This IS Where the Obsessive Comes in..........

Since us "perimenopausal" women should not be embibbing caffeinated beverages I decided to bite the bullet and literally throw myself into the world of TEA. I have a plethora of choices now. Obsessive??? Perhaps.....but I always go "BIG" when I do anything. Who can resist the Berry Blossom White, or the Carmel Nut, or the Pumpkin Spice or my purrrrsonal fave drum rrrrrolllll puhleaze "The TAZO Organic Apple Red", this is a sweet African red tea with real apple, cinnamon and the flavor of caramel.

Those of you that know me, know I love my yoga, I love me my organic and I use cinnamon as perfume.

~Did you know it can take the average women up to 10 hours to metabolize a cup of coffee????? YIKES


Parivrtta Parsvakonasanaor Revolved Side Angle Pose

This is what dreams are made of.......since Christmas Eve landed on Wed....our selfish yoga instructor decided to spend time with his family (how dare he) and so I have been without class since Monday........UGH. Thankfully we have class tomorrow. A jumping sun at home is never the same without your room full of sweaty male and female yogis.


Here are the beginings of the stuffed walnut cookies from King Arthur Flour (KAF)


These were an absolute dream to make



Here they are popped out after baking. These were stuffed with white chocolate hazlenut cream and dark chocolate hazlenut cream and then sandwhiched together. Since the other pictures aren't loaded yet........you will have to wait for the finished product.

I am soooo far behind on posting my culinary delights..........I don't think I will ever catch up.

Sarvangasana Cinnamon Roll Arse A.K.A Shoulder Stand Whilst Balancing Cinnamon Roll on Ass

Try doing one of these~


~courtesy of abc yoga

With one of these on each arse cheek~



Taint an easy task let me tell you~

Challah dough from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, filled with King Arthur Flour Baker's Cinnamon Filling and then glazed with some cream cheese, powder sugar, cream and a little butter and a splash of maple extract.


Read this in the Titusville Herald~Cherrytree News
Important News About Reindeer

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should've known... only women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

DUH!!!! Is all I can say

IT WAS FUN BUT NOW I AM DONE!

Adios Amigos!

*Warning Offensive Language* heheheh but isn't it always

There are many reasons why I love my eldest son...........this ranks right up there at the top of the list. He has his own strong opinions and is not afraid to express them!

Yesterday I received a text msg from him while on his way to school.........



"I better not have to pay for this cocksucking Wall Street bail out.......this is your generations fault.......not mine"


Perhaps another mother would have been deeply offended, but he is a chip of the ol'block. That is my boy through and through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So So So Far Behind.............................

I am very behind in posting things. I have tons of pics. Some of the stuff....well I can't even remember. Is it bear with me or bare with me??? I know I will lose some of you....I don't think my following has a lofty attention span. There, did I piss you off and wake you up??? Sometimes a little insult goes a long way.

I believe this is a sideways picture of no-knead Harvest Bread from King Arthur Flour No Knead Harvest Bread

You actually let this bread rise like 8 hours and bake it in a covered dutch oven and start it off in a cold oven. I used cranberries and pecans instead of golden raisins, walnuts and cranberries.


It was killer slathered with cream cheese alongside a grilled chicken salad. It would make a killer turkey sandwhich also.



This was the beginings of a brownie mixture that goes into a cookie. Yes, you heard me right....brownie inside a cookie. Kind of like a double dessert for doubly fatty matatty stretch marks. You bake up a batch of brownies...chill them overnight.



Then you make a normal chocolate chip cookie batter and add the brownie cubes and walnuts.



Serve alongside a cold glass of milk and some heart paddles. This recipe came from Bon Appetit

Per Bon Appetit~Two favorite American desserts—cookies and brownies—join forces in this whimsical dessert. Danielle Librera, owner of The Sweet Pea Bakery & Catering in Phoenix, was inspired by similar cookies at Small World Coffee in Princeton, New Jersey.



This so called Southern 5 hour NO Peek Stew intrigued me that fellow bloggers were bragging about. I did some research and found a 5 hour no peek and a 4 hour no peek....So I made my own version and did "4 1/2 HOUR DON'T PHUCKING TAKE A LOOK STEW".

