Spiked Cheeseburgers

It was a happy, happy day last week, because for the first time since this long, hard, relentless winter started one billion years ago, it was actually warm enough to crank up the old grill and cook some cheeseburgers.  The Southern husband was happy.  The teenager was happy.  The dog was deliriously happy, because she is convinced that if she waits long enough, one day someone is going to grill her a cheeseburger instead of just dumping another cup of kibble into her dish.  A dog can dream...

Anyway.  This momentous occasion seemed to call for something other than your normal wonderful cheeseburger.  Something adventurous.  Something celebratory.  Something involving a little, well, alcohol.  Take another look at that picture up top...see that scrumptious sauce oozing down the burger?  Let's just say that is special sauce.  Very special.  As in, contains just the right hit of vodka in it.

Still with me?  Here's what happens:  you mix up some ketchup, some mayo, a little mustard, and a little roasted garlic.  And then you add...wait for it...about 4-5 tablespoons of vodka.  (If you are a responsible parent like me, you hold back some of the sauce in a separate dish for your underage teenager.  More spiked-ness for the old folks).

Now grill up those burgers however you like 'em, and don't forget to toast the buns.  (Note: you can definitely add in the cheese the way you usually do, but I like to take the top bun after it is toasted, lay the cheese on it and nuke it for about 20 seconds, so the cheese is adhering to the bun and not the burger.  But you be you, cheese-wise.)

 

  When that's all done, toss a few pickles on the bottom of the bun, lay the burger on them, and put a generous amount of sauce on top.  This is not the time to be stingy with the sauce.  Top bun over the whole thing, and dig in.  Be very happy.  Happier than a cheeseburger usually makes you. 

 

Happy.

Spiked Cheeseburgers, adapted from Marc Murphy's recipe

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tps roasted garlic
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 5 tablespoons vodka

• 2 1/2/ pounds ground beef
• 6 hamburger rolls
• 6 slices cheddar cheese
• sliced pickles

1. Mix mayo, mustard, garlic, ketchup and vodka together and mix well.  Set aside.

2. Form beef into 6 patties and salt and pepper them. Grill to your liking, adding cheese at the last minute to melt.  Toast the rolls during the last minutes of grilling.

3. Place several pickles on the bottom of each roll, top with burger, and spread about 2 tablespoons of sauce on each burger.  Place top of bun over all and serve at once.

Print this!

Chicken Basil Parmesan Burgers

I'm continuing on with my public service announcements regarding using up those fresh herbs growing all around us before they disappear in the first frost (it's coming! you know it is!), and so please consider this the basil edition. I actually have a ton of recipes in my arsenal for dealing with all this basil outside my back door.

These include Tomato Mozzarella Basil Salad, Pasta Caprese, and maybe my all-time favorite, Pasta with Brie and Tomatoes. But there is always so, so, so much basil that I am always on the look-out for the next great basil-using recipe, and when I ran into this recipe for chicken parmesan burgers in Bon Appetit I knew it had my name on it. First of all, it involves basil both in the sauce and as a topping for the burger. Second, the teenager is always thrilled to hear that anything with the word "parmesan" is on the dinner menu. And I always love experimenting with anything that takes a familiar dish and shaking it up a little, which is what this one does. So...game on.

You start with some ground chicken, which I had actually never used before. Now, I hear from good sources that plain ground chicken can be a little bland, so this recipe jazzes it up with some parmesan cheese and onion and bread crumbs. A little chopped basil, a little marinara sauce, and you have some pretty good looking stuff going on here. You fry up the chicken burgers in a little olive oil until until they are cooked through and nice and crispy on the outside.

Meantime, you are toasting some nice slices of your favorite Italian bread, heating up some of your favorite marinara sauce (if I am using the jar variety, I like Patsy's) and picking some nice, big basil leaves.

