Looks like summer. Feels like summer. Tastes like summer. That pretty much sums up this burger. And our weekend.

After weeks of cursing at begging and pleading with the basil plants to do something, they did.

And that something was EXPLODE.

Not in the literal sense, obviously. Although a backyard full of sweet, purple, and elephant basil-scented confetti would smell a whole lot better than chlorine and the new mulch that kind of smells like a hamster cage when it rains.

So I made pesto. (2 1/2 cups of pesto!) And then I slathered it on burgers with tomatoes from the garden that I had slow-roasted and a thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. And I served that along size grilled zucchini & red onions – zucchini that I remembered to pick before it reached baseball bat size. (I’m 3 for 3!)

And that is truly the most satisfying thing about gardening. To be able to look down at your dinner plate and say: I grew that, I grew that, I made that, and I almost didn’t burn those.

Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes, Pesto, and Mozzarella

Pesto, roasted tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella: summer's best trio of flavors in burger form.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Worcestershire sauce
• 3 burger buns
• Pesto, purchased or homemade
• Roasted tomatoes
• 3 slices of fresh mozzarella

Instructions

1. Heat grill to high.
2. Season ground beef with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of worcestershire sauce and form into 3 patties.
3. Grill 7-8 minutes (or to desired doneness), flipping halfway through.
4. Turn off the grill, place a slice of cheese on each burger, and close the grill for a minute to melt the cheese.
5. Place burger buns on the grill for ~1 minute, just until toasted.
6. Spread pesto on the buns and top with a patty, a handful of roasted tomatoes.

Notes

Yields: 3 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 20 minutes

NOW is it warm enough to grill where you live? I have my fingers crossed for you, but surely The Endless Winter of 2012-13 has got to be over for everyone now.

Hopefully. Because celebrating National Burger Month with snow on the ground? It just ain’t right.

We love our fancy burgers around here and have a few more to add to the menu this month. First up? Sliders topped with beer-glazed caramelized onions and brie.

By definition, miniature anythings are fancy. Add brie? TOTALLY Food & Wine-worthy. But the real stars here are the caramelized onions. Right at the end of cooking, they’re simmered in beer until a nice, syrupy glaze forms. It’s not just an excuse to open a beer, but it is an excuse if you need one.

For the beer, go with an amber or brown ale. If you’re not a beer drinker, you can skip the glaze… but maybe you try it anyway!

Sliders with Beer-Glazed Caramelized Onions and Brie

Grilled beef sliders go fancy with craft brew-glazed caramelized onions, fruit preserves, and brie. (Amber or brown ale recommended.)

Ingredients

• For the onions:
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large white or yellow onion
• 1/2 cup beer (I used an amber ale)
• For the sliders
• 6 slider buns
• Apricot preserves
• 6 grilled slider patties (~2 1/2 oz precooked)
• Brie, sliced

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Cut the onion pole-to-pole and then slice into 1/4-inch half-rounds.
3. Add all at once to the pan, reduce heat to medium, and let cook, stirring occasionally.
4. If the onions get too dry before completely browning, add a couple Tbsp water and reduce heat even more.
5. When the onions have browned to your liking, add the beer and let simmer until the beer reduces to a nice, syrupy glaze for the onions.
6. To build the sliders, spread preserves onto the buns and top with a burger patty, slices of brie (cut to fit the slider), and a spoon of the onions.
7. Serve warm.

Notes

Yields: 6 sliders

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 40 minutes

Today should be “Garden Friday” where I show you how I somehow managed to make it another 7 days without killing the green things growing in my backyard. But it’s raining outside. Like, “you shoulda’ built that ark” raining. So instead of showing you our first zucchini, or telling you about my peach tree dropping all but 6 fruit [sob], and that the beast Juliet tomato plant is loaded with almost-ready-to-pick tomatoes… I’ll just show you what I did with my recent kale overload.

I made salad.

I have introduced you to my favorite salad before. And this is its one-course-dinner cousin.

It’s what happens when strawberry season meets I-can’t-believe-I-went-30-days-without-goat-cheese meets holy-crap-I-planted-way-too-much-Kale. So like nearly everything else on my menu, it meets the requisite 2 parts desperation.

The salad is a perfect host for the beautiful strawberries that are coming out of the markets (and my backyard) right now. And the strawberries-goat cheese combo?

Nearly as perfect as chocolate and peanut butter.

Because I had leftover chicken in the fridge, I used that to top the salads for a quick, light dinner. Or, for you Honey Boo Boo watchers, a “multimeal”

Don’t have two pots full of kale on your back patio? Use spinach instead! And don’t forget, this is a “cold salad” – the quinoa has to be cooked and cooled before so it doesn’t turn your kale into a bowl full of sad, wimpy greens.

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese

Fresh strawberries, kale, quinoa, and goat cheese come together for a perfectly light spring or summer dinner. Just add leftover chicken to make it a little heartier.

