burger

Greek Turkey Burgers

Jun 01, 2016

I have partnered with Jennie-O this year to bring you lots of yummy recipes featuring Jennie-O turkey.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

I repeat, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Omg, you guys. I have never been excited for the last day of school. I have had a year and I am ready for 3 months of fun.

I’m gonna swim in all the pools, I’m gonna sleep stupid late every day, I’m gonna have ice cream every night, and I’m gonna eat all the burgers.

Okay, let’s talk turkey.

I tend to choose turkey over beef when it comes to burgers. Less calories, less fat = more cheese on top.

My favorite way to do turkey burgers is with the Jennie-O Lean Seasoned Turkey Burgers. They’re already portioned out and shaped AND seasoned with a bit of onion and garlic. So it saves you a lot of time, especially if you’re cooking up a bunch.

When I want to add a bunch of stuff to the burger itself, I go for the Jennie-O 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey. It’s lean but not so lean that it’s going to get dry on you.

Speaking of dry turkey burgers, let’s talk tips. Because it really is easy to dry out a burger if you aren’t careful.

First up, don’t keep flipping the burger! Just leave it alone! For the turkey burgers, I start with 9 minutes on each side and then use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. If it’s not at 165F, I let it go a few more minutes. But don’t keep flipping it back and forth!

Don’t squish your burgers with the spatula while they’re cooking. You’re squeezing all the juices out when you do that.

If you want to add a little extra moisture to your meat mixture, a couple tablespoons of olive oil or some sauteed onions will do the trick.

And finally, let your burgers rest for a few minutes before you serve them up. It allows all the juices to redistribute and get delicious and stuff.

So for these, I used those Jennie-O Lean Seasoned Turkey Burgers that I love so much. I cooked up some of those, tossed them in some split pitas with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. And then sprinkled some feta on top. Plus, a healthy drizzle of homemade tzatziki sauce.

I’m addicted to tzatziki sauce.

And I know what you’re thinking.

“Amanda, you don’t like cucumbers.”

I know.

But tzatziki sauce is one of the greatest things on earth.

Before you head to the store for your turkey, be sure to print out the $1 off Jennie-O Frozen Turkey Burgers coupon!…

Doughnut Burgers with Candied Bacon

May 23, 2016

Doughnut Burgers with Candied Bacon – the most amazing burger you’ll ever eat! It’s the ultimate sweet and salty combination!

How is it Monday already?

I’m not ready!

Let’s go back to Friday night!

Anyway.

I’m back from Salt Lake City – got in late last night. I had the best time at the conference and met so many amazing bloggers that I’d only ever talked to on the interwebs. Plus, Nicole and I got matching tattoos.

That’s a normal thing to do on a work trip, right?

Right?!

…

Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers

Aug 26, 2015

Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers – delicious (and easy!) homemade pimento cheese on top burgers with crispy bacon!

Something you may not know about me is that one of my favorite foods is pimento cheese. I don’t know how or why but I have loved it for as long as I can remember.

Almost every week when I do my big grocery shopping trip, I buy a tub of pimento cheese and a bag of those long pretzel rods and then I dip the pretzels in the cheese and that’s all I eat until it’s gone.

I mean, is that not one of the weirder things for someone to be obsessed with?

Pimento cheese on pretzels? And not just pretzels, it has to be the pretzel rods.

So when my dear friend Kita asked me to participate in Burger Month again this year, I knew Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers were happening.

…

Burger and Fries Pot Pie

Jan 28, 2015

Burger and Fries Pot Pie – everything you love about cheeseburgers and fries as a pot pie! Ground beef, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and topped with crispy french fries.

Yesterday my kid came home and told me that they’d had a lockdown. It happens more than it probably should (#armylife) and thankfully it’s always nothing.

Really, it’s usually a parent threatening to punch the principal or something.

And no, it’s never been me.

Yet.

Anyway, I asked what happened and he said, “There was a mountain lion! I saw it’s footprints on the playground on the way home!”

I was all, “Yeah….” and sent him upstairs to do his homework. So I went to my husband and said, “Hey, he said they had a lockdown because of a mountain lion.”

And he said, “Yeah, it’s possible. We see all kinds of things on the ranges.”

“What? Like they just come through the gate? That jerk wouldn’t let me through unless I took my sunglasses off the other day. But they’re letting mountain lions in?”

“Uhhh, a mountain lion could jump the fence. Pretty awesome, huh?”

And now I’m terrified. Of mountain lions. Hanging out in my backyard.

So in honor of the kid that may be telling me the truth or may be just trying to really scare his mother, I made something I knew he’d love.

Burger and Fries Pot Pie!

It’s really simple and my kids all loved it. It’s ground beef with some diced tomatoes and cheese and then it’s all topped with crinkle-cut French fries. How can that be bad? We won’t talk about how many French fries I stole off the top.

…

Colorado Omelet Burger

Jul 28, 2014

Colorado Omelet Burgers – everything you love about a Colorado Omelet as a burger. Bacon, sautéed green peppers and onions, white cheddar cheese, and a yolky egg on top. And then you pour salsa all over it.

Umm.

I’m sorry for clogging your arteries first thing in the morning.

See, this is why I stick to pretty basic stuff on the blog. Because when someone gives me permission to go nuts, I do.

This is all Kita’s fault. She has been hosting an epic Burger Month and literally said to us “Make it epic!”

So. Much. Pressure.

