Burger It 26: Chopped Cheese Burger

This burger comes from New York and is really popular there. We saw it on a travel show where Anthony Bourdain visits the Bronx and thought it looked different. So let's give it a try!

Ingredients:

500g minced beef
2 tablespoons sriracha
1 onion
grated cheese
mayo
bread rolls

Mix the minced beef and sriracha together. Form into patties. Cook the patties as you normally would in oil or butter. Let them caramelise on both sides. Now comes the 'chopped' part! Use a spatula to chop up the burgers, maybe into about 6 pieces. However you like though. Put a decent amount of grated cheese on top of the chopped burger. Let the cheese melt down and fill the gaps.

While the cheese is melting you can toast the bread buns and dice the onion. Spread some mayo on the toasted bun and add a tablespoon of onion. Place the chopped cheese on top. You're done!

This was a pretty great burger. It was hard to tell what was different from a regular cheeseburger but it was. Each bite was different in texture to a solid burger. We really enjoyed it, maybe it was the cheese being melted into the burger or the burger itself being in pieces. I don't know but we liked it. You'll have to give it a try to see for yourself. :)

Ratings: Emma - 4, JD - 4, Leigh - 4

Harrogate Cheap Eats - Cafe Rita

Last weekend we visited Cafe Rita in Harrogate. It's on Bower Road just along from Asda. It's a place we've walked past lots of times as it's on our route into town. It was nice to finally be eating there!

The cafe looked busy from the outside but there's a lot more tables than you think for a small cafe. We got seated and had a look at the menu. We both picked paninis. I had chicken, bacon and pesto while JD chose a tuna melt.  Mine came with a thick rasher of bacon in each half along with a large slice of chicken. It was really meaty! JD enjoyed his tuna melt which also had red onion on it. Both were £6.95 so within our £15 budget. We had water to drink as usual.

There was lots on the menu to choose from in the same price range. They have a particularly good selection of breakfast foods. French toast, full English, hash browns, lots of pancakes and crepes with delicious sounding toppings. They even do Russian savoury crepes with bacon, cheese and onions. We might have to go back to try those!

The service was friendly and efficient. It's a nice family cafe with homecooked style food at a good price. We enjoyed our visit.

Previously on Harrogate Cheap Eats:
 

Palm Court Cafe

Cheeky Burger 25: Butter Burger

Famous in Wisconsin, US this burger is cooked in butter instead of oil and has a generous pat of butter placed on each burger as it cooks. Sounds a bit too buttery to be honest but they do say it makes for a nice moist burger. Let's see!

Ingredients:

500g minced beef
4 burger buns
plenty of butter
salt and pepper

whatever other burger toppings you like

Form the burger patties from the minced beef, seasoning with salt and pepper too. Melt a pat of butter in the frying pan and cook the burgers until almost done. Top each burger with another pat of butter and continue to cook letting the butter melt over the burgers. When the butter has melted transfer to a burger bun and finish with whatever other burger toppings you like. We had bacon, gherkins, spinach, tomato ketchup and onion.

The burgers were more moist than usual and had a nice buttery taste but the whole thing was a bit greasy to eat. We enjoyed them but decided that it was too much butter. We'll stick to none-buttered burgers from now on. It was interesting to try them anyway. Wisconsin people, you're insane! :)

Ratings: Emma - 2.5, JD - 3 and Leigh - 3

Having A Gouda Time At Cheesefest

JD and I went to Cheesefest at the Yorkshire Show Ground today in Harrogate. We got our tickets a couple of months ago for an early price of £5 each. I think it was only £8 on the day. We went along not really knowing what to expect except for cheese.

The hall had food stalls all around the outside. Mostly cheese related but also a few others. The centre of the room was seating areas with a stage on one side. A one man band was playing while we were there but there was also some cooking demos and several screenings of Wallace & Gromit cartoons. There was a kids craft area where they were making Plasticine models of Wallace & Gromit too.

After looking around the stalls we decided on Mac and Cheese Waffles (£5) with some Halloumi Fries (£6).

Both were delicious! The queue for the waffles was the largest by far but I feel they were worth it. Mine was flavoured with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. I might have to try out making these in our waffle maker now. Yum!

JD next chose a Cheesewurst (£6) with cheese sauce (obviously, Cheesefest!) I was a bit full from the waffles so we bought some cheesy sausage rolls for lunch tomorrow and some temptingly delicious looking cheese scones. They were huge!

