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Classic Cheeseburger

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Who doesn’t love a classic cheeseburger?  This recipe is both simple and flavorful and makes the hubby and kids so so happy.  It really doesn’t take much around here to please the people and a simple grilled cheeseburger is just the icing on the cake.  We have a little trick of the trade with these guys that just takes them to the next level…it’s called butter folks!!  I know, you can’t believe that we make a cheeseburger with butter here at GTK but, we don’t believe in skimping on flavor and sometimes you just have to dive right in.  We also like to keep the ingredients simple which is why we call these classic burgers.  They don’t have a lot of added ingredients and quite frankly, they don’t need them.

All you need for the patty is lean ground beef, salt and cracked pepper, worchestershire sauce, garlic and a little pat of butter.  Yum!  Just gently mix all of the ingredients together with your hands being careful not to over mix.  You don’t want tough hockey puck burgers…nobody wants that really.  Form the mixture into little patties and press a hole in the top to place the pat of butter.

Grill the burgers over medium high heat for 4 – 5 minutes on each side.  Top with the cheese slices at the very end of cooking so it gets nice and melty.  Place the brioche buns up on the top rack of the grill to get a nice little char on them too.

Assemble with your favorite toppings.  The classic contains mayo, fresh tomatoes and lettuce.  You can add whatever your heart desires.  Avocado, bacon or pickles are also some family favorites.  Serve with your favorite sides!


Classic Cheeseburger
 
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Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
  • ½ tsp each kosher salt and cracked pepper
  • ½ tsp worchestershire sauce
  • 1 small clove garlic, pressed
  • 3 small pats butter
  • 3 hamburger buns
  • mayonaise
  • 3 slices cheddar cheese
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 1 C mixed greens
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl add ground beef, S&P, worcestershire and garlic. Gently mix with hands. Form meat into 3 equal size patties. Press the center of each patty to make an indent for the butter. Place butter into each patty.
  2. Preheat BBQ to medium-high heat. Grill burgers (butter side up) for 4-5 minutes. Flip burgers and continue to grill for an additional 4-5 minutes until burgers are cooked to desired liking.
  3. During the last 2 minutes of cooking place a slice of cheese over each patty. Place buns on top rack to toast during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
  4. Assemble burgers by spreading each side of the buns with mayo. Top patties with tomato slices and mixed greens. Serve immediately

Chipotle BLT + Avocado

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One of our favorite classic sandwiches is the BLT and this chipotle BLT with avocado is no exception.  Why is this sandwich so freaking delicious?  I mean, it might have something to do with the combo of salty bacon, crisp fresh lettuce, gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, creamy avocado and spicy smokey chipotle spread smashed between a couple pieces of toasted wheat bread.  Ya think?

I don’t know about you but I