Mmmn..I just finished eating Snowbird Chicken Platter takeout from Bugaboo Creek..I wait all week as I diet for my Friday night takeout. Scrumptious! Why can’t I make chicken that tastes so delish??

Annnyways..I mentioned in a previous entry how I was going to attempt making some Cheeseburgers (or patty melts) from a recipe I found online. While they didn’t turn out the way I wanted cosmetically (electric stove and lame ass frying pan=broken bread and black spots) they were delicious to eat. So, as promised, here is the recipe! Credit to yumsugar.com for the find! (Pics from Yumsugar, mine just weren’t as pretty as mentioned above!)

Katie Lee Joel’s Award-Winning Burger

• 1 pound ground beef (85 percent lean)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 medium yellow onion, half grated, the other half thinly sliced (*I used 1/2 white onion chopped in food processor)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (*I did without, didn’t have it – still turned out good!)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 slices white bread (*I used whole wheat, I try to avoid bleached bread!)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (*I used Smart Balance, cuts some calories )
• 12 slices American cheese, optional(*I used 2% american, 1 per burger – once again to cut some calories)

1. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, grated onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
2. Form into thin patties. (Makes 6!)
3. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Drain the grease from the skillet.
5. In the same skillet, place six slices of bread, butter side down. Top each with a slice of cheese, if desired, some onions and a burger. Top with remaining slices of cheese, if using, and bread, butter side up.
6. Cook each sandwich until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
7. Serve with mustard, ketchup, pickles, or any other desired hamburger toppings.

Ryan and I gobbled them up..they were fantastic! If you are a fan of burgers you’ll have to give these a try

I have this thing where during holidays I love picking out some “party” type foods and recipes, going shopping and making my own assortment of yummies for Ryan and I. I’m not into the bar scene and we don’t really know anyone since moving out to Rochester (especially since I work from home), so we throw our own little two-person foodie parties on all the special days. This New Years I made some really delicious Spinach dip for us both. It was really yummy..so I thought I’d share

I found the recipe online, originally trying to find a copycat recipe for the Bugaboo Creek Canadian Cheese Spinach dip I am obsessed with when we eat out. I’m not a big fan of artichokes so I dropped them from the recipe and added additional cheese instead. It’s baked in the oven and comes out warm and creamy…oh so tasty!

Hot Cheese Spinach Dip

• 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened (16 oz total)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzerella cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 lb. bag frozen spinach, thawed and chopped up (I used my food processor to get it nice and tiny!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, Mozzerella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and basil. Gently stir in spinach. (I used my stand mixer, it made it smooth a lot quicker than mixing by hand!)
   
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

That’s it! We dipped tortilla chips in it and it was sooo yummy..and there was enough to save some for the next day. It was just as yummy reheated in the microwave! While it didn’t taste like the Bugaboo Creek recipe I was trying to create it was still really delicious. When I make it again I may tweak it some more and add half cup cheddar and maybe some more Monterey Jack. I’ve seen some recipes adding butter..so I may add that too! I’ll let you know how that goes and if it’s good I’ll share