The Adventures of Kitchen Girl

  Easy Cheeseburger Quiche Ingredients: 2 pounds extra lean ground beef Drizzle of favorite cooking oil for sauteing 2 cloves minced garlic 1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly 1 pound sliced mushrooms 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 3/4 cup mayonnaise 6 eggs, beaten Salt and Pepper 2 unbaked deep dish pie shells Method: 1: Preheat oven to 375*F. 2: Brown ground beef, drain and set aside to cool. 3: Drizzle a scant amount of oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add minced garlic and mushrooms, sauté. 4: When the mushrooms are almost tender, add the sliced green onion to the skillet to start them cooking. Do not cook them completely. You just want to take the “crunch” off. 5: In a large bowl combine the browned ground beef, mushroom, garlic and green onion mixture. Set aside until cooled to room temperature. 6: Once cooled, add shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and the 6 beaten eggs to the ground beef, mushrooms ...

Notes: *This dish has a good bit of garlic, red pepper and ginger... feel free to lower the amounts to suit your tastes. *Use the Asian pear puree OR the brown sugar, not both. *Try the lower amount of brown sugar first and taste before adding the entire amount. Again, adjust to your preference. *The sesame oil really is only for flavor, it can be omitted if you would prefer. *This recipe is also delicious made with ground chicken or turkey. *Please do use low sodium soy sauce, because it calls for a lot, using regular might yield a dish that is too salty. Quick Asian Style Beef Ingredients: 2 pounds ground round (or the very leanest ground beef you can find) 1 Tablespoon sesame oil (more for the flavor than anything, feel free to omit if you like) 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes 1/2 to 1 cup low sodium soy sauce 2 peeled and pureed Asian pears (or 1/2 to 3/4  cup brown sugar, see notes ab...

This has to be one of the most difficult posts I've ever written. I've been working up to this, sitting down and writing about my friend Elle , for more than a week now and it's every bit as hard as I imagined it would be. There is so much I want to say, so much I wish I could still say to her. I only hope I can express here, with my words, what a treasure she was to so many of us. On January 28th, 2014 this world lost one of it's living angels. She was beautiful inside and out. She was hilarious and clever and sweet and utterly loveable. She was an amazing cook and baker. She was inspiring and encouraging and one knew they could always count on her. She was an amazing mother of 4 children and the love of her husband's life. She was a wonderful Mom to her fur-babies. And she's gone. Too soon. Far too damn soon. Elle was a young and vibrant 45 years old. Taken from this world suddenly and without warning from a pulmonary embolism. Her light remains bright...

  Garlic Parmesan and Herb Crusted Chicken Thighs Ingredients: * 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts could also be used) * 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use 1/2 the amount of cheese to make it lighter) * 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (use a low or no fat version to make it lighter) * 3 cloves garlic, minced fine * 2 Tablespoons minced fresh thyme * 2 Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary * 2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley * 1/2 teaspoon pepper * 1/2 teaspoon salt * Olive oil cooking spray for baking dish Method: 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 2: Arrange chicken thighs in baking dish, de-boned side down. 3: Mix together all ingredients.  4: Spread mixture evenly over chicken. 5: Bake for 40-50 minutes, until topping is bubbly, browned and the chicken thighs register 165* F. Makes 8 servings

Red Velvet Santa Claus Cupcakes Ingredients: * 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 1/2 cups sugar * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 teaspoon cocoa powder * 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil * 1 cup buttermilk * 2 large eggs  * 2 tablespoons red food coloring * 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract For the Cream Cheese Frosting: * 1 pound cream cheese, softened * 2 sticks butter, softened * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar For the Santa Decorations: * Brown and red M&Ms * Mini marshmallows * Red colored sugar * Holiday themed cupcake liners Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingre...

The teenager was in the kitchen again this last week. This time with these sinfully delicious truffles. I'm not sure where he found the recipe for them, but when doing a little research of my own, I found variations on these all over the internet. They are so simple and tasty that I'm surprised I'd never heard of or tasted them before. He made up a test batch to see if we liked them enough to add them to holiday treat trays that we'll be making up in December to gift friends and loved ones with. Considering that entire batch was gone within a day between 6 people... I would say it was a resounding YES! Cookies and Cream Truffles Ingredients: 14.3 oz package chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos work best) 8 oz package cream cheese, softened 24 oz package semi sweet chocolate chips Garnishes: Sprinkles, jimmies, colored sugar, crushed peppermints, cookie crumbs, nonpareils Method: 1: Crush sandwich cookies in a food processor until a fine crumble cons...

To Grill Corn on a Charcoal Grill: 1: Prepare grill. You will be using a hot, direct heat method. 2: Place the corn, in the husk, on the grill and cover. Turn every 5 minutes until the husk is charred. About 20 minutes. 3: Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before shucking and serving. To Roast Corn in the Oven: 1: Preheat oven to 350* F 2: Place the corn, in the husk, directly on the oven rack and roast for about 30 minutes. (turning is not necessary in this method.) 3: Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before shucking and serving. Mexican Street Corn (aka Elote) Ingredients: 6 ears roasted sweet corn (see roasting methods above) 1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise Juice from 1 lime Chile powder (in a shaker) 1 cup Queso Fresco, Crumbled 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional) Method: 1: Combine mayonnaise and lime juice in a small bowl. 2: Brush shucked corn on the cob with mayo/lime mixture. 3: Sprinkle cob to ta...