Sliders are brilliant. If you’re not familiar with the term you can start by lifting the rock you live under… just kidding. Sliders are mini burgers. They are perfect for adult parties – we all love food you can eat in one or two bites and they are perfect for kids and their little hands and mouths. My kids love them!

They are easy to make and they freeze well. They’re quick to cook because of their smaller size and I love them as leftovers for lunch the next day. Here is my favourite recipe for full sized burgers or for sliders…

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork*
1 lb ground beef*
2 eggs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or panko
Splash of soya sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp bbq sauce
2 slices raw bacon, chopped
1/2 onion grated into the mixture
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder (or fresh garlic, crushed if you like)
salt & pepper to taste

*Use whatever meat you like. We like this combination because we find that pork is a little juicier.

Step 1: Mix the meat with the spices by hand. Note: Try to not over mix. The longer you mix, the more fat will start to melt and will make a tougher burger.

Step 2: Form combined meat into small hamburgers.

Tip: Putting a thumb-sized hole in the middle will prevent it from doming and help it cook more evenly.

Tip: If you have your buns on hand, make your burger a quarter of an inch bigger than the bun so after it’s cooked it fits perfectly.

Step 3: Grill until cooked to your preference. I prefer medium-rare, pink and warm in the middle or 130°F. (I grilled the sliders but you can also cook in a pan inside.)

Step 4: Add your favourite condiments to your bun and enjoy!

Personally, I doubt that the frozen fish fingers actually have any fish in them so this recipe was great. I felt good about feeding these fish fingers to my kids, and (bonus) they loved them!

This familiar family favorite is fresh, simple, and tasty. The fish stays moist and succulent inside its crispy coating, while the tartar sauce adds a little bit of crunchy tang.

prep 15 mins  cook 10 mins ❉ freezable

Serves 4

1 1/2 lb (675g) thick white fish fillets (loin works best), such as haddock, sustainable cod, or pollack, skinned
1–2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup bread crumbs, toasted
2oz (60g) Parmesan cheese, finely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp tartar sauce
1 tsp capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
3 gherkins, drained and finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut the fish fillets into thick, even strips about 1in (2.5cm) wide; you should end up with about 20 fingers of fish.

2. Pour the flour and egg onto separate plates. Mix the bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the flour, then dip in the egg to coat. Use the bread crumb mixture to coat each of the fish fingers. Make sure that you coat them well, as it protects the fish while it’s cooking.

3. Sit the fish fingers on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5–8 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. (Alternatively, you can shallow-fry them in a little sunflower or vegetable oil if you prefer.)

4. Pour the tartar sauce into a bowl and stir in the capers and gherkins. Serve immediately with the hot fish fingers.

Excerpted from Cooking Season by Season – copyright 2013 DK Publishing

Ingredients:

3 – 3 ½ pound whole Chicken
Water
Juice of 2 lemons
4 eggs
1 Cup of long-grain white rice, rinsed
Chicken stock cube
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash the chicken and place it in a large pot. Fill up the pot with water and bring to a boil. Remove any froth, which may form as it begins to boil. Cover and simmer for about one one and a half hour to two hours. While boiling make sure to top up the pot with water, the chicken should always be covered.

Once chicken is cooked, remove and let cool. Spoon off any excess fat from the stock. Add more water to the pot (depending on how many people you want to feed). Dissolve the stock cubes in a little of the stock in a bowl and return to the pan. Add the rinsed rice and bring back to a boil. Cook rice according to package. Once rice is cooked, turn off the heat.

While the rice is cooking, juice lemons and make sure there are no pits. Crack four eggs into a bowl and beat lightly. Once eggs are whisked, slowly add lemon juice so it doesn’t curdle. For a creamier soup use a whisk.

In order for the egg and lemon not to curdle, you must slowly add one ladle of the stock in to the bowl of egg, beating constantly to avoid curdling. Repeat with a further two ladles of soup, remembering to beat the mixture continuously. Return the egg mixture to the remaining soup in the pan. Adjust the seasoning with some salt and pepper.

Depending on your preference, as this is a Greek soup many Greeks don’t put the chicken in the soup but my kids love it. Cut up the chicken into pieces and add it into the soup. This is a great way to add pieces of the chicken the kids might not eat.

Serve!

Enjoy!

When I met my wife, her family didn’t really celebrate Thanksgiving either. It wasn’t until her sister decided to have Thanksgiving dinner that I got to experience it.

What is Thanksgiving? From what I’ve seen about Thanksgiving after being in Canada for 15 years, it’s a reason to meet up with your cranky family, overeat, watch lots of sports and naps afterwards.

It might not sound like I like Thanksgiving (or my family) but I really enjoy it and look forward to it every year. Realistically, we should be teaching our kids about giving thanks, loving our family and appreciating the time together. This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for Liverpool FC, my kids, my Zodiac… and my wife.

Warm up with chick pea stew.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped
2 – 3 Leeks
2 Cans of Chick Peas, Drained
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Cap full of white vinegar
1 Cube Vegetable or Chicken Bullion Base
Hot Water
Spinach
Chopped fresh Parsley, to taste
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Step 1: Chop the onions and leeks.

