• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. jelly
• 2 Tbsp. jelly
• 2 slices bread

Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and jelly on the other. Put the two together then butter the outside of each slice of bread. Put the sandwich in a small skillet on medium heat and cook each side until browned 1-2 minutes.

Bagel’s aren’t just for cream cheesing, you can make great sandwiches out of them too! This Bagel sandwich recipe will make you full for hours! Fresh bagels are the best (because they’re so soft) – try some from your local deli or donut shop!

• 1 bagel (plain)
• 1-2 Tbsp. cream cheese
• 1-2 leaves lettuce
• 1 small tomato(sliced)
• 1 slice onion (if you prefer)
• 1 slice cheese (American, Muenster, Provolone, Swiss)
• 2-3 slices Turkey (or whatever meat you prefer)

There are two ways to make this sandwich. You can toast the bagel or not its completely your choice. Toast your bagel, butter, (or not) and spread the cream cheese over each half. Place lettuce, tomato, cheese and meat on one half of the bagel. Top with the other half of the bagel. Sometimes, I like to heat it up in the microwave instead of toasting! A bagel sandwich is different from others because it has the cream cheese – and that makes it oooh so good!

Veggie wraps are good for so many things. Great for snacks, great on the go, good for lunch, good for late night munchies, take them to the ball game, great for kids, awesome between meals, and best of all they’re good for you! They are nutritious, tasty, they fill you up – and they give you energy! What else could you ask for?

• 1 cup cream cheese
• 8 flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 1 1/2 cup romaine lettuce (shredded)
• 1 1/2 cup cabbage (shredded)
• 3/4 cup carrots (shredded)
• 1/2 cup blue cheese
• 1 large tomato (diced)

Take one tortilla and spread cream cheese over it. Take small handfuls of each ingredient and throw into the tortilla. Roll tortilla and cut in half diagonally. Makes 8.

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This classic Egg Salad Recipe is tasty and great for lunch or a mid-afternoon snack. It’s easy to make, and can keep for several days in the fridge – although at our house we’re lucky if it lasts for 24 hours. Egg Salad like many recipes can be customized to your tastes, but over the years I’ve learned to keep it simple with a simple egg salad sandwich!

What you need for ingredients:

• A dozen eggs
• 4 heaping tbsp Miracle Whip Light
• 1 tbsp Plochman’s Mustard
• 1 tbsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

You’ll probably have to use your 4qt pot to fit all of the eggs in it, and then cover 1″ above with water (not hot). Place on burner on med-high heat for 15 minutes. Then carefully drain and cover with cold water – let sit for 5 minutes. Gently “crack and roll” each egg on the counter, run under cold water once, and then starting at one end carefully peel away the shell. If shell is difficult to remove, run under cold water and try again. You have to get just under the shell past the egg membrane, and then the entire shell will come off the egg pretty swiftly. Rinse each egg after you take the shell off, and place in a medium mixing bowl. Once all the eggs are peeled, then either dice with an egg slicer or by hand with a knife. Add the Miracle Whip light, mustard, salt and pepper, and paprika. We also sometimes like to add a teaspoon of Onion powder. Mix everything well in your medium mixing bowl and you have Classic Egg Salad!

Serve it on your favorite bread or buttered toast. We also like to eat it in a wheat wrap sometimes as well. Do you have a question or something that you think would make this egg salad recipe even better? Comment now!

I’m going to not only show you the best hamburger recipe, but I’m going to show you how to cook the best stovetop hamburger. There are a few secrets to this, and I do love to grill out in the spring and summer all the time – but you can actually cook hamburgers and cheeseburgers in your kitchen on the stove by frying them to perfection!

What you will need for ingredients:

• about 3 lbs certified angus beef ground chuck (tastes and cooks best)
• about 1/3 a sweet vidalia onion diced
• about 1/3 green pepper diced
• salt and fresh ground pepper – 1 tbsp each
• 2 tbsp fresh minced garlic (from the jar, fresh has a bit too much bite)
• 1 tbsp Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Salt
• Kraft Mozzerella Deli Cheese Slices and American Cheese Slices
• Toppings like fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.
• Hamburger condiments

The first thing you need to do is put your ground beef in a large mixing bowl with the garlic, salt, pepper, Magic Seasoning, and diced onion and green pepper. Mix well. Make patties, we make 1/2 lb burgers so 3 lbs of ground chuck yields 6 burgers. You CAN make burgers this thick on the stove in 10-12 minutes and THEY WILL NOT be PINK in the middle AT ALL!

