Shake Shack Burgers

Sarah's blog, Taste of Home Cooking, is pretty much my go-to when I need a sandwich/burger idea. We must have incredibly similar tastes when it comes to what should be stuffed between some bread because I'm fairly confident in saying that 99% of the sandwich/burger recipes she posts, I immediately think "yep, need to make that."

This is just another one of those recipes. You must make it ASAP.

Shake Shack Burgers
Source: Taste of Home Cooking as seen on What's Brewing in the Kitchen, originally from Serious Eats
Servings: 4
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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1/2 tbsp. mustard
• 2 dill pickle slices, finely chopped
• pinch each of garlic powder, paprika and cayenne
• 1 1/4 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp. butter, softened
• 4 potato rolls
• 4 large lettuce leaves
• 4 tomato slices
• 4 American cheese slices

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill pan to high, flat side up.
2. Combine the mayo through cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Form the burger patties and season each side liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Place the burgers on the grill and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side or until a thick crust forms. Add the cheese and cook until melted.
5. Place burger rolls on the grill for 1 minute or until lightly toasted.
6. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on both sides of the bun. Place the lettuce on the bottom side of the bun, followed by the burger and tomato slice. Top with the burger bun.
7. Wrap in parchment paper and let rest for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.

In.credible. I mean, really, incredible. I loved these burgers and kind of wish I had made extra of the sauce to dip the burger directly into it. I could easily eat this weekly. Hey, that might be an idea...

Caprese Pasta Salad

I try not to let Tom's long list of disliked foods get to me very often, but the one that drives me the most crazy, especially in the summer, is his dislike for cold pasta salads.

I would love to be able to serve burgers with potato salad or add shrimp to macaroni salad one night and just have that for a meal, but he refuses to eat any of it.

So when I first saw this recipe, I was saddened that it was just another pasta salad that I wouldn't get to make. Then the idea hit me that I could make this and bring it for lunch during the week. I don't really have access to a microwave at work (well, I do, but its in the owners kitchen and its just awkward) so I'm always looking for something other than a sandwich or salad to bring. This, I immediately decided, would be perfect.

Caprese Pasta Salad
Source: LaaLoosh
Servings: 6
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Ingredients:

• 8 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place the tomatoes and the garlic on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic, olive oil and oregano. Pour over the pasta. Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic and the mozzarella cheese. Stir well to combine.
5. Plate, and garnish with basil, salt and pepper.

This was a perfect lunch. It was different enough that I finally felt like I wasn't eating the same thing all of the time and it kept really nicely in the fridge for an entire week. I definitely plan on making this again, and maybe even making it for one of my mom's pool parties where people who actually eat cold pasta salads are present. 

Hawaiian Burgers

Of all of the cooking personalities on The Food Network and The Cooking Channel, Nadia G is one of my least favorites. I associate her with a character, an attitude, a persona, not someone who simply cooks food because they like it.

That's probably not the case because Food Network/Cooking Channel tends to go for "real" people, but it's just not something I can get over long enough to watch her show.

I had initially planned on making a Hawaiian turkey burger but for whatever reason didn't pick up practically any of the ingredients at the store. I don't know what I was thinking there. So I decided instead of stopping at the store to pick some things up, I'd Google "Hawaiian burger" and see if there were any recipes I could create based off what I'd have.

I had to make some slight adjustments here, the burger buns, the type of cheese, the tomato and I opted not to include brown sugar on the pineapple, but otherwise the recipe is pretty much the same.

