Juicy BBQ Burgers, Fake Fries, & Surprise Cupcakes

The other day, Brent came home from work and surprised me with these two little gems.

Fact: The only thing better than cupcakes is surprise cupcakes, and these did not disappoint.

They were from Gigi's Cupcakes here in The Woodlands. 

I believe they were the Wedding Cake and Miss Princess flavors...so vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and strawberry cake cream cheese frosting.

Nom.

Gigi's Cupcakes are SUPER moist...and the frosting....ohhhh the frosting.

When I was little, I would hide under my bed with a can of frosting and a spoon and go.to.town. 

I would still do this if it wasn't socially frowned upon, so it goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoy Gigi's Cupcakes.

Yes, these cupcakes may come with a side of rapid heart beats and profuse sweating. 

Worth it.

But before the cupcake demolition took place, Brent and I decided to make some Juicy BBQ Burgers & Fake Fries.

Fake Fries = Totally delicious roasted sweet potato and parsnip fries.

You should make these and forget about those silly old russets. 

Parsnips are the new russets, just fyi.

Slice, sprinkle with minced garlic and sliced onion, toss in olive oil, season, and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Heaven.

I also feel the need to share the copious amount of toppings and sides that Brent and I require on homemade burger nights.

We also like to throw in some freshies: tomatoes, onion, romaine, and fresh sprouts from my mother-in-law's garden!

Woot woot for healthy fake fries!

Also get excited for the juiciest bbq burg you've ever eaten.

My plate: One juicy burger topped with melty cheddar cheese, a little bit more bbq sauce, mustard, romaine, sprouts, tomatoes, and roasted onions. 

Plus a few more parsnip fries dipped in ketchup.

Holy yum. 

Make this, stat.

And then reward yourself with Gigi's Cupcakes...and perhaps some cookies 'n cream ice cream.

Oh yeah.

Juicy BBQ Burgers

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground venison**
• 1 Tbsp coarse ground mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp barbeque sauce
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For Topping:

• 4 Tbsp bbq sauce
• 4 slices thick-cut cheddar cheese
• 4 large hamburger buns, toasted

Other toppings: mustard, mayo, lettuce, sprouts, slices tomatoes, onions, pickles, jalapenos, bacon, etc.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine above ingredients until mixed thoroughly.
2. Form into 4 large patties.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
5. Grill over medium high heat until inside is still slightly pink.
6. While burgers are still warm, top with 1 Tbsp bbq sauce and cheddar cheese.
7. Let cheese melt on hamburger while buns toast.
8. Serve warm with toppings.

**Extra lean ground beef can be substituted for venison.

Sweet Potato & Parsnip Fake Fries

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 large parsnips, cut into wedges
• 1 small onion, sliced into thin rings
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place parsnip and sweet potato wedges on baking sheet and sprinkle with onion slices and minces garlic.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
5. Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes.
7. Serve warm.

Better Than A Butternut?

Yesterday was hard. 

It was just one of those days when I had to CHOOSE to be joyful. 

Nope. That joy was just not coming on it's own.

I really don't suggest roasting a butternut squash for the first time on a day like yesterday.

For some reason, I was under the impression that you could prepare roasted butternut squash like you prepare roasted sweet potatoes. Ya know...wash, scrub, dry, cut into chunks, sprinkle with olive oil, season, toss, bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees...

False.

NO ONE told me that I was getting a PUMPKIN when I bought a BUTTERNUT.

NO ONE told me that you have to wash, peel, hack off the top and bottom, dig out the seeds and pulp, and cut into hard little pieces BEFORE you can sprinkle with olive oil, season, toss, and bake...for 1 hour...at 400 degrees.

So after a few tears and a handful of expletives, I got this sucker in the oven and swore that it better be good on mine and Brent's butternut virgin taste buds.

I also bought backups just in case this drama queen of a squash ended up being disgusting and a complete waste of time.

Verdict?...

I.freaking.love.butternut.

Know that Brent and I made AMAZING Buttermilk Cornbread, DELICIOUS Roasted Lemon Broccoli, and MOUTHWATERING Maple Pecan Crusted Chicken...and this butternut squash diva still stole the show.

Seriously. 

Brent had to REMOVE the bowl of squash from the table before I plowed through the entire golden batch of amazingness.

You should make this.

And know that the time it takes to prepare roasted butternut squash is worth every.single.second.

Be still my heart. I don't think there is anything better than a butternut.

