Onion Ring Burger with Yogurt Sriracha Sauce

I received a lovely surprise as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program recently when they sent me an apron, pot-holder and a coupon to try Alexia Foods.  I was excited heading to the frozen section of my grocery store to find an Alexia brand product to try out. I looked over all the tempting choices when I saw them.... onion rings.   I love onion rings, but I only order them if I go to restaurants because most frozen onion rings are just not that good (most don't even have real onions).  These Alexia brand onion rings are fantastic.   Alexia onion rings are made with real Spanish onions, seasoning and panko bread crumbs then frozen for our convenience.  They only took a few minutes in the oven and I was thrilled that I finally had restaurant quality real onion rings at home.  I decided to put them on top of my burger and dress them with my homemade yogurt sriracha sauce. I also ate them as my side dish because when you meet a good onion ring you don't want to just have one. :)  The kicker is my son who dislikes onions in his food with a passion ate some of these onion rings and said they were really good. Say what?  These Alexia Onion Rings scored big in our family so when you find a winner you stick to it. 


Note: this quick masala spiced chicken burger is the burger I used in my onion ring burger. You can use any ground meat you prefer and season it as you wish because topping it with the onion rings is best part.


 Ingredients for my burger:
Step 1: prepare Alexia onion rings per package instructions
For Spicy burger
1lb of ground chicken or turkey
1Tbs of hamburger seasoning
1Tbs of parsley flakes
red chili flakes to taste
1/2 Tbs of garam masala
salt and black and pepper taste

Ingredients for Spicy Yogurt Sriracha Sauce:

1/2 cup of plain low-fat yogurt
2-3 Tbs of sriracha sauce (to taste)
2 Tbs of ketchup
1-2 tsp of  vinegar (to taste)
2Tbs of pickle relish(to taste)
salt and black pepper to taste
Mix well. Makes enough for 4 burgers and dipping the onion rings

Directions: 

Mix all the burger ingredients (except onion rings) and make 4 large burger patties. Then fry burgers on both sides until cooked through. 

Serve on toasted hamburger bun with onion rings and sriracha sauce.  Garnish with lettuce and tomatoes if you desire.  Enjoy.

Disclosure: I received a coupon from Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program courtesy of Alexia Foods.  I was not paid to write this post.  The opinions stated in this post are my own. Thank you.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Coconut Shrimp with Mango Tango Sauce

I recently made these Coconut Shrimp for a Tropical Island Themed party. Coconut Shrimp is such an easy dish to make with maximum crowd pleasing impact. I could not put this shrimp down fast enough before people emptied the plate and looked for a refill.   Luckily, it's fast and easy to make more so the "natives" did not get restless. I personally think the Mango Tango Sauce was what made people go a little crazy.  It was sweet, tangy and spicy and I could have eaten it with a spoon.  I am definitely making another batch to use it with other dishes.  You will definitely see the Mango Tango Sauce again soon. :)

Ingredients:
1lb of cleaned raw shrimp (de-veined and butterflied)

Marinate for 30 minutes:
2 tsp of ginger/garlic paste
1 tsp of red chili powder
Salt and black pepper

Breading Ingredients:
Seasoned flour (with some salt and pepper)
1 egg beaten
1 cup of dessicated coconut

Canola oil to deep fry as needed

 Directions:

Take the marinated shrimp and dust well with flour. Then coat in egg wash and finally coat in coconut.





Deep fry in oil that is heated to 350 degrees in small batches until golden brown. Allow to drain on a paper towel.  Then sprinkle a few grains of salt on each shrimp while hot.  Serve hot or at room temperature with dipping sauce.  Enjoy.

Mango Tango Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup pureed mango pulp (see note)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
juice of half a lime
1-2 green chilies (see note)
2tsp of ginger/garlic paste or 1 tsp each
some honey (to taste)
salt to taste

Notes regarding the Mango:  
You can take the flesh of a fresh mango and put into a food processor to blend it  into a puree or used a can of pureed mango pulp available in most Indian Stores.

