Masonable Mondays #7 - Cheesecake

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #7! I know it has been a while. I am sorry about that. But I think this #Masonable will make it up to you. Have you seen those new cheesecake snacks? They sell them as a divided cup with cheesecake filling on one side and chocolate, caramel or cherry topping on the other. What a perfect idea for a masonable! Now I decided to use cottage cheese to make my cheesecake snacks. I had recently seen a Dr. Oz show that boasted the nutritional values of cottage cheese. It is a great source of both protein and calcium. When you blend it up smooth it looks more like yogurt and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. It works beautifully in these cheesecake masonables. Perfect for a snack, breakfast or dessert! I sweetened it with maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest. It has that classic cheesecake flavor. But just think about it, the possibilities are endless. You can use light cottage cheese, neufchatel or cream cheese if you like. Any cheesecake flavor you can imagine can be adapted to a masonable. Whether you enjoy fruit toppings or indulgent rich mix-ins. You are just limited by your imagination. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Top with any combination of fresh or frozen fruit. 

I chose thawed frozen dark cherries today. But try blueberries, peaches or strawberries. Heck top with jam or pie filling if you like.

Oreo! Try stirring in or topping with crushed oreos 

or spoon cheesecake filling on thin oreos.

What about Amaretto? Substitute Almond liquor or extract for vanilla or maple syrup. Top with toasted almonds and serve with Italian Amaretti cookies.

Or Peanut Butter Cup!? Stir in peanut butter and drizzle with melted chocolate. Or keep it simple and just chop up some Reese's peanut butter cups.

So many ideas come to mind. I hope you will try this recipe or create your own. Be sure to let me know what you put in your Cheesecake Masonable.

Cheesecake Masonable
Makes 4 - 1/2 cup servings

Supplies

4 wide mouth half pint Mason jar
4 empty fruit cup

Ingredients

2 cups cottage cheese (4% milkfat, small curd)
3 Tbsp. real maple syrup
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of small lemon
20 frozen dark cherries, thawed
24 Honey Nut Thins, Honey Cinnamon flavored

Directions

Place cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest in a blender container. Blend until smooth. Divide into 4 wide mouth half pint mason jars. Top with five cherries or toppings of you choice. Place lid on top of the jar. Stack six nut thins on lid. Place fruit cup inverted on top of nut thins and lid. Add mason jar ring to secure everything in place. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: You can reduce the serving size and calories by making 6 - 1/3 cup servings. That is almost one a day for an entire week. Yum!

By the way, in case you're wondering. The Honey Cinnamon Nut Thins are AMAZING! They taste buttery and have that cinnamon roll or pancake 

flavor thing going for them. 

But you can use graham crackers or any dippers you prefer.

Picture of a not so thawed cherry.

Thai Coconut Vegetable Soup

The other day I was at the store picking up the ingredients to make a pot of Hot and Sour Vegetable Soup. I was reaching for bamboo shoots when I saw the coconut milk. That is when the wheels started turning, what if I added coconut milk to the soup? I got both and I just kept thinking. By the time I got home I had decided that adding coconut milk would make the soup more Thai style. So I did some research. Most of the soup recipes I saw included ginger, lemon grass, fish sauce, herbs (basil or cilantro), chili paste, and coconut milk. Well I did not have lemon grass but I had everything else. So I went for it. I think it turned out amazing. I used a combination of lemon and lime juice to compensate for the lemon grass. I would not call the soup authentic at all but it was surely delicious. I did keep the simple cooking method or the Hot and Sour Soup. It is pretty much a dump and stir recipe. Ready in 10 minutes. I loved all the Thai flavors of curry, fish sauce and ginger. I think next time I may peel and slice the ginger in thin threads. I think I would enjoy leaving it in the finished soup. I loved the creaminess of the coconut milk too. It really balanced all the red curry heat. This is another great soup option. I see making it again soon.

Thai Coconut Vegetable Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Coconut oil spray

1/4 cup onions, diced

4 slices fresh ginger

1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped plus more for garnish

4 cups unsalted chicken stock

16 oz. package frozen stir fry vegetables (I used a sugar snap blend with carrots and mushrooms)

1 cup sliced mushrooms(I used reconstituted Shiitake, stem removed)

2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 – 2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tomato, seeded and cut into strips

13.66 oz. can lite coconut milk

1 green onion, sliced

1 jalapeno, sliced

Lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Spray a soup pot with coconut oil, sauté onions, ginger and 1 Tbsp. cilantro over medium high heat. When onions begin to soften add chicken stock. Bring chicken broth to a boil, add frozen veggies, mushrooms and turn off heat. Add remaining ingredients except jalapeno, remaining cilantro and lime wedges; stir to blend. Remove ginger slices. Serve garnished with jalapeno slices, additional cilantro and a lime wedge.

