Yummy Week =P

Sweet topic, Cassie (pun potentially intended here =P)! I have several recipes that I could share with you, depending on what you and Chase like to eat. Most of these are on my new iPad as well, so I can always send them to you with a couple of clicks!

Here, however, are couple of my favorites:  

BEEF SLIDERS (these can be either an entree or an appetizer, depending on the event)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. high-quality ground beef (though I imagine ground turkey would work just as well)
- 1.5 tsp. onion powder
- 1.5 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 12 slider buns
- Cheese slices as desired
- Small leaf greens as desired
- Tomato, onion, pickles, etc. as desired

Method:
- Preheat grill (I have a little tabletop one; Mom has actually used the frying pan too)
- In a medium bowl, combine beef, seasongs, and shallots. Mix thoroughly with hands.
- Form meat into small-sized patties
- Grill (or fry) patties for 2-3 minutes per side
 - If desired, top each patty with cheese and allow to melt
 - Serve slider patties on slider buns. Allow guests to top and garnish as they wish.  

POTATO SALAD (my mom's recipe that I adore)
 Ingredients:*
- Potatoes
- Mayonnaise
- Eggs
- Celery, chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sweet pickle relish

Method:
- Boil potatoes until fork tender. Leave whole with skins on.
- Drain potatoes; allow to cool.
- Hard-boil eggs (12 minutes on rolling boil); allow to cool.
- When potatoes are cool, remove skins and chop into bite-sized pieces. Chop eggs and celery.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped potatoes, chopped eggs, chopped celery, salt and pepper to taste, mayonnaise, and sweet pickle relish. Most of the ingredients here are "to taste" and will depend on the amount of potatoes you cook first. Go light on the sweet pickle relish (like 1 tsp. for 5 or 6 potatoes) because the flavor can be strong, and you don't have to include celery if you don't like the crunchies. This dish has basically been a summer staple at my house for my entire life =)

PUMPKIN PEANUT BUTTER DOG BISCUITS (for those of us who have or will have doggies!)
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups whole wheat/barley flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 3 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Method:
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Stir flour and cinnamon together in medium bowl
- In separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, and peanut butter. Add to flour mixture and knead thoroughly. Dough should be dry and stiff. Add small amounts of water to make it workable or small amounts of flour if too moist.
- Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut w/cutters (I use a pizza cutter and just slide the dough into strips)
- Bake about 45 minutes or until hard and dry (they MUST be crunchy or they will cause tartar buildup in the dog's teeth!)
My dogs LOVE these!