Lazy Lou Lasagna

Lately, I've been trying to find super easy & super fast dishes. But the cheater kind of dishes...you know: any dish that looks like you spent all day, but it really didn't take any time &/or very little effort. In a total "homefaker" sort of way.

My family enjoys pasta night. One of the few dinners that EVERYONE actually enjoys.
In the last few months, we've picked up also serving a St. Louis delicacy: toasted ravioli.

Now we have had toasted ravioli before, but the 3 years we lived in StL, we learned how passionate the city & surrounding areas are about things like gooey butter cake & toasted ravioli.

Most of us enjoy the toasted ravioli. And we get a 4-cheese kind. Usually, we don't have any left over.

Well, in the midst of looking for "easy recipes", I came across a fake-out lasagna recipe. (recipe HERE) However, as a family who has to do what we can, purchasing & using a lot of organic just didn't work for us. And...I didn't want to fix up the ravioli, either. I needed something even easier...

So, after I studied the above recipe, I decided to pair down what could be done to achieve something close to the same thing. And I knew that the toasted ravioli went over pretty well...so...

Well...I cheated in a lot of ways!

But, here's what I did:

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LAZY LOU LASAGNA

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb. ground beef
~ 1/8 C minced onion
~ 48 oz (or 2 24 oz) jar(s) red sauce (I used 2 jars Prego)
~ 40 oz (2 20 oz. boxes) toasted ravioli
~ 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
~ 1 C shredded Italian-blend cheese
~ 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese, divided


Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. brown the meat & add the minced onion during browning; drain & rinse

3. while beef is browning, warm the red sauce on lo

4. once meat is rinsed, add to the red sauce, stir & simmer

5. spray a 9x13" dish or pan with cooking spray

6. spread a thin layer of the meat sauce covering the bottom of the dish/pan

7. place a single layer of the toasted ravioli, side-by-side, on top of the sauce layer

9. add a thin layer of both, mozzarella & Italian-blend cheeses, on top of the ravioli

10. Repeat steps 6-9 until you reach the top of the baking dish/pan (mine had 3 layers)

11. Add one more layer of sauce on top

12. sprinkle with half of the grated parmesan cheese

13. cover the dish with foil (use either non-stick or spray the foil with cooking spray)

14. place in the oven for about 45 minutes

15. remove the foil & place back in the oven for another 15 minutes (I placed on broil for about 5 minutes, but wished I'd done the extra 15...but we were in a hurry)

16. pull out the lasagna, sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan cheese & allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes

17. Serve it up

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Take note that this dish is HEAVY! It's probably not good for you, either. But it turned out pretty darn good! And for my kiddos, who hate to try new things & have been dreading this dish, they actually were OK with this one! As a matter of fact, my youngest gave it a 7.8 out of 10! That's a big deal, yo.

My hubby was OK with it, too. He thought maybe the non-toasted version of ravioli might be better, but it was worth the try!

I was bracing myself for it being a "You'll eat it & you'll like it!" kind of meal. But I didn't have to force anyone! Just coaxing them to try it first was the only big step my kids needed!

Plus, my StL friends might find this one interesting with a take on toasted ravioli! And I cannot believe how easy it really was!

Hope you like it, too!

Also, for a vegetarian version, you can leave out the meat, just use the cheese ravioli, and make sure to use a heavy-on-veggie sauce (like one with mushrooms).

ENJOY!

Fake-Out S'Mores

Hey, everyone! Happy National S'mores Day! *glitter confetti cannon*

Have you had the chance to have some s'mores yet this year? Many look at them as a summer staple to go with camping & such. Since there is toasty fire involved & marshmallows make me think of hot chocolate, I like to think of them as more of a fall-season staple. Either way, they are delicious anytime you can work eating them!

If you remember, I made summer camping trail mix that is based on s'mores. (link to the recipe HERE) But I know it's not right in line with a true s'more.

Not too long ago, my family went on vacation to Colorado. We stayed at the Keystone Resort. We found out that every Wednesday night, they offer a free-to-all campfire social. The campfire social does have food available for purchase...but...they have FREE offerings of s'mores! Being on a budget, we just took in the s'mores. But there's were...uh...er...um..."different".

They used a cheater way of part of it. You could still roast your own marshmallows, but they appeared to have a Nature Valley sponsorship happening. So it wasn't really graham crackers & chocolate squares...it was more like granola thins with a chocolate-coated layer of chocolate.