And just in case you are wondering.....no I didn't phucking peek!



Of course I cooked it in this handsome devil.....oh Mr. Staub Pumpkin, quit winking at me....you are making me blush. Wha...what's that Mr. Staub Pumpkin???....oooh you are so naughty.


Voil-phucking-la.........4 1/2 Hour Don't Phucking Take a Look Stew w/sour cream potato biscuits



Although I didn't find it much different than regular stew....it was still very tasty. Not having to brown the meat is nice. It would actually have been sensational spooned over grits or even mashed potatoes....it is thicker than a soup but thinner than an ordinary stew....It is a stoup per Rachael Ray.

This however, did give me an incredible idea....Next time I am going to use either chicken breast or turkey tenderloin, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes and I am going to spoon it over top of homemade croutons so it kind of makes a rustic stuffing at the bottom of the bowl as it soaks up the juices and then you basically have a turkey dinner stew. hmmmm genius I know.


Animal Cracker/Cookies with the Kiddos


These Animal Cracker Cookie Cutters and Mix came from Williams Sonoma




These cookies turned out beautiful. Such intricate detail. And you know how all the big name therapists say "Oh if your kid doesn't eat anything get them involved in the cooking process. The will ALWAYS eat something they have had a hand in making".

WELL, Bull Pucky Phucky Sucky Five Bucky, because my kids friggin hated them. I thought they were delicious. Just the right amount of crunch and spice....great for dunking in coffee or tea. They were a scrumptious little snack the ungrateful lil' twits hated. I give up....right now all Maxwell will eat are schwans meat-a-balls.

If you are still with me after all of this, then I truly understimated you.....you don't have ADD or now it aptly named ADHD.....but you obviously don't have a life either. GET A FRIGGIN CLUE!


Let's just say there comes a point in a person's life when the come up with the MUTHER of all ideas. Well, it wasn't all my idea. It was partly King Arthur Flour Donuts . It all started with a donut pan and their recipe for Buttermilk Cinnamon Donuts. This here would be the batter.


I however had to amp these puppies up.....so....I spooned half the batter into the donut pan AND THEN......this is where it gets good. I took King Arthur Flour Baker's Cinnamon Filling and piped it around the inside of the donut. I then spooned the rest of the batter over top.


I baked these for 10 minutes exactly. Pulled them out and cooled them off.


Here is where your taste buds BEG for Mercy.....Hail Mary's are comin' ten fold. I took a bag of Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips and melted them with 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream (this is where you may flatline and need paddles), forgive me father for I have sinned, THEN....I add in a tsp or so of maple extract and then some more Bakers Cinnamon Filling and mix it all up. Cool the mixture off a bit and then dunk each donut top into the glaze TWICE and then top off with roasted walnuts. So this is a Baked Buttermilk Cinnamon Donut with a Cinnamon Swirl Filling Topped off with a White Chocolate Cinnamon Maple Ganache and Toasted Walnuts. I AM READY FOR A THROW-DOWN BOBBY FLAY......BRING IT ON BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

These Donuts are going to: stickygooeycreamchewy'sBlogiversary Bash


Again, I went back to my bible Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day
This is Olive Oil Bread that I added fresh Rosemary too. I shaped them into oversized rolls....I considered them kind of like a focaccia roll.


I drizzled them with Roasted Garlic Olive Oil, domestic parmesan and more rosemary before baking.


I topped or bottomed them with a slice of havarti, sliced green apples, shredded rosemary and lemon rotisserie chicken, applewood smoked bacon, more havarti and asiago peppercorn ranch dressing and grilled them in a panini press. Lord have Mercy! Where is Benny Hinn when you need him???? I needed some palm of hand to head healing after I got through with this samm-which.


Serve with a side salad of spinach and mixed greens....hopefully the havarti and bacon catch a ride with the greens and slide right through your arteries w/no rest stops on the way to your colon. I have my fingers crossed and I have the paddles on speed dial.

And after ALL of that.......I leave you with this..............

