Aiden's Baby Bam Burgers

This recipe turned out pretty good. I might do a little less on the seasoning but even with what it called for it was great. There weren't any burgers left, so you know that is a good sign.

Yield

Twelve 2-ounce burgers

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
  
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (we omitted this due to kids not liking onions)
  
• 2 tsp minced garlic
  
• 2 tbs ketchup
  
• 2 tbs sweet pickle relish (we omitted for same reason as above)
  
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
  
• 1 tbs baby bam (recipe for this on previous post)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  
• 12 hamburger buns or small dinner rolls (we used brown and serve rolls)
  
  

Directions

1. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper and wash your hands.
   
2. Place the meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic, ketchup, relish, mustard, Baby Bam, salt, and pepper, and mix well with you hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
   
3. Form the meat into patties, using about 1/4 cup for each. Place the formed patties on the baking sheet. Wash your hands really well with warm, soapy water before continuing.
   
4. Preheat a large skillet over medium -high heat.
   
5. Carefully place 3 or 4 patties in the skillet, being careful not to overcrowd them. Using a plastic turner, turn the burgers over after 4 minutes. Cook the burgers on the second side for 3 minutes.
   
6. Using and oven mitt or pot holder, remove the burgers from the skillet and place on a platter or large plate while the other burgers are cooking. Repeat with the remaining patties.
   
7. Serve on hamburger buns, topped with accompaniments if desired.

Shake-it-up-a-Notch Chicken

Aiden's first day in the kitchen this summer was a hit. He made this awesome chicken from Emeril's kids cook book. It was pretty easy for him to do by himself. I of course put it in the oven and took it out. Hopefully by the end of the summer he will be able to even to the oven by himself.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken cut into 8 pieces (we used chicken tenders)

Marinade

• 1 cup buttermilk (so you don't have to buy a whole thing of buttermilk you can do this: 1 cup milk and 1tbs white Vinegar and let stand 15min)
• 2 tbs mild red-hot sauce
• 1 tbs baby bam (recipe will follow at end)
• 2 tsp minced garlic

Breading Mixture

• 2 cups plain bread crumbs
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbs baby bam

Directions

1. Rinse the chicken pieces under cold running water, pat dry with paper towels, and place in a large heavy resealable plastic bag.
2. Combine the buttermilk, red pepper sauce, 1 tbs baby bam, and the garlic in a large measuring cup. Pour the marinade over the chicken, Seal the bag and squeeze gently so that the sauce evenly coats the chicken pieces. Place the bag inside a baking dish to prevent spills and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
3. Make sure the oven rack is in the center position and preheat oven to 375f
4. Combine the breading ingredients in another large heavy resalable plastic bag and shed well to blend.
5. Use tongs to remove the chicken, one piece at a time, from the marinade and drop it into the breading bag, shaking to coat well. Arrange the breaded chicken, skin side up, on a large nonstick baking sheet. Repeat with he remaining pieces.
6. Bake in oven until golden brown and crispy, about 45 minuets.

Baby Bam

• 3 tbs paprika
• 2 tbs salt
• 2 tbs dried parsley
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp celery salt

1. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir well to combine, using wooden spoon.
3. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.