Don't get me wrong, still pretty good. And my daughter was totally taken by these little snack squares. And while the boys were off doing their own camping thing, my daughter & I decided to fake some s'mores one night. We used the Yahoo! Shine version (you know...the one that made folks grumpy - link HERE) to inspire & make some of our own munchies at home.

Here's what I did:

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FAKE-OUT S'MORES

Ingredients:

~ 1 box Nature Valley Granola Thins (we used the dark chocolate variety this time)
~ 1 pk Jet-Puffed StackerMallows

Directions:

* Place oven rack as far to the top as possible & turn the oven onto broil (I set mine on HIGH)

* Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or lay down some parchment paper

* Open up individual granola thins & place on the cookie sheet with chocolate side up

* Place one stackermallow on top of each chocolate granola thin

* Place the cookie sheet onto the top rack in the oven

* DO NOT WALK AWAY! Watch for the browning of the marshmallow - I left mine in for maybe 2 minutes!

* Pull the cookie sheet out of the oven once the marshmallow has the perfect golden-to-brown color for you

* Either place a separate granola thin on top of each marshmallow OR stack up a marshmallow layer on top of another marshmallow layer for a thicker s'more

* Squish together & consume

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Does this totally make up for a good campfire s'more? No. But they were still pretty tasty!

Don't get me wrong...I'd rather have the graham crackers, chocolate squares & fire-toasted marshmallow...but sometimes you just gotta make something else work.

So here is just another way to celebrate National S'mores Day.

ENJOY!

Blue-Faced Arnold Palmer

Through these last couple of months, I have been taking part in a really fun photography-type scavenger hunt contest. There were several categories to enter pictures into, and there were 100 pictures on the list. And there was no way I'd be getting some of the topic requests on the list, but it made me do some searching...and take some additional creative moves.

One of the categories on the list was "Colors"; one of the photo topics was "a blue mixed drink". I really thought I'd be in the vicinity at some point of SOMEONE with a blue mixed drink! That was not to be. But I got thinking. Yes...this can be scary sometimes, but I came up with a non-alcoholic mixed drink that is blue in color!

OK...stay with me:
On the last day of submissions for the contest, I was trying to get as many photos in as I could. I was determined to get that mixed blue drink! My hubby & I are wine drinkers, so blue liquor was nothing we had on hand. But I do have kids...and I have so many packets of Kool-Aid, it's ridiculous.

I used to make cupcakes with Kool-Aid mix that was raspberry lemonade flavored. Boy, was it ever tart!!! I didn't have any of that on hand, but I did have blue Kool-Aid, lemonade...and I needed to make a jug of tea.

I made a version of an Arnold Palmer (you know...lemonade & iced tea) that would be perfect for this photo challenge as well as for the future...

Here's what I did:

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BLUE-FACED ARNOLD PALMER

Ingredients:

~ 1 envelope Kool-Aid, lemonade flavor
~ 1 envelope Kool-Aid, berry mix flavor: MUST BE BLUE (I used Berry Blue flavor)
          * makes 1 gallon

          OR

~ 1 or 2 envelope(s) Kool-Aid, raspberry blue flavor (if available)
          *1 envelope for 2 qt or 2 envelopes for 1 gallon

~ brewed unsweet, slightly sweet or sweet tea, iced
~ crushed ice


Directions:

* Mix the Kool-Aid to package directions, chill in the refrigerator (I used the 1st option mix)

* Brew tea & add the selected amount of sweetness, if any; chill in the refrigerator

* In a glass, add crushed ice, then begin to add 1 part tea & 1 part blue Kool-Aid (you may do 2 parts 1 drink to 1 parts the other drink, if preferred)

* Marvel at how pretty & adorable this drink is & consume


NOTE: 
- If the appearance of layers is good! It gives the drink a really awesome appearance. It may layer better if you pour the tea first. (so it looks more like the right side of the above picture)
- If you put this in a taller glass, use a really fun straw! Add an umbrella, too.
- Before filling the glass, wet the rim & dip the rim in sugar for presentation
- Yes, you can spike this if you'd like, but this way is definitely family friendly...and Arnold Palmer does order his nonalcoholic...with a wink.

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This drink is so fun & so yummy!! Your kiddos will love it, too!

And be sure to go visit my friend, David, at Hipstabear Photography (website HERE) and on his Facebook page (HERE). He's the one who actually inspired me to make this drink...all for a photo challenge! And his photos are really spectacular, too!!

ENJOY!

Bacon Dog Nachos

So...what's for lunch? It's hard to keep the kiddos satisfied with food options during the summer months. Anyone else have this issue?

