Cheeseburger [& Veggie Burger!] Won-ton Cups

Sometimes you just need a burger.  Whether it's a veggie burger, a burger burger, or something even fancier... your tummy eventually starts screaming for one!  I always have a freezer full of veggie burgers [*ahem* and some man-burgers too] but never quite get around to buying buns.  I needed a quick stand-in and, as always, won-ton cups to the rescue! <3

Cheeseburger [& Veggie Burger!] Won-ton Cups

Pick up a package of won-ton wrappers, snag your burger of choice, +  pile on the toppings! 

brontosaurus chefs grab your favorite veggie burger, bean burger, or veggie crumbles!  1 patty should make approx 5-6 mini burgers.

t-rex chefs use ground turkey/beef or a leftover burger that needs to be fun again.  1 burger should make approx 6 minis and 1/2lb of ground beef/turkey will yield ya about 16-18 cheeseburger cups.  If you're starting from scratch, you'll need 1/4 tsp dried minced onion, 1/4 tsp parsley, 1/8 tsp salt plus additional S+P to taste.

toppings for everyone!

Toasted Sesame Seeds [for a faux sesame seed bun!]

Grated Cheddar or Gouda Cheese

Finely Diced Raw Onion

Lettuce + Tomato

Mustard + Ketchup

[cheeseburger]

[veggie burger]

Get Cooking!
Well, sorta -- unless you're making your burgers especially for this dish, you'll be doing more assembling than cooking.  Go ahead, preheat your oven to 365F and do your easy dish happy dance.  I'll wait =)

If you're starting with plain ground beer or turkey, season it exactly like you'd season your favorite burger.   For a half-pound of ground meat a good start would be to add 1/4 tsp dried minced onion, 1/4 tsp parsley, 1/8 tsp salt plus additional S+P to taste.  Garlic powder is another fantastic add-in.  For those of you grabbing a burger straight from your fridge or freezer [almost typed pantry. gross] you've got very little to do for an uber impressive dish.  If you're grabbing a veggie burger from the freezer, go ahead and cook it before attempting to crumble... this way you don't have to break out a sledge hammer =)   If you're grabbing one from the fridge feel free to skip this step.  

Spray a mini muffin tin with oil, gently fold a won-ton wrapper into each muffin hole, fill with your burger crumbles, top with onion, and then sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 365F for 8-10 minutes until the edges of your won-tons are golden and crispy.

Everyone has their texture dos and don'ts so no worries if you and I aren't on the same page, but P and I absolutely love raw onions on/in our burgers/veggie burgers so the addition of raw chopped onions in this recipe was a total must for us.  You can sautee them if you'd prefer or skip them entirely.  Same goes for any other ingredient in this recipe as well. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy =)  Cheesy but true! <3

So... How were they!?

These give sliders a run for their money!  They're faster to make... easier to assemble... and you won't ever again have to worry about the dreaded "too much bun too little slider" syndrome.  You can whip them up from scratch or simply grab some leftover burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers or black bean burgers and never again have a boring leftovers for lunch!

You're totally shaking your head and laughing at me for making another won-ton cup recipe aren't you?  It's ok, I can handle it =)  They're crunchy and amazing and I looove them!  What have you been whipping up lately?

Tackling the Living Room

I may be missing a coffee table, end table, and floor lamp... but I'm still making major progress with my living room.  Which is fabulous because the rest of the house is still bare!  I don't care though -- as long as my kitchen and living room have a little flair then the rest will follow.  Eventually.  Maybe.  Whatever, my living room is freaking fun!  We lightened up our formal mad-men style sofa by giving the room a modern spin with pops of color.  Once I finish my paintings there will be much more color, but for now the teeny little splash of aqua and red will hold up the fort.  

Did you know IKEA has a mini design center in their stores?  We were able to hop on a computer and design our own entertainment center from the ground up.  It was unbelievably easy and we were able to customize every detail to fit our needs -- some open storage, some hidden, lots of lacquer, and a sleek, geometric design.  Holy cow I could kiss it. The facade looks super similar to CB2's new lacquer furniture line but for a fraction of the cost.  Like a sliver of the cost.  

Our control freakishness in action

This is what happens when a pilot and an artist/nutritionist design furniture =)

and when the pilot goes out of town the fun REALLY starts!

I can't wait keep adding to the madness! <3

What color scheme are you loving lately?  I'm starting to think I have an addiction to color.  I want all of them.. like literally ALL OF THEM in my house.  But that might get a  little crazy eh? =)

Impromptu Fish Taco with Sriracha Ranch

Today.  Today, I tried to sneak a day off from blogging.  It was dark, stormy and I had a smokin' hot date with my DVR.  Half-way through catching up on the Office, I started daydreaming about fish tacos.  So intensely, in fact, that I straight up hit pause and walked away from one of the funniest episodes I had seen in a while.  I proceeded to dive face first into the fridge, plotting a way to whip one up without running out to the store.

Let's just call this delicious intervention.  I didn't quite have the conventional fish taco lineup, but ohmygoooosh.... I didn't need it!  This is exactly what I was craving.  Peppery arugula, flaky lemony flounder, salty feta cheese and a creamy, zesty sauce.

Impromptu Fish Taco w/ Sriracha Ranch

To serve a pair or the whole family, simply up the ingredients.  

No crazy measurements needed <3

What's in it?

1 fish filet [I had an archer farms lemon chive flounder filet on hand - So good!]

1 corn tortilla

a handful of arugula

a sprinkle of feta

sriracha ranch vinaigrette 

Sriracha Ranch

mix your favorite ranch dressing with little bit of white vinegar and a nice kick of sriracha

Get Cooking!

I wanted the fish extra-crispy so I baked it for about 20 minutes at 400F in my toaster oven, right on the rack!  Fifteen minutes in, I sprayed a corn tortilla with oil and popped it on the rack next to the fish so it could get nice and crispy.  When the timer goes off you're good to go!  Top the tortilla with arugula, then the fish, drizzle with your dressing and crumble a little feta on top and... wait for it... wait for it... [seriously if you don't wait a few minutes you will burn the roof of your mouth like a mofo] ... Ok dig in! <3

So... How was it?

Freaking amazing.  It was a pairing made in heaven.  I think I'll forever and ever be making my fish tacos with arugula for now on. and that dressing.  They were made for each other =)  If you have fish lurking in your freezer that needs a little TLC - whip this up!

and with that, It's time for me to dive into a book and hibernate for a bit ;)

Have you read anything fabulous lately?  Spill it!  I need all the suggestions I can get!