This picture is what our burgers looked like in the pan raw after we made up the patties.

Next turn up the heat on your burner to high and set the timer on your stove for about 6 minutes. You are not going to flip or press or do anything to these burgers for the entire 6 minutes. Find the tightest fitting lid you can find and keep this pan covered (don’t peek) the entire 6 minutes. When your timer goes off you’re going to take the lid off and set it in the sink (it’s very hot and wet underneath and you don’t want that dripping all over your stove).

Flip the hamburgers in the pan with your spatula being careful not to splatter the grease on yourself. Like the picture, you may notice one or two of them darker than the others, and that is where the hotspots are on your burner. Rotate the pan 180 degrees if needed to cook the rest of the way. Once they are flipped, put the cover back on your pan and set your timer to 6 minutes again – but this time turn the heat down to med-high. You are not going to turn these burgers again until they timer goes off – and you will not remove the lid.

The reason that these burgers are so juicy is because they are only turned one time. The reason they cook so well leaving no pink in the middle is the way they cook with the lid on – it’s like steaming vegetables and cooks them through and through. You cook them on high the first half because they are raw, and turn the heat down when they are flipped because they are 2/3 done. When the final 6 minutes is over, take off the lid and turn down the heat to low. Then quickly put one slice of mozzerella on each burger, and then one slice of american on top of that. Put the lid on and cook 60 seconds, then take the lid off and turn the heat off – you burgers should look like this picture!

Then all you have to do is put your burgers on a bun and top them with what you like and you’re good to go! I personally like lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and ketchup! These burgers are very tasty, very good – and just like the huge bistro burgers you would get at any one of the best restaurants! Please tell me if you make these how they turn out by commenting, and be sure to ask if you have any questions!

I’ve been making tuna sandwiches for years, but people have always thought the way I made them was weird. I just love my recipe, and usually if I can get someone to be open minded long enough to try it – they love it too. You should try my tuna sandwich recipe for yourself – I’ll think you’ll love it!

First, the basis for this recipe comes from my mother. But the additional things I like to add – well that’s just my twist on it!

What you need:

• 1 can or pouch of Tuna in water (never oil)
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 sm. onion or a few stalks of green onion
• green bell pepper (if you have it)
• 1 tsp or 1 clove minced garlic
• dash of salt
• dash of fresh ground pepper
• 1 tbsp sweet relish
• 1 tsp sugar or splenda
• 1 tsp mustard
• 2-3 heaping tbsp mayonnaise or miracle whip
• a handful shredded cheese (optional)

I think my mother learned this recipe from her mother, which is kind of designed to get kids to eat Tuna without them really knowing that they’re eating something “fishy”. All I know is that I don’t even care for fish or Tuna that much, but I could eat these tuna sandwiches all day long! To get started get a medium mixing bowl and finely dice up your celery and onion. You can use any type of onion, last week I used a small white onion, this week I used green onions. Both were great. Also, (if you like) chop up about about 1/4 of a medium green pepper -finely mince it and add it to the bowl. Add your salt, pepper, sweet relish, sugar (or splenda), minced garlic, mustard, then the tuna. I usually mix it up pretty good at this point so it’s easier to mix when you add the mayonnaise. I start with about 2 heaping tablespoons of mayo and add more if it’s too dry. Last add a handful of shredded cheese (if you like) and mix one last time. Then you’re ready to make your sandwiches! You can use fresh soft white bread, warm french bread, or even a toasted bagel – all are wonderful!

I like my version of Tuna salad because it’s slightly gourmet and the flavors mix nicely. It’s a little crunchy, a little sweet – it’s just really good! If you like it or have your own version, a question, or something you think would make the recipe even better comment now!

Keeping with the recent theme of “quick meals”, last night we had to go to the grocery store – so dinner ended up getting made an hour or so later than usual. This means an extra quick meal needed to be made. We had some onion buns and ground chuck fresh from the store – so cheeseburgers it was! I turned on the oven to bake some fries while I made the burgers.

You might wonder why I would write a recipe about burgers – but I’m going to tell you how to create a better burger. Also – this being the winter time, for us (living in Michigan) the burgers had to be cooked on the stove and not the grill.