…

Classic Cheeseburger

Mar 20, 2014

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

Classic Cheeseburger – the best way to make a classic cheeseburger! Top it with bacon, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and the condiments of your choice.

We are approaching one of my favorite seasons: burger season!

I just love that time of year. The sun stays up a little longer which means you have extra time to get your burgers grilled and it’s just warm enough to enjoy your burger on the back porch.

We had snow two days ago. So yeah, I’m ready to #SayCheeseburger!

That also explains why I made my burgers on the stove instead of the grill. But you can definitely grill them if you’ve already escaped winter!

…

Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce

May 15, 2012

Last week we passed the 2 month mark of my husband’s first deployment. I had been going over and over a post I wanted to write about it.

A post about how I had reached a comfortable spot. A spot where I didn’t worry.

I wanted to tell others who were starting their first deployment that the first week is worse than you can imagine (sorry) and even though you feel like you’ll never pull out of the funk, you will. I wanted to tell them that there will be a day when someone will say “Your life doesn’t stop just because he’s deployed” and you won’t yell “BUT IT DOES!”

I wanted to tell you guys how the day after my husband deployed I was emailing with a friend whose husband had already been gone a few months and she said, “Just remember that 90% of the time they aren’t doing anything and the other 10% they’re doing exactly what they were trained to do” and it helped me more than she’ll ever know.

And then the company my husband is attached lost a soldier on Friday.

I know that there isn’t a situation in the world that is made better by worrying and yet that’s all I’ve done for the past few days. I worry about my husband, about our friends who are also deployed, about the family who’s having to deal with the loss of their soldier, about anything that could possibly be worried about.

Gosh, I hate to be such a downer but I really struggled this past weekend. It’s hard to know that a member of the 1-12 Infantry family is now without her husband and 2 kids without their daddy. But that’s the reality of war and I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.

I’m posting these burgers today because my husband would hate them! He would probably refuse to eat them and then whine to his friends about how I tried to poison him with *gasp* peanut butter burgers.

But I loved them! And even my kids enjoyed them! They peanut in the burgers isn’t super obvious so if you wanted to serve them to someone who doesn’t like “weird” food, just leave the sauce off and they probably wouldn’t be able to pick peanut butter out as an ingredient.

Happy post tomorrow, I promise! It involves bar cookies!

One year ago: Sticky Fingers Bars
Two years ago: Pecan Brownies
Four years ago: Homemade Fig Newtons

5 from 1 vote

Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients

For the peanut sauce:

3 tablespoons peanut butter I used chunky
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 - 2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce like Sriracha
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon ground ginger

For the burgers:

1 pound ground turkey
½ cup grated carrot
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onion thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
hamburger buns
lettuce or toppings of choice

Instructions

To make peanut sauce:

Combine peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, garlic, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, honey, and ground ginger in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth (if youâ€™re using chunk peanut butter, don't process until all the chunks are gone - the peanuts make it better!). If it's not coming together for you, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon of water until it reaches the desired consistency. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the sauce - you will use the rest in the burgers.

To make the burgers:

Combine remaining peanut sauce with ground turkey, grated carrots, sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, salt and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Mix until just combined and form into 4 equal patties.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Cook patties for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned on the outside and cooked through.
Put the burgers on buns and top with peanut sauce and any other toppings you desire.

Cheyenne Burgers

Jun 22, 2010

Last week a huge box of Nature’s Pride buns and rolls showed up on my doorstep courtesy of Foodbuzz. There was only one thing to do with all that bread: a burger party!

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t cook the burgers. It was my birthday and I don’t really enjoy cooking burgers so my husband was nice enough to do that part for me. I did make the BBQ sauce, onion rings, and pickles though.

The burgers were great! The meat itself was just seasoned with salt and pepper since there was so much extra goodness going on. The BBQ sauce was smoky and spicy thanks to the chipotle pepper. The bacon added more smokiness and along with the onion rings, provided a great crunch. And the sharp cheddar? Can you really go wrong with sharp cheddar?

Now let’s talk about the onion rings.

In my world, there are 2 types of onion rings. Fast food onion rings and diner onion rings. The fast food ones are limp, soggy, and almost feel like they have a bread crumb coating. The diner ones are fresh, crispy, and the epitome of amazing. These onion rings are total diner rings but better. If I had known how easy it was to make great onion rings, I wouldn’t have been making late night Burger King runs when I was pregnant.

I was going to take better pictures of the rings but by the time I got the baby asleep and made it back into the kitchen they were gone! So you get my â€œdraining on a paper towelâ€ picture.

All in all, a delicious burger. Too much BBQ sauce though. It made a bowl full and we hardly put a dent in it.

Cheyenne Burgers

from Bobby Flay

Ingredients

For the burgers:

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
salt & pepper

For the onion rings:

2 cups canola oil
2 large onions sliced into rings
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper

For the smoky barbecue sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 chipotle chile in adobo chopped
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon molasses
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

To make the burgers:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Shape into 8 burgers. Cook about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Top burgers with bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, onion rings, BBQ sauce, and any other toppings you desire.

To make the onion rings:

Heat oil in a large pan to 360 degrees.
Put flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Do the same with buttermilk in a separate bowl.
Dredge onion rings in flour, dip in buttermilk, and then dredge in flour once more. Fry until golden brown, turning once or twice, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

To make the smoky barbecue sauce:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion; cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ketchup and 1/3 cup water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper); simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl; cool to room temperature. Spoon on burgers