-time favorites! But, no need to have boring meatloaf. Chewy? Ew. Dry? Ew-ier. Boring? No! This jalapeno cheddar meatloaf is what meatloaf is supposed to be. Crazy moist. Lightly spicy. And oh, so tender. I’ll take two slices (but don’t tell anyone)!
Cheesy Greatness
I used cheddar in my jalapeno cheddar meatloaf. I know, Mr. Obvious, right? But you don’t have to go with cheddar. Pepper jack is fantastic, too. Or use a Mexican blend. Any good melting cheese will work.
Want more heat? Use a habanero or serrano pepper instead. Want less? Bell pepper or poblano peppers are a great substitute.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your 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.
These hot honey fried chicken sandwiches are why I have a deep fryer. No, I don’t load it up and fry every day. I might want to but I have to pace myself. When I do use it, though, I don’t mess around. I’m not deep frying kale. I could. Nothing wrong with that. But I’d rather go big. These sandwiches are the kind you’re still talking about the next day. Crazy crunchy well-seasoned batter. A spicy sweet sauce. Served loaded up with all my favorite toppings. These sandwiches are not messing around.
Chicken Perfection
The chicken in these hot honey fried chicken sandwiches is lacking in nothing. They’re double-battered for that extra crunch. The coating is seasoned and seasoned well. I’m not shy with the seasoning. Oh and then there’s the hot honey sauce. The perfect combination of sweet and heat. Forget those wimpy fast-food chicken sandwiches.
Moaning Is Allowed
You’re going to want to do the ‘sandwich hunch’ when you bite into these hot honey fried chicken sandwiches. You know the process. Pick up the sandwich. Lean over the plate. Bite. Drip. Drip some more. See stuff fall out a bit. Repeat. But before taking that last bite, swirl the bread and chicken around on the plate. Sop up all that flavorful goodness. And enjoy.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing it in half horizontally.
Cut each butterflied breast in half, forming two equally-sized chicken breast cutlets.
Pound the chicken breasts out until they are the desired thickness. Make sure they have the same thickness throughout, whether you like them thick or thin.
Heat 3″ oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.
In a large bowl combine the flour, Old Bay, seasoning salt and pepper.
In another bowl beat the eggs with a tablespoon of water.
Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour.
Shake off excess and dip in the egg mixture.
Shake off excess and coat in flour again.
Fry 8-10 minutes until golden brown and they measure 165 F.
Meanwhile make the hot honey sauce (or make it ahead of time and keep it warm).
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain.
Brush on both sides with the sauce.
For the Hot Honey Sauce
In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium low heat.
Add the hot sauce, honey and sesame oil.
Bring to a simmer and let simmer until thickened.
Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to use.
For the Sandwiches
Toast buns as desired.
Add the cooked chicken.
Add pickles, tomato, onion and lettuce.
Slather top bun with mayonnaise. Place on the sandwiches and serve!
Notes
Use hot honey for even more of a spicy flavorful kick!
It’s gonna be messy. Juices are gonna run down your forearm. Cheese sauce is gonna drip in your lap. Taco sauce is gonna get on your face. That’s how taco smash burgers are supposed to be. Messy. And fantastic. Thin, hot burger patties with the right crust around the edges make for the perfect canvas for great taco flavors.
I was going to add variations to these taco smash burgers. But I decided not to. You don’t need variations. I don’t need variations. Just make them like the recipe says and get to devouring them. Don’t over-think them. They’re great. Just enjoy them and look forward to the next time you make them!
The equipment
Here’s the equipment I use. You can get by using two cast iron skillets. Use a larger skillet for cooking the burgers, and a smaller one to smash the burgers and keep them flat. Since I’m a cooking gadget collector, I prefer to use a few more tools.
The griddle
First, a griddle. You can buy griddles that sit on top of your grill grates or ones that replace them. Just about every grill I have has a griddle on it. I use them for a lot of things, not just smash burgers. You want one that can be placed over the hottest part of your grill so it gets screaming hot.
Next, you need a burger press. You can use a heavy cast iron skillet, like I mentioned. Or get a burger press. For easy cleanup I wrap mine in foil first. When I’m done, just peel off the foil and toss. Super easy. Get a press that’s at least big enough to cover two burgers. You only smash one at a time, but if you want to keep them flat, you want to rest the press on top so bigger (and heavier) is better. Plus I’ve found that a bigger, heavier press tends to stay on the burgers whereas a smaller, lighter one is hard to keep centered on the burgers, specially if you have a bunch of them cooking at once.
Next up, a dome. While not 100% required, it does speed the time it takes to melt the cheese and it does it in a nice even fashion. In my opinion you don’t really need one if you’re using a super melty cheese, such as American, but for thicker slices like say a deli pepper jack, you want the cheese to melt before you over-cook the burger and that’s where a dome comes in handy.
