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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Outside-In Burgers

After the Peachtree Road Race, Alex and I had some close friends over for some fun in the sun and a cookout.  Our pool time was cut short by a rain shower, but we still had a great day celebrating. 


The Johnson Family


Mary and Mark


Brody playing in the puddle after the rain


"Yum!  Cupcake!"


"That's good!"


"What?"


"Alex, I am tired and don't want to play games."
These burgers were easy to make and are now my favorite!  Don't pass on making this fun ketchup.  It adds a great kick!
Outside-In Burgers with Adobo Ketchup
Source:  Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

Adobo Ketchup:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups ketchup

Burgers:

  • 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup diced red onion
  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 3/4 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • buns

Directions

Adobo Ketchup:
Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
Burgers:
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
In a bowl, combine the cheddar cheese and onions. Set aside until ready to use.
Mix together the ground beef, pepper, salt, garlic, oregano, cumin and egg until thoroughly combined, but not overworked. Form into 4 equal-sized balls. Flatten out each ball to 1/4-inch thick and put two tablespoons of the onion and Cheddar mixture in the middle. Fold the burger meat over the onion and Cheddar, Enclosing it securely in the middle of the meat and form it back into a ball. Flatten into 3/4-inch thick burger patties. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes turning only once.
Toast the buns on the grill over indirect heat. Add the burgers to the buns and serve with the ketchup.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Shrimp Pasta


Alex and I ran the Peachtree Road Race for the second time this year, along with the Johnson's.  We are always motivated at the beginning of spring to run.  The temperature is great and we are looking to get in shape for the summer.  As you know, living in Georgia, spring does not last long.  Before you know it the humidity and high temperatures have set in.  Last year, this caused us to slack on our training.  I didn't have any lofty goals, just to finish!  

Lauren and I, almost at the finish line!

Jon, Lauren, Me, and Alex 2010

The Peachtree is a sentimental race for our family.  Alex's father passed away from a heart attack while running it in 1993.  He collapsed in front of Shepherd Spinal Center from sudden cardiac arrest.  Alex wears a bandanna each year that he leaves as a memorial to his dad in front of Shepherd.  

We were so proud of finishing our first 10K.

This year, I wanted to beat last years time.  If you knew my time you would realize that should not be too hard.   In an attempt to train better I had to turn to the dreaded treadmill.  It was just too hot to train outside.  

As much as I dreaded the treadmill initially, I became quite fond of it by the end.  I found that I could change up my pace which made the time fly by.  I also had plenty of other gym attendees to keep me distracted.  Plus, there is nothing like my amazing husband on the treadmill beside me to keep me going.  (I am just a "little" bit competitive.)

It definitely helped me improve my time by 9 minutes.

The crew again in 2011

Luckily, we were able to start in an earlier wave this year.  I hope as our times get better each year so will our  waves.  It made a huge difference to start earlier.  The sun was out of control by the end of the race.

All by myself this year

Sadly, Alex and I never get a picture together.  That should be our goal next year.

Our pre-race dinner was delicious!  It was super easy to make.  I found this one on Betsy's blog.  Enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients:

·                     1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined
·                     2 teaspoons Emeril's essence seasoning
·                     1/2 box linguine (I think I used a whole box because I used regular spaghetti noodles, it is hard to find gluten free linguine noodles)
·                     2 tablespoons olive oil
·                     2 tablespoons butter
·                     3 cloves minced garlic
·                     1/2 cup dry white wine
·                     Juice of 1 lemon
·                     salt & pepper to taste
·                     1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
·                     2 tablespoons chopped parsley
·                     shredded parmesan for topping

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, toss shrimp with Emeril's essence seasoning & set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil & cook pasta per instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet on medium heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter.  Melt butter. Add shrimp and cook for approx. 5 minutes, or until pink throughout.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and lemon juice.  Cook for 2 minutes. Season shrimp with salt and pepper per taste.

When pasta is cooked to al dente, drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Add pasta, cooking water, and crushed red pepper to shrimp.  Toss and cook for 2 minutes on low heat.

Toss with chopped parsley, top with shredded Parmesan