Burger Me If You Please

When it comes to burgers, I have never given them much TLC. I usually see it as my "night off" meal with limited prep time and no actual cooking since the hubs does that part.. Throw some store bought french fries in the oven and call it dinner..But, I recently had a burger at my parents' house that was beyond delish...so good in fact that I was dreaming about it two hours after I had eaten it..... Leave it to Momma Gruen to rock it again and again!


One major tip she gave to a beyond good burger is to not skimp on the fat content. I tend to get lean meat (7% fat) but I highly suggest 20% fat. I promise that once you take a bite you will be in such burger heaven that you won't even think about the extra calories...


So as you plan your upcoming summer bbqs keep this tasty menu in mind as you are sure to get a lot of empty plates and full tummies!

Summer BBQ Menu

*O.M.G Burger

*Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Feta

*Summer Berry Cobbler

O.M.G Burger
2 lbs Ground meat 80/20 (this should make aprox 8 1/4 pounders).
1 TBSP dijon mustard
3 TBSP olive oil
1TBSP minced garlic. About 3 cloves
1 Tsp minced fresh thyme, or 1/2 Tsp dried thyme
Kosher salt and Pepper to taste.


Add ingredients and with your clean hands mix until combined. Divide into 8 equal patties.. I recommend making the patties at least 1/2 hour before hand and placing them in the fridge so that they set.

BBQ or Broil


*Sides can include sliced tomato, red onion, sliced pickles, cheese, mayo, mustard, and ketchup.



Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Feta

2 cups orzo

I large red onion chopped

1 medium size eggplant

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4-cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves

1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta

2 tbsp pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop up the onion. eggplant and peppers into bit sized pieces. Place into a mixing bowl and add the minced garlic, seasonings and a 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Mix together and place on a baking sheet so that it is evenly distributed. Place in oven for aprox 30 – 45 mins.

In large pot of boiling, salted water, cook orzo per package directions.

In the meantime, on low heat in a small sauté brown the pine nuts for aprox 5 mins.

Combine oil and lemon juice.

When orzo is al dente, remove from heat, drain and place in a large serving bowl. Pour the lemon/oil dressing into the warm orzo.

Add the roasted vegetables.

Let rest for aprox ½ hour and then add the pine nuts, feta and basil. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Summer Berry Cobbler
* food Network
1 pint blueberries

1 pint raspberries

1 pint blackberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in half

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more, for dusting

Pinch cinnamon

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 recipe Blueberry Scone Dough, recipe follows

Melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine berries with sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Spread berry mixture out on a 10-inch tart or gratin dish. Dollop spoonfuls of scone dough evenly over the top of the fruit; leave a border around the edge of the dish for spreading. Drizzle the surface with melted butter and dust with sugar. Set on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the fruit juices bubbling.

Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with heavy cream, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Scones:

2 cups unbleached flour,

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut in chunks

3/4 cup buttermilk or cream

1 egg

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar; mix thoroughly. Cut in butter using 2 forks or a pastry blender. The butter pieces should be coated with flour and resemble crumbs.

In another bowl, mix buttermilk and egg together, and then add to the flour mixture. Mix just to incorporate, do no overwork the dough.

She liked it...she liked it.... she really liked it!

So, when I started this blog a mere 6 months ago I had two pretty stellar eaters. Chicken sure, extra helping of broccoli, of course..But now I am seeing some unrest within the natives. Bribery, pleading and yes sometimes threatening seem to be the only ways to get these ladies to actually finish a meal. I have received advice - some solicited and some not -and have implemented a few suggestions, but I am about to raise my flag and surrender to the powerful and ruthless 3 1/2 and two year old. Who knew at only 38 inches tall I would feel like I was trying to take down Goliath every night around 6ish... So, I am trying to bring my A-game to the dinner table these days and tonight I hit a home run. I have to say that it was risky, because as you will see it includes Collard Greens - EEK - but to my delight it went unnoticed and I received limited complaining.... Or maybe it was because there was a high fructose corn syrup circus animal cookie tempting them to eat there dinner or ELSE!!!

I also thought that it was really delicious and plus it was healthy (don't tell the hubs) and he would have thought that it was good too if he had not headed out the door to have a dude date, right at dinner, before bedtime, right when all hell breaks loose - but I digress....

So please enjoy and check the blog out at the end of the week and I will have some new yummies to share that will be perfect for your entertaining repertoire.


White-Bean Chili
* Paula Deen for Food Network (Modified)

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 tablespoon minced garlic

* 3/4 cup diced onion

* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, finely chopped

* 1 tablespoon ground cumin

* 1/2 - 1 tablespoon Chili powder

* 1 tablespoon dried oregano

* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

* 1 pound collard greens, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 5 cups)

* 1 quart low sodium chicken broth

* 2 cups navy beans, soaked per directions

* Light sour cream, chopped tomatoes and/or lime wedges, for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and then the garlic for an additional minute until slightly softened. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Season with salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the collard greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and pre-soaked beans and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 45 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Transfer the chili to bowls and garnish with light sour cream, chopped tomatoes and/or lime wedges, if desired.