You're almost there....finish the burgers by melting some fresh mozzarella on top. Nestle them onto a slice of bread, ladle on a little sauce, lay some basil leaves on top, cover with another piece of bread.

Take THAT, basil!! :)

Chicken Parmesan Burgers, adapted from Bon Appetit

• 10 1/2-inch-thick slices French bread (4 inches in diameter); 8 slices toasted, 2 slices (crust removed) diced
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh basil, divided, plus 12 large basil leaves
• 3/4 cup marinara sauce
• 12 ounces ground chicken (white meat)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated onion
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

• 
  
  Blend diced bread and Parmesan in processor to fine crumbs. Transfer to pie dish; mix in 2 tablespoons minced basil.
• 
  
  Mix marinara and 2 tablespoons basil in small saucepan. Transfer 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce to large bowl. Add chicken, 1/2 tablespoon oil, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with pepper; blend. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; coat with crumbs. Heat sauce over low heat.
• 
  
  Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties until bottoms are crusty, 4 minutes. Turn patties over; top with cheese. Cook 3 minutes. Cover; cook until cooked through and cheese is melted, about 1 minute.

• Place each burger on a slice of toasted bread. Ladle some sauce on top and cover with basil leaves. Top with another slice of bread and serve immediately. With lots of napkins!

Click here for printable recipe

Meatloaf Burgers with Grilled Corn

Oh, I have so much to say about this fabulous, not-your-usual-hamburger recipe. First of all, the burger itself is made of a scrumptious meatloaf mix, including fabulous stuff like chopped Vidalia onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and mustard, just to name a few. Second, the burger is topped with both bacon (yes!!!) and a fruit-nut cheese that you will have to stop yourself from completely devouring on crackers before the burgers are even ready. Think of this as a very, very special bacon cheeseburger.

OK, let's start with the cheese. (and by the way, the whole devouring on a cracker thing? Guilty. My best advice is, make extra.) First, toss some cream cheese in a bowl. I used the whipped variety, but you can use the regular version too, just make sure you leave it out to soften first.

Add some shredded cheddar. (Cheese on cheese. Mmmmmmmm....)

Some chopped pecans (or really, any other kind of chopped nut you have around. Clean out those pantry shelves.)

Dried cranberries. I'm betting raisins would be just fine in here as well.)

A little chopped sweet onion...

And some fresh parsley. Mix mix mix.

Tempting, right??? Make sure you hold some back for the burgers.

Next, let's discuss the corn. Every time I cook corn on the grill, I ask myself why on earth I ever go to the trouble of hauling out a giant pot of water to cook it on the stove. If you are going to have the grill on anyway, it is super-easy to grill the corn alongside anything else you are making. All you do is toss the un-husked corn on the medium hot grill for about 20 minutes. Some folks like to soak the corn in water for a little while first (I guess to lessen the chances that the husks will catch fire) -- personally, I just put the corn right on the grill with no preparation at all. The husks will get a charred look, but the corn inside will be sweet and tender.

So now you have your meatloaf burgers, your delicious cheese topping and your grilled corn. And probably a crowd of people around you who can't wait for supper to make it to the picnic table. Barbecue dinner extraordinaire. I love summer!!

Meatloaf Burgers with Grilled Corn, adapted from Taste of the South

Cheese Spread ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup minced Vidalia onion
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Burger ingredients

• 1 cup minced Vidalia onion
• 1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon steak sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 pound ground pork sausage
• 12 slices cooked bacon
• 1 recipe fruit and nut cheese
• 6 hamburger buns, toasted
• 6 slices tomato, optional
• 6 green lettuce leaves, optional
• Dijon mustard, optional

• 6 ears corn

1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, Cheddar, pecans, onion, cranberries, parsley, Worcestershire, paprika, and salt, mixing to blend. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, approximately 3 minutes. Add garlic, and stir for 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl, and let cool completely.
3. Add bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire, steak sauce, dry mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper to vegetable mixture, mixing well. Add ground beef and sausage, mixing until just combined. Shape mixture into 6 patties, and place on a baking sheet. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
   
5. Grill corn with husks on for 20 minutes. When they have been on for ten minutes, add the burgers so everything is done at the same time.
   
