Menu from Thursday's Festivities...

I said I'd post the menu with recipes from last night's dinner party.

We ending up eating a little later than planned, but the food turned out perfect, if I do say so myself! I LOVE when that happens when you're trying a new recipe!

I served chips and salsa while everyone was waiting on me to get dinner on the table and then we had...

Beef Fajita Burgers from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute GET REAL Meals cookbook. I am ALWAYS looking for new burger recipes because I think plain, 'ol burgers are dull and boring. These little jewels did not disappoint!

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin (I used 3 lbs and it made about 8 nice sized patties.)

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 to 3 TBSP fresh thyme leaves (courtesy of my office)

Several drops of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

2 TBSP grill seasoning (such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) for drizzling

1 pkg of large flour tortillas, warmed at passed at the table

Directions:

Heat grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl combine the meat, Worcestershire, spices, thyme, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Score and divide the meat into 4 to 8 (depending on how much meat you used) and make 4 to 8 large patties, 1 inch thick. Drizzle EVOO on the patties. Cook the patties for 5 or 6 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.

I served our burgers on warm tortillas with grilled onions, fresh lettuce and tomato and shredded cheese.

Summer Veggies (I think I've given y'all this recipe before, but I'm going to give it to you again-just in case)

We get free veggies from our company garden which is a HUGE perk. So my "Summer Veggies" vary from time to time depending on what's in season.

Last night it included: zucchini, yellow squash, red potatoes and a yellow onion all thinly sliced and tossed in 1/2 stick of butter, a few dashes of EVOO, a half of a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix, salt and pepper and sprinkled with fresh Parmesan. They were YUMMY!

Sante Fe Salad (I just call it "Sante Fe" because of the bell peppers.)

Ingredients:

Salad greens, carrot slices, tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell pepper. Toss with salad dressing of your choice.

Sopapilla Cheesecake from www.recipezaar.com

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls

2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

1/2 cup margarine or butter (not spread or tub product)

ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. With 1 can of crescent rolls, line the bottom of a 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam.

2. Stretch Dough and pinch holes close to form a crust.

3. Blend together, with mixer, softened cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over dough, but not too close to the edges.

5. Stretch the second can of crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture to form a top crust. (I usually only end up using 3/4 of the second can of crescent rolls.)

6. Melt margarine/butter, blending in 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

7. Pour evenly over the crust and sprinkle generously with Cinnamon. (I've also added shredded chocolate and finely chopped pecans to the topping.)

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until bubbling and bottom crust is slightly browned.

9. Let cool and refrigerate before cutting into squares. (I always serve mine right out of the oven and it's still gooey and warm. But, it's good cold, too!)

Have a wonderful weekend! I am headed to Wichita Falls to see Miss Whitney! I am so excited! We are going to checkout a local winery, Wichita Falls Vineyards & Winery, and do a little shopping. I love girlfriend weekends!