Pancake Tacos

This recipe was inspired by brown sugar bacon. I watched a few videos on the Brown Sugar Bacon BLT where they made this bacon. When I tried the bacon for myself it screamed pancakes to me. It has a sweet, salty, nutty flavor sort of like pecans. I knew it would be just delicious with pancakes. Well since I am taco obsessed right now I decided to use the pancakes for taco shells. All that was left was deciding on the rest of the fillings. Since it is pancakes and bacon then it should be breakfast right? So eggs? Maybe cheese? But what kind of cheese? And I can't forget the salsa! I decided on scrambled eggs, goat cheese and an apple salsa. After all goat cheese is mild and creamy and it goes well with eggs and apple. The scrambled eggs and goat cheese were so creamy, a great contrast to the crunchy bacon and apple salsa. The salsa turned out to be the biggest surprise, such a delicious combination. The honey, lemon, green onion, and cilantro really makes the apple salsa. It is the perfect crunchy topping for these pancake tacos. I can't wait to try it on a salad one day too. It is great with the bacon. I know both would make a great salad. Now believe me when I say this is a filling breakfast. Huge in fact, so get really hungry before you make it.

Pancake Tacos
Serves 2

Ingredients

Shake and Pour Pancake Mix

Apple Salsa:
1 pink lady apple, chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 green onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. honey
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

8 slices low sodium center cut bacon
Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Butter, divided
4 eggs, beaten
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Maple syrup, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Prepare pancake mix according to package directions and set aside.

Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.

Place bacon in a pan over medium heat. Cook until you start seeing a little brown color on the bacon (see first bacon photo), flip and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook the second side until slightly brown, flip and sprinkle with brown sugar. Watch carefully the bacon will brown (or burn) fast now that it has brown sugar on it. Flip one more time to caramelize the sugar. Remove from pan and set on paper to drain.

In another non-stick pan, melt a little butter over medium heat. Pour enough pancake batter to make a 6" pancake. When you see bubbles on the surface of the pancake check to see if brown and flip. Cook until second side is brown. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and put in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter until you have four 6" pancakes.

In another non-stick pan, melt remaining butter over medium low heat. Add beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir eggs until soft curds form, continue to cook until eggs are set and remove from heat.

To assemble the tacos, start with a pancake, place two pieces of bacon inside, add a fourth of the eggs, top with crumbled goat cheese and apple salsa. Drizzle with a little bit of maple syrup.

after first flip with brown sugar sprinkle

with maple syrup drizzle

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Tornadough Alli: Throwback Thursday Link Party
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
The Lazy Gastronome - Taco Tuesday Blog Hop

Low Country Grill

I have been wanting to try this foil pack on the grill for a long time. My family and I love low country boils. We have drug out the big pot and made several over the years. The idea of cooking it in foil on the grill seemed so much easier. Mom and I decided to try it this weekend. We went shopping for the ingredients, made the Peanut Butter Brownie Yogurt Pie, made Chorizo Tacos for lunch and to end the evening we made this Low Country Grill. It was a full day. The foil packs turned out so delicious! The flavors are intensified cooking them this way, no water to wash a way a drop of that flavor. That being said next time I will add a tablespoon or two of stock, wine, or even beer to each pack. Two of the packs started to caramelize a bit (see last photo). It was not burnt, in fact the caramelized onions were delicious. I just think a little liquid will prevent it from happening. I will experiment a little more on my grill. Every grill is a little different and you have to adjust cooking times and know where the hot spots are. I don't know Mom and Dad's grill that well. So use the recipe as a starting place, adjust to fit your families tastes and your grilling equipment. Just try it! You will not be disappointed. The flavor really gets absorbed by the potatoes and the lemon is delicious on the shrimp. So good and so easy to clean up. You will see!

Low Country Grill
Serves 4

Ingredients

8 small new potatoes, halved
2 onions, cut into 6 wedges
1 lemon, quartered
1 large garlic clove, quartered
2 ears of corn, cut into 4 pieces
2 links of smoked sausage, cut into 4 pieces
32 shrimp (about 1 lb.), deveined
8 small bay leaves
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash, to taste
Stock, water, wine or beer (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat grill to high heat for 15 minutes.