Notes regarding the chili:  You can use jalapeno, serrano, Thai bird chili or even habanero chili depending how what heat level you like.  If you want to just get the flavor and tone down the heat, take the seeds and ribs out of the chile.  I used 2 Thai bird chiles.

 Directions:
 Put all ingredients in a saucepan and gently simmer on medium low heat for 15minutes until it thickens a bit. Taste for seasoning. Serve at room temperature.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Mango Tango Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup pureed mango pulp (see note)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
juice of half a lime
1-2 green chilies (see note)
2tsp of ginger/garlic paste or 1 tsp each
some honey (to taste)
salt to taste

Notes regarding the Mango:  
You take the flesh of a fresh mango and put into a food processor to blend into a puree or used a can of pureed mango pulp available in most Indian Stores.

Notes regarding the chili:  You can use jalapeno, serrano, Thai bird chili or even habanero chili depending how what heat level you like.  If you want to just get the flavor and tone down the heat, take the seeds and ribs out of the chile.  I used 2 Thai bird chiles.

 Directions:
 Put all ingredients in a saucepan and gently simmer on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes until it thickens a bit. Taste for seasoning. Serve at room temperature.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Pina Colada Punch

A tropical a drink is not only for hot summer days... it's for any day that you want to bring some sunshine into your life.  This Pina Colada Punch does exactly that with the refreshing taste of pineapple and the creamy coconut.  I made this punch non-alcoholic since I was making it for both children and adults. Of course you can add rum if you like for an adult only crowd. Life should always be a party, enjoy a fruity drink and do the conga.

Visit my post Gilligan' Island Themed Castaway Party for more tropical ideas. :)

Ingredients:
1 (20oz) can of pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (see note)
1 (46oz) can of dole pineapple juice chilled
1 (8oz)can of cream of coconut (available in the Hispanic Foods Aisle)
1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream
1 liter bottle of lemon/lime soda
rum to taste (optional)

Recipe adapted from  allrecipes.com

Note:  I recommend taking the can of pineapple and it's juice and put it into a jell-o mold then freeze it. Take it out of the mold by warming up the sides and place the frozen pineapple ring into the punch bowl to keep the punch cold without watering it down with ice cubes.  As it melts chunks of pineapple will float in the punch to enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Gilligan's Island Themed Castaway Party

The Foodbuzz 24x24 Food Event showcases 24 food blogger parties during a 24-hour period. I was thrilled to be featured this month!

Growing up one of my favorite shows to watch after school was Gilligan’s Island.  When my friends and I were talking about what we would eat if we were stuck on a tropical island, I thought back to all the fun food the 7 castaways ate on Gilligan’s Island.  Gilligan always enjoyed an array of banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, tropical drinks, seafood and salads.  So I thought it would make a fun evening to dine like castaways and have a tropical evening in the middle of winter.

To hear the theme song from Gilligan's Island Click  here.

Now here's my "cheesy" new lyrics to the theme song:

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a castaway themed party.
We’ll eat a tropical food buffet,

It will be fun and the dinner hearty.
 

So join us here at this 24x24 my friends,
You're sure to get a smile,
From a party full of “pretend” castaways,

here on "Gilligan's Themed Isle."

here on "Gilligan's Themed Isle."

Our party included not only my cheesy theme song, a wonderful island style menu, but re-runs of the show to watch and Gilligan's Island Trivia . Everyone also had to answer the following question: What would you bring as your luxury item if you were stuck on a desert island?  Feel free to participate in the Trivia questions shown below. Also leave your luxury item answer in the comments.  My guests had fun with this question and we had  answers like: Ipods, coloring books with crayons, Kindles with 1000 books downloaded, crate of wine, a lot of matches, Tom Hanks to do his Castaway thing or at least some winners from Survivor, a fully stocked RV and the best one is a helicopter to get the heck off the island.  :)

 