Step 2: Drain the cans of chick peas and rinse.

Step 3: Turn on the stove between medium and high heat. Cover the bottom of a pot with olive oil. Cook the onions for five minutes, until soft. Add the leeks and saute for a few minutes.

Step 4: Add the can of tomatoes to the pot and stir. Bring to a simmer.

Step 5: Add one and a half cups of boiled water to one chicken bullion cube and let it dissolve. Once dissolved, add it to the pot and allow to come to a boil before adding the chick peas. Stir. Sprinkle in garlic powder to your family’s taste.

Step 6: Rinse the spinach while the chick peas are cooking. Add the spinach to the pot and put the lid on for five to ten minutes, for the spinach to cook. Remove the lid and stir.

Step 7: Squeeze in the juice from a lemon and a cap full of white wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. At this point you can eat, or you can put the lid back on and allow to simmer for another half hour. This is really based on preference, we like our stew a little less thick, but if you allow it to simmer it will thicken up.

Step 8: Cut up crusty bread for dipping.

Step 9: Sprinkle on chopped parsley to taste.
Enjoy!

Among the many virtues of chicken wings, perhaps the best of all is the very high ratio of crispy, super-flavorful skin to meat. To take advantage of this, we toss the wings with a spicy herb mixture right after they come off the grill, so the skin gets nicely coated. You probably already know this, but these make an excellent snack to serve when you have friends over to watch the big game.

The Wings

3lb (1.5kg) chicken wings
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons smoked paprika picante (hot – preferably the Spanish pimentón de La Vera)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

The Dressing

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh herbs: any combination of parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Build a fire in your grill. When the coals are all ignited, the flames have died down, and the temperature is medium (see p34), you’re ready to cook.

Cut each wing into 3 sections. Discard the wing tips or save them for stock.

Rub the wing pieces with oil, sprinkle them with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, then put them on the grill directly over the coals and cook, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown (10–15 minutes). To check for doneness, cut into one to make sure there is no redness near the bone.

While the wings are on the grill, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs, sherry, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold all of the wings; mix well.

As the wings come off the grill, add them to the bowl, turning to coat with the dressing. Serve the wings hot, right out of the bowl, with plenty of paper napkins.

Excerpted from Grill It! Copyright © 2012 by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby/DK Publishing. Excerpted by permission DK Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission from the publisher.

NB: I used my regular propane BBQ to do the last bit, we don’t have a charcoal BBQ.

This is for those of you who don’t have the patience or the space to make slow-barbecued ribs. Although they only spend a few minutes on the grill (after several hours in the oven), this version is still mighty delicious. In fact, once they’re oven-cooked, you can refrigerate them for up to two days before finishing them off on the grill. They are “Memphis-style” because, like the pitmasters of that rib-centric city, we don’t put sauce on the meat. Instead, we coat them with our Traditional Barbecue Rub before they get cooked, then pass the sauce separately along with the cooked ribs. That way, the ribs have a nice, crisp, dry crust on the outside, which you can coat with as much sauce as you like.

Traditional Barbecue Rub

Ingredients:

1/3 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground paprika
2 tablespoons ground chile powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground ginger

The Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons prepared brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon “liquid smoke” (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine all the rub ingredients and mix well. (If you want to multiply the quantities, this mixture will keep, covered and stored in a cool, dry place, for months; it’s great with any pork cut or with chicken.)

Preheat the oven to 200˚F (95°C). Coat the ribs thoroughly with the barbecue rub, set them on baking sheets, and roast until the meat is tender and pulls easily from the bone (about 3 hours). Remove the ribs from the oven.

While the ribs are cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, and set aside.

When the ribs are nearly done, light a small fire in your grill. You want a very low charcoal fire with the grill rack set as high as possible. When the ribs are done, put them on the grill for as long as your patience allows—at least until a light crust has formed, which can take from 10 to 20 minutes per side, depending on your fire. Of course, the longer the ribs cook, the better. Brush them with sauce during the last minute of cooking.

Excerpted from Grill It! Copyright © 2012 by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby/DK Publishing. Excerpted by permission DK Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission from the publisher.

Penne a la vodka is quick, easy and, most importantly, filling! It’s great to feed lots of people, delicious as leftovers and if you like bacon and garlic you’re in for a treat! The best part is that it takes the same amount of time to cook the pasta as it does to prepare the sauce.

Penne A La Vodka

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Spring Onion
Small chunk of pancetta (If you have a vegetarian in your family leave it out)
8 Garlic Cloves
1 Litre of Strained Tomatoes
1 oz Vodka (don’t worry if you have kids, the alcohol burns off)
Whipping Cream (you can use lighter cream but we prefer whipping cream)
450 Grams of Penne Rigate (we like rigate because the sauce gets into the crevices)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Step 1: Cut up the spring onion into thin slices. Cut pancetta into strips, turn the strips and cut 1″ pieces. Peel garlic cloves and smash with a knife (leave them whole, you’ll pull them out of the sauce later).

