PHEW what a week!  Happy Friday to you and thanks for stopping in again for another food filled post.  I was unsure as to what to have for dinner on Wednesday night as I was getting ready for work in the morning – when I remembered that I had some lean ground beef in the freezer.  Every time I would open the freezer it would make a little chirp to me that it was too cold and wanted to be cooked.  I could only take that for so long so finally I took it out to thaw and here we are today.

I was kind of in the mood for a cheeseburger but was unsure because we had no whole wheat buns to go with it and really any toppings outside of mustard and ketchup but I convinced myself…. GO FOR IT!

What a reward…. take a look at this.  I topped a few with cheese and left a few without for a leftover treat that you will see next week.  I may have even impressed Mrs. Zesty to a whole new level.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs Lean ground beef
• 2 Cloves garlic ( chopped)
• 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. Dried/frozen basil
• Cheddar/marble cheese
• 1 Tsp. Chili powder
• 1 Tsp. Dried Thyme
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, add ground beef and all the dry ingredients and mix well together.











Have you ever tried this frozen basil before. It is amazing. So fresh and so convenient especially in the off season.



3. Form patties and place on roasting rack.





4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until no longer pink inside the meat ( you can peek if you need to)





5. Remove from oven and top with cheese; place back in the oven until melted.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When baking ground beef, I like to use the roasting pan with slats in it to allow the grease to follow away from the meat.  This ensures you are getting the leanest most healthy form of that particular meat.

This little treat goes well with a side of salad or just on it’s own between your favorite whole grain bun.  Heck I just eat them by itself.  Sometimes you can’t just beat a homemade cheeseburger.  What is your little trick you put in your ground beef/turkey/chicken before cooking it to add that flavor you love?

Around the Blogsphere

Well as I have been wandering around the blogsphere this week…. I have bumped into a couple of wicked recipes that are must try’s in my books.  Take a look over here and let me know what you think.

• A recipe for stove-top granola by the Hungry Yogini.  This will knock your socks off for sure and I cannot wait to try it.
• A somewhat genius idea for salad dressings can be found over at Choosing Raw.  This I have to sink my gums into.
• And last but not least… I found two things I love wrapped into one over at Joy’s site – Can you believe an Avocado Pound Cake?  YUM!

That is all I have for this week.  I hope everyone has a decent fun filled friday and a great weekend.  Today is the last day you can tell all your friends about the Blog Makeover giveaway so “Let it out” and I will be announcing the poor soul that has to work with me for a makeover on MONDAY!

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend. I was busy all weekend but still had time for some family fun, multiple visits to the house and some floor shopping (yet again). In addition to the fun, I put some time in the kitchen and was able to try a fun simple recipe that included ” Baked Onion Rings“.

Who likes Onion Rings? I am a big fan of the onion rings and with this twist – I think you will fall in love too.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Cornflakes
• 1/2 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs ( dried)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Low Fat Buttermilk
• 1 Medium Onion ( Vidalia, Spanish)  Sliced and broken into rings
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/8 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• Coarse Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 Degrees
2. In a food processor, pulse breadcrumbs and cornflakes until fine crumbs form, then transfer to a medium bowl
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, cayenne, and pepper
4. Dip onion rings into egg mixture ( letting excess drop off ) and dredge into cornflake mixture; place on a large platter
5. Pour oil into rimmed baking sheet and heat in oven for 2 minutes
6. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly.
7. Arrange rings onto sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes turning once or until rings are golden brown.
8. Season with salt.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: By oiling the pan and preheating it before placing the rings on the pan – you are eliminating the chance of the rings getting soggy and ensuring a nice crisp exterior.

Quick House Update

It had been raining quite a bit on Sunday when I was planning on getting some updated pictures to share with you.  So I apologize, the pictures are limited for now.  All I can say though is that we have a roof!

Have a great start to the week and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Take care

zesty