A recipe for bagels ripped from the latestKing Arthur Flourmagazine, my little crock filled with the bagel starter (1/2 cup organic King Arthur high gluten flour, 1/4 cup cool water, a pinch of instant yeast). Tomorrow I try my hand at "Everything Bagels" and "Asiago Bagels". Hurrican Ike is on its way....a girl has to pass the rainy day somehow.

Don't judge my grammar or speeling beotch....i have been at this 2 hours and 2 minutes and my a$$ and brain hurt. If you aren't illiterate, you probably shouldn't even be at this ghetto a$$ blog.

It's The Great Staub Pumpkin Charlie Brown!!!

THE STAUB PUMPKIN



Per Williams Sonoma~Staub Pumpkin Oven, 5-Qt.

Displaying the silhouette and hue of the season’s signature squash, this versatile French cookware performs impeccably on the stovetop or in the oven, then goes right to the table for serving. Use it to simmer hearty bean dishes, soups and stews and to prepare flavorful roasts and braises. Heavy enameled cast-iron construction distributes and retains heat beautifully, promoting slow, gentle cooking. Hand-wash.

This lovely squash goes for $199.95 at WS.....I, however, being the bargain shopper I am (sha right), got lucky.......they happened to have these at the WS Outlet in Memphis and I got one for $59.95. I am sure it has a blemish on it somewhere (hence the $59.95) but I can't seem to find it. Everytime I look at this I smile. I leave it on the middle burner of my 6 burner cooktop, now that it is officially FALL/AUTUMN (officially for me anyways.......). As soon as September 1 comes, it is time to get out your pumpkins, squash, gourds, etc. I love Fall. I don't care if I am in the South and it is 90 degrees.


Vodka Mocha Bundt Cake
The southerners LOVE their bundt cake. I once made a Brioche Bostock and my husband took it into work and they said "Thanks for the Bundt Cake"....I was mortified. Anywhos, I went to a Labor Day gathering and an Infectious Diseases Doc was there and this was her contribution to the part-hay.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur
3/4 cup water

1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, combine Cake mix, sugar, pudding mix, oil, eggs, vodka, coffee liqueur and water. Mix at low speed for 1 minute and then at medium speed for 4 minutes.
Pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for one hour or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack.
To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup coffee liqueur with the confectioners sugar. Mix well and pour over cake.

And let me say.......it was DELISH. I can't wait to make this. Not boozy at all. So moist.......I can't tell you! Those Infectious Diseases Dr.'s like to part-hay let me tell you.

My Latest and Greatest King Arthur Flour Order

All-Natural Hazelnut Praline Paste - 11-oz.
Item # 2243 in stock

Round Bake-And-Give Pans - Set of 6
Item # 5671 in stock

Maple Sugar
Item # 1293 in stock

Standard Doughnut Pan
Item # 5233 in stock


FREE Pie Filling Enhancer (HEY IT WAS FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Item # F3466 in stock

Filled Cookie Molds Set
Item # 4310 in stock


Lame Bread Slashing Tool (FREE SHIPPING ON THIS, LIKE IT MATTERS)
Item # 4175 in stock I also wonder WHY it is lame???
$6.95 1 $6.95
FREE SHIPPING

Natural Maple Flavor - 1-oz.
Item # 1740 in stock

Merchandise total: $83.20
FedEx Standard Ground $16.50

Balance Paid: $99.70


Shhhhhhhhh, don't tell my husband! I want to try my hand at their Buttermilk Cinnamon Doughnuts (hence the doughnut pan), Maple Shortbread cookies(hence the maple flavoring and maple sugar), and Hazelnut Praline Filled Cookies (hence the cookie mold).

Who Makes Baklawa???? I Do, That's Who!!!

Per Wiki~Baklava or baklawa is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of the former Ottoman,Arab World and Iranian countries. It is a pastry made of layers of filo dough filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios and sweetened with syrup or honey. Gaziantep, a city in Turkey, is famous for its baklava and, in Turkey, is widely regarded as the native city of the dessert.[1]Cyprus made the controversial choice to present Baklava for Sweet Europe of the cultural initiative Café Europe in 2006.



