One thing I wanted to do this year, in regards to this little blog, is give away a bunch of cookbooks. (And also buy a lot of cookbooks for myself. But that’s beside the point.)

So every month I’m going to pick out a just released cookbook and buy a copy for me and one for a lucky reader. I won’t be accepting freebies for reviews so these will all be books that I’ve been anticipating and books that make me excited to cook.

I’m kicking it off with my all-time, all-time, all-time favorite Top Chef contestant’s books. Cooking with Love by Carla Hall! This one actually came out a few months ago but January was slim pickins so I cheated a little. I was super excited about this book and got even more excited when I opened to the table of contents and saw she has a gumbo recipe named after the Saints! The whole book is filled with good Southern comfort food.

This was the first recipe I made and it definitely got me pumped to make more. I’m not usually drawn to buffalo recipes (overdid it years ago – dip, lasagna, soup, pizza, name it and I made it) but I loved that these burgers included a blue cheese slaw.

They’re so delicious! The burgers themselves aren’t very buffalo-ish but you can either pile on the spicy mayo to get that flavor if you’re a huge fan or just do a light smear if you’re like me and feel kind of iffy on it. The slaw is supposed to be made solely of celery and blue cheese but celery is that one thing that I just can’t eat. So I used cole slaw mix instead and it was perfect!

I hope you guys are excited about all the upcoming giveaway! Enter below using Rafflecopter if you want to win Cooking with Love!

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Buffalo Wing Burgers with Blue Cheese Slaw

from Cooking with Love

Servings: 4 burgers

Ingredients

For the slaw:

• 4 celery ribs thinly sliced at an angle (or 3 cups cole slaw mix)
• 1/2 small red onion very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

For the spicy mayo:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce preferably Frank's
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the burgers:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil plus more for frying
• 1/3 cup yellow onion minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce preferably Frank's
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken or turkey
• 4 rolls toasted if desired

Instructions

To make the slaw:

1. Combine the celery, onion, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and toss well. Gentle toss in blue cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the mayo:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, honey, and cayenne until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the burgers:

1. In a small skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When the butter is almost melted, add the onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic. When the onion is golden and soft, stir in the hot sauce, thyme, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.
2. Combine the chicken with the cooled onions using slightly damp hands. You want it well mixed, but you don't want to squeeze it and make it tough. Form the mixture into 4 burgers. Use your thumb to dimple the center of each patty.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook until browned, about 3 minutes, then carefully flip them. Cook until the other side is browned and the meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. The burger will feel firm and the juices will run clear.
4. Slather the spicy mayo on the buns. Divide the burgers among the bun bottoms and top with the slaw. Sandwich with the bun tops and serve immediately.