Now onto the  Food, here is The Castaways Menu:

Gilligan's Isle Coconut Water
Sherwood Schwartz’s Spicy Pineapple Salsa

The Skipper’s Coconut Shrimp

Mrs. Lovey Howell's Fish in Banana Leaf

Ginger’s Spicy Plantain Mofongo

Mr. Howell’s Fruit Salad

Gilligan’s Banana Cream Pie

Mary Ann’s Coconut Cream Pie

The Professor’s Pina Colada Punch

These recipes are inspired by the 60's TV show.  Of course like the magic of TV, seasoning and some necessary items were used (I did want the food to taste good after all). :)

Recipes:

Coconut Water (Juice)

Available canned in the Asian or Hispanic section of most grocery stores

Sherwood Schwartz's Fresh and Spicy Pineapple Salsa

Mrs. Lovey Howell's Steamed Fish and Coconut Curry in Banana Leaf 

The Skipper's Coconut Shrimp with Mango Tango Sauce

Ginger's Spicy Plantain Mofongo





 












Mr Howell's Tropical Fruit Salad

Gilligan's Favorite No-Bake Coconut Cream Pie

 

Mary Ann's No-Bake Banana Cream Pie






 










The Professor's Pina Colada Punch

 Gilligan's Island Show Facts:

Dates Aired:  September 26, 1964 - September 4, 1967 

Cast:

Gilligan:  Bob Denver

The Skipper: Alan Hale Jr.

Thurston Howell:  Jim Bakus

Lovey Howell: Natalie Schafer

Ginger Grant: Tina Louise

The Professor: Russell Johnson

Mary Ann: Dawn Wells 

Created by: Sherwood Schwartz

 Gilligan's Island Plot:  

A two man crew (Gilligan and The Skipper) of a small charter boat called the S.S. Minnow set sail out of Hawaii with 5 passengers (A millionaire and his wife, a movie star, the Professor and Mary Ann) for a 3 hour cruise.  They hit a tropical storm and end up shipwrecked on a desert island.  Three seasons of escapades ensue with Gilligan and his fellow castaways trying to live on the island and trying very hard to get off the remote island.  The show represents the 1960's comedy at it's best and silliest. The show has highly syndicated during the 1970's and 1980's and followed by several reunion TV movies.  Even modern day shows have done their own spins and "dream sequences" in reference to this show. Today Gilligan's Island is considered to be iconic pop culture TV.

Gilligan's Island Trivia

1. What is Gilligan's first name on the show?
2. What was "The Skipper's" first and last name on the show?
3. What was "The professor's" first and last name on the show?

4. What was Mary Ann's last name on the show?
5. True or False? The original theme song listed all the castaways.
6. What state was Mary Ann from on the mainland?
7. True or False?  Raquel Welch auditioned for the part of Mary Ann.
8. What was "The Professors" real job on the mainland?
9. What is the name of the big game hunter who tried to hunt Gilligan?
10. Who made sure the theme song of the show got changed so Mary Ann and "The Professor" were added?
11. True or False?  Kurt Russell guest starred on the show.
12. True or False?  The show originally taped in black and white and then later in color.
13. Who was more popular, Mary Ann or Ginger by audiences?  
14. Who was the only castaway actor to earn residuals (and made millions) once the show became syndicated?
15. Which actress won the Miss Nevada Beauty Pageant?
16. Who is the only castaway that had his own hut on the show? 
17. Who wrote the theme song of the show?
18. What did the castaways use as cups?
19. What was "Loveys" (Mrs. Howell) real name on the show?

Now scroll down for the answers and remember to answer what your luxury item would if you were on a desert island in the comments?