Layer Phyllo Dough and butter each piece


Layer on Nuts and Chocolate, Peat and Repeat about every 10 or so sheets.


Bake It!


Make the syrup


Pour HOT syrup over cooled Baklava.......this keeps it crunchy


"qu'ils mangent de la brioche" LET THEM EAT CAKE!

I love Baklava and really have some fond memories of it. Whenever my friends and I would venture up to the Big City "Erie" and go to the "MillCreek Mall" from good ol' suckhole T'ville or T-Vegas as it is now called (I will never understand the whole T-Vegas thang), we would ALWAYS stop in at Tiffany's Bakery. It is now gone and has been for years. They used to make trays and trays of Baklava in all shapes....rolled like cigars (or dead bodies in a carpet), triangles, and these open muffin tin shapes etc. Those were the days......cruising up to Erie, going to the Limited and snack'n on some Tiffany's baklava.......where did the time go.

You are supposed to end up with about 40 sheets total but unfortunately as I was making this.....I was preocuppied w/our break in and only ended up with 20 sheets. Is it pre-occupied or pre-occuppied or pre-ocuppied......perhaps octopus. I was pre-octopus w/our break in and only ended up with 20 sheets. So I made 1/2 Baklava....who da'heel cares cause it was still Good Eats~Alton Brown.

Perseverance

I had a lady from our subdivision call me on the phone this morning. All she said to me was "I looked up Perseverance in the dictionary and I saw your picture beside it".

I think that was a compliment!

Thanks Betty, I appreciate it!

~per wiki
Perseverance is a term for human endurance and autonomy

~per Stacey
Perseverance is someone with a fat mouth that won't let something drop

This is an excerpt from my email to the residents of our subdivision today

I was not able to attend last nights meeting due to the lack of ample notification. I am a stay at home mom and these are the events that have transpired at our cul-de-sac the last two weeks. Everyone needs to be informed of the details......not the generalizations that the association is trying to put out because they dont' want people scared, upset or angry at what is going on. I have been called RUDE and been told that I don't need to spread the details around per the association. Sorry Charlie.......but I am rude and mad and scared and upset and I WILL NOT keep my mouth shut until each and every person in this subdivision knows the details surrounding my incidents. Both during the day and one while we were in our home. I have little children as most of you do. This is not going to be tolerated and if I don't get some action from the community on signs/cameras/etc. then I guess I will eventually have to go to the media on what is happening back here and maybe then someone can explain to me WHY we can't have "community watch signs" etc. put out in our subdivision.


Friday, Aug. 16, 2008 between 11:30 and Noon my husband I left our house and went to Old Mill for lunch. Our house was locked up tight. We came home around 1:00 to find our dead-bolted french doors that face the swimming pool and street kicked in, in broad daylight. Our 42 in plasma was taken and a 37 in LCD in our master bedroom taken and a PS3 blu-ray. It was under the assumption they hopped our 6 ft. privacy fence w/padlocked gates, kicked in the deadbolted doors and then opened the 1st garage stall and backed in and took the item through there. Our front door was locked when we came home. My husbands car was also in the garage at the time. The neighbor to the right of us also had muddy footprints all along the backside of his house.

Monday, Aug.25, 2008 around 1:00 pm. My husband was mowing the grass. We had all 3 garage doors down. My husband came in through the side door to the garage from the back yard to get more gas for the mower. He heard a car beep so he hit the 2nd stall door opener. A man in a Cream/Tan Toyota Landcruiser FJ had pulled into our driveway side-saddle and was blocking the 1st and 2nd stall. He get out of his vehicle.....he is bald, tatooed sleeves on both arms, cammo shorts, fairly tall and had a belly.....he started walking into the garage between our 2 vehicles. My husband asked him twice what he wanted and the man mumbled the first time and never answered the 2nd time. He proceeded into our garage and towards my husband who then came in the house, hit the security button and got a shotgun, and called 911. The man milled around in our garage for about 5 minutes before exiting w/a wooden carved walking stick (all the while our inside and OUTSIDE alarm are going off). He walked to the front door and pressed his head and face right up to the glass (touching the glass) trying to see in our home, after staying there a minute or so, he then left the porch and continued to wander through our neighbors to the left w/walking stick in tow, toward *** Den Trail. He eventually started back to his car when he saw police arriving. He wandered around for a total of 14 minutes w/alarms blaring inside and out. Officers arrested him, he had knives on him and in his car, empty prescription bottles, he was high on something. GPS in his car and something else that looked like a scanner or cb on the dash. His car was towed. Detective Simon called me Tuesday morning and told me this man is a resident of Woodlands Edge and lives on ****grass. All the man kept saying was he was meeting friends. That is all the information the police have given me so far.