6. Grill burgers, turning once, just until they feel firm when pressed in the centers (meat should bounce back), approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, and immediately top each burger with two slices bacon and desired amount of Fruit-and-Nut Cheese. Serve on buns, with tomato, lettuce, and Dijon mustard, and grilled corn on the side.

Click here for printable recipe

Crunchburgers!

Last weekend I strayed a little out of my usual photographic territory. No cookies, no babies, no puppies...I photographed a car show. And despite pretty much not having any idea what I was doing, the pictures came out...not so bad.

And so I did what I always do when I take a few not so bad pictures. I start trying to figure out how I can possibly relate them to something I have made for dinner, just so I can throw them up here on the blog.

Now, when it comes to babies and puppies, this is not so hard. Anything that features the word dumpling is fair game for me to toss an adorable baby picture out there.

And as for puppies, well, I figure that just about everything in life can be related to a puppy in one way or the other.

But cars? Hmm. I really had to scratch my head over that one. And then it came to me.

Road food!

And what better road food than one of my favorite burger concoctions: The Crunchburger!! Which is basically your good old American cheeseburger, but instead of wasting time putting those good old American Wise potato chips next to the burger, you pile them right on top of the burger itself. It gives the burger a hugely satisfying crunch, along with a hit of salt, that is almost as good as grooving down the highway in your convertible.

So there you have it -- a great recipe and I managed to work my car show photos in there. Triumph!!

Now I have to figure out what to cook that will work with this wedding I just photographed...

Crunchburgers!, from Bobby Flay via Epicurious

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80 percent lean) or ground turkey (90 percent lean)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 8 slices American cheese, each 1/4 inch thick
• 4 potato hamburger buns, split; toasted if desired
• 4 slices beefsteak tomato
• 4 leaves romaine lettuce
• 4 slices red onion
• Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise
• 4 handfuls of potato chips

1. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.

2. Cook the burgers, using the oil and topping each one with 2 slices of cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking.

3. Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and, if desired, top with tomato, lettuce, onion, and a dollop of horseradish mustard mayonnaise. Pile on the potato chips, top with the bun tops, and serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Sheriff Stubb's Gorgonzola Burgers

Oh yes, it is really and truly grilling season, and you know what that means...time to break out the barbecue sauce! In our house, our favorite sauce (after much taste-testing of many sauces) is something called Stubb's. It comes in all kinds of flavors, and our preference at the moment is for the Hickory Bourbon variety.



I had it out to make my dangerous BBQ Casserole a little while back, and the southern husband must have found a website on the jar while he was holding it lovingly in his arms, because the next day there was a print-out on my desk for a recipe entitled Sheriff Stubb's Gorgonzola Burgers. Well technically it was half a recipe, because he only printed out one page. Maybe he thought if I had the general idea I could just wing it. But it's the thought that counts, and he happily ran back and printed the rest of it when I said I just might make these if I actually had the whole recipe.

Now, the reason these are called Sheriff Stubb's burgers is (I think) because of the apple slices that go on top of the burger. The recipe says to cut perpendicular slices of a Granny Smith apple and pop the seeds out of the center, leaving you with what they call a Sheriff's Star. So I did...and sure enough, there was the star.



Slight digression: that is the teenager's hand, and please note the blue heart drawn in magic marker. I have asked her approximately 900 times not to draw on her hands, or arms, or feet, or other body parts...and inevitably at least once a week she is sitting at the dinner table with more artwork on herself. Which leads to this:

Me: I thought I said please don't draw on yourself with ink?

Her: My friend did it and I didn't notice.

or...

Her: I didn't have any paper

or...

Her: I was bored and I couldn't help it!

