Oriental Burgers

MDS and I love burgers. Mom's recipe box contained this recipe for two variations of burgers. Up first is Oriental Burgers. I found the inclusion of water chestnuts to be especially intriguing. Instead of ketchup or barbecue sauce, I used Hoisin Sauce. It was a delicious combination.

When I made these burgers, rather than have four burgers, I made two jumbo burgers. Although the burgers were bigger than the buns, they were delicious. You could also make small slider-sized patties. I recommend pressing the patties as hard as possible to prevent them from falling apart when cooking. My jumbo patties did slightly fall apart, but were still delicious.

Oriental Burgers 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
• 2 Tbsp. sliced green onion
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
• 1/4 tsp. soy sauce

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape into patties. Broil for 5-10 minutes per side. Enjoy!

Almond Buffet Casserole

This casserole is a simple and tasty meal. The flavors blend together well, especially the use of almonds to add texture and flavor. It would be great for a make-ahead meal or a pot luck. Also, this casserole works as a main dish or a hearty side dish.

Mom's recipe calls for using dehydrated chicken noodle soup to cook the rice. Instead, I cooked the rice in chicken bone broth, and the recipe turned out just fine. Use the quantity of chicken broth instead of water as called for by the rice cooking directions. Instead of using whole blanched almonds, I used sliced almonds that I had on hand. The almonds add a nice crunch to this dish.

Almond Buffet Casserole 

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups Chicken broth 
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 2/3 cup almonds

Cook the rice in the chicken broth, as directed. Fry the ground sausage until browned, pour any excess fat from pan. Add celery, onion, and green pepper and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Add 1/3 cup almonds and rice and blend together. Pour into a greased casserole. Sprinkle remaining almonds over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies

We were recently in San Francisco for Super Bowl week. We were fortunate to catch up with our cousins Shea and Irene and Sheila and Don. Shea and Irene hosted us at their lovely home in Bernal Heights. Before dinner, we took a nice walk around the neighborhood, amazed by the views. Sheila and Don then joined us for this delicious salmon and veggie dinner. It was so nice to be able to catch up with cousins.

This recipe makes a delicious meal. When I made this dish, I used bell pepper and zucchini. Other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, onion, or tomato could be used. For the seasoning, I used Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. You could use any number of seasonings to give the meal different flavors. This recipe will now make it into our regular rotation. At some point in the future, I will have to make Shea's pecan pie made with maple syrup.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies  

• 4 salmon fillets
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 medium zucchini
• Lemon
• Olive Oil
• seasoning

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and place skin down on the baking sheet. Cut the bell peppers and zucchini into small pieces. Toss the vegetables with olive oil. Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet. Cut the lemon and squeeze over the salmon and vegetables. Sprinkle the salmon and vegetables with seasoning. Bake for about 20 minutes until the salmon is done. Enjoy!