Burger Basics

• For best results use ground chuck. Ground sirloin has too little fat, and standard hamburger or ground round has too much fat (for my taste)
• Make thick patties about 1/2″ thick and 4″ around for moist juicy burgers
• Mix in the right seasonings depending on what you have on hand
• Add a few select veggies to the burgers to cook in extra flavor
• Cook on Med-High heat the entire time (grill or stove)
• Always cook burgers covered
• Cook time 15-20 minutes (or your heat is too hot

Necessary Ingredients:

• 1/3 – 1/2 lb fresh ground chuck per person you are feeding
• 1 packet hidden valley ranch or lipton onion soup mix
• seasonings you like – salt, pepper, galic or onion powder, cumin, etc
• diced veggies you like, onion (red, green, or yellow), green pepper, tomato, shredded carrot, etc.
• 1 slice cheese per burger (american, swiss, muenster, provolone, etc)
• Burger sized buns – Kaiser or Onion buns

First, take the total amount of ground chuck you are going to need and place it in a large mixing bowl. We’re going to mix some things in before we make the patties. I always keep a wide variety of spices and spice packets in the cupboard and grab what I need for times like this. Typically I use either a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch (dressing or dip) when making this kind of burger, or the old school lipton onion soup mix packet. Both are great and lend great flavor to the burgers. Dump one you like in the bowl. Next add in some seasonings you like. I add a few dashes of salt and pepper, then usually some garlic powder and a little bit of cumin. For these garlic garden burgers I typically add in a tablespoon of minced garlic as well – but that’s my taste. I always keep a big jar of minced garlic in the fridge. Last dump in the bowl whatever diced, chopped, or minced veggies you like. I prefer some sweet onion and green pepper – and sometimes just a big of shredded carrot is nice too. Now – get to mixin’! Dig your hands in there and mix it all up good, and then form your patties.

As I said earlier, for best results I make about 4″ around patties 1/2″ thick. I like to make the big thick burgers like you would get at Red Robin, Applebee’s, etc. Place them in a large skillet (on the stove) or on the grill on Med-High heat and immediantly cover. The key to good burgers is not to have the heat to high or low, and to only turn them as many times as necessary (3-4 times). Do not press down or flatten them with your spatula. You want to turn them over about once every 4-5 minutes. This is the key to keeping the burgers juicy AND done. I can never get over the fact that people (I know) think a burger has to look dark, dry, blackened, or burnt to actually be done. You don’t have to cut into a burger or burn it to know that it’s done. I’ll cook the burgers like I just described and the entire time they will be “leaking” out of the top – usually blood. On the last turn (at the 20 minute mark) they are almost always leaking clear fluid (which means they’re done). I will actually use my spatula to flatten them after that last turn to squeeze any excess fluid out (they will still be juicy – but you don’t want a mouthful of hot grease), and again you are checking the fluid to drains out to make sure it’s clear and not bloody (which means they aren’t done). If they aren’t done after 20 minutes on med-high heat on your stove either your burners are bad or you made the patties way bigger than I said to.

Last – after that last turn and flattening you are going to “cheese” the burgers. Place one slice on each – and cover (with the heat off) for about 2 minutes, then remove cover and place on your bun and serve! Gotta comment to make the better garden burger even better? Comment now!

• 1 package Boca meatless ground burger
• 3 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon barbeque sauce
• 1 roma tomato (chopped)
• 2-3 hamburger buns

Cook the boca ground burger in the microwave and pour into a bowl. Mix everything together with the ground burger. Put on on half of a hamburger bun with a slice of american cheese.

Makes 2-3 Joes depending on how much you put on each one

• 1 veggie burger (I prefer Amy’s brand)
• 1 leaf lettuce
• 1 slice tomato
• ketchup
• 1 bagel (what ever kind you prefer)
• 1 slice cheese

Cook your veggie burger (the easiest way is in the microwave, since they only have to be warmed). Cook your bagel in the toaster and put the veggie burger on one slice of it. Place the lettuce, tomato, and cheese on top of the burger and top with ketchup. Place the other half of the bagel on top.

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 8 slices American cheese

Boil eggs in sauce pan until throughly cooked; about 25 minutes. When eggs are cooked dump out the hot water in the saucepan and fill it with cold so that the eggs will be cool enough to peel. When eggs are cool, peel off the eggshells and dice them. When eggs are diced pour them into a medium bowl and mix them with the mayo and mustard. Spread about 2 Tbsp. on bread with one slice of cheese. Makes 8 sandwiches