Cheeseburger Sliders

I make these often, because they are very quick and easy to make, and are very good. The original recipe is found here, at the cookiesandcups.com website. Check it out, as these are supposed to resemble White Castle hamburgers, with the addition of sauteed, diced onions. I do not add those. Sometimes, I cut the recipe in half using one pound ground beef, depending on how many people I'm serving, but if I do decide to use two pounds of ground beef, I put extra filling on each slider bun, with a little extra filling at the end. I will write out the recipe the way I make it, because there are things I don't add, just out of preference. In the picture below, I used mini hamburger sliders, but I usually use King's Hawaiian buns. 

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12 slider rolls, such as King's Hawaiian 

1 pound ground beef (I usually use an 80/20 ratio)

1-2 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 to 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/2 of a one-ounce packet of dry onion soup mix

1/2 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

A couple tablespoons of water, optional

4-5 slices American cheese

Dill pickle slices, optional

1-2 tablespoons butter, melted

Sesame seeds, optional

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. 

2. Line a 9 x 13" baking pan with parchment paper. Cut the Hawaiian's buns in half vertically, and set the tops aside. When I make sliders with Hawaiian buns, I usually separate them individually, then cut in half vertically. I simply find it easier to do it that way, instead of trying to cut through them all as one whole block of buns. Sometimes I use mini hamburger slider buns, as seen in these photos. 

3. Brown the hamburger then drain the grease. Add the ketchup, mustard, dry onion soup mix, Montreal Steak seasoning, and stir together well, until the meat is well coated. I usually add a little water at this point and let it cook a few minutes to sort of rehydrate the onion soup mix. 

4. Spoon the meat mixture over the bottoms of the buns. Tear the American cheese into smaller slices, and place on top of the meat mixture. Since I am not a fan of a lot of cheese on these, I don't fully cover each sandwich, which is why I don't use more cheese for better coverage. Add pickle slices, if desired. Top each sandwich with the tops of the buns.

5. Melt the butter, and drizzle it over the tops of the buns, then lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Cover the entire baking pan with foil. Place the baking pan on a rimmed cookie sheet, to bake. I find if I skip this last step, the bottoms of the sandwiches get overdone. 

6. Bake covered, at 350 degrees, for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and sandwiches are fully warmed through. Remove the pan from the oven and keep it covered, so the sandwiches have an opportunity to "steam" a little. This last step is not necessary, it just depends on how soft you want your sandwiches. This step I presume, is to make them more like White Castle hamburgers. 

Moist Banana Bread

I've had this banana bread twice now at work, but it was made by someone else, so I was not able to get photos of it. It is very good, and went over very well both times. The recipe can be found here on Natasha's Kitchen website. She posts delicious recipes, so check out her website if you haven't done so yet. I've made several of her recipes, all with great success.

Photo is found on the Natasha's Kitchen website.

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3 very ripe bananas, medium/large in size

1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 tablespoons) at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Optional

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 2 1/2" bread loaf pan. 

2. In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

3. Mash the bananas with a fork, until the consistency of chunky applesauce, and add to the butter/sugar mixture along with the two eggs and vanilla, and mix until well blended.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until blended. Add to the banana mixture and stir until combined. If adding the walnuts and/or raisins, stir them in now.

5. Spread into the prepared loaf pan and bake 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use a butter knife to loosen the sides of the bread and remove from the pan onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. 

Applesauce Snack Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

I have a weakness for cooking magazines, cooking blogs and websites. I love when the weather turns cooler in the fall, so I can start to bake. I haven't made this recipe yet, but it sure sounds delicious and reminiscent of iced applesauce bars I used to make when I was in my early 20s. I found this recipe in the November 2024 issue of Southern Living Best Fall Recipes, but it can also be found on their website, here.  See Note and link below for an alternative frosting.

 Photo is from the Southern Living website

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Cake

3 large McIntosh apples, about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled and chopped (about 5 cups)

See link here, for substitutes for McIntosh apples

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated lime zest (from one lime)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons hot water (optional)

Garnish (Optional)

Chopped toasted pecans

Directions

1. Prepare a 9" x 13" cake pan by spraying with a baking spray with flour, or you may just grease the pan with shortening and add some flour. Tap the bottom and sides of the pan to evenly distribute the flour throughout, and then tap out the excess flour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Place the apples in a medium-sized microwaveable bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high until softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the apples and any liquid to a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth, about 20-30 seconds. Cool about 10 minutes. You should have about 2 cups of pureed apples.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, ginger, cinnamon, lime zest, vanilla, eggs, and purred apples until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add to the apple mixture and stir just until combined.

4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 350 degrees until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28-32 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.

5. Prepare the frosting by melting the butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk and return to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and salt, until smooth and thickened. If the mixture is too thick, add hot water until desire consistency is reached. Spread frosting over the cooled cake and garnish with the toasted chopped pecans, if desired.

Note

If you desire a traditional icing, you can a vanilla buttercream frosting, such as this one, found here on the Sally's Baking Addiction website. She has wonderful recipes, and if you haven't checked out her website, please do so. 

Beef Noodle Casserole

This is another recipe I found in the magazine Delish Comfort Food. The recipe can be found on their website, here. I have not tried this recipe yet, but it looks awfully good. 

Photo is from the Delish . com website

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Serves 6 - 8

Kosher salt

Black pepper

12 ounces egg noodles

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the egg noodles according to package directions, LESS one minute. (Essentially, you want to cook them al-dente.) Reserve one cup of the pasta water, and drain the rest. Add the butter to the noodles, and toss to combine. 