Roasted Rosemary Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the squash on a cutting board and cut the top and bottom off.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer layer of skin from the squash.
4. Once peeled, slice the squash in half, lengthwise.
5. Using a grapefruit spoon (or any large spoon will work), remove the seeds and pulp.
6. Cut the squash into chunks and place on a large baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle minced garlic over squash.
8. Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil over squash and garlic. Toss to coat.
9. Sprinkle rosemary, salt, and pepper over squash.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking for doneness at the 40 minute mark (squash will be soft and golden).

Roasted Lemon Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 2 heads fresh broccoli, stems removed and cut into florets
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place broccoli on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper on broccoli.
4. Roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
5. Squeeze 2 lemon wedges over broccoli.
6. Serve with remaining lemon wedges.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup buttermilk (or sour cream if you do not have buttermilk)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
3. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
4. Once butter is melted, remove from heat and mix in sugar.
5. Quickly whisk in eggs and beat until well blended.
6. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda. Mix into pan.
7. Sift together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Mix into pan.
8. Pour batter into greased pan.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until barely golden around edges.

The Maple Pecan Chicken was found on All Recipes.com, with a few modifications.

ENJOY!

The ABCs of Em

I've been a little short on blog material for the past few days, hints the 2 days of inactive blogging. I WILL have more recipes and food pics for you guys in the coming days, but today I think I will share the ABCs of me. I am a big blog follower and really love getting to know the people behind the blogs that I read. I mean, I like the food-related posts more, but I DO enjoy reading about the authors also! 

So here we go...The ABCs of me:

A. Age: 24

B. Bed Size: Queen...and more than enough room for the Mr. and me. Nova wishes he could squeeze in with us, but that's just not happening.

C. Chores you dislike: Changing the bed sheets. I LOVE clean sheets on the bed and probably change them more often than I need to, but I feel like it is such a job changing them. Not sure why this is. I'll gladly run a marathon, but I am EXHAUSTED after changing the bed sheets.

D. Dogs: Nova, our golden retriever. He makes my heart explode each and every day.

Widdle Punkin Head

The day we brought him home

Our giant, peanut butter lovin' cutie pie

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee, breakfast, and a work-out.

F. Favorite holidays: Christmas and Halloween. Christmas, for obvious reasons (tacky Christmas party, anyone?) and Halloween, because it's an excuse to turn my husband into a giant Jelly Belly sack...

Tacky Christmas Party 2010

Halloween 2007

G. Gold or Silver: Both...equally.

H. Height: 5'4". I tower over my barely 5 foot mom and sister.

I. Instruments you play: Believe it or not,  I played the SAXOPHONE in middle school (insert image of rather rotund, freckle-faced, perm-induced curly headed, Lisa Frank lovin' 5th grader here...with a sax. We're talking some serious hotness, people). I also took a few years of piano lessons in my youth. But what I play NOW? Nothing. Let's go with nothing.

J. Job Title: Keeping with the serious hotness theme, I am....UNEMPLOYED! But actively seeking to use my Human Resources/Accounting degree from Baylor University. I am also in the beginning stages of starting an organic granola bar business. Woot!

K. Kiddos: Nada. But hopefully someday!

L. Live: Born in Lafayette, LA. Moved to Houston, TX when I was 3 or 4 and lived there all through high school. Moved to Waco, TX to go to Baylor University. Moved to Dallas, TX after graduation and mewedge since Brent was still working on his doctorate there. Moved to The Woodlands, TX after Brent graduated. We now call the The Woodlands, TX home.

M. Mom's name: Cyndi. She's the greatest lady you will ever know.

N. Nicknames: Emmy, Em, Em-P, EB, Emilia....I think that is it, that I know of :)

O. Overnight hospital stays: Zero! Praise God!

P. Pet Peeves: Smacking, dirty dishes in the sink (well, let's be honest, dirty anything. OCD? Table for one?), slow mall walkers.

Q. Quote from a movie: Ohhhh man. I'm going to have to go with anything from Napoleon Dynamite on this one. Classic.

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty, but I play pool with my left....that one time out of the year.

S. Siblings: One sister, Hannah Banana (25 years old). Yes, her middle name is Banana.

T. Time you wake up: Well, I USED to be an early bird and would get up at 5:30 AM everyday so I could get to the gym before work, but since moving to The Woodlands I have been rising at 8:30 or 9:00 AM since I now have all day to get to the gym. You may be jealous of this situation, but this is totally going against the grain for me. I actually very much enjoy getting an early work-out in before work and plan on reviving this tradition once I get.a.job.

U. Usual day: Wake up around 8:30, straighten up the house while my french press coffee steeps, eat breakfast and drink coffee, job hunt, blog, eat lunch, job hunt, run errands, go to the gym, come home, make dinner, eat dinner, hang out with the hubs, go to bed. It's way fun.

