PDX burgers: Killer Burger

i haven't been slacking on going out to eat, but somehow my eating adventures haven't led me by way of burgers recently. i finally was able to check one of the old list @ Killer Burger this past weekend. against all instincts i went with the peanut butter/bacon/pickle burger after hearing killer reviews about it. and it was exactly as described...something that shouldn't taste good, but tastes shockingly delicious. the PB & bacon were a perfect sweet pairing (who knew?), and the pickle was the perfect counter balance to that. 

K & I split that and the Jose Mendoza, which was bacon, roasted green chilies, monte jack, smokey house sauce, grilled onion, and pickle. this was also divine, although toward the end it tasted a little bit yellow mustardy to me (not sure if it was just the pickle or the sauce) so i didn't finish it. that's no knock on the burger though, just a personal preference against evil, evil yellow mustard.


all in all, the burgers were great, but definitely more of a toppings place than a "purist" place... burgers are not cooked to order, rolls are not homemade, but it's still all good. if you're in the mood for a mouth party burger, this is a solid go-to. 

recipe: artichoke chicken in white wine sauce

dinner last week -- i didn't follow the recipe exactly and might have made this an extra lemony and briny, so it had a little extra zing than i think it was supposed to, but regardless was really, really good. not to mention quite easy! the recipe was taken from thekitchn.com -- i ended up adding in extra liquid from the artichokes b/c there was not enough liquid in the pan (part of my extra zing), but i've re-scaled the recipe below which should avoid that issue.

ingredients list: 
- 2 cups (1 can) canned artichoke hearts, quartered
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup flour
- salt and black pepper
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 cups dry, light white wine (s/a chardonnay or sav blanc)
- 1/2 lemon
- fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

recipe: rosemary and red wine braised lamb shanks

we spent xmas in wine country, so it only seemed appropriate that we found a dinner that was entirely based around wine. and nothing says holidays like putting it on an adorable, tender little lamb. we had to improvise a little bit since we didn't have all of the cooking equipment / ingredients on hand in our tiny cabin, but even still this came out damn good. i used the Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks recipe from allrecipes.com as a base, and scaled it back a bit since we were cooking for two. 

the flavors were fantastic, although the meat was slightly tough as we overcooked it a smidge. next time i'll make this either in a slow cooker, or roast it low & slow in the oven after searing the meat.  

ingredients list:

- 2 cups red wine

- 1 (12 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

- 2 cups beef broth

- 2 lamb shanks

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 shallot, diced

- 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

- 5 cloves garlic, minced