Copy-cat Krystal Burgers

Did you hear? Dollywood is celebrating its 30th year. Let me say that again. Dollywood is celebrating its 30th year. Now, how many of you remember when it was Silver Dollar City? The Flooded Mine? The Rampage? Blazing Fury? Depressing, isn’t it? When did we get old? *sniffle*Now who remembers the pig? I do! That thing terrified me! I wouldn’t even walk to that part of the park! Frustrated the hell out of my parents, I tell ya! Which, by the way, was a moot point because I was even more terrified of the Flooded Mine and Blazing Fury than I was of that pig.

 

Shaddup. I told you that I was a chicken.

 

So, what is it about Krystal burgers that brings about that cluster of memories? Well, there wasn’t a Krystal joint in Morristown but there was one in Sevierville and you had to drive through Sevierville to get to Dollywood. Sooooo, guess what I did? Yup, I would beg, cajole, and bribe my parents to stop every single time. There was no way in HELL I was eating at a park that was serving a dead pig corpse. Nope. Not gonna.

 

And now, you too can have memories of sunburns, wrinkled feet, and soaked underwear run through your head whenever you make these burgers. You’re welcome. Let’s get started.

 

Step one: Gather your ingredients. You will need roughly two pounds of hamburger meat, dried minced onions, seasoned salt, dinner rolls or slider buns, and cooking spray. You will also need pre-cut sheets of aluminum foil and a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan.

 

 

 

I know what you’re thinking, “HOLY HANNAH! That’s a lot of meat!” And yes, it is approximately 10 pounds of meat. I was stocking my freezer. There will be more on that later.

 

Step two: Spray your 10 x 15 pan with cooking spray and sprinkle enough onions to lightly cover the pan. Now you can most definitely customize to your taste and add more onions. I go easy because I am the heart burn queen. I have a crown and everything. Its made out of empty Prilosec bottles. Again, shaddup.

 

 

Step three: Take small pieces of your meat, pat them out, and lay them over the onions. Just look at the picture. It will make sense.

 

 

Step four: Cover the entire thing with plastic wrap and use a can to press all the meat into a uniform flat patty on the bottom of the pan. Pat yourself on the back for the genius use of a can.

 

 

Step five: Sprinkle the meat with whatever seasonings you want. I use seasoned salt.

 

 

Step six: Now pop that lovely slab of meat into a 350 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through. While the meat is cooking, slice your rolls and get your aluminum foil ready for assembly.

 

 

Step seven: Remove patty from oven and drain the grease from the pan. You might wanna pat the top with a paper towel too. It’s just a little juicy.

 

 

 

Step eight: Using a bun as a guide, cut out twelve squares, assemble burgers, and wrap in aluminum foil placing two burgers in each piece of foil. Place foil packets into a 9 x 13 pan and place back into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. This is the secret for taking your burgers from eh to yum!

 

 

Step nine: Remove pan from oven and add your favorite toppings. Be careful! They are good and steamy!

See them perfect taters? I’ll show you how to cook them too. Later….

 

Copycat Krystal Burger

Approximately 2 lb. of ground beef

1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried, minced onions

Seasoned salt to taste

1 (12 count) package of dinner rolls (I like Martins potato rolls.)

6 squares of aluminum foil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle with dried onions. Pat out small pieces of ground beef and place over onions. Cover with plastic wrap and use a can to roll meat into a flat patty. Sprinkle with seasoned salt to taste and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, slice rolls and prepare aluminum foil. Remove meat from oven. Drain and pat with paper towels to remove grease. Using a roll as a guide, cut out 12 squares of meat. Place meat on rolls and put two burgers into each piece of foil. Put packets into a 9 x 13 pan and place back into oven for 10 to 15 more minutes to steam buns. Remove and add your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

 

Thank you for reading.

Dadgum Good Spaghetti

I was sitting in the floor of our tiny apartment, the first time I ever tasted this amazing sauce. My best friend and her husband had come over for dinner and she wanted to show me her delicious new recipe. HOLY HANNAH! It was GOOD! We literally licked the  plates that night while sitting on the floor because we had no furniture! Good times! Seriously people, the simple things like spaghetti in the floor with your best friend, are what makes life so sweet! Now, want to hear how long we’ve been best friends?! 20 years! unbelievable, right?! This year makes our 20 year mark and I am happy to say she is still my homie through thick and thin. (To the grave, Dude! To the grave!) Through out the years we have made a lot of dinners for each other and traded a lot of recipes but I have to say, I keep coming back to this one. I have tweaked it to make it less fattening without sacrificing the taste. My daughter refuses to eat anything else, I received compliments at my old job as a lunch lady, and my brother-in-law has been known to eat bowlfuls of this stuff! If you don’t try any of my other recipes on this blog, I urge you to try this! Let’s get it on!!