*I DON'T MIND STIRRING THE POT UP A BIT.......I LOVE COOKING

I have also eaten WAY TOO MANY almond m&m's tonight out of stress and have a feeling tomorrow morning will not be good for the ol'tummy. (no, that was not in the email)

If I Told YOU What Happened Today You Wouldn't Believe Me Anyway

For right now, let's just say it involved a turkey camo shotgun (and you thought I was joking about that), a walking stick, a bald man tatooed w/sleeves and cammo shorts, a toyota landcruiser, my garage, 5 local police cars w/guns drawn, a 14 minute wait out in my house for the police to even arrive WITH alarms going off IN the house and OUTSIDE the house and said man not leaving the area, staying in my garage for 5 minutes, walking up to my front door putting his greazy nasty ass forehead up to my glass windows to look in........handcuffs and being hauled away in police cruiser w/then said car being towed away w/LARGE knives in car and on persons body etc. etc. etc. I don't have the energy to go into this in complete detail. It has been a harrowing last couple of months w/my husbands employee & wife murdered (see prior postings), our house being burglarized a week ago, my husbands brother being killed in a freak logging accident Friday in PA (who was a hard worker and didn't deserve to die at age 45) to an almost home invasion today. You would think I lived in da'hood w/the happenings around our neighborhood and it is anything but. The house down the other end of our street was robbed yesterday. We don't know if our burglary and the incident today were connected or not yet..........let's just say the gun was pointed and ready to blow off a head, luckily we didn't have to. Police finally showed after 14 minutes and managed to cuff him and haul him off. WTF Mate???????????? I barely believe myself at this point and keep wondering if I am having a bad dream. I couldn't make this sheot up, people. I wouldn't!

Cheater Cheater Pumpkin errr I mean Queso Eater

Some people cheat on their taxes, some at cards, and others on their spouses. Me??? Well, let's just say I plead the 5th to all the above, but I do cheat while cooking.

I made Cheater Cheater Queso Eater Enchiladas

If you have not used this product Leigh Oliver's Queso ,you should try it.

I LOVE a good white queso. 'Tis hard to find. I am also not BIG on pre-packaged items. I try to make my own "stuff". This product caught my eye whilst breezing by the refrigerated section at Whole Foods. I bought one jar of the mild white queso and went back two days later for a jar of spinach queso and another jar of mild white.

I took a rotisserie chicken and shredded it. Mixed up the chicken, black beans, and corn, roasted red peppers in a bowl and then spread a small amount of spinach queso on a corn tortilla, layered in the chicken filling, rolled it up and then spread the rest of the queso on top and baked until heated through.




I took a can of refried beans and schmeared those inside a flour tortilla, sprinkled on a little low fat cheddar, rolled up and then poured the rest of the mild white queso over top and baked until heated through.


Voila! 3 days worth of enchiladas and the only leftovers that I WILL eat. I don't do leftovers, for those of you that don't know me.

And yes, the cheating was worth it. This stuff is addicting to say the least. In fact, I may even make it AGAIN this week. That is how much I love it! Eazy Breazy also, gotta love that.

King Arthur Flour is DA'BOMB

In order to make all the wonderful breads from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day, I use ingredients from King Arthur Flour. I try to use their Organic Allpurpose White flour in most of my recipes. I have ordered numerous cooking essentials from them in the mail also. Luckily, my Kroger and my Fresh Market carry a lot of their everyday flours.