Hawaiian Burgers
Source: Nadia G
Servings: 4
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Ingredients:
              Burger:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh chives, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper

Mayonnaise:


• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 tsp. adobo sauce
• pinch of salt and pepper 

Toppings:


• 4 slices bacon, cooked
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 4 slices fresh pineapple 
• lettuce 
• tomato
• pickles
• burger buns 

Directions:
1. Prepare the burger patties by combining all of the ingredients together in a bowl and then form into 4 evenly sized patties. Place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Preheat a grill to high heat.
3. Prepare the mayonnaise by mincing the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and mixing it, along with the extra sauce, into the mayo in a small bowl until well combined.
4. Grill the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Top with the Swiss cheese and cook until melted.
5. Transfer burgers to a plate. Place the pineapple on the grill for 1-2 minutes per side.
6. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the burger bun. Place the lettuce on the bottom, followed a slice of bacon, broken in half. Top that with the burger, a slice of tomato, the pickles and the pineapple. Top with the other half of the bun.

I think I might have used just a tiny bit too much of the chipotle mayo on my burger since it was a nice dry kick to the back of the throat, but otherwise I really, really enjoyed this burger. I opted to serve my pickle on the side and Tom, who previously used to hate pickles, told me that he thought he'd really enjoy it diced up and in the mayo, kind of like a spicy Thousand Island dressing.

I definitely plan on making these again! 

Weekly Menu 6/16 - 6/20

It's the middle of June! How did this happen? The weather hasn't been typical for this time of the year which makes it seem even weirder that June is already half way over.

So you probably heard about that evil bastard of a storm that started over in Illinois and beat cities and counties and states straight through to the Atlantic Ocean right? Well, one of those is a derecho. The same type of storm that left me without power last June for nearly 48 hours.

We were extremely lucky this time and missed the brunt of the storm, however from the significant rains that we've had recently, there was a lot of flooding. Luckily every dried out nicely yesterday and we spent the day at my mom's house. It was a perfect 82 degree sunny day with just enough clouds in the sky to provide you with shade once you got too hot. If I could capture my perfect summer day, it would be just like yesterday was.

Today and tomorrow however, we have a chance of thunderstorms. I really hope it doesn't happen because if I don't see rain for another month I'd be okay.

Sunday - Panko Chicken with Corn Hash 

Monday - Maryland Crab Soup 

Tuesday - my recipe swap meal

Wednesday - Tennessee Burgers with Bacon and Bourbon and Fries 

Thursday - Philly Cheesesteak Calzones

I'm going simple for breakfast and lunch this week, fruit parfaits and BLT sandwiches. 

Restaurant Review: Pairings Bistro

I don't know if I should tell you this or not, since it kind of gives you license to stalk me, but I'm just going to assume that you're all nice non-internet stalkers out there. I live in Harford County, Maryland. From June 3rd-15th Harford County is having a restaurant week.

In case you live somewhere that doesn't offer something like this, its an excuse for restaurant owners to get people to their restaurants. They create a specific meal with a fixed rate (many are $20.13 per person in this case) which could easily convince someone to check out a new restaurant because of the discounted price.

Baltimore also has 2 restaurant weeks, I believe. I haven't attended either since all of the restaurants are downtown and while I appreciate a discounted meal, the purpose is kind of defeated by $15-$30 parking. So when I heard my own county was doing a restaurant week, I was all over that.

I chose Pairings Bistro because my coworker recommended them to me, plus its right up my alley. Pairing food with wine? I'm in. By no means am I food critic, but I did entertain the idea long enough while we were there to actually google "how to become a food critic". I'm not sure Tom is interested. Ah well.

Anyway, we opted for the 4 course meal with wine pairings. This was $51 a person, regularly $57. In reality, it wasn't that much of a deal, but hey 12 bucks is $12.

Course 1: 
We both opted for the Maryland Crab Soup with Hawk's Hill Cheddar Crisp. This was paired with a 2010 Echelon Pinot Noir. 
For Maryland crab soup, I'd say this was pretty average. It was what you would hope to receive in any restaurant, actual pieces of crab meat and not incredibly salty. The cheddar crisp was really good; it surprised me to have seafood and cheese paired together, but I liked it. The wine was pretty nice and definitely enhanced the flavors of the soup. Grade: A 

