Sunday grilling (17/7): turkey burgers edition.
1. Southwestern Turkey Burgers
2. with Cajun Grilled Onions and Cilantro-Avocado Spread
I used Emeril’s Original Essence to coat the onions before grilling, except I put in half the salt the recipe called for, to avoid having them be inedible. The spread is just mashed avocado with minced cilantro and a bit of salt.
3. Plum Upside-Down Cake
My sister brought home plums from one of her friends’ trees, and they were in need of saving, so I used a Real Simple recipe I’ve had work for me before. This time around, however, I skipped cooking the plums. Last time, this step made the plums completely mushy, so I find it totally unnecessary. The cake turned out sweet in the batter and tart in the plums, just the way it should be!
4. Margaritas
Holy guacamole were these strong! I used the International Bartenders Association standard ratios, which tasted good, but definitely needed to be sipped slowly. Also, if you’re committed to using fresh lime juice, you will need a ton of limes. A ton of limes. You will also spend forever squeezing said limes and your arms will hate you. You’ve been warned.
Standard Margarita
2½ cups tequila
1½ cups triple sec
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 10-12 limes)
agave syrup to taste (my preference: ¼ cup) (optional)
Stir all ingredients in a pitcher and chill. Serve over ice.
Makes about 5¼ cups (pitcher).
Sunday grilling: Fourth of July edition.
1. Greek feta Burgers
I remembered how good this recipe that I used last year was, so decided to go with it instead of overthinking what to make. As always, I replaced ground lamb with beef and blanched my own spinach instead of using frozen. The cucumbers and lettuce for the toppings came from our garden.
2. with Feta Salsa [Spread]
A friend of mine linked me to this recipe, which was quite à propos since I had Kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes to use up. I eyeballed the quantities and processed it for longer to turn it into a spread for the burgers. It could’ve used less olives, as their taste was quite overpowering.
3. Grilled Tomatoes with Oregano and Lemon (Everyday Food, July/August 2011)
Super simple grilled veggie side! I made the oregano-garlic-lemon oil for the top a few hours ahead to allow it to infuse.
4. Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Once again, continuing to slowly make my way through my stash of frozen cranberries.
5. Lemon-Mint Ice Tea
Brew the tea with a fistful of mint, and add half a cup of lemon juice. Easypeasy.
Sunday dinner: May Day edition, aka I declare grilling season officially open! Temperatures were in the 80s that weekend with not a cloud in the sky; perfect day to bust out the charcoal.
1. Turkey Burgers with Spiced Tomato Chutney and Cajun Grilled Onions (Real Simple, June 2009)
Homemade burgers are the best ever. I’ve also realized that mixing cheese into the patty, at least in this combination, is a lot more tasty than putting the cheese on top. The chili in the patty combined amazingly well with the spices on the onions and the cinnamon in the chutney to create a delicious, smoky-sweet flavor. Note to self: label random bags of leftover spices. At some point last year I was cooking a recipe that involved making my own spice mix, and I had a couple tablespoons left over, so I figured I would use it up on these onions. It turned out so damn good, but I have no idea what it was! Definitely some kind of mixture of chili powder, paprika, oregano, and salt. Maybe onion and garlic powder as well?…
2. Potato Salad with Bacon and Parsley (Real Simple, June 2009)
Fairly simple potato salad, though the Dijon and vinegar are a deviation from your standard creamy dressing. I think I still prefer creaminess and lots and lots of chives. The bacon for this recipe was cooked on the grill, since it was fired up anyway.
3. Strawberry Icebox Pie
The strawberry train continues! I ended up putting a whole stick of butter in the graham crust because it refused to stick together otherwise. I also replaced the cranberry juice with a handful of frozen cranberries from my Thanksgiving stash.
4. Raspberry Lemonade
My classic lemonade recipe with an added pint of mashed raspberries passed through a sieve. After the experience of a past lemonade batch ending up incredibly sour, I’ve learned to adjust the sugar by taste rather than rely on my previous ratios. I had wanted to try this with Meyer lemons, but as Murphy would have it, this was the week they were no longer in the store.
Sunday grilling: chicken burger edition!
1. Provençal Chicken Burgers with Pissaladière Topping
…except I turned the topping into regular caramelized onions because my sister doesn’t like olives and there’s no way that I’m putting anchovy anything into anything. Put together with homemade sourdough buns, homemade Caesar spread, baby arugula, and slices of cucumber.
2. Sweet Potato Fries with Basil Salt and Garlic Mayonnaise
These fries and dip are absolutely to die for! The sweetness and saltiness of the fries with the basil, plus the garlic and lemony creaminess of the mayonnaise… Heaven. The only reason there were any leftovers is because the burgers were so darn filling.
3. Peach-Ginger Iced Tea
I think I’ll put less ginger next time, it was sadly overpowering both the peach and the tea. Maybe it’s because the tea was still hot when I added it and it brewed the ginger? I’ll mince it next time as well to make it easier to strain out.
Tonight’s dinner: Greek feta burgers with beef substituted for lamb and added fresh sage, lettuce, cucumber-dill sauce with Greek yogurt substituted for plain, and caramelized onions on a whole wheat bun.
