Sliders-the right way!

I never want to do burgers for a BBQ if I'm inviting friends over. There is a reason for this. I feel that hamburgers should always be done with the works. I want bacon, avocado, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, cheese, etc. Not just lettuce, tomatoes and pickles...in fact, I can do with those if I have the other things! And when I'm doing a BBQ, I want to make something super easy and quick that allows me to do as little work as possible!

This week I found a pack of 8 little tiny sliders at Trader Joe's, in the meat section. Last night we ate them. Soooo good! This is what we had with them:

Sadly, I couldn't find any ripe avocados, so I had to do without that. But what we did have was some delicious maple bacon. I also had some super tasty micro greens. I sauteed some white mushrooms in a bit of soy sauce, butter and olive oil. I then quickly marinated some red onion in red wine vinegar (I unfortunately didn't think to marinate them earlier) and then caramelized the onion. The meat I cooked on high with some yummy seasoning, after browning on the first side I flipped and topped with some extra sharp cheddar. I quickly browned the second side and then turned the heat off and covered (to melt the cheese).

They came out amazing. It was so quick and tasty, I think we are going to be doing these more often! I absolutely loved the micro greens, so pretty, tasty and healthy!

Unfortunately I only got a fairly poor picture of my last slider with my phone, but here it is!

Fried Tomato and Bacon Salad

Well, Experimental Friday came and went with zero experimenting. Life got in the way, as it often does.

My house is currently much quieter than normal with the hubby and toddler on their way to their first solo camping trip. It's very weird to have such a quiet house. I have Pandora going and of course there is still munchkin number 2, but he's pretty quiet when he's happy. It's peaceful!

On Thursday I was starving and it was about 4pm...too early for dinner, but too late for lunch. I was sorely craving a very decadent fried tomato and bacon salad I've made in the past. I got the recipe from my friend Marlyn and we'll see how my arteries thank her in a few years! I'd literally eat this salad every day if I could.

So here is how the recipe goes:

You need some sort of green, I prefer spinach as the green is going to be slightly wilted by the dressing and tomatoes and there really isn't another green I like both raw and wilted. I think I'd like it with arugula, as well, but I've only done spinach. In the pictures I'm posting here, I used Bloomsdale spinach, which is why it's so curly.

At least 2 thick slices of tomato per serving of salad (if you cut the tomatoes thinly they will just fall apart when being fried). I like to use those big, meaty, purple/green heirloom tomatoes.

Bacon-I like at least 2 slices per serving, but you could do one (really, if you are worried about the fat and all that fun stuff you shouldn't be eating this salad!). My favorite is Whole Foods' black forest bacon you can get from the butcher. When I'm curbing my Whole Paycheck addiction, my second favorite is the Trader Joe's apple smoked bacon.

And lastly, whatever vinegar and herbs you'd like to use to make a dressing. I usually just use a little apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and some Italian seasoning. Quick, easy and tasty.


First you prep your greens (wash, drain, etc.). Then fry up the bacon and set aside to drain on some paper towels. Keep the bacon grease hot (the hotter the better) and gently slide your tomato slices in. Tomatoes are full of water, water and hot bacon grease really don't go well together, so don't cook this wearing your favorite $200 top. Wear an apron and stand back! Now just wait and let the tomatoes fry. After you feel like you've waited long enough (a minute or so), you can gently check the bottom of one, see if they are browned at all, if they are, flip and repeat! As soon as the tomatoes are cooked to your liking, remove directly onto your plate of greens (you should put each individual serving of greens on their own plate). Turn the heat off and swirl in some vinegar and herbs with the grease. Again, this is going to pop like crazy and if you've ever heated vinegar, it's a good idea to turn a fan on so you don't shrivel your nose hairs. While the dressing is still bubbling and hot, pour over the salad. Next crumble your bacon (or in my case I just chopped the bacon) on top and voila! Eat immediately, while your tomatoes are still hot!