Ingredients

• For the salad
• 2 cups cooked and chilled quinoa (from 1 cup uncooked)
• 3 oz kale, chopped (about half a bag or clam shell)
• 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
• Leftover grilled chicken, optional (I used this wet rub)
• For the dressing
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1 Tbsp spicy brown or dijon mustard (I use Creole)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the chopped greens, cold quinoa (it must be cold so it doesn't wilt the salad), crumbled goat cheese, and strawberries.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, shallot, and mustard.
3. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking and add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
4. Before serving, toss the dressing with the salad and serve topped with sliced chicken.
5. Leftovers will keep a couple of days covered in the fridge.

Notes

Yields: 6 generous servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 20 minutes

All My Children | One Life to Live
YOU should have stayed DEAD! [KAPOW]

I have been a life-long watcher of All My Children and One Life to Live. And then ABC went and replaced them with, what – that show that was already cancelled and The Chew?

The Chew. Really, ABC?

But last week, they both returned on Hulu. I wasn’t overly excited at first but now? Bring on the fake pregnancies! The tampered-with paternity tests! The rapidly aged children who left for kindergarten and then came home as college drop-out owners of their own software companies! And those good ol’ Viki/Niki & Bessica/Tessica/Jessica multiple personality showdowns!

And the amnesia. Because no storyline is complete without someone not remembering who she’s married to… and then falling in love with that guy’s stepson.

And I won’t spoil it for you… but there’s already a mystery can’t-see-their-face patient and a kidnapping!

[Calm down, Shawnda...]

And speaking of other childhood favorites…

Books I read in the 5th Grade… and again last month
Next to the original Babysitters Club series, those were my absolute favorite books growing up. I have no idea how many times I’ve read them, but that number went up by 1 last month (thank you, library card + Kindle app). Spooky ghosts, a punky orphan, cats without shadows. Seriously, what 10 year old didn’t love a good Mary Downing Hahn ghost story?

And what 34 year old doesn’t cry her face into a nearly unrecognizable puffy mess at the end of Bridge to Terabithia.

(I’m *this* close to searching for old episodes of Swan’s Crossing and the Alyssa Milano’s The Canterbury Ghost.)

Stolen Kisses by OPI
My current favorite color for flip flop weather. (And it’s super popular with the 3-year-old crowd, too – hot pink toenails are the new sharpie-on-the-wall!)

The Chicken Cheesesteak
It rivals a good burger… and some days, it’s even better. Like when someone else cooks it and you get to watch your favorite football players play softball on a picnic blanket from the outfield. Or you can just make it yourself at home… two nights in a row.

Texas Pepper Works Jalapeno Mustard
GUYS. You know how to make a cheesesteak more awesome than you ever thought possible? Jalapeno Mustard. (And really, it just makes everything more awesome.) Yellow mustard studded with bites of sweet – and fiery – candied jalapenos. And if you don’t have access to it, it’s easily DIYable. They’re really easy to make, but if you don’t have a surplus of serranos & jalapenos from your garden yet, Texas Pepper Works also makes a mean jar of candied jalapenos.

It’s probably no surprise to any of you, but when I see a new fruit come in season – or priced low enough that I can’t resist hoarding – the first thing that comes to my mind is:

I have tequila at home, right?

Because, really now – what fruit doesn’t make a good margarita? (Besides kiwi. I’ve pretty much given up wasting tequila on that one.)

But tangelos were on fire-sale again so I decided it was time to officially make this one margarita recipe number Twenty…. 22! And just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

Tangelos are a cross between tangerines & pomelos, both of which have been immortalized in margarita form here already. Taste-wise, they’re far closer to tangerines so that’s the route I took.

And speaking of the holy Spring holiday that’s coming this weekend, our Taquitos & Tequila pool party is on Sunday! We’re serving:
- Brie & Brisket Quesadillas
- Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Chicken Taquitos
- Guacamole
- Pineapple salsa
- Classic Lime Margaritas*
- Grapefruit Margaritas*
- Blue Margaritas*
- Guanabana Margaritas*
- Dulce de Leche ice cream

*the skinny versions

And guests have claimed some fabulously delicious dishes like queso and jalapeno poppers. So I’m headed off to do work. I have 100 limes to juice. And a floor to mop.

And if I have time, like 3 walls to de-crayon. But if I hand out margaritas when guests walk through the door, I think I can get away with leaving The Little’s art work up, right?

Tangelo Margaritas

A beautiful orange margarita using fresh lime and tangelo juice.

Ingredients

• 3 oz homemade margarita mix (I made the skinny version)
• 5 oz tangelo juice (from ~3 tangelos)
• 3 oz tequila
• Salt, for rim (optional)

Instructions

1. Stir margarita mix, tangerine juice, and tequila together in an oversized glass or small pitcher.
2. Run a lime or tangerine wedge around the outside of 2 glasses and dip in salt.
3. Fill glasses with ice and pour margaritas over.
4. Rinse and repeat.

Notes

Yields: 2 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 10 minutes