Step one: Gather your ingredients. You will need hamburger meat, frozen chopped green peppers and onions, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, vinegar (Trust me!), brown sugar, seasoned salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, parsley flakes, bay leaves, and salt and pepper.

Step two: Crumble your ground beef into your huge nonstick skillet that takes both hands to carry and toss in the frozen bell pepper and onion mixture. Now you can most certainly use fresh green pepper and onion but it’s so much easier to just open the freezer door and plop it in! Brown that up good. Yeah…. brown that up real good. Mmm….

Step three: Drain the meat and put back in the pan. Pour in the spaghetti sauce then add a little water to the jar, shake it up, and then pour that in to your saucepan. Add the tomato soup and beat back cat because she heard you open that can of soup and thinks it is a can of wet food. Feel guilty, give in, and really open a can of food for the fat cat. I mean, really! Look at that iddle face!

Step four: Now its time to get spicy!! Add the brown sugar, vinegar, and all the spices to the sauce and stir really well. Put lid on pan and let simmer for how ever long you want. All day, an hour, or however long it takes to prepare the noodles and bread. Whatever floats your boat!

Step five: Eat large amounts of sauce. Enjoy!

Now a note about this sauce. This is the adapted recipe that is less fattening than the original. The original called for a block of Velveeta cheese! NO KIDDING! The cheesy sauce is so yum! I know it sounds weird and yucky but it’s so good and so much better reheated the next day. I will post both versions of the sauce and you can choose either version.

My Spaghetti Sauce

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/4 to 1/2 cup frozen, chopped bell pepper/onion mixture

1 jar spaghetti sauce, any brand

2 cans tomato soup, any brand

2-4 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt

1 Tbsp. parsley

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. oregano

1 Tbsp. basil

1 bay leaf

1 teensy pinch of red pepper flakes

Brown ground beef with pepper/onion mixture. Drain and return to pan. Add rest of ingredients and let simmer for how ever long you want and enjoy!!

Joni’s Cheesy Spaghetti Sauce

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce, any brand

4 cans tomato soup, any brand

1 small block of Velveeta cheese, cubed

2-4 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt

1 Tbsp. parsley

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. oregano

1 Tbsp. basil

1 bay leaf

1 teensy pinch of red pepper flakes

Brown ground beef with pepper/onion mixture. Drain and return to pan. Add rest of ingredients and let simmer at least long enough to melt cheese. Enjoy! This is even better the next day because you are going to have a ton of sauce left over.

Creamy Goodnes A.K.A Oh My Goodness

Ok, part two of my good day of cooking. I got the “wow” factor I was looking for when Doyle took a bite of this. Seriously, this may elicit marriage proposals for you. If you are already married, forget the previous sentence. I adapted this recipe from one I found on Tasty Kitchen. I urge you to check the website out! Its full of good recipes from many great cooks including a few from yours truly! www.tastykitchen.com Now I won’t keep you any further! On to the foodgasim! (I must apologize.)

Step one: Gather your ingredients. You are gonna need diced pancetta, shallots, garlic, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, cream cheese, sliced mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, eggs, olive oil, and linguine. Oh yeah, and some diced grape tomatoes!

Step two: Get out a big pot and fill with water. Add a smid…. er… dash or two of salt and set on stove. Turn that burner on high. We want to boil some pasta! Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.

 

Step three: Finely dice your shallot, grate your Parmesan, and mince your garlic. Preparation is key baby!!

 

Step four: Put your heavy cream and cream cheese into a small saucepan and set on low. We just want to warm them up a bit so we can whisk them together to make it smooth and creamy. Mmmm….. creamy. Wait, that sounded dirty!! Commence school girl giggling!

Step five: Get out a large skillet and set on stove on medium high heat. When your pan is hot, add some olive oil and then your pancetta, shallot, garlic, and mushrooms. We want to caramelize them thangs!

 

 

Step six: Add your tomatoes and let them cook a couple of minutes to warm up.

 

Step seven: By now your pasta should be done. Reserve a cup of it for the sauce and drain the rest. Put pasta back into your hot pot.

