HORSERADISH CHEDDAR AND CARAMELIZED ONION STUFFED BURGERS and CHICKPEA CHEESE AND ONION BURGERS

We invited friends out to the lake cabin, and with the intention of keeping it simple, decided to serve burgers and hot dogs. I thought it would be fun to try something a little different and found these wonderful burger recipes.
I made the patties in advance at home, then following an afternoon of boating and swimming, we grilled the burgers and enjoyed them out on the deck.

HORSERADISH CHEDDAR AND CARAMELIZED ONION STUFFED BURGERS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced into half moons
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
hamburger buns
lettuce, tomatoes and ketchup to serve

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, until it is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Cover and cook, until onion is golden brown, about 20 minutes more.
Shape the beef into 12 small patties, each about 4 inches in diameter. Spread 1 teaspoon of the horseradish onto one of the patties, top that with 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon of the caramelized onions. Top with another meat patty and pinch the edges of the patties to seal the burger. Repeat with the remaining patties. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat grill to medium high. Cook the burgers until the cheese is melted inside, about 4 minutes for medium doneness.
Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and ketchup as desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from USA Weekend, May 2012
www.usaweekend.com/article/.../Cookout-2-0-Refresh-summer-favorites‎


CHICKPEA CHEESE AND ONION BURGERS

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
flour for dusting

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook over medium heat until tender but not colored. Add garlic, cumin and cayenne and cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
Put pinto beans and chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add onion mixture, tahini and parsley, and pulse again until combine and nearly smooth. Spoon into a large bowl and add egg and cheeses.
Mix with your hands and add salt and pepper. Shape into patties and lightly dust with flour.
Heat remaining oil in a large skillet. Place burgers in pan and cook until golden on both sides.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Relish Magazine, January 2013
relish.com/

SMOKED TROUT HORSERADISH DIP and OATCAKES and EDAMAME BRUSCHETTA and CREAMY LEMON NUT BARS

We just had what I call a wild and wonderful weekend of entertaining - we had friends over 4 days in a row - lots of fun cooking, excellent company and great conversation.
The fabulous ladies from book club helped get the festivities started. We met on Thursday night, and chatted, divulged, expressed, articulated, gabbed, shared, laughed long and laughed hard and even managed to talk about the book for about 3 minutes. It is an incredible group, and I very much look forward to our gatherings every month. My intention was to keep the menu light and fresh, with an eye to spring.

SMOKED TROUT HORSERADISH DIP

11.25 ounces of smoked trout
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat mayo and sour cream with good results)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons horseradish, or to taste

Discard skin and any bones from trout. Stir mayonnaise, sour cream, dill and horseradish together. Gently mix in trout and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from epicurious
www.epicurious.com › recipes & menus

 OATCAKES

110 grams of rolled oats
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
110 grams of butter, chopped
1 large egg, beaten

Heat oven to 190 C.
Process oats to a fine but still grainy consistency. Mix with flours, brown sugar and salt. Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Lightly mix in egg and turn on to a surface dusted with flour. Knead briefly and shape into a ball. Roll out to 5mm thick and cut into rounds. Bake on trays 20 minutes. Cool.
Serve with assorted cheeses.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from New Zealand House and Garden
www.nzhouseandgarden.co.nz/entertaining.asp

EDAMAME BRUSCHETTA

Cut a baguette into slices, toast. In a food processor, blend 12 tablespoons of shelled edamame, 8 tablespoons of grated parmesan, 8 basil leaves, 2 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of sherry vinegar, until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each with chopped red bell pepper, and basil leaves.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Self Magazine
www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes

CREAMY LEMON NUT BARS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour, divided
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350F.
Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil, spray with cooking spray.
Mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of the flour and pecans. Press dough firmly on bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until well blended. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour and eggs, beat until blended.
Stir in lemon juice and peel. Pour over baked crust in pan. Bake 30 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.
Enjoy!

POTATO SNOWBALL POPPERS

Here in Northwest Arkansas it is supposed to be Spring, however it seems the snow flurries keep on coming. I thought these were fun for a wintry evening and although I served them as part of dinner,  they would be wonderful as an appetizer too - perfect to pop in your mouth.

POTATO SNOWBALL POPPERS

20 baby potatoes
salt and white pepper
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons horseradish

Heat the oven to 350F.
Cut a small sliver off the bottom of potatoes, as needed, for them to stand flat when filled. Place the potatoes in a medium pot, add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch and add a generous sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and let the potatoes sit until cool enough to handle.
Hollow out each potato, using a measuring spoon, reserving the scooped flesh in a medium bowl. Add the sour cream and the horseradish to the bowl and smash with a fork or potato masher, season with salt and white pepper.
Spoon the mashed potato mixture back into the hollowed out potatoes.
Bake on a baking sheet until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray, December 2012
www.rachaelraymag.com/