My youngest was set on having nachos for lunch! Nothing else would suffice. I tried to offer up other things...but NOOOOOOO! We didn't have any taco meat, and we weren't making taco mac (recipe HERE)  until tomorrow. My older son made up a cheese quesadilla. I offered that up. Still a no go as I got the response, "Does that sound like nachos?" D'oh! So time to scrounge & see what we have...

So here's what I came up with:

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BACON DOG NACHOS

Ingredients:

~ 2 handfuls tortilla chips
~ 1/4 C taco sauce &/or picante sauce
~ 1-2 hot dogs
~ 2 T bacon bits
~ 1/2 C shredded cheese


Directions:

* on a microwave-safe plate, place tortilla chips

* drizzle the sauce around the chips

* thinly slice the hot dog(s) (we had a couple of left over ones from grilling) & scatter on top of the sauce & chips

* spread the shredded cheese on top the sliced hot dog(s)

* sprinkle the bacon bits over the top of the cheese

* place in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until the cheese is melted

* it's ready to eat

Yield: 1-2 servings

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After serving up this concoction to my youngest, he got really excited & said he liked.

On of scale of 1-10...he gave it a 10 (with 10 being the best)!

So...it's a good way to use up left over grilled hot dogs or taco leftovers.

ENJOY!

Smashed [Leftover] Potatoes

I think there's something about the Irish in me that makes me want & really love potatoes. And then my eyes get bigger than my stomach...and sometimes I misjudge how much of a potato dish to fix for family &/or company. So I usually end up with a lot more than I bargained for!

At Easter time, I made some lazy cooker mashed potatoes that were pretty good, but I have kiddos that don't like the texture of mashed potatoes. It's OK...I heard the gasps. I understand. It breaks our hearts, too.

Now then, the other night I fixed up a bunch of baby red potatoes. I quartered them, seasoned them how I wanted, boiled them...and had a lot left over! Go figure.

We are really bad about using leftovers. But we had another meal coming up that I knew I could reuse those 'taters!

Here's what I did:

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SMASHED [LEFTOVER] POTATOES

Ingredients:

~ baby potatoes, quartered
~ 1/2 stick of butter
~ 1/4 C parsley, chopped or dried
~ salt & pepper, to taste
~ water to cover potatoes
~ 1/4 C milk
~ 1-2 boullion cube(s); I used chicken flavor


Directions:

* after cutting baby potatoes into quarters, place in a large pot

* cover the potato quarters with enough water to cover the potato pieces

* add butter, parsley, salt & pepper to the water

* bring water to a boil

* turn burner temp down slightly & allow to boil for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender

* turn burner off & allow the potatoes to sit in the water
(I allowed them to sit until after dinner, when I served the quartered potatoes, I continued onto the next step while doing cleanup & putting away leftovers)

* drain most of the water off the potatoes until there's maybe a half inch of water in the pot

* with a spoon, fork or potato masher, begin breaking down the potatoes

* add the milk & continue smashing gently

* here is where I placed the mixture into an airtight container, threw in the bouillon cube, closed it & allowed it to sit in the fridge for a day or two; you may skip the refrigerator step if you are moving right into making the smashed potatoes right now, just make sure the bouillon cube is good & dissolved

* if you stored the potato mixture in the fridge, pull it out & place the mixture into a medium sauce pan or a large pot if you have a lot

* begin reheating the potato mixture by placing the burner on mid heat & stirring occasionally; the bouillon cube may not have dissolved while in the fridge, so begin stirring it around until it's broken up into the potatoes

* you may need to smash some of the potato lumps a bit more, if you'd like, as you are heating & stirring

* you may want to add a little more salt & pepper, but that is up to you

* (re)serve & consume

Served with smoked ham, steamed green beans & rolls
*GORGEOUS*

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If you prefer much creamier mashed potatoes, feel free to whip them up with a handheld mixer, because just having them smashed will have them a bit lumpy.

And, yes...the skins are left in there! And you know what? My hubby liked 'em. He did. No...my kiddos refused to try them. Cowards.

My hubby did make an interesting comparison: he told me they reminded him of "grandma's house potatoes." I don't exactly know what he meant by that, but I said I was taking it as a compliment & we would move on from there!

So...if you have leftovers that you want to reuse, just repurpose the potatoes & it's a whole new dish a day or two later! And...you've saved money by not purchasing stuff for a whole new side dish.

To change it up a little more, feel free to add garlic powder &/or cheese. No one will know that you had these same potatoes a night or 2 before unless you tell them. It could be our own little secret!

