Burger Time

Hi there!

I hope you all had a fantastic Memorial day! :)

I'm sorry I didn't get to your Monday happiness post yesterday, but I'm just gonna go ahead and assume that I didn't need to give you a reason to be happy this Monday, because I'm hoping you all had the day off to relax in the sunshine.

Some exciting things happened around here yesterday!

1. It was 90 degrees & sunny, which meant it was time to officially break out the shorts, which made me realize how badly I need a tan SO happy!

2. I was able to do my first real BarBri reading on our porch in the sunshine with my morning cup of coffee:

And...

3. Justin brought me home a present:

A petunia plant!

I had been dropping hints about how much I wanted to get a plant for our balcony, and he rationally reminded me that we had some more important things on our list to take care of first.

A few hints too many, and proving that whining works what a nice guy he is, he surprised me with the plant of my dreams! :) Now it's time to put that green thumb to the test.

After what turned into a long day of reading, it was time to get crackin' on our Memorial Day barbecue.

Yesterday, Justin & I were talking about how much we wanted to go to Whole Foods to get a couple of their special burgers to grill.  They have all sorts of yummy premade burgers -- including one favorite: the buffalo blue cheese burger!

Instead of making the long(ish) drive up to a Whole Foods from our new hood, and dropping a small fortune on our patio party, I suggested that I whip up some homemade buffalo blue cheese burgers.

I did some searching online, and combined the ingredients from the best recipes I could find.  Here's what I came up with:

Jessica's Buffalo Blue Cheese Burgers


Here's what ya need!: 

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey (I used ground sirloin, with only 4% fat)
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes (obvi you could use fresh!)
1 palm-full of grill seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. Frank's buffalo sauce
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

I also decided last minute to kick it up a notch with 1/2 tsp. of chili powder!

Step #1: Mix all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl:

If ya don't mind getting a little duuurrrtayy, use your hands! ;) 

Step #2: Patty cake patty cake.  Time to make those patties.  

I have a top secret trick for you to get perfectly shaped patties! Use a good-sized lid to a Tupperware container or jar, covered in a piece of saran wrap, like so: 

Then, press about 1/4 of your meat mixture (to make a quarter-pounder, duh!) down into the lid, and form it to fit the lid, taking off any excess meat, or adding a little more, to fill it out. 

Step #3: Stack your patties on a plate with some wax paper to keep them separated, and place them in the refrigerator for about 30 to 45 minutes to chill & bind together. 

Step #4: Now it's time to grill! I let Justin take care of the grillin', preferably while I sip on an ice cold beverage or eat come chips & salsa! ;) I think you have to grill them for about 5 minutes on both sides. 

Sizzle sizzle!! 

Step #5: Serve up your burgers on a wheat bun or Arnold thin with your favorite condiments, and make sure to balance it all out with some tasty greens! 

I absolutely LOVE green beans.  They remind me so much of my Grandad, who used to grow them in his back yard. 

Yumm yumm in my tumm. 

So there you have it! :) Pull out this recipe to impress your main squeeze or some friends at your next barbecue.  

I immediately documented the recipe and stashed it away for more sweet summer nights in my handy dandy recipe box: 

Betty Crocker in training! :) 

I'm off to study my booty off, and get in a schweaty run with a fan-freaking-tastic new playlist, which I will share with you all tomorrow.  Woo hooo!

Have a fantastic afternoon & night, friends! 

xoxo

Jess