Etc.

Anyway, you pop these apple slices on the grill alongside your burgers (which by the way have been made by mixing a little bbq sauce in with the meat and wrapping bacon slices around the burgers), and you grill them up together until the burgers are cooked to your liking and the bacon is done and the apple slices are warm and a little soft. Meantime you mix up some crumbled blue cheese with a little more bbq sauce until you have a nice little spread -- you can see it on the bottom of the bun on that picture up top. Layer it all together, and there you go. Go make 'em.

Sheriff Stubb's Gorgonzola Burgers

1lb Ground Beef
8 Slices of Bacon
3 Tbs of Stubb’s Bar-B-Que Sauce
½ Cup Gorgonzola Cheese
Medium Granny Smith Apples
Hamburger Buns

1. Combine 1lb ground beef with 3 Tbs Stubb’s BBQ Sauce. Form 4 patties, wrap each patty with two pieces of bacon, securing with toothpicks. Baste thoroughly with Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauce and set in refrigerator until ready to grill.

2. Thinly slice apple perpendicularly to the core. Slices should be about 1/8 inch thick. Gently remove any seed pieces, leaving a Sheriff Star in the middle. Set aside until ready to grill.

3. Combine ½ cup gorgonzola with 1/3 cup Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauce. Gently blend leaving slightly lumpy. Refrigerate until use.

4. Cook burgers and Sheriff Star apples on the grill over medium heat.

5. Lightly toast buns and spread bottom bun with Gorgonzola Spread. Remove toothpicks from cooked burgers, top with Sheriff Stubb Apples Badges and serve on top of prepared bun.

Click here for printable recipe

Mini Sloppy Joes

Okay, so I love absolutely anything in mini-form. Mini M&Ms. Mini Snickers bars. Actually, mini-bars of any kind. And I also love sloppy joes, except for the fact that they are so, well, sloppy. It's distracting when the bite that you thought was headed for your mouth actually ends up on the plate. Or your lap. Or the floor (although the dog lives for moments like that.)

So I was so happy with these little guys. First of all, you get three of them on your plate. Three sloppy joes instead of one, it just makes my heart sing. Second, there is the whole mini thing. You can finish each one off in 2 or 3 bites, and pretty much the whole thing stays together. And I also loved the little avocado slice on top. It made the sloppy joe almost elegant! I wanted to show you guys a picture that would demonstrate the actual mini size of these babies, and so I scoured the house for a comparable object that would show the approximate size....

The recipe is below, but you can also use your own favorite sloppy joe recipe for this one because honestly, it's all about the mini-ness of it. And don't worry about finding mini-rolls because those shown above are made out of a hot dog roll cut into three pieces. I know, it's just too good to be true, right?

Mini-ness. Happy sigh.

Mini Sloppy Joes, adapted from Everyday Food

• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can tomato puree, (14.5 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 hot dog rolls, cut into mini buns
• 1/2 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef, breaking apart pieces with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add pureed tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and 1 1/2 cups water. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Divide evenly among the mini buns.

Click here for printable recipe

Corned Beef Burgers

Now, if I was REALLY organized, I would have gotten this out to you last week when you still had all that leftover corned beef from Pt. Patrick's Day still in your fridge (maybe you still have some?). And while we just loved the little salty hit that the corned beef gave to this recipe, if you are fresh out of corned beef using all ground beef will still work just fine.

If you don't count the episode where I sent the Southern husband out into a raging snowstorm to grill tomatoes for me, this was the first time we cranked up the grill for the 2010 grilling season. All of the sudden it is sunny and gorgeous and 70 degrees here in northern New Jersey, and around my house that means Hamburger Season. We found this creative approach in the Costco Connection magazine -- same place that I found the outrageously wonderful Caramel Apple Cake. The recipe comes from a blog that Costco features from time to time called Amazing Sandwiches, and there are quite a few on that blog that are pretty dang amazing for sure. They have something up there right now that calls for blueberry guacamole, which is a little too exotic for me, but if you like to walk on the wild side sandwich-wise, go check them out.