Course 2: 
Tom: Baby Arugula with chevre, toasted pecans, pomegranate and apricot vinaigrette - 2011 Kenwood Chardonnay
Me: Local grown tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction and fried basil leaves - 2010 Ladoucette Les Deux Tours Sauvignon Blanc 
Tom doesn't like salads to begin with, so I was shocked he went with the one he did. He didn't end up liking the arugula at all. His wine was very fruity and almost mimicked the apricots in the salad.
My salad was delicious. You could tell the tomatoes were home grown (something I definitely appreciate), the balsamic had a great flavor and OMG fried basil leaves are INCREDIBLE. I really enjoyed my wine and wouldn't have minded another glass. Grade: A

Course 3:
Tom: Deer Creek Beef Steak with Blue Cheese Fries and Pickled Vegetables - 2009 Benzinger Cabernet Sauvignon
Me: Grilled Shrimp with Peach Barbecue and Cajun Rice - 2008 Duas Quintas
Tom's steak was delicious and had that melt in your mouth quality to it. The blue cheese fries were also really tasty and even though he didn't enjoy the pickled vegetables, I thought they were great.
I, on the other hand, was pretty disappointed with my dish. It was barely lukewarm. The shrimp were a tad overcooked and the tomatoes in the Cajun rice just took over the entire dish. It tasted like nothing but tomatoes and mushy rice. Tom's Dish: A My Dish: C = Average: B 

Course 4:
Tom: Chocolate Cake with Mint Strawberries  - 2009 Rosa Regale Spumante Dulce 
Me: Bresilienne-Broom's Bloom Coffee * Vanilla Ice Cream with Caramel, Hazelnuts and Chantilly Cream - Ramos Pinto White Port 
The chocolate cake was really nice. I think it might have been flourless. It was made with a bittersweet chocolate and I'd love to know how they infused the strawberries with mint. The freshness was really nice. Tom's wine was really sweet. I might have the name wrong, it was smudged on the menu and Google isn't giving me many choices.
My ice cream was really good. The coffee flavor was a nice touch with the cream and really rounded out the dish. I didn't like my wine, I thought it was too fragrant to even sip. Grade: A 

Now for the restaurant overall, its very nice inside and they have a decently sized wine cellar mainly with wines I've never heard of before for pretty reasonable prices. The staff are really friendly. They had live music outside tonight and I'm kind of jealous we didn't get to sit outside. The guy had a really nice singing voice.

Unfortunately we were seating in a small room with 3 very drunk women who did not understand proper conversation levels or etiquette. I am almost positive when an attractive couple sat across from them and one heard that the guy had an accent, she told him and the woman he was with that she'd "totally f--- you both." Once they left the noise level was quite nice.

The restaurant was pretty busy when we were there and we didn't receive our wines exactly with our dishes but we weren't waiting long either.

So my overall grade for the restaurant would be A-. I definitely want to return again since not only do they offer pairings, but wine tastings, cooking classes and various other things that just seem like a lot of fun.

We do need to return soon though, because they have crispy Maryland scallops over a spring pea risotto which I absolutely can't pass up trying.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

When I first saw this recipe, I made my "I can't picture how that would taste" face which involves pursing my lips and raising one eyebrow. It's really an unattractive face, you should try it sometime.

The words "strawberry pretzel salad" conjures up an image in my head of strawberries and pretzels that got soggy from the strawberry juices. Not exactly pleasant. However unsure I was, I was intrigued enough to click on the recipe and view the ingredients.

Once I read that Laura was also skeptical of the recipe, but ended up really enjoying it, I was sold on making it. I am a huge fan of salty and sweet combinations and I love pretzels and strawberries individually, so I figured it was probably a safe bet.

