Kobe Beef Sliders

I was having one of those days. AND, it was my day to prep dinner for that week's swap. I pulled into Trader Joe's and had no clue what I was going to do. So I said to myself, "Whatever the sample is tonight is what I'm doing for swap this week." It's no secret that we're pretty fond of TJ's samples around here but this particular night??? Yeah, it was a winner!

Ingredients (all available at Trader Joe's, obviously!)

* 1 lb Kobe beef (TJ's sells it in the freezer section) You could also use ground turkey, ground sirloin or your burger ingredient of choice

* TJ's Fresh Bruschetta Sauce

* Shaved Grana Padano Parmesan Cheese

* Organic Micro Greens

* Mini Slider Buns (I've also done this with King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls... YUM!)

* TJ's Garlic Herb butter

Instructions

1. Prepare 8 small burgers with the meat and either pan fry or grill.

2. Spread garlic herb butter on the inside of the buns or rolls and broil or toast for a few minutes to melt the butter and brown the bread a bit.

3. Assemble: Burger, some shaved parmesan, a scoop of bruschetta & some micro greens.

4. Enjoy!!

Irish Tacos with Fried Cabbage

No trip to Trader Joe's is complete without swinging by the sample kitchen and seeing what's on the menu for the day! (Liv reminds me if I forget!) I have gotten a number of great ideas from their samples and a few of them have become part of my regular cooking repertoire. This week's sample was something very different but also pretty tasty and with my swap day falling on St Patrick's Day this week, I thought this was a fun thing to make!

INGREDIENTS:

*1 package corned beef (I used TJ's premade, but you could certainly make your own)
*1 package corn tortillas (12)
*1 package TJ's frozen mashed potatoes (Super convenient, but of course you could make your own)
*1 package creme fraiche (7.5 oz)
*12 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

*1 bag shredded cabbage (10 oz)
*1/2 cup diced onions
*1 tbsp butter
*1 tbsp cider vinegar
*1 tbsp sugar
*2 tbsp water
*TJ's organic micro greens

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To fry the cabbage: melt butter and saute onions until tender. Dissolve sugar in vinegar, add to cabbage, then add to onions in the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water and cover. Simmer until done.

2. For tacos: Cook corned beef according to package instructions, then shred. Toast corn tortillas on both sides in a hot pan. Cook mashed potatoes according to package instructions. Layer tortillas with potatoes, corned beef, creme fraiche, cabbage & cheese. Garnish with micro greens & enjoy a twist on the traditional St Patrick's Day dinner!