In the meantime, here's their recipe for Corned Beef Burgers, and here's hoping that wherever you are, spring has sprung.

CORNED BEEF BURGERS, from Amazing Sandwiches

• 8 oz corned beef
• 8 oz ground chuck
  
• 1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley
• olive oil
• 4 hamburger buns
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 medium sized Haas avocado, thinly sliced
• Horseradish Mayo (recipe follows)

Preheat the grill or cast iron skillet on medium high.
Place corned beef slices in food processor and pulse for 2 seconds to shred. In a medium sized bowl, combine the shredded corned beef, ground chuck, pepper, salt, cayenne peper and parsley. Divide the mix into four equal portions and form four (1/4 – 1/3 inch thick) burgers. Spray or brush each side with olive oil. Grill (or cook in skillet) for 3 – 4 minutes per side to achieve a medium-well done burger. In the final minute of cooking, place two slices of Swiss cheese on each burger. Cover the grill (skillet) and continue to cook for another minute.
To serve, place 1 tablespoon horseradish mayo on the bottom half of each hamburger bun. Add the burger. Top with one teaspoon more of the horseradish mayo, and a few thin slices of avocado.

Horseradish Mayo

• 8 tbs mayonnaise
• 4 tsp freshly grated horseradish root

Mix mayonnaise and horseradish in small bowl.
Note: Grated horseradish root loses it’s potency, so make just enough to use immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Sliders with Bacon and Horseradish Sauce

A while back I had the privilege of working with the phenomenal Emeril LaGasse on a series of children's cookbooks, and it was one of the pure pleasures of my life. Emeril is an absolute artist in the kitchen. I can honestly, definitively say that the food I ate at the various events where he cooked was the best I have ever tasted. He has an amazing gift for putting foods together in simple but perfect combinations that make you want to just sing and dance when you taste them.

So when I heard Emeril had a new cookbook, and one that revolves around the grill...oh baby. I thought I would just start on page one and work my way right through to the end, but I was totally sidetracked by page 100. Sirloin Sliders with Crisp Bacon and Creamy Horseradish Mayo. Don't you just want to weep with happiness at the prospect of one of those babies? So last night my husband fired up the old Lazyman grill and we gave this recipe a try, and Emeril? Once again, you ROCK.

I followed the directions to a T (because who am I to question the Master), except that I used hot dog rolls instead of the brioche or dinner rolls -- simply take side-cut hot dog rolls and cut them in thirds, they will be the perfect size. I've included the recipe below because I know it would be total torture to tease you with that picture up there and then not share, but believe me when I say this book is jam-packed with recipes that look just as sensational. Run, do not walk to wherever books are sold and pick this one up -- it is essential reading for anyone who has both a grill and tastebuds. Click link below for more info:

EMERIL AT THE GRILL

Sliders with Bacon and Horseradish Sauce, adapted from EMERIL AT THE GRILL

Makes 12 sliders

• 12 ounces ground beef chuck
• 12 ounces ground sirloin
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 12 dinner roll sized brioche buns (or 4 hot dog rolls cut in thirds)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and broken into 2 inch pieces

1. Combine chuck, sirloin, garlic, onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly to combine. Using a 1/4 cup measure, divide mixture into 12 portions. Shape into small patties, 3 inches wide and 3/8 inch thick. Place on plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.

2. Whisk together mayo, sour cream and horseradish. Add remaining salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 3 days in advance).

3. Preheat grill to high.

4. Lightly brush cut sides of buns with butter. Wrap buns in foil and place on coolest part of the grill to warm while you cook the burgers.

5. Grill the burgers for about 2 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to bottom part of buns and garnish with bacon. Spoon a dollop of horseradish cream over the bacon and place bun tops over all. Serve hot.