V. Vegetables you don't like: Hmmm, I really like all veggies, but I am not a big fan of okra. Nope, not even fried. Bleh.

W. What makes you run late: I am usually on time for most things, but if I am running late it is because I had to stop and put gas in my car. I am the WORST at keeping my gas tank full and will run on fumes until the last minute. I know, I'm going to be stranded someday. I'll call you to come get me. Bring gas, please.

X. X-rays you have had: Since I am married to a chiropractor, I have had a few. Especially on my right knee due to a mixture of too many long runs and playing tennis in high school.

Y. Yummy foods: When I think of yummy foods, I think of BBQ chicken pizza, a juicy cheeseburger with sweet potato fries, a hot gooey brownie or cake (with LOTS of icing) with vanilla ice cream.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Elephants. I don't know what it is about these guys, but I just love them.

That's all folks! What are some interesting things about YOU?

Surprises & Struggles

Have you ever seen the "manager special" meat at the grocery store when they reduce the price for a quick sale? Yep, me too. Love it. 

Have you ever seen it in the dairy department?? 

I haven't until this past Monday while I was there...buying groceries. I found our normal Horizon milk and Chobani for 50% off! So I snagged a couple of yogurts and a half gallon of milk for supa cheap! Score!

I am completely and utterly obsessed with plain Greek yogurt (I look forward to this breakfast EVERY morning) and have tried Fage, Oikos, and Siggi's brands, but this was my first time to try Chobani. I really liked it and honestly couldn't tell you which brand I prefer. They are all delicious in my book.

Booyah! 

Yes, it was discounted due to the expiration date being around the corner, but I seriously love me some organic dairy and will have no problem finishing this guy off before it expires.

And keeping with the coupon/freebie theme, I received THIS little friend in the mail the other day!

Free loaf at Great Harvest! Yes, please!

So yesterday, my mom and I were out and about in The Woodlands and stopped by GH to eat our weight in free bread samples pick up some of their delicious baked goodies!

Great Harvest actually encourages you to try all of their breads, muffins, brownies, cookies, etc. before buying, so we kindly obliged :)

Apart from their AMAZING bread, they also carry all-natural fruit spreads, snacks, and GIGANTIC cookies...

I couldn't take my eyes off of these whoppers. 

The bakery owner must have seen me eyeing them because she made a point to tell me that every Friday is "Free Cookie Friday" there.

Soooo, you know where you can find me after I finish writing this post :)

I am addicted to Crofters Superfruit Spread but decided to give Great Harvest's Double Berry Spread a try.

Amazing.

I snagged one (free!) loaf of the Honey Whole Wheat, sliced thin, and a jar of the Double Berry Spread.

Mom bought one loaf of Dakota and one loaf of the Irish Soda Bread, cut in half so she could sneak in half of each loaf into my bag.

Moms. What would we do without them?

After our delicious bread appetizers, we stopped by Whichwich to grab lunch.  

(Clearly we were in a bread eating mood).

I was tempted to get the roast beef but decided to go with my normal turkey on whole wheat with cheddar cheese, the hottest dijon mustard I have ever had (seriously..I was crying), pickles, lettuce, and tomato. 

With a side of Sun Chips. Nothing fancy.

After lunch, we ran a few errands, then I came home and felt a snack attack coming on.

These almond buttery gems were on sale on my "dairy department hoarder" grocery shopping day, so I picked them up too. I'm usually pretty impressed with Cascadian Farms food products and these did not dissapoint!

Crunchy and salty with a hint of sweetness. Perfect for a pre-workout snack.

I let my snack settle then headed back out for a quick 5 mile run. 

It was harder than usual due to a shooting pain in my right hip. I have a history of my right knee acting up when I run, but my hip doesn't usually bother me unless I am trying to crank out a super long run.

By mile 4 I was really uncomfortable and was VERY ready to be finished by mile 5. 

Luckily, I have an amazing chiropractor husband who adjusted me when he came home. My hip feels much better since the adjustment, but only a good run will tell whether or not we are back in business. I hope so....I have a Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon to run in this November!

Dinner was leftover Asian Peanut Butter Noodles with a side of oven-toasted Irish Soda Bread with butter. Sort of a clash of cultures, but the sweet raisins in the bread really worked with the nuttiness of the pasta! Yum!

Going to try to get a (hopefully pain free!) run in and then...more job hunting!...bleh.

Question: Would you rather work close to home (5 minutes close) in a job that you enjoy but that pays less, does not provide benefits, and have to work retail hours 

or... 

have to commute (1.5 hours a day) for a job that pays a little bit more, has benefits, but you may not enjoy as much... ?

Am I stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one or just not thinking clearly?