Sources:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilligan%27s_Island
http://timstvshowcase.com/gilligan.html

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/gilligans-island.htm
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/classic-television-revisited/images/3727586/title/gilligans-island-gilligan-photo 
www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/television/...d-g/gilligans_island.html
 www.funtrivia.com/en/Television/Gilligans-Island-2274.html

Answers to the Trivia:

1. What is Gilligan's first name on the show? Willy
2. What was "The Skipper's" real name on the show? Jonas Grumby
3.  What was "The professor's" real name on the show? Roy Hinkley

4.  What was Mary Ann's last name on the show? Summers

5. True or False? The original theme song listed all the castaways. False

6.What state was MaryAnn from on the mainland? Kansas

7.  True or False?  Raquel Welch auditioned for the part of Mary Ann. True

8.  What was "The Professors" real job on the mainland? High School Science Teacher

9 What is the name of the big game hunter who tried to hunt Gilligan? Jonathan Kincaid

10.  Who made sure the theme song of the show got changed so Mary Ann and "The Professor" were added? Bob Denver-Gilligan

11.  True or False?  Kurt Russell guest starred on the show.  True

12. True or False?  The show originally taped in black and white and then later in color.  True

13.  Who was more popular, Mary Ann or Ginger by audiences?   Mary Ann 

14.  Who was the only castaway actor to earn residuals once the show became syndicated?  Mary Ann- Dawn Wells

15. Which actress won the Miss Nevada Beauty Pageant?  Dawn Wells 

16.  Who is the only castaway that has his own hut? The Professor

17. Who wrote the theme song of the show? Sherwood Schwartz 

18. What did the castaways use as cups?  coconuts  

19. What was "Loveys" (Mrs. Howell) real name on the show? Eunice

Hope you had a great time at our Gilligan's Island Theme Party.  :)

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Hawaiian Chicken

A few weeks back my family went crazy over my Aloha Meatloaf.  Since then, they have been clamoring for another Hawaiian flavored dish so I thought this Hawaiian Chicken would make them happy.  I have become a fan of cooking chicken in the oven and letting a sauce or marinade do all the work for me. The hardest part of making this dish is pulling the heavy baking dish out of the oven to baste the chicken. Maybe I need to go to the gym and lift some weights so I won't be such wimp in the kitchen. LOL!  I made this Hawaiian Chicken for my niece's birthday and the results I got for a few minutes of prep were remarkable. My mother doesn't usually gush over food, but she gushed over this chicken.  Yes, I'm still doing a little happy dance from that reaction.

PS... I just wanted to mention that today is my Blogiversary!  It's been exactly one year since I opened this blog and wrote my first terrified words.  Of course all I heard were crickets back then and my only visitor was my #1 fan... my mother.  I never thought I would ever have such wonderful people come and share their thoughts and comments with me.  I have developed such admiration for the food blogging community in this last year and am thankful to Foodbuzz and everyone that drops by to visit.  I do this blog because I love recipes and I want to document them for myself.  I have learned so much and even developed a fondness for baking.  Of course I have a long way to go and many mountains left to climb in that department, but it's been an incredible journey so far.  Thank you from the bottom of my curry loving heart for being here every day with me to show that food and recipes are something that bond us and no matter how far we are from one another it brings us all together. Sending you all a big hug from me!  ~  Ramona 

Now... now onto the Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:
1 family pack (about 15 pieces) of chicken (bone in)
Salt and Black Pepper
Red Chili Powder to taste (optional)

Hawaiian Sauce
1 cup of pineapple juice from a 20oz can of pineapple chunks. Reserve the pineapple chunks for later.
1/4 cup of soy sauce (to taste- this the salt in the sauce)
1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup of ketchup
1Tbs of grated ginger
1Tbs grated garlic
2-3 Tbs of brown sugar (to taste)



Directions:

Place your chicken in a oven safe baking dish. Season with salt, pepper and red chili.  Place in a 375 degree oven (middle rack) for 15 minutes. Then take out of the oven and pour the Hawaiian Sauce over the chicken. Bake for another 20 minutes.

Take chicken out of the oven again and turn over all the pieces of chicken and baste again. Sprinkle reserved pineapple chunks over the chicken at this time.  Bake for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Serve hot. Enjoy.

 
Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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