I had all of the ingredients out on the counter to make this while Tom and Calvin were working on a computer. Calvin looked up at the ingredients and said "Are you make pretzel salad? That's my favorite dessert ever." I know he's told me this multiple times before but how I managed to not put two and two together that this was the salad he was talking about was beyond me. He did make one suggestion; that he has always ate it with pineapple mixed into the whipped cream layer. As we had some pineapple in the fridge, I decided to go for it.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Source: Tide and Thyme
Servings: 12
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Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
• 1 cup + 3 tbsp. sugar, divided
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup pineapple, finely diced 
• 6 oz. box strawberry jello
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Place crushed pretzels in a bowl. Sprinkle the 3 tbsp. of sugar on top and stir in 1 cup of butter.
3. Bake for 6 minutes then place in the refrigerator to cool.
4. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese and remaining 1 cup of sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
5. In another bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar and beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and then continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold the cream cheese mixture and pineapple into the whipped cream.
6. Spread the whipped cream mixture on top of the pretzels and return to the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.
7. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then stir in the jello packet until combined. Refrigerate until almost solid. Stir in the strawberries and spread evenly over the whipped cream mixture.
8. Refrigerate again for at least 1 hour.

On this week's menu post, I mentioned that this recipe comes along with a funny story. If you are friends with me personally (not just my page) on Facebook, you'll have already read this, but I think its funny enough to share again.

I'll start off my first saying that cream cheese mixed with sugar is a perfectly acceptable dessert to me. I don't need anything to dip it in or anything to put it on. Just give me globs and globs of it and I'm completely content. Well, after spreading a decent amount of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture on top of the pretzels, I noticed the spatula was still decently fully. So I decided I'd just eat the rest.

As I'm licking the mixture off the spatula, I look over and Itty is staring at me with a look on her face that can only be described as "Do you really think you need to eat that?" I can't help that I've apparently raised judgmental cats. However, I don't appreciate when they judge me, so in a moment of mature defiance, I licked the remaining mixture off the spatula, smirked at the cat and said "You can't judge me. You lick your own ass!"

Not exactly my finest moment. However, when you taste just how delicious this Strawberry Pretzel Salad is, you'll completely understand. I can't wait for my mom to have another pool party so I can bring this along! 

Strawberry Basil Lemonade

Strawberries rank in the top 5 of my favorite fruits. I pretty much love anything that comes in a berry form, but strawberries usually end up at the top of the list. It's not uncommon for me to have a cup of strawberries with breakfast from the second they hit the shelves in stores until they're hardly in season any more.

I have a slight problem where I overestimate the amount of strawberries one person can eat before they go bad. Recently, I bought 4 lbs. of strawberries from Costco and told Tom of course I could eat them all! Obviously, I couldn't which is why I had some taking up valuable freezer space. There is also the problem of Wegman's who sells strawberries in those 2 lb. containers for only $1 more than a smaller one. I can't help it,  I have to buy the huge thing of strawberries. There is even a nearby farm who keeps blasting me on Facebook with "Pick Your Own" Strawberries and I want nothing more than to do so, but I'll end up doing something silly like spending $30 on 20 lbs. of strawberries. And then what will I do? Buy a deep freezer, I guess.

Anyway, I needed the freezer space back and this recipe just happened to catch my eye when I was going through the blogs I follow. Plus my basil plant was kinda growing out of control and producing leaves faster than I could use them.

Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Source: What's Gaby Cooking?
Servings: 1/2 gallon
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Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 8 cups water, divided 
• 10 strawberries, tops removed
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions:
1. Pour the lemon juice in a large pitcher.
2. Combine the sugar and 4 cups of water together and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Place the strawberries and basil leaves in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Add the water/sugar mixture and the strawberries to the pitcher. Pour in the additional 4 cups of water. Refrigerate until cold or serve with ice.

The original recipe calls for only 4 cups of water but I found this to be much too strong and tart. Instead of adding sugar, I opted to add another 4 cups of water. Its still a pretty strong lemonade, so if you prefer a lighter version, you might want to start at 8 cups and increase by 2 cups until it reaches your preferred taste.

Tom thought this would be completely gross because of the basil and refused to even try it. I don't think the basil came through very strongly at all. Also, if you are not a fan of pulp in orange juice, I don't think this recipe will be for you as I was left with quite a bit of pureed strawberry mixture in my glass each time, as you can see from the picture.