Step 2: Coat the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil. Saute onions and pancetta for a few minutes. Add the garlic and let everything simmer (revel in the smell – it’s my favourite smell of all time). In a separate pot, bring water (for the pasta) to a boil and add some salt to flavour.

Step 3: Add the tomato and bring to a boil. (Don’t forget to put the penne in the boiling water!)

Step 4: Pour the vodka into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it simmer for five minutes to let the alcohol burn off. Add cream, salt and pepper to taste. Stir. After letting the sauce saute for a few minutes, remove the garlic cloves.

Step 5: Drain the cooked penne and add it to the sauce. Stir and let it boil together for a few minutes. If you have time, let it rest off of the heat for another few minutes, to let the pasta soak up the sauce.

Dig in!

I prefer to add freshly grated parmesan and basil on mine. My wife adds crushed chili peppers.

Enjoy!
 
 
 

This recipe is perfect for someone who wants to make one meal and use it in different ways. This is inspired by my love of spicy food and Asian fusion.

Grilled Flank Steak

Ingredients:
1 Flank Steak (around 2 pounds will feed a family of 4)
2 Tbs Soya Sauce (we use low sodium)
1/2 Tbs Sesame Oil
2 Tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (use more or less depending on how spicy your family likes it)
Salt to taste

Step 1: Put steak in zip lock bag. Add the soya sauce, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce. Massage the ingredients into the steak, covering it with sauce. Refrigerate overnight.

Step 2: Grill for 5-7 minutes per side for medium rare, depending on thickness. Set the steak aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Slice the steak thinly on the bias across the grain.

Serve!

You can eat the sliced steak with salad, put it in a wrap with grilled veggies, or serve it with a baked potato.

We decided to eat it with rice noodles, bok choy and edamame.

Enjoy!

I’ve decided to put together some of my favourite barbecuing recipes, and will be putting them together in a series called “What’s for Dinner.” I’ve tried to simplify them to make it easy for everybody to do. If you can’t do it, just pop ’round and we’ll do it together over a bottle of beer.

Being Greek, the first dinner I wanted to share is pork souvlaki. If you’re not a fan of the “other white meat” you can replace pork with chicken but I don’t like to because it tends to be dry. We make this meal all the time in the summer, and it is easy to prepare ahead of time.

 Pork Souvlaki

Ingredients:

Pork tenderloin (3 tenderloins will feed a family of 4)
Half Lemon (juice)
Fresh parsley (chopped)
Sea Salt
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Red Pepper
1 Onion

Step 1: Cut tenderloin into 1″ by 1″ pieces, removing excess (shiny) fat. Try not to make the pieces too big.

Step 2: Cut peppers into 1″ x 1″ pieces. Slice onion into quarters and separate layers. You can cut some of the bigger layers in half. Get ready to skewer the meat and vegetables!

Step 3: Put the pork, onion and peppers on the skewer tight together, alternating between meat and vegetable. Salt liberally.

Refrigerate for a few hours, or over night. The salt will make the pork juicy and flavourful.

Step 4: Grill. Turn at least four times (one for each side). Don’t let it over cook!

Step 5: When the meat is cooked, remove the skewers from the grill. Put on a plate, add the juice from half a lemon and sprinkle chopped parsley.

Tsatziki

Ingredients:

1 tub Plain Liberte Mediterranean Yogurt (if your grocery store doesn’t have it, buy Greek Yogurt or, as pictured above, plain yogurt)
1/2 Cucumber, grated
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped/crushed
1/2 Tablespoon of Dry Mint
Salt to taste

Step 1: Grate cucumber using a cheese grater into a sieve. When you have grated the cucumber, add salt and use a spoon to push the excess water out of the cucumber. Make sure you put the sieve under a bowl to catch the excess water. [If you don't have a sieve, put the grated cucumber in paper towel and ring out the water.]

Step 2: Put the yogurt in a bowl (we used a measuring cup). Add the cucumber. Crush garlic cloves into the yogurt.

Step 3: Add mint. Add more salt to taste. Combine.

It is important to say that this should be made to your taste. Sometimes we add an extra clove of garlic, more mint or olive oil, but it all depends on what you and your family like.

Filling your Pita

The best part about this dinner is that you can eat it different ways. We chose to put it together in a pita for today, but you can also make it like a salad (toast the pita – yum!). Include whatever you prefer in the pita – the combinations are endless!

Ingredients:

Cabbage
Lettuce
Tomato
Cucumber
Lemon (optional)
Onion (that you cooked with the meat)
Red & Yellow Pepper (that you cooked with the meat)
Pork
Tzatsiki

NB: If you’re planning on adding cabbage use a potato peeler to cut it instead of slicing it. It comes out thin and it is easy to do! I love doing this for salads or coleslaw.

Assemble your pita. Wrap it (or not) and enjoy!

FYI: This is how our kids ate it.

If you make this recipe, let me know what you thought!