I had time for a quick snap with Wallace & Gromit before we were on our way home feeling very satisfied with our cheesy afternoon.

Harrogate Cheap Eats - Palm Court Cafe

JD and I like to have lunch out sometimes. It's a nice way to spend some time together away from the kids. But being the frugal pair we are we look out for good deals and cheap eats. Usually with a budget of £15 or less for the whole lunch. We also like to spend our money in independent cafes and takeaways. So after searching Harrogate we bring to you a series of lunches (or breakfasts) that can be eaten fairly cheaply and also help out the small businesses rather than chains.

Today we visited Palm Court Cafe.

It's above the Farrah's shop on Montpellier Hill but is quite spacious for an upstairs cafe. It's over two floors so we climbed a second flight of stairs to the Garden Room.

Seated next to the window you get a lovely view of the Crown roundabout.

After looking at the menu we chose Ploughman's lunches. I had a Yorkshire cheese one and JD had the pork pie one. Both £6.25.  There were plenty of other options around £5 including Toasted Sandwiches, Rarebit and Soups. We always have water to drink and it came served with ice and lemon. Lovely on such a warm day.

The food was well presented and looked appetising. Especially the doorstop bread and butter served with the Ploughman's. Palm Court Cafe make everything they serve themselves and the bread was delicious. JD's pork pie was a huge slice and it had chorizo in it which gave it a nice flavour (he let me have a bite). We polished off the lot. It cost us £12.50 for the meal so on budget, hurrah :D

They serve quite a large range of teas and coffees. They also have a lot of delicious looking homemade cakes. I might have to visit again for tea and cake with my daughter Leigh.

Give Palm Court Cafe a try, it's a hidden gem!

Oh Burger! 24: Sweet Potato, Butter Bean & Feta Burger

I always feel a bit suspicious of vegetarian burgers because they don't hold together well when cooking but I'm giving this one a go anyway. Wish me luck!

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes (cooked)
1 can butter beans
100g feta
1 tablespoon red pesto
1 egg
Salt & pepper

Combine everything in a bowl and mush it together with a fork. Form into patty shapes and place in a frying pan pre-prepared with a few tablespoons of oil. Cook until firmed up on each side.

As expected they're an absolute bugger to turn over. But JD managed it and soon we were eating vegetarian burgers. We had ours in a bun with some spinach leaves.

It was a nice tasting burger. It did have a lot of debate in our house as to whether it's a burger or not. It's not burger like in texture but it is encased in a burger bun. The vegetables were too mushy to feel like we were eating a burger. We all enjoyed it either way and it made for a nice meal.

Ratings: JD - 1 as a burger, 4 as a food Emma - 3 Leigh - 3

Subscription Box Review: Pasta Evangelists

I've been tempted by one last subscription box. After this one it's either subscription addicts anonymous or a bleak life with no more food parcels! I saw an advert for £15 off your first Pasta Evangelists box and I couldn't help myself.

This subscription promises restaurant quality pasta in your own home. I already feel like we're on top of our pasta game so I don't know why I was hooked in so easily. Normally around £30 for a 4 portion box I got ours for £15.

My parcel came only two days after I ordered it. Pretty efficient. It contained everything needed for 2 fancy pasta meals for 2.

I was a bit disappointed with the contents of the box. It didn't look like much. Still, I was looking forward to trying it for lunch. I made the Spinach & Ricotta Rotola Al Forno with Besciamella Cherry Tomato Sauce & Parmesan. Bit of a mouthful :D

It was pretty delicious. Pasta filled with spinach and ricotta, topped with a tomato sauce. We enjoyed it and it was really easy to put together. Like a posh ready meal.

The next day JD made the Giant Gorgonzola & Walnut filled Gnocchi with Sage Butter & Walnuts. It was our first time trying gnocchi and I have to say I loved it. Really filling and tasty. Yum!

If you're REALLY into fancy pasta dishes then maybe this subsciption box is for you. They do a wide range of different pasta dishes, some with meat too. They're really easy to cook usually needing only about 5 minutes of prep. It's quite convenient for a nice pasta meal. Of course it's a bit pricey and you could make it cheaper yourself but it does seem to be well thought out recipes that are simple to make and delicious. Nice treat for date night perhaps :)