Hawaiian Mini Burgers

All of the mini burger commercials on TV really got me craving mini burgers. Then one night in my sleep I came up with this sweet gem. This is often how my foods come about. What can I say? I think about food 24/7. The main problem with mini burgers is finding a suitable bun. The King's Hawaiian, Hawaiian Sweet Rolls was just the thing I needed to make the mouth-watering burgers.

Hawaiian Mini Burgers

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1/2 to 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 package Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
• 1 can of pineapple slices
• onion flakes
• garlic powder
• Worcestershire sauce
• pepper
• barbecue sauce (sweet)
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Place a grill pan or a skillet on the stove and heat to medium. Meanwhile, section out the ground beef into 10 to 12 equal sections. Form sections into balls and press into patties. Season with garlic powder, pepper, onion flakes, Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes (optional, but gives it a sweet and spicy flavor). Place the patties into the preheated skillet. Cook for two minutes and flip. Add the pineapple slices. Continue cooking patties until desired doneness. Remove from pan and place on bun. Spoon bbq sauce on top of the burgers. Continue cooking pineapple until it starts to turn light brown. Cut pineapple slices into quarters. Place on burgers. Close buns. Serve. Leftovers can be saved off of the buns.

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts

January has brought on lots of cooking. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, we are trying to eat healthier and subsequently, eat out less. Secondly, my BFF Stephanie got us a subscription to Cooking Light! This is one of many recipies tried out so far. I was drawn to this recipe because it uses premade gnocchi, making gnocchi from scratch is hard tedious work!

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts (modified from Cooking Light)
Serves 2 as main course or 4 as a side
You will need:

• 1 - 16oz package gnocchi
• 2 T of butter
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 - 10oz package of fresh spinach, torn
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese**

**Note** I thought that the Parmesan made it too salty. In the future I will use an Italian blend of cheese.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting the salt. Drain and set aside. While gnocchi is cooking, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts to pan and cook for three minutes or until butter and nuts are lightly browned. Stir constantly. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add gnocchi and spinach to pan and cook until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve.

Theresa's Acorn Squash

While I was visiting family over Christmas, my sister in-law made THE best squash I have ever had. I normally am not a very big fan of squash, but this was tasty. So of course I had to call her up when I got home to find out how to make such a wonderful squash. Turns out it isn't really a recipe, but more of you put these things together. Needless to say I was a bit wary of making it myself.

Theresa's Acorn Squash

Serves 2 to 12 (depends on size and other dishes being served)

You will need:

• 1 Acorn squash
• cinnamon
• chili powder
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash into slices. Cutting along the natural grooves works best and makes good sized slices. Remove all seeds and stringy pulp. Place wedges on their side in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl mix together (this is where my guessing came into play) 4 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of chili powder. Stir in 3 or 4 T of olive oil or until you have a good sauce consistancy. Spoon this mixture over the wedges. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until squash is soft.

*Note* Eating the skin is not bad for you, just not that tasty. :)