 

 

Step eight: Now here’s where it goes quickly so be on your toes! Not really, standing on your toes hurts! Just be quick! Grab the cream and cream cheese mixture and add the eggs, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese while whisking so you won’t have creamy scrambled eggs. Although, the thought of cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese in your scrambled eggs doesn’t sound so bad! Pour the cream mixture onto your pasta and add the mushroom mixture and toss to coat the pasta. Now put the skillet back onto the stove and deglaze your pan with the pasta water. We don’t want to waste all that yummy stuff on the bottom! And add to your pasta. Toss again. Serve, sit back, and watch the foodgasims. ( I apologize again.)

 

Oh My Goodness

7 oz. pkg. of diced pancetta

8 oz. pkg. sliced mushrooms

2 shallots, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes, just a dash will do ya!

1/2 to 2/3 c. diced grape tomatoes

1/4 to 1/3 c. of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 (4oz.) of an 8 oz. tub of cream cheese with chives

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 eggs

Olive oil

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions. Place cream and heavy cream in a small pot and put on low heat to gently warm. Heat a large skillet on high heat and add olive oil. Toss in pancetta, mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. Cook for five or so minutes to caramelize ingredients. Add tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes to warm tomatoes. Drain pasta, reserving a cup of water for sauce. Put pasta back into hot pot. Remove small pot from stove and whisk until smooth. Add eggs, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese, whisking constantly. Pour over hot pasta. Add mushroom mixture and toss to coat. Return skillet to pan and add pasta water to deglaze. Pour water over pasta and toss again. Eat. Rejoice. Loosen pants.

Thank you for reading.

Butternut Squash Pasta

I came up with this recipe a few months ago while the kids were at school and Doyle was at work. I gobbled it up without any regret and licked my chops before anybody came home. Why? Because I’m the only one who likes butternut squash!! Mwah ha haaaaa!! Now, prepare to be amazed by my awesome brain powers of remembering!!! Alla-ka-ZAM!

Step one: Gather your ingredients. You will need butternut squash, a head of garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, tomato basil spice blend, chopped onion, heavy cream, and pasta of your choice. Notice that I don’t have a picture of all of that because I did the recipe on a whim and forgot it. So there!!

Step two: Peel your squash, cut into eighths, and place onto baking sheet. Cut top off of garlic and place on pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until garlic and squash are tender. Let cool.

Step three: Place squash and a few cloves of roasted garlic in blender. Blend until smooth.

Step four: Dice onion and saute in pan with a little bit of olive oil until tender.

Step five: Add squash puree, cream, and spice blend to onion in pan. Let sauce simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors.

Step six: Cook pasta of choice, reserving a ladle of pasta water to loosen sauce if needed, and serve. Gobble up pasta before family gets home.

Thank you for reading.

Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

Warning: The following post contains snippets of my life that includes sex, pregnancy, and pasta. I apologize in advance.

I have to say, the herbs in my garden have really taken off and I have dying to use them! The problem is….. I have kids. Yep. Kids. Two of them. Yo.u know what that means…… I get to warp two small children and turn them into weird adults! YAY! It also means that I had S-E-X. Yep…. that too. When I got pregnant with Kayla, I remember making Doyle tell everybody because I was too embarrassed to admit to my family that I was having “relations” with my husband! Even though we had been married for two years! Yes, I was and still am that weird. Love it or leave it! Now that I have strayed WAAAAAY of course, the reason I haven’t used fresh herbs is because the kids simply aren’t into eating them. I am going to remedy this starting now!! Herb Lady! AWAAAAYYYY!!

Step one: You are going to need pasta of your choice, a small handful of fresh basil, a tomato, an 8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, pepper, salt, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.

 

 

Step two: Dice up the tomato and put in your bowl. Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Set aside.

 

 

Step three: Dice mozzarella and finely chop basil. Put in bowl with tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat.

 

 

 

Step four: Bring large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente and drain. Immediately dump hot pasta on top of tomato mixture. Suddenly remember that your kids won’t eat the pasta after it gets tossed so grab some on top and put in on a plate for the kids. Toss the rest of the pasta with the tomato mixture.

 

 

 

Step five: Put pasta on plate and garnish with fresh grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of salt. Take a bite and moan in ecstasy. Turn moan in cough when said kids look at you like you have a third eye.

Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

Approximately 1 lb. of pasta of your choice

Small handful of fresh basil

Tomato

8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parmesean cheese

Chop tomato and put into bowl with salt and pepper. Set aside. Dice up mozzarella and finely chop basil. Put into bowl with tomato and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Cook pasta in salted boiling water and drain. Immediately dump onto tomato mixture. Toss to coat. Serve with grated Parmesan to taste.

Thank you for reading.