Hot Burger

This is my go to recipe when we grill.  These burgers are juicy and have just the right amount of heat to make me happy.  We grill all year round in New Orleans, but you can make these on the stovetop if you aren't able to grill like we do.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 lb. hot sausage, casing removed
• 2 packs of Lipton Onion Soup
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ C. water
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Directions:

1. Combine the hamburger ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix by hand, but don’t over work the meat.
3. Form 6 hamburger patties.
4. If you are grilling, place the patties on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer until you are ready to place them on the grill, so they firm up.
5. If you are cooking inside, place the hamburgers in a skillet over medium heat.
6. Cook for 4 minutes per side or until the outside has a dark brown color.
7. Serve hot on buns with cheese, lettuce tomatoes, and condiments.

Tips and Tricks:

• These freeze great.  I usually double the recipe and place the leftover patties in the freezer for another meal.
• I buy the hot sausage that is made fresh at the grocery, but you can also use Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage if you can't find the fresh made kind.
• I like to serve these with the Balsamic Onions.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.

Oyster Dressing

This is my Mom’s recipe that she changed for my Dad.  She always made Oyster Dressing with French bread, but my Dad preferred a cornbread dressing.  Well, her recipe developed into a Cornbread/French bread Oyster Dressing.  The dressing mix is my shortcut.

Ingredients:

• 1 Jiffy cornbread, prepared, cooled, and crumbled
• 1 loaf of French bread, stale
• 2 C. onions, chopped
• 1 C. bell pepper, chopped
• 1 C. celery, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
• ½ C. of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 pt. fresh oysters, drained and pureed (save the oyster liquor)
• 1 lb. of Savoie or Richard’s Dressing Mix
• 1 T. of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ t.  of cayenne pepper
• ½ C. vegetable oil
• ¼ C. (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 egg, scrambled

Directions:

1. Soak 1/2 of the French bread in 1/2 C. of the oyster liquor until soft and soggy, reserve.
2. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions, bell peppers, and celery over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add dressing mix and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the oysters and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the green onions, parsley, Creole seasoning, and cayenne and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add some cornbread, french bread, and then some oyster liquor, alternating and scrapping the bottom of the Dutch oven often. (you might not need all the cornbread or all of the oyster liquor)
8. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes and continue scrapping.
9. Remove the dressing from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
10. Add the butter and the egg and stir well.
11. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
12. When you are ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips and Tricks:

• Make the cornbread the day before you make the oyster dressing.
• You need a really sturdy spoon to stir this dressing.  It gets thick as it cooks, but it’s important to keep it moving.

Italian Sausage Sandwiches

This is a quick fix supper.  I made this one up.  It's good, try it out for yourself.

 Ingredients:

• 5 hot Italian sausages, casing removed
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced into rings
• 1 (6 oz.) tomato paste
• ½ C. water
• ½ T. sugar
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• Provolone cheese, sliced thick
• Lettuce
• 5 hoagie rolls

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large skillet, sauté the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes or until they start to wilt.
3. Cut the sausages in half and remove the casing.
4. Add the sausages to the skillet, moving the onions to the side so each sausage can touch the bottom of the skillet.   Arrange the onions on top of the sausage and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, combine the paste, water, sugar, and Creole seasoning.
6. Pour over the sausage and onions and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
8. While the sauce is simmering, toast the hoagie rolls for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Serve each sausage on a hoagie roll with the sauce and onions.  Cover with a slice of provolone cheese over the top and then add the lettuce.

Tips and Tricks:

• I use Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage.  I have also used Zia Hot Italian Sausage.  

Frito “Salad”

This is a great party recipe.  I think it will go over well at a barbecue.   I made it for a tailgating party and everyone liked it.  It is a Paula Deen recipe, but I had to make a few changes of my own with the Ranch seasoning and green onions, instead of red onions.

 Ingredients:

• 1 (10 ½ oz.) bag of Fritos, crushed
• 1 C. mayonnaise
• 1 (11 oz.) can of Green Giant Niblets yellow corn, drained
• 1 (11 oz.) can of Green Giant White Shoepeg corn, drained
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 envelope of Ranch seasoning
• 2 C. sharp Cheddar cheese,  shredded

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except the Fritos; stir until all are well coated with the mayonnaise.
2. Place the ingredients in the refrigerator overnight.
3. When you are ready to serve the “salad”, toss the Fritos into the mixture and serve.

Tips and Tricks:

• The fact that this recipe is for Frito Salad is funny, that’s why I put the word SALAD in quotes.  As you can see from the ingredient list, it is NOT a salad, but it is Yummy!
• I am a Green Giant fan.  You DO NOT have to use Green Giant corn for this recipe; a 15 oz. can of any other corn will work.