Lastly, you need something to clean your griddle. I like to clean mine when I’m done cooking, but you can do it at the start instead. I use one of these pad holders with a griddle cleaning pad. Then I add a bit of water to my griddle then use the pad (connected to the holder) to scrub off any big chunks and get up some of the grease. I don’t go crazy with it, I always heat the heck out of my griddle before cooking, but I get the worst. The long arm on the pad holder makes it perfect for scrubbing a hot griddle, too.
Fire up your grill for high heat. Place a griddle or a large cast iron pan over the highest heat.
Season the ground beef with the taco seasoning, mix and form into four 4 ounce balls (not patties!).
Place the balls of beef on the griddle and let cook for one minute. Just let them cook, don't mess with them.
Take your press and flatten out the patties. I like to use the point of the press and work my way around the ball first, doing a little section at a time and then finally I press down on the entire patty to flatten it out. You can also just flatten out the ball all at once. At this point I also like to season the patties some more.
Let the patties cook until you start to notice a little char along the edges. Flip, season again if desired, and continue cooking another minute or so until the other side is charred. The burgers are thin so they will cook very quickly so watch out.
Add the nacho cheese sauce. If desired, cover in a dome to help the cheese melt and get it warmed completely.
Toast the buns. Remove, add the patties and serve with taco sauce, tomato slices and lettuce.
Devour immediately.
Notes
The more napkins you use, the better the smash burger.
There’s something about me and coated baked pork chops. My mom made them when I was a kid and I loved them then. I make them now and I still love them. Sometimes I use the stuff right out of the box, and sometimes I make my own. Like this Lemon Pepper Shake ‘n Bake. Same wonderful coating as the classic, but with a wonderful kiss of citrusy lemony yumminess and a little bit of pepper. Lemon and pork go great together.
More Coating. More Better.
I’m not shy with the coating when I use my lemon pepper Shake ‘n Bake mix. I really like that lightly crunchy bread crumb goodness. I get my chops coated all over. Sides too. Then I coat them one more time. I know, that’s probably a little excessive but I love it so!
Use a good lemon pepper seasoning. You want one that is perfectly balanced, no one flavor over-powering the other. That way you’ll end up with the best baked chops!
I absolutely love making fried chicken on my charcoal grill using the Vortex insert. With no or little oil, I can make chicken that seems like it was deep-fried. The flavors are amazing. The crunchy skin is amazing. Fried chicken on the Vortex is even better than deep-fried!
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Kentucky Kernel ‘Fried’ Chicken using the Vortex
Perfectly juicy, crunchy skin, crazy good fried chicken flavor without all of the oil.
Alabama White Sauce Fried Chicken using the Vortex
The tangy Alabama white BBQ sauce is different. If you've never had it, I highly recommend it. It's great on any chicken, fried, grilled, roasted, you name it.
I almost always use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs when I make this Cajun-brined fried chicken or any other ‘fried’ chicken using the Vortex. The dark meat has the most flavor and always cooks up tender and juicy.
The fried chicken mix recipe can be used for any chicken, it doesn’t have to be Bloody Mary flavored. The coating adheres perfectly and gives you that perfect crispy crust. For me, my go-to chicken on the Vortex is bone-in, skin-on thighs. They are the juiciest and have the most flavor.
If you’re craving garlic flavor, you’ve come to the right place. My buttery garlic fried chicken made using the Vortex brings the garlic punch and then some. And crunchy skin? Craving that too? Got you covered there, too.
I cook a lot, and I do mean a lot, of chicken using my Vortex. Wings and thighs are my favorite and I’ve cooked them countless delicious ways. But I’d never injected my chicken until now.Â
This dip-fried chicken is unbelievably moist, tender, and delicious. I’ve said it a thousand times: nothing beats ‘fried’ chicken made using the Vortex. Nothing.
I keep having to pinch myself when I make ‘fried’ chicken on my charcoal grill using the Vortex. Am I dreaming? I’m really eating deep-fried chicken, right? But it’s not.
Hidden Valley Ranch Fried Chicken using the Vortex
This Hidden Valley Ranch fried chicken is crazy tender, unbelievable moist. And the skin? Well, let’s just say I leave it for last because it’s almost like dessert. A true treat.
This Korean fried chicken using the Vortex was right up my alley. As always with the Vortex, the chicken is cooked perfectly. Tender and juicy and delicious.
This is seriously crispy chicken. Seasoned perfectly. Moist and tender meat. Make extra because you’ll need it. And don’t expect any leftovers either.
No, it’s not an illusion. It’s not Photoshopped. And I’m not fibbing. This crunchy, moist, tender, delicious chicken was not deep-fried. It was made on a charcoal grill using the Vortex.