You're welcome.

ENJOY!

S'More [Bacon] Trail Mix

It's summertime, people! That means there has been more baseball tournaments kicked up or attending your favorite baseball team's game(s), swimming, vacations, and...camping!

Now then, I'm not what you'd call an "outdoorsy person". I will go camping, but I'm picky about it. I will go in the woods, but it had better be in a camper...or better yet...a cabin. I'm not a fan of the heat & needing to apply 8 layers of super high sunscreen. I feel like I put in my dues doing years of tent camping on family vacations as a kid. From KOA to KOA as we'd go from state to state. I'm in a different phase of life & would prefer the indoors now.

I will make a few exceptions, however. I love a cool morning on the deck with my coffee in the peaceful stillness while smelling the moisture of the dew as it accentuates the green smell of the grass & leaves. Or, if at the lake since my hubby & sons love the camping scene, I love going out with the early morning fishers in the boat. It's quiet, still, peaceful listening to the water. Yeah...that.

But I'll admit that I do love a good campfire/bonfire/firepit going. I do love roaring & crackling of the fire while roasting up marshmallows...and even more so adding the marshmallow to graham crackers with chocolate. Mmm-mmm-mmm...gimme s'more of that!

Now then, since not everyone enjoys that scene, I came up with a cheater to-go s'mores that anyone can have at nearly anytime!

As it turns out, there was recently quite the baconfest going on in Colorado. Mmmmm...bacon...
So my hubby would keep me up to date on what was going down at the baconfest. And one of the things served was bacon s'mores! BACON S'MORES, people! WHAT??? Mmmmmm...

My hubby has been kind enough to make me chocolate covered bacon before. Yeah...only part of why I love him. And if you can have chocolate covered bacon...why not add some marshmallows & graham? Right? So I started researching & decided to make it a fun trail mix!

So, here's what I did:

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S'MORE [BACON] TRAIL MIX

Ingredients:

~ 1 C Golden Grahams cereal
~ 1 C Teddy Grahams (honey flavor)
~ 1/2 C Milk Chocolate Chips (I used Hershey's)
~ 1/2 C Milk Chocolate M&M's
~ 1 C mini marshmallows
~ 1 C mini marshmallow bites (little dehydrated ones)
~ 1/2 C bacon bits

Directions:

* Place all the ingredients into a large bowl

* Mix together

* Consume


+ Yield: about 9 servings of about 1/2 a cup each

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I love the idea of the different textures & the presentation of this trail mix. There's still the graham in the cereal, the marshmallows & the Hershey chocolate for the traditional look of the s'more. You can always stop at those ingredients if you'd like. But I wanted to bump up the color, the sizes...plus...I had to add the bears for the woodsy-campy feel! Oh...and...uh...BACON!

You can always use turkey bacon bits or imitation bacon bits, too. Or you can leave out the bacon all together if it's something you think is too weird.

Something else you can do for a switch up is by adding nuts or seeds of sorts. You can also maybe use Reece's Pieces or peanut butter M&M's if you want to add a bit of the nutty taste to the mix. You can even add mini pretzels or pretzel sticks, also! Or switch up the chocolate to dark chocolate or white chocolate for something different.

And? You can enjoy them while camping, while on the go, when out watching fireworks, or just while watching the TV from your couch or from inside your blanket fort in the living room. It's S'mores-to-go, people! It's not gooey...the only real mess you'd make is if you spilled it. But it's still easy clean up!

*Note: Use just the M&M's or hardshell candy if you plan on being in the heat for a while.

The jar on top as no bacon.
The jars below are marked with "B" since the have bacon.

Oh...and just store in snack-size plastic baggies, or small jars (like mason jars or reuse baby food jars to hold it). Then you can just pick up some s'more snacking & head out the door! Or it's easy transport when you go camping. Recharge some childhood-like memories with this mix! S'mores, M&Ms, Teddy Grahams, marshmallows...I mean...C'mon!

ENJOY!

Summer Dublin Coddle

Since my family is trying to eat better & cleaner, there have been some switch up in dishes & recipes. Even though we haven't given up EVERYTHING...we have been working hard to work in some better-for-you stuffs &/or changing up some of the ingredients we use.

With that said, I still had some overstock of mixed greens (find out my leafy greens mix HERE), so I was trying to figure out what to use. After doing the cleaner eating research, I knew it was pretty good to get some turkey in the mix. And since I had some cabbage & kale to use, I decided revisit my Dublin Coddle (recipe HERE)! However, it's pretty heavy & perfect for fall & winter eating. With my previous recipe, there were some things missing that could help lighten it up! Well...I changed that a bit.

