Olive Burgers

I don't know the origin of the

Olive Burger, but they're popular on

menus here in Michigan.

Hubby and I recently ate at the

Peanut Barrel in East Lansing

and loved the savory taste of the

olive burger sauce they put on top.

I tried to reproduce it and here's

my recipe taste-tested and approved

by my hubby:

Olive Burger Sauce

1 cup mayonaise

1 cup chopped green olives w/pimentoes

2 TBS ketchup

1 TBS mustard (I used grainy)

1/2 tea. onion powder

Measure out the olives...

And, run your knife through them

so they're chopped like this:

Whisk the ketchup and mustard

with the mayonnaise in a medium bowl.

Whisk in the onion powder.

Stir in the olives.

Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve.

The Burger

2 lbs. ground chuck

1 medium onion

barbecue seasoning

Chop the onion...

Mix it into the ground chuck

and sprinkle with barbecue seasoning.

You can use any type you enjoy

such as mesquite.

Form into patties.

I like to grill over high heat to sear

the outside while

keeping the inside juicy.

Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, but

keep checking.

These burgers are especially good

served with my

Broiled Grape Tomatoes.

Grilled Hot Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

My husband and son BEG me to make

them Grilled Hot Wings in the summer.

We like them crispy, so if that's what

YOU like....

try this recipe and cooking method.

I buy these 4-pound bags of frozen chicken wings

when they are on sale.

I always make two bags so we have

LOTS!

Thaw them before preparation.

Cover two cookie sheets with foil

to save on clean-up later.

Cover the foiled cookie sheets with

whatever racks you have.

Spray racks with cooking spray.

Lay out the thawed chicken wings

with the skin side UP.

Bake at 350-degrees for an hour

While the wings are baking,

mix up this hot seasoning recipe.

Actually, I would call this more MEDIUM than hot.

If you like REALLY HOT wings,

use Tabasco HABANERO sauce instead.

Seasoning Recipe

2 TBS. cayenne pepper

1 TBS. smoked or Hungarian paprika

1 tea. garlic powder

1 tea. seasoned salt

1/2 tea. onion powder

1/2 tea. dry mustard

Whisk this together and set aside.

Now prepare the

Blue Cheese Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tea. garlic powder

1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce

5 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Whisk together the mayonnaise

and sour cream.

Add a splash of milk if you

like it thinner.

Mix in the garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir in the blue cheese.

To make it easy, buy it

already crumbled in tubs like this:

About 15 minutes before the wings

are cooked, turn on the grill

to heat to medium high.

When the chicken wings are

done...the grease will be below the

racks on the foil,

and the skin will be crispy.

Melt a half stick of butter

in the microwave...

And paint it on both sides of the wings.

Place the wings on the hot grill

skin side down.

While those are crisping...

Remove racks and old foil from cookie sheets

and re-line with foil.

Flip wings over and now sprinkle on the

seasoning (or Habanero sauce if you prefer HOT.)

 to your own taste.

Allow them to crisp on the other side.

(The trick here is to season the wings

AFTER you cook and flip the skin side. Otherwise

the seasonings will burn against the hot grill grate.)

These wings are now crispy

and DIVINE.

Happy eating!

Crab Cakes

This is a budget friendly dinner

and you'll eat up the FLAVOR!

This recipe makes 9 crab cakes

to serve 4.

Crab Cakes

2 pkgs. frozen imitation crab meat

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 sleeve crackers (Saltines, Ritz, etc. You pick your favorite.)

4 eggs

2 Tbs. parsley flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Defrost the crab meat and chop into

bite-sized chunks.

Crush a sleeve of crackers

to make 1 1/3 cups.

I used Townhouse crackers because I

had them in the cupboard.  Any cracker will

be delicious.

Whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, parsley flakes

and salt and pepper.

Stir in the crab meat.

Stir in the cracker crumbs.

Spoon mixture onto a plate in the shape of a patty.

Cover with a sheet of waxed paper,

and spoon on another layer of patties.

You should have three layers with three patties each.

Cover the top with waxed paper

and refrigerate for one hour.

While the patties are chilling,

mix up my easy and SCRUMPTIOUS

tartar sauce recipe

Fry the patties in a bit of olive oil...

Until golden brown like this:

Serve with the tartar sauce.

Now that the kids are away at college.

I make the full recipe and heat up

the leftovers for lunch the next day.

YUMMMMY!!!

Thai Chicken with Peanuts

This dinner packs a flavor PUNCH!

I put this on the menu when I need

something QUICK and EASY

for dinner.

Thai Chicken with Peanuts

4 skinless chicken breasts diced

1 bag of cole slaw mix

1 bunch of green onions

1 tsp. minced garlic in the jar

1 tsp. ground ginger

basic barbecue seasoning to taste

1/2 cup Plum Sauce (Found in Asian food section)

Peanuts for garnish

Cut fat off of chicken and dice

the breasts into bite-sized pieces.

Saute' the chicken in a little Canola oil in

a Dutch oven pan over medium/hi heat.

While the chicken is browning,

prepare veggies.

I buy this ready-made cole slaw mix

which is why this dinner is so fast and easy.

Cut most of the green part off the green onions

and chop the white part to make

about a third cup.

When chicken is cooked through, lower

the heat to medium and

add the bag of cole slaw mix...

and, the green onions and cook until

the veggies are soft.

Gather your seasonings.

When veggies are cooked,

add the garlic and cook about a minute longer.

Add the ground ginger and sprinkle

in the barbecue seasoning.

I add this as if it were salt, so season

according to your own taste.

Add the plum sauce and mix

everything together.

Sprinkle peanuts on top for garnish

and serve immediately.

Your family will think you ordered take-out

from a Thai restaurant.

AMAZING FLAVOR!