what's for dinner tonight - parmesan burgers

I've said in the past that I don't like using measurements for cooking.  Baking, yes, or things can get severely ruined.  Cooking, no way.  I never use a measuring cup or spoon when I cook.  This recipe is the prime example.  Have fun with it!  Add more things to it if you like.  Remove things if you like.  It doesn't really matter.  Especially not with burgers.  Burgers can be the ultimate expirement.

Parmesan Burgers:

1 lb or so of ground hamburger
quite a bit of bread crumbs
1 egg
a bunch of shakes of  Mrs Dash original seasoning
a few shakes of seasoning salt
a handful of shredded parmesan cheese (fresh, not that powdered junk)
a bit of fresh onion finely chopped or quite a bit of dried onion, or a bunch of onion powder

mix it all together, shape into patties (I use my mom's old tupperware patty shaper)
bake, broil, fry or bbq until done

mommy, apple pie?

My husband taught my son to say "apple pie" last night.  My son kept repeating "mommy, apple pie?" over and over.  I bought a bag of apples a while ago and a lot of them went rotten because peeling apples is my least favorite thing to do - peeling anything, really.  I HATE it with a capital HATE.  I made a little bit of apple sauce with it but didn't feel like peeling the rest.  Then a few weeks ago I bought another bag of apples.  Probably because they were on sale.  My husband has been telling me for a while to "do something with those apples" which brings us full circle to the "mommy, apple pie?" event last night.  So here I sit, working, with a bag of apples yelling at me to use them.  I got out my peeler, a few different bowls (for peels, unpeeled apples and peeled apples, to be exact) and peeled the entire bag of apples.  Ok that's done, now what?  Well, I could either make and roll out pie dough which takes a little bit of time but I like doing, or I could make an apple crisp and use some of the plain oatmeals I get in the bulk box of quaker single serve oatmeal packs from Costco.  Apple crisp it is!  And apple sauce of course, but that's a given.  Oh, so now you want the recipe?  Here goes:

Apple Crisp, Verhulp family favorite

4c apples, sliced
3/4c brown sugar
1/2c flour
1/2c rolled oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg each
1/3c soft butter or margarine

Place apples in greased 9" square glass dish
Mix together the rest of the ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the apples
Bake at 375F for 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown

*Abby's note* I double the topping recipe or my husband complains that there's not enough.  Even then he still complains haha

What's for dinner tonight - gyros

After a request for this recipe, here goes!  I went on my phone one night and looked up "home made gyros" and came across the most amazing recipe.  My husband absolutely loves the pork after swearing off pork years ago saying he hates it.  If I say I'm making this meal he gets really excited and picks at the pork until dinner is ready.  The tzatziki is the best I've ever tasted and I can see myself using it as great comfort food when my husband goes out of town. Enjoy!

(Disclaimer, I'm using my own measurments for some things, because I'm not huge into measurements for cooking.  Apply the seasonings to your liking)

Gyro Pork marinade:
1 chunk pork cut from tenderloin purchased at costco
approx 3 tbsp salt
approx 1 tsp paprika
small sprinkle of pepper
vinegar (suggested - apple cider vinegar)

slice the pork very thin and lay in single file in a large container such as glass pyrex
mix the salt paprika and pepper, sprinkle evenly over the pork
pour vinegar over pork and seasonings enough so the pork is covered
leave in fridge for at least 2 hours
cook in large frying pan until cooked through and browned on both sides

Tzatziki Dip:

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. vinegar

garlic, minced finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup greek yogurt, strained (best one is the 2 pack from costco)

1 cup sour cream

1 cucumber chopped finely

dill, to taste

mix sour cream, greek yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, dill and garlic in large bowl

add cucumber and stir well, making sure all flavours are mixed up

chill for at least 2 hours

Homemade Pita Bread:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 cup of warm water

4 cups of bread flour

2 teaspoons of salt

1 cup of warm water

1 tablespoon of olive oil

with a bread maker, layer 1 1/2c warm water, salt, sugar, olive oil, flour then yeast.  put on dough setting, then follow the following instructions for baking

instructions from website:

Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixure and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and lightly oil baking sheets.
Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places.
Place on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.
Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides.

With all these ingredients, spread the pita on a plate, layer with cooked pork, onions, tomatoes and tzatziki.  Last step, eat!