In the center of four pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil, layer ingredients. Start with 4 potatoes halves, 3 onions wedges, 1 lemon wedge, a piece of garlic, 2 corn pieces and 2 pieces of sausage. Top each with 8 shrimp, season each with salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash. Tuck 2 bay leaves in each packet. (Add liquid if using.) Seal foil packet by rolling the sides of foil over the top; then seal and secure the ends. Place on the grill lowering temp to medium. Cook at medium for 20 minutes. Remove from grill and allow to cool a little before opening.

Mint Iced Tea

I made a double batch of Mint Iced Tea this week to take to Mom and Dad's. We had family visiting and we ordered take out from Monjuni's. This tea was the first thing that came to mind for a beverage. I made it with granulated splenda for baking not sugar. It was very refreshing! In fact, as I type this I am finishing up the leftovers. Most Italian restaurants make mint tea in our area. The first place I remember ordering it was at Dominick’s Restaurant. They would serve it in large frosted globe shaped goblets. I looked it up and the globets are for beer, they are called schooners. I honestly think I remember more about the tea than the food? Dominick’s is long gone now, but other local restaurants like Notini's, Monjuni's and Fertitta's still serve it. It is always sweetened with sugar and very delicious. A few years ago I finally found an excellent recipe to bring back those memories of Italian food and ice cold mint tea. I don't remember whose's recipe it is. I do know it was passed down by an Italian grandmother to her grand daughter and she shared it on a message board I follow. I was thrilled when I found it; I had tried many times on my own to replicate the recipe but I could never get it quite right. It either taste like just mint or orange. This recipe is a perfect blend. It uses both orange and lemon juice. Using both does not compete with the mint. It is just delicious. Now I sweeten it to my taste. The original recipe called for 1-1/4 cups of sugar, I found that to be too much. But dear Dad and sister usually like it sweeter, so add sugar or splenda to your families' taste. This is a refreshing beverage for more than Italian food. It would be great at a BBQ or with Greek or Indian food. Heck it would be great all by it's self too. What are you waiting for, go pour a glass!

Mint Iced Tea

Ingredients

3 family size tea bags (6 regular size)
10-12 fresh mint leaves
3/4 cups sugar or granulated splenda (or 18 packets)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
4 Tbsp. orange juice (fresh or bottled)
Orange, sliced for garnish
Mint sprigs for garnish

Directions

Using a 12 cup coffee pot place tea bags and mint it pot. Brew 12 cups of water. When finished brewing turn pot of and let it steep 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a pitcher add sugar, lemon and orange juice. Pour hot tea in pitcher including mint leaves. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve over ice with an orange slice and mint sprig as a garnish. If any tea remains remove mint leaves before storing in the refrigerator.

Note: Some restaurants serve a spiced mint tea. I found that chai tea bags substituted in this recipe makes an excellent spiced mint tea.

A Schooner from Libbey Glass

Linking to:
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate List of Summer Drinks

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Here is another restaurant copycat recipe. I tried this soup at Panera Bread recently and immediately wanted to make it at home. I tried a recipe I found on Pinterest and thought it was delicious but decided to make some adjustments of my own. First, I did not get fussy about measuring the veggies. I added more spinach and onion. I also added a clove of garlic too. I tried to chop the veggies really fine, just as small as I could. I wanted to be able to almost drink the soup without a spoon. I also decided to add a tempered egg to add body and silkiness to the broth. It also balances the lemon juice really well. It turned out delicious. I know it is summer and all that, but this soup is light and fresh. It made a great lunch for dear sister and I. We have to thank dear sister for being my hand model today. Without her you could not have seen all the goodies hidden below the surface of the soup. I told her I may need her services in the future. The last photo is my favorite. She really captured all the delicious ingredients in that one spoon. I hope it will tempt you enough to try this recipe for yourself.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

8 cups fat-free low sodium chicken broth
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 ounces)
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 large celery stalk, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped spinach, chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves only
1 sprig fresh basil (6 to 8 leaves), chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup dry orzo
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1 egg, beaten
Lemon slices (optional garnish)
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions

Place all of the ingredients except the lemon juice, egg and garnishes in a 4-quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the orzo is cooked al dente.

Remove the chicken breast from the soup, dice into 1/2” inch pieces, and return to the pot. Add the lemon juice to beaten egg, whisking to combine. Slowly drizzle in a ladle of broth from soup into egg mixture whisking as you go. Add two more ladles of broth continuing to whisk. Add egg, lemon and broth mixture to soup pot stirring to combine. 

To serve, remove and discard the bay leaf. Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with lemon slice and/or Parmesan cheese (optional).