2. In another large pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, cooking until no pink remains, about 6 minutes. Drain the grease and season with salt. 

3. Reduce the heat under your cooked beef to medium and add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently, about 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup, the heavy whipping cream, and about one-third of the shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook, adding 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water until the cheese is melted and desired consistency is reached, about one minute. If needed, season with additional salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir in the cooked egg noodles. Pour all into a greased 9" x 13" pan and sprinkle with the remaining shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees, until the center and edges are bubbly, about 30 minutes. Top with the chopped parsley before serving. 

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

French Toast is one of my favorite breakfast foods, and it is very easy to make it for a small crowd. It's simply put together in a 9 x 13" baking dish that is refrigerated for several hours or overnight, and then baked in the oven. I typically use almost an entire 1-pound loaf of French bread, and then make a custard. Sometimes I add fruit, other times, I don't. 

There are many versions of this sort of dish that can be found online. This one has intrigued me, since you lightly toast the cubed bread before adding your custard, I assume to prevent the bread from getting soggy once it's baked. I have not tried this particular recipe yet, but am posting it here so that I remember to try it in the future. I found this recipe in the Delish Comfort Food magazine, but it can be found here on their website. 

Photo courtesy of Delish . com

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Serves 8

1 (one-pound) loaf of unsliced challah bread, cut into 1" cubes (yielding about 10 cups of bread cubes)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup) 

3 (4" x 1") strips of orange zest (orange peel) (open link to find directions on how to so this)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 cups fresh blueberries (about 16 ounces) blueberries (about 16 ounces), divided (see step two)

Kosher salt

6 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if you are able

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar  (open link to see what that is)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing the pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, spread the bread cubes in an even layer, then bake 325 degrees, stirring halfway through, until the bread is lightly toasted, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Allow the bread to cool on the baking sheet.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the maple syrup, orange zest and orange juice, 2 cups of the blueberries, and a pinch of kosher salt to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries have released their juices and only half of them are still intact, about 10 minutes. 

3. Transfer 1/2 of the blueberry sauce you just made into a small bowl, and stir in the remaining 1 cup of blueberries. Set this aside until you are ready to assemble the casserole. Transfer the remaining sauce into an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate it. You will serve this remaining sauce alongside the casserole at serving time. 

4. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13" baking pan. In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until well combined. Add the whole milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, nutmeg, 1/4 cup of the turbinado sugar and an additional 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and beat until smooth. Add all of the toasted bread cubes to the bowl, toss them in the custard, and let them soak in the custard for about 5 minutes. 

5. Spread two-thirds of the bread mixture into your prepared baking pan. Spoon the 1/2 cup of your blueberry mixture that you had set aside evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Top with the remaining 1/3 bread mixture, gently pressing down into an even height. Scatter the 2 tablespoons of cut up pieces of butter over all, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-12 hours.

6. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, let the casserole and the reserved blueberry sauce sit at room temperature. Before you bake it, sprinkle on the remaining 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar over the top of the casserole. 

7. Bake the casserole until it has puffed up, the edges are crisp, is golden brown in color, and is set in the middle, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before serving. Serve with the reserved blueberry sauce on the side. 

One Pan Tortellini with Sausage

 You can find this quick and easy one-pan recipe here at Salt & Lavender website. It comes together quickly and is delicious. You can use sausage links that you slice up, or use ground sausage, either mild or hot sausage, whatever suits your preference. 

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12-16 ounces of ground Italian sausage, either hot or mild

minced garlic, to taste

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 (9 ounce) bag refrigerated cheese tortellini, whatever variety you prefer - I use the Rana brand of 5-cheese

2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach, trimmed of stems

salt and pepper, to taste

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

1. Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat, drain the fat if there is a lot. 

2. Add the garlic, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, heavy cream, and tortellini. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked through and the sauce has reduced. The sauce will thicken somewhat from the tortellini 

3. Stir in the spinach, and allow it to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Chicken Noodle Casserole

I recently came upon this recipe from allrecipes.com. It's a simple, comfort-food type of recipe that is good as is, or can be zhuzhed up by adding additional seasonings and/or vegetables. I've made this a couple of times now. The second time around, I did not have cream of mushroom soup, so I used two cans of cream of chicken soup. I personally like it better with the cream of mushroom because it gives it a more complex flavor;  but either way, it is very good. You can use a rotisserie chicken, or poach chicken yourself using this recipe from Inspired Taste. 

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4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
6 ounces egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream

splash of milk, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Topping  
1/2 cup butter
1 cup roughly chopped buttery round crackers, such as Ritz 

(Plain breadcrumbs could also be used.)

Dried parsley

Using your favorite recipe for poaching chicken, cook the chicken and after cooling slightly, cut the chicken up. You can strain the broth and cook the egg noodles in the broth, or just cook in salted water. 

In a large bowl, combine both cans of soup, sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. If you would like a little thinner consistency, add a little milk. Both times, I added a little milk. Stir until well combined. Gently stir in the cooked chicken and cooked egg noodles. Spread into a greased 9x13" or two-quart baking dish. 

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan and set aside. In a Ziplock plastic bag, roughly crush the crackers and add to the butter. You can either roughly crush the crackers, or finely crush. Stir gently, and spread over the chicken-noodle mixture. Sprinkle with parsley. 

Note: I double the topping, since I really like the crunch. 

Bake 350 degrees, for 30-40 minutes, until heated through, is bubbly, and topping is golden browned.