Here's what I did:

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SUMMER DUBLIN CODDLE

Ingredients:

~ 1 pkg. turkey Lit'l Smokies
~ 1/4 C turkey bacon bits
~ 1 lb. baby potatoes, quartered
~ 1 small onion, sliced
~ 6 C brewed green tea
~ 2 chicken bouillon cubes
~ 1/8 C chopped parsley
~ 2 medium carrots, sliced
~ 2 red cabbage leaves, torn or chopped
~ 3 green cabbage leaves, torn or chopped
~ 2 curly kale stems (just use the leaves), torn or chopped & massaged in lemon juice & sea salt
~ 2 T marjoram
~ 2 T dried (crushed) rosemary
~ 2 T dried thyme
~ 2 T minced garlic
~ salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

* Place all prepared ingredients into a large pot on medium-hi heat

* Bring coddle to a boil, then slightly lower burner temp (medium-lo), stir occasionally

* Allow to boil for about 15-30 minutes until potatoes & carrots are tender, stirring occasionally

* Turn burner down to lo to allow to simmer & until the cabbage leaves are tender & kale is slightly wilted

* Serve

Yield: about 4 servings

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When I made this, I could only get a hold of ruby potatoes. I really like a mixture of colors, but it was still really pretty! Imagine if I'd thrown in some Yukon &/or purple potatoes!

Also, if you have other root veggies to throw in, do it! If you have some parsnips or turnips to throw in, cut 'em up & do it. The more, the merrier! And, if you use turnips, throw in the turnip greens, too! Some mustard greens work in this coddle, also.

It's lighter, it's pretty, and it lends to that cleaner eating. My hubby liked it, too!  I'm thinking this one needs to be done again! And it's a lighter version, perfect for Spring or Summer dishes!

Short on time that day? Throw it all in the lazy cooker & let it cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
TA-DA!

ENJOY!

Mixed Leafy Greens

Lately, we (my hubby & I) have noticed that we still aren't doing as well in our family eating. Eating? Yes. Good stuff? No.

Not that we have been doing horribly, but there was plenty of room for improvement. And I've mentioned that it's hard when you have kids who like & dislike all different things. But a foot is being put down!

Now then, when we have things like tacos, salad or sandwiches (and sometimes burgers), we have lettuce. Makes sense, right? But we would just get a bag of shredded iceberg lettuce for everything except the salad...but we'd deal with a bag of shredded salad mix which included iceberg lettuce with carrot shreds, choppy cabbage pieces & maybe another kind of lettuce. But we decided to change this.

In the midst of deciding to try to eat cleaner, we decided to work in more greens & salads. And, if you have seen some of my past posts, I really like pretty & colorful food! So I thought thru how to work out the leafy greens situation.

After some research, I figured out that I could get the freshest produce for cheaper, but stock up on it...and...I discovered that I could freeze it!! (Check out my source for freezing lettuce HERE at livestrong.com)

I went to the store & got a bunch (no pun necessarily intended) of leafy veggies. So, not really a recipe, but a tip on a mix.

Here's what I did:

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Mixed Leafy Greens

Ingredients:

~ 1 head green leaf lettuce
~ 1 head red leaf lettuce
~ 1 bunch romaine lettuce
~ 1 bunch curly kale
~ 1/2 head green cabbage
~ 1/2 head red cabbage


Directions:

* separate & wash off all leaves

* tear or chop all leaves into small pieces; discard all big stems

* if using kale, be sure to massage it with sea salt & lemon juice first, to begin breakdown early

* toss all greens together & make sure all leaves all dry

* separate into several freezer bags (as in link, above)

* use as necessary in meals

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One thing I did was spend a little bit on a salad/lettuce spinner to help with getting rid of the moisture. Plus...it's totally fun to use! Then, be sure, because it is IMPORTANT, to lay out the spun greens & pat dry with paper towels. DO IT!!! The lesser the moisture before freezing, the better. Otherwise it will turn to nasty mush when you thaw it out.

Also, if you do not want to separate the different leaf varieties, freeze in much smaller bags so you can decide what to use at any given time while getting a small bag of each needed/wanted for any dish when you need it! Or just do it all in smaller freezer bags & pull out what you need in smaller portions.

And you can throw in some iceberg lettuce if you'd like, and any other leafy greens in any mix (mustard greens, collard greens, Napa cabbage, spinach, turnip greens, etc.).

