Burgers and Pasta Salad

It's got to be pretty spectacular to pull me out of non-blogging status to actually posting something anymore. I wish that wasn't the case. There have been times when I thought about something I've made and when I try to find it, I realize I never posted it, and then I have no clue where to look. Yesterday I made some hamburgers that were good, and today I made some pasta salad to go with the leftover hamburgers. Would you believe I got the inspiration for the burgers from the back of the Lipton box? True. As for the salad, I have a photo album category on my phone where I put recipes that I gather on the go. What I mean is that if I'm away from my house (and computer) and I see a recipe that looks good, I'll take a picture of it and it usually stays right in my phone and I never try it. Today was an exception, and I'm glad it was!

Lipton Onion Soup Burgers, adapted

2 lbs ground beef, 85% lean

1/2 cup greek yogurt

2 T mayonnaise (I used light)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Gently mix everything together. Form into 8 patties. Grill or pan fry (I grilled!) until desired doneness. Top with cheese if you want. 

Pasta Salad  (adapted from centercutcook.com)

1 lb pasta of your choice (I used spiral pasta)

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (optional; I opted out because I didn't have an onion)

4 to 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)

1/4 cup sugar

2 T apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

optional- chopped broccoli

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse under cool water until no longer hot. Drain well. While waiting for the pasta to cook, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, pepper and parsley. Stir in the red bell pepper, celery, onion and broccoli (if using). When the pasta is no longer warm, stir it into the dressing mixture. Gently stir in the cheese. Chill salad for about 30-60 minutes before serving. 

And now I'll be able to find these recipes again because they're posted! Good thing there was a little bit of leftover salad so I had something to use for my photo!

I Won't Tell You How Many

A couple of nights ago, we had steak. It was fabulous. Really, really delicious. Tender, perfectly cooked-just how I like it. Karen didn't eat any of it because she just wanted to eat the pasta and the rolls. (Though in her defense, her portion was a brontosaurus size rather than just a regular ol' cow size.) Um, Karen just hijacked my blog and added that herself. Hmm. Watch out for the small print! Annnnyway, as I was saying, before I was so very nicely interrupted, dinner was really good. You all know how to cook steak, so we won't be talking about that.

Let's talk about the pasta and the rolls! I used this recipe for the pasta and this recipe for the rolls.

I had to use this angle for my photo because if you could see the other side of the steak you might gag (it's a little rare- just how I like it).
Kate hit a home run with Karen on the rolls for this one. While she really liked the pasta, she LOVED the rolls. Kate said that her kids were upset that they couldn't just eat the rolls for dinner. Karen said the same thing- she just wanted to eat the rolls. And the best part? They are super-duper-easy-peasy to make. Rhodes dough, butter, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Click over for the recipe. Click! Click! Click! Tell them I sent you.