This spicy BBQ fried chicken using the Vortex is my go-to recipe. I can then add whatever I want at the end. This time I added a spicy BBQ sauce and a drizzle of Ranch dressing. There were no leftovers.
Just fire up, coat the chicken, place it on the grill and come back in 45 minutes or so to grab some delicious chicken. You’d swear it was fried in oil it’s so good. Crispy skin and tender, juicy meat. Perfect.
I was making my standard burgers for dinner the other day. Nothing fancy. But I wanted a little something extra. Something to jazz them up a bit. They aren’t bad burgers to start with, nope. But some deluxe burger sauce might take them over the top, I figured. And I was right.
A Well-Balanced Simple Sauce
If I had to come up with one word to describe this deluxe burger sauce I’d say ‘balanced’. It’s a little sweet. Oh and there’s a little heat. There are some classic burger flavors, too. And a little of that umami thing. So a bit of everything. Nothing overpowering yet not boring. Great on a burger. That’s what I was after.
I store my homemade sauces in squeeze bottles. If refrigerated, I set them out thirty minutes to an hour before using so they come to room temperature. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot food!
This is easily one of my favorite chicken recipes, from roasted to fried. Hands down. The coating on these copycat Chili’s honey chipotle chicken fingers is perfect. It adheres to the chicken, bite after bite. It’s got a tremendous, delicious crunchiness to it. I mean crazy crunchy too! And then there’s the sauce. It’s slightly sweet with just the right amount of smokiness and heat. I think it’s fantastic. So fantastic that I doubled the recipe. Why? Because more is better!
The Perfect Sauce
The honey chipotle sauce for these copycat Chili’s honey chipotle chicken fingers has just the right amount of sweetness. From honey. Yummy honey. There’s just a little bit of heat and smokiness. Chipotle chili pepper is great in a sauce. It adds that bit of a kick from jalapenos. And it adds the flavor and aroma of the smoke used to smoke the jalapenos. It’s great stuff and it’s what really makes this sauce fantastic.
Great On Salads, Too
These chicken fingers are also great on top of a bed of greens for a tremendous fried chicken salad.
The Presto Fry Daddy is perfect for making smaller batches of food. It only uses a few cups of oil and comes to temperature quickly. Clean-up is easy too!
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Stir and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer 2-4 minutes or until thickened slightly.
Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
For the batter
In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine all of the batter ingredients EXCEPT for the flour. Continue stirring for 30 seconds.
Whisk or stir in the flour until smooth.
For the breading
In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine all of the breading ingredients.
For the chicken fingers
Heat 3″ of oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 350 F.
Working in batches as needed, dip chicken tenderloin pieces into the batter. Shake off any excess.
Toss the chicken pieces in the breading and coat well. Do not shake off any excess.
Fry wings for about 8 minutes or until golden brown and cooked completely.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve tenders drizzled with the sauce or serve the sauce on the side for dipping. I do not recommend tossing the chicken in the sauce as it'll knock off the delicious crunchy coating.
Notes
Serve with more sauce and Ranch dressing for dipping!
I seriously don’t know what came over me. I think it’s been at least 20 years since I’ve had steak fingers. And I’ve never made them at home. But for some reason, I needed them and now. So I made them. These steak fingers with easy white gravy weren’t like the ones I recall from decades ago. Those were kinda tough. Kinda tasteless. These hit the spot. Nothing tough about them. And very tasty. I certainly had no problem devouring a good number of them!
I’m A Huge Fan Of These
If I’d had more time, I would’ve made gravy using the grease left over from frying the steak in a pan. But I didn’t. I had to get on with it so I deep-fried the beef and made a simple gravy on the side. These steak fingers with easy white gravy weren’t about recreating the classic step-by-step. They’re more about just getting the flavor and consistency right. And I did. I liked them. A lot.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us or I’m cooking things that don’t take too long, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
The Presto Fry Daddy is perfect for making smaller batches of food. It only uses a few cups of oil and comes to temperature quickly. Clean-up is easy too!
Heat 2" of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
In a shallow bowl (or pie plate), mix together the flour, Cajun seasoning and baking powder.
In another shallow bowl (or pie plate), whisk together the milk, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce.
Working in batches, dip the steak strips in the flour mixture. Make sure to coat them well, then shake off any excess.
Next, roll the strips in the milk mixture. Shake off any excess.
Return the strips to the flour and again coat well.
Add strips to the hot oil and fry 1-2 minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack while cooking the remaining strips.
Serve the steak fingers with the white gravy for dipping.
For the white gravy
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk while heating, bringing to a slow boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer until the desired thickness is achieved.
Notes
I like my gravy peppery so I always add a pinch or two of pepper and stir it in before serving.