Anywhos....I opened up my latest catalog and these appeared (okay my link won't work for the exact recipe) Just click on the KAF link above and then click on the "recipes" and type in Gruyere-stuffed crusty loaves. Sorry about that.

I know, I know.......I had to grab a kleenex also and wipe the tears of joy from my eyes. I lay in a puddle of weeping excitement babbling in tongues, until I was finally able to pick myself up and dust myself off and drive furiously over to Fresh Market to get some ingredients.

*side note.....I ALWAYS want to speel ingredients as INGREDIANTS. I may petition Websters to have this changed for my benefit.

Anywhos.....I love Panera's asiago bagels, sooooooo, I decided to make Asiago Stuffed Crusty Loaves.


It all started with a little starter.....you only have to leave this sit overnight. How great is that????


This is what it looks like the next day after the yeast has partied all night. I mean, hey, we all look a little puffy and bloated after a night out, eh???


I used a combo of basil oil, garlic oil, some italian seasonings and grated asiago.


Roll the dough out like you are making cinnamon rolls (provided you have made cinnamon rolls and if you haven't, you really shouldn't be reading this blog). Layer on the oil, seasonings, cheeze.


Roll it up (like you were rolling a dead body up in a carpet to haul out to your pickup for a drop-off in the woods, you know what I am talking about).
~note to self.....don't use the expensive oriental rug in living room


Slice it like a cinnamon roll.......you can do it anyway you want, big slices, lots of slices or only 2 slices to make 2 larger loaves. I did 4, if you can't count.


Bake in the oven.....I just slid my parchment right onto my pizza stone. Ooooh la frickin la la......these were egg-ceptionally great and will be made again and again. Can you imagine these w/a hot steaming bowl of chili?????? What are you waiting for???? GO MAKE THEM NOW!


P.S.Not to toot my own horn but KAF actually "borrowed" a quote from one of my blogs without my knowledge. I was flattered but shocked. It has been in the last 4 catalogs on page 51. As I lay in bed one night leafing through the summer 2008 issue, I see a title for "Baker's Cinnamon Filling" From a Customer Blog: we couldn't have said it better! Then staring back at me....were my words from my January 16, 2008 Blog "Cinnamon Schmear Another One of My Favorite Things". I proceed to say "You mix 1/4 c. of mx with 1 tablespoon of water....THAT'S IT. It makes this gloopy schloppy wonderful cinnamon schmear. You just spread on your dough and bake. It will be better than cinnamon bread or bun you have ever made yourself. This stuff is soooo good that one of the girls that babysits for us requires this cinnamon bread as payment and will except NO MONEY. THAT IS HOW GOOD IT IS!!!"

I was stunned and having deja-vu as I was reading, as the words sounded all too familiar. I just wish they would have at least told me they were going to use it....what if I would have never noticed it??? I could have missed this pivotal moment in my life. I was shocked and stunned and excited. How crazy is that??? Did KAF really read my blog???? Cause I didn't give it to them.

Ham-Burglars vs. Black Bean Burglars

I am sure that Mayor McCheeze would LOVE to take a baseball bat to Ham-burglars knee caps. I just know it.

This recipe was adapted from Vermont Cheddar Bread out of my
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day


I replaced the cheddar with Asiago and Pickled Chopped Jalapenos and instead of a loaf of bread, I shaped the dough into hamburger buns. Sprinkled more Asiago on top.

Hotcha Hotcha out of the oven.



What better to go with an Asiago Jalapeno Bun than a Black Bean Burger!





Allrecipes

This came from Allrecipes.com "Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers", I couldn't get the link to work. LAURENMU is the poster of this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS
If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.


I made some substitutions such as using rolled oats instead of bread crumbs and I pulsed everything in my food processor. I used wet hands to mold into burgers and also refrigerated them before grilling on tin foil. I also cooked my own dried black beans in some water and a bottle of mexican beer and garlic.



I made my homemade salsa and topped off the burger with a big slice of cheddar, shredded romaine, salsa, light sour cream.


Served with a side of sue-weeeet potato fries spiced w/chili powder and cumin and coriander seed. My husband said it was a taco in a bun. I am not sure if it was a compliment or not but I thought they were outstanding!