And...it's gorgeous while giving different flavors, textures, and pumping up the nutrition factor when you use these!

So...salad anyone?

ENJOY!!

Rice for Breakfast

As the family slowly continues the move toward cleaner eating, I have to take a look at breakfast. It starts our day & gets us going. But grabbing a Pop Tart is probably not the best option.

For Christmas, my hubby & I got a rice/veggie steamer. We were STOKED to get it! We haven't used it a whole lot, but we do use it & find new ways to make rice all of the time. The kids really enjoy some plain, steamed, white rice. So do I! But finding out that the white rice is fairly "empty", I wanted to boost it up to brown rice. Yes, it takes longer & takes more prep in planning, but we do what we can.

Now, when we received our steamer from the in-laws, my MIL questioned why we wanted one so badly. I told her we like rice. I thought it was a no-brainer. But then she wanted to know why we have so much rice for breakfast. Yeah...she asked me about that. I was confuzzled!! I informed her we have it or dinners mostly, and she graciously accepted my answer. But her inquiry got me thinking...

Several years ago, my hubby was on a week-long mission trip in Nicaragua. He said that they were served rice pretty much every morning for breakfast. They just added some milk & sugar...so treated it like we look at cereal. He has brought up wanted to do that at home, but we didn't have the thought process or prep in planning to do so.

In the quest of cleaner eating, I decided to swap out some oatmeal (even though good for you...still very heavy for summertime) with rice! And I found a wild rice blend at the grocery store, so I mixed it with some brown rice.

Here's what I did:

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RICE FOR BREAKFAST

Ingredients:

~ 1 C steamed brown &/or wild long grain rice
~ 1/4 C dried or fresh fruit
~ 1/4 C nuts
~ 1 T honey or agave
~ 1/2 T cinnamon

Directions:

* I used equal parts of wild rice blend & brown long grain rice & steamed it according to my steamer's brown rice directions; about enough to last 4 days (about 4 cups worth)

* When finished (about 45 minutes later), I scooped about 1 cup of steamed rice into a small bowl, then added the fruit (I used a dried berry mix) & the nuts (I used sliced almonds); you may mix it all together at this point

* Drizzle the cereal, fruit & nut mixture with the honey or agave (I used honey), and then sprinkle with cinnamon; you may mix it all together at this point

* Consume

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I love this for breakfast!! And it's very vegan friendly, too! It's easy...plus you can refrigerate the left over rice & have it for a few days afterward, too.

If you want to change it up a bit, change up the fruit and nuts. You can also add raw sugar or a sugar-free maple syrup & a bit of milk for cereal option less heavy than oatmeal. I've even mashed up a banana in with it. YUM!!

So...happy eating!

ENJOY!

Rainy Day Burger Wraps

Summertime eating is here, but we have issues with getting bored with our menu planning. It's the time for lighter fare, and we like to keep it quick & versatile. We have some menu items that we might rotate around depending on the week. I bet you can guess that gets a little tired, too, even with the change ups.

This time, I gotta give credit to my hubby. This is his time to take over a lot of cooking...on the grill! Two of our menu items we go back & forth with on alternate weeks happen to be bratwurst (and hot dogs) switched with burgers.

Even though today wasn't rainy, too hot or too cold...my hubby imagined having burger wraps. We could assemble them like our soft tacos, but with typical burger condiments & such.

I ended up cooking them, and here's what I did:

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RAINY DAY BURGER WRAPS

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1-2 splashes liquid smoke
* 2 Tbs minced onion
* salt & pepper to taste
* tortilla wraps
* condiments of choice


Directions:

~ brown up ground beef in a skillet with the minced onion with salt & pepper

~ once the meat is browned, crumbly & caramelized, drain the meat & rinse; place back into the skillet

~ set the burner with the skillet on low to keep the meat warm; add the liquid smoke, stir & allow to simmer

~ spoon some of the meat mixture onto a tortilla shell (we used a whole grain tortilla) & top with condiments of choice: shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq sauce, etc.

~ fold it up & consume

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These ended up really good! They look like tacos...my kids kept pointing that out. But if you planned on burgers, but it's raining...or it's just too hot to grill (so basically for anyone who isn't a die-hard, extreme griller), this is a great option to just throw together. They are quick & easy...and no having to form meat patties! Oh...and we served 'em up with waffle fries!

My hubby has referred to them as "Any-Way-You-Want-'Em Burgers" too. Either way, another variation & slightly lighter version of a burger for the spring & summertime!

ENJOY!