What's Cookin'

Well, it's summer. Kids are out of school. Parks, pools, picnics...I love BBQing!

I thought now would be a good time to share a few of my favorite grilling recipes of my own concoction. I rarely measure and I rarely use recipe books so everything is basically added to taste.

This idea is super simple but OH so tasty!

Gourmet Stuffed Cheeseburgers:

Clean semi-lean ground beef. Natural, clean beef tastes the best. Most of the fat will drip away leaving a good, juicy hamburger. Too lean will leave it dry and tough.

Mix together butter, cream cheese, fresh basil, crushed garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl and put back into the refrigerator to firm up.

Make hamburger patties as thin as you can without leaving any holes.

Place a spoonful of the mixture in the middle of the patty and place another patty on top, pinching the edges together to seal and shape. If there are any cracks or holes the mixture will leak out of the hamburger. You can fix any holes you see with a little extra meat. Set the stuffed patties aside to settle and firm up while you light the grill.

Place a few slices of brie cheese on top of the cooked burgers and serve in a buttered, toasted/grilled bun.

For a side dish, slice some red potatoes into small chunks. Toss in a bag with olive oil, fresh chopped rosemary and garlic until well coated. Place on a cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 until golden brown, flipping occasionally.

For dessert, puree together a small cantaloupe, some mixed berries such as blueberries, raspberries and marionberries, and a peach. Add some sugar to taste and freeze until slushy but firm, stirring occasionally so it doesn't get too hard. (Also makes a fabulous cocktail if adding vodka or rum)

If you try it, be sure to let me know what you think!