Print It

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?

Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Soup

Hummus Power Bowls

I can't believe how excited I have become over this "no recipe" recipe. I mean it is just a salad really? It was funny how I came to learn about the Hummus Power Bowls, one day a co-worker ordered it at Panera for lunch. Then the very next day someone posted pics and a list of ingredients for a homemade version on My Fitness Pal. Immediately I was making my own at home. Now I am addicted. I have made them for lunch and dinner. They are so quick and easy. I have used deli turkey, can tuna and chicken; all delicious! I think what I love is that the hummus and lemon juice creates a creamy dressing for all the fresh ingredients. I even bought the ingredients and delivered them to my Mom. I also made my dear sister try one with tuna, she doesn't even like canned tuna. See I told you I was a little too excited. There are just so many flavor combinations you could make. Just change the hummus flavor, protein or veggies and you have a completely different bowl. Just you wait and see what I come up with next. Lots of ideas rolling around up there. In the mean time give this basic bowl a try and please comment leaving any combinations you try.

Hummus Power Bowls
Serves 1

Ingredients

Baby spinach
Sliced red onion
Halved grape tomatoes or diced tomato
Sliced cucumber
2 Tbsp. cilantro jalapeno hummus or any flavor you like
Sliced chicken, turkey, ham or flaked tuna
Fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

To build a bowl start with baby spinach, top with red onion, tomato, cucumber, hummus and chicken. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

Here are some Hummus recipes for inspiration.

Best Ever 5 Minute Microwave Hummus

Honey Roasted Garlic Hummus

Smoky Three Pepper Hummus

Spicy Tomato and Olive Oil Hummus

Spinach and Artichoke Hummus

Traditional Hummus

Wasabi Hummus

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

My Pinterventures: Summer Salads Party

Pineapple and Ham Pizza

Confession I have a tortilla pizza problem. It's out in the open now, maybe I can get some help. Yes, I keep tortillas, pizza sauce, cheese and turkey pepperoni around most of the time. I make all kinds of tortilla pizzas when I need a quick meal. Well today as I prepared a list to go to the store; I put this little pizza together. I used leftover ham and pineapple pico. It was so pretty and delicious I had to share right away. In the process I guess I outed myself. Oh well, it was totally worth it to introduce you to the quick and delicious technique of making tortilla pizzas. I hope you enjoy the idea but don't develop a problem of your own.

Pineapple and Ham Pizza

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 - 6" flour tortilla

2 Tbsp. pizza sauce

4 Tbsp. Italian cheese blend

1 mini yellow sweet pepper, sliced 

Leftover Baked Ham, sliced or diced
3 Tbsp. Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Directions

Place a sheet pan upside down on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place tortillas on a piece of aluminum foil. Spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each. Top with 2 tbsp. or more of Italian cheese blend, pepper slices, ham and pineapple pico. Place your tortilla and foil on the sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake for 9 minutes. Remove from the foil and enjoy!

Piri Piri Turkey Burger

I have been experimenting with different Piri Piri Condiments. Recently I made Piri Piri Turkey Burgers. I used my new condiments, Pineapple Pico de Gallo, lemon zest and Piri Piri Seasoning. Do you think I left anything out? I tried to pack as much flavor in there as possible. I used Piri Piri Mayo inside the burger with the zest of one lemon. Then I seasoned the outside with the Piri Piri Seasoning. They were moist and well seasoned. I loved the rusty red color the seasoning gave them. They were also wonderfully smoky. I tried the Piri Piri Mayo and Pineapple Pico first. It was delicious but the winning condiment was the Piri Piri Ketchup. It was AMAZING! By far my favorite condiment I tried on the burgers. It complimented the Pineapple Pico de Gallo and for some reason it highlights the red pepper flavor in the Piri Piri Sauce. Delicious! It has that sweet and spicy thing going for it. I can't wait to try it out on the family. I think making sliders so everyone can try each version might be a good idea. I will be sure to share that experiment with you too.

Piri Piri Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

20 oz. ground turkey (93% lean)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. Piri Piri Mayo

Piri Piri Seasoning, to taste

Olive oil

Piri Piri Ketchup

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

4 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 4 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Coat hands in a little olive oil and rub on the outside of each patty. Season both side with Piri Piri Seasoning.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 6 minutes. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast (optional). Serve on hamburger buns with Piri Piri Ketchup and Pineapple Pico de Gallo.

Shown above with Piri Piri Mayo

Linking to:

The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Ms. en Place: See Ya in the Gumbo

Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?

Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays

Back to the Basics: Tuesdays with a Twist

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Creative K Kids: The Ultimate Party on Google+

Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Pineapple

Two Olive Tapenades - 1 Spicy, 1 Rich

I told you about the Hummus Vegetable Sandwich I have been making. They are so good. Well I was cheating a little. I was just finely chopping up olives instead of using tapenade. Mainly because I could not find pre-made at the store the day I went to look for it. The good thing about my cheat is that it inspired one of these tapenade recipes. I was using jalapeno stuffed green olives for the sandwich. So when I went to make my green olive tapenade I substituted pickled jalapenos for the capers. The results is the green olive version is spicy, zesty and bright. The black olive version is rich and fruity. So delicious! Tapenade is so easy to make. The food processor does all the work. Just place the ingredients in and pulse until chopped, then turn it on and drizzle in the olive oil. That is it. You have a delicious spread for crostini or sandwiches and wraps.

Spicy Green Olive Tapenade
Makes over 1 cup (9 oz.)

Ingredients

6 oz. can dry weight green olives*, pitted and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 sprig of parsley
1 large leaf of basil, torn
1 Tbsp. pickled jalapeno, sliced
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 shallot (or 1/4 small red onion), minced 
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add the first eight ingredients to a food processor. Pulse and drizzle in the olive oil. 

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rich Black Olive Tapenade
Makes over 1 cup (9 oz.)

Ingredients

6 oz. can dry weight black olives*, pitted and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 sprig of parsley
1 large leaf of basil
2 tsp. capers in white balsamic vinegar, drained
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 Shallot, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Add the first eight ingredients to a food processor. Pulse and drizzle in the olive oil. 

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Note: I used Lindsay Naturals Olives for both these tapenades. I bought them as a lower sodium option. I did not receive any compensation for using their products.

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Reasons To Skip The Housework: Skip The Housework Link Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Bruschetta Turkey Burgers

This recipe gets its start in the pages of a magazine at the hair salon. I normally read a Redbook magazine at the salon but this day I picked up a Better Homes and Gardens. Inside were some wonderful recipes. I went home and pinned them all. The first recipe I tried was a Double Tomato Relish. This stuff is amazing! It is like "Italian salsa" in that it is addictive like salsa, but very Italian in flavor. It is both tangy and sweet. The combination of fresh and dried tomatoes is amazing! I guess bruschetta is to Italian food as salsa and chips is to Mexican food. At least that thought is what gave me the idea to modify my Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers into a Bruschetta Turkey Burger. I just substituted the Mexican flavors and ingredients for the Italian flavors you would find in bruschetta. I used basil and lemon zest inside the burger and topped it with mozzarella cheese. But the star of this recipe is the Double Tomato Relish. It has big Italian and tomato flavor. It is just wonderful! Trust me you could eat it on toast. Wait that is bruschetta! You get the point, you just have to try this relish and this burger.

Bruschetta Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

20 oz. ground turkey (93% lean)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped
Kosher salt, black and red pepper, to taste
Olive oil
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
3/8 cup Double Tomato Relish (recipe below)
4 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 4 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Coat hands in a little olive oil and rub on the outside of each patty.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 4 minutes. At 2 minutes in, top each burger with 1 slice of cheese. Continue to cook 2 minutes until cooked through and cheese is melted. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast while cheese is melting. Serve on hamburger buns with Double Tomato Relish.

I sort of messed with the BHG Double Tomato Relish recipe a little. First, I made more because it was just that good. Second, I used the entire 3 oz. bag of dried tomatoes because I don't like having the little bit left in the pantry. Third, I used a Vidalia onion instead of red onion. I did not have red onion plus, I love the sweetness the Vidalia added to the recipe. I did add balsamic vinegar, basil and oregano. I thought it was necessary to make the relish more like the iconic bruschetta topping. It was delicious! Great on the burger, toasty bread, grits with a little grilled shrimp and in a salad. Any where you want a tomato try a little of this relish. It is so good!

Double Tomato Relish
Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

3 oz. moist packed, dried tomatoes, finely chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 
1/4 cup Italian parsley, basil and oregano, chopped
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Notes: Look for dried tomatoes labeled extra moist and ready to eat; they will be plump and soft. Use a mix of herbs to your taste, I use 1 part parsley, 1/2 part basil and 1/4 part oregano.

Linking to:
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Dill & Basil
Bakewell Junction: #GetHimFed Fridays
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Snippets of Inspiration: Weekend Wind Down Link Party
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures: #FoodieFriday