Chicken Burgers

Patrick and I came up with this recipe. Actually, it was mostly Patrick. He liked some chicken burgers I made a while back because they were juicy and not dry like most chicken burgers. We really want to eat healthier, but it always seems like there isn't enough time or energy to make it taste like we want it to. I think we got this one right, though. We ate them on Publix french hamburger rolls...mmmmm. I used Swiss cheese on mine and it was delicious!

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup grated apple (no skin)
1 T. dry minced onion, reconstituted
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp.garlic salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp oregano
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

A note about the ingredients...well, actually there aren't many notes at all. It is what it is. We used white meat chicken, red delicious apple, 1% milk and plain bread crumbs. It probably would have been even more awesome with some sourdough bread crumbs made from scratch, but oh well.

1. Add everything together in a bowls and mix lightly. The more you mix, the less tender the burgers are.
2. Using the Rachel Ray method of measuring, pat the mixture flat in the bottom of the bowl. Draw a + in the mixture to section it into 4 parts. Each part is one patty. Very smart.
3. Spray a skillet with Pam and heat to almost smoking. Add the patties and cook about 15 minutes, turning once. Test them with a thermometer to make sure the inside is completely done. It IS chicken, after all.
Eat them....enjoy!

Tex-Mex Dip aka 7-Layer Dip

So, back in the 70s, when I was a soloist in the St. Luke Episcopal Church choir in Birmingham, AL, we used to have lots of parties. They were always covered dish or BYOF (Bring Your Own Food.) It was for one of those parties that my friend made the delicious potato casserole where I had the casserole that spawned the Very Fattening, Best Ever Hash Brown Casserole. This dish, though, was all the rage back then and now is so popular that it is even sold pre-packaged in the refrigerated cheese sections in grocery stores. It's sooooo much better if you make it all fresh, though, so here goes. You can prepare all the ingredients in the morning and assemble at the party. In fact, it's much better if you do mix the sour cream part and let it sit for awhile.

Ingredients

3 medium ripe avocadoes
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 c. sour cream (8 oz)
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cans plain or jalapeno-flavored bean dip
1 large bunch green onions, chopped (2 cups)
3 medium tomatoes, cored, juiced, seeded and coarsely chopped (2 cups)
2 cans (3 1/2 oz each) pitted ripe olives, drained and coarsely chopped
1-8 oz pkg shredded sharp cheddar cheese

A note about the ingredients--Finally, here is one place where you truly can substitute reduced-fat sour cream and light mayo for the full fat versions with no problem. I like Haas avocadoes too and not those big guys from Florida. I've been known to get the small cans of presliced black olives. Three cans of those is about the same amount.

If you use Tupperware or other bowls with lids, put each layer into a separate bowl. Put its lid on , set in fridge and then you are ready to take it all to the party.

1. Peel, pit and mash avocadoes is a medium-size bowl. (If you don't know how to cut open an avocado by now, go to www.avocadocentral.com. Somewhere on that website, they tell you the easiest way. Mix the avacados with lemon juice, salt and pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.

2. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning in another bowl.

TO ASSEMBLE

On a large round plate or platter, layer as follows:

1. Spread bean dip to edges of plate, leaving about 1/4 inch rim of plate.

2. Spread avacado next, almost to the edges of the bean dip.

3. Next the sour cream/mayo mix.

4. Sprinkle onions, then black olives, then tomatoes and cover with the cheese.

Serve with good, strong tortilla chips...Enjoy!

Chicken Supreme

This delicious chicken recipe has been one of my favorites since I was very young. Originally passed to my mom by Mrs. Anderson. I don't remember her first name because she was an adult and we didn't call adults by their first names back then. I do remember her, though. She was the wife of our church choir director, Raymond Anderson. He was a wonderful man and helped guide my young singing life. I began singing for him at McCoy United Methodist Church and he allowed me to sing in the adult choir when I was 12. At the time I didn't fully appreciate this, but looking back, I see what an honor that was.

Anyway, back to the chicken. I scanned my recipe card so that you can see how well-used this recipe is. Every spot represents a delicious meal. This is such an easy dish and you can double and triple it quite easily so it's a good dish for company. The one recipe serves 4 or 6 if you cut the chicken up.

Ingredients

2 whole chicken breasts, cooked, deboned and cooled

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T. instant minced onion

1 T. fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Potato chips, crushed

About the ingredients--Nowadays, we buy our chicken breasts already cut apart so I guess I should have listed the ingredients as 4 half chicken breasts. Do get the ones with bones and skin because that will make the chicken juicier when you cook it. To cook the chicken, poach it in chicken broth with a little celery and carrots for about 20 minutes. Let it cool and take it off the bone in one piece. You can use reduced fat soup and light mayo, but the recipe is so much better in the full fat version...isn't everything?

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the chicken and potato chips.

3. Place the chicken in a square 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 glass baking dish. I like to place it with the pointy ends of the chicken in a corner of the dish, kind of like an X.

4. Pour the soup mixture over the top of the chicken, making sure all pieces are covered.

5. Sprinkle crushed potato chips over the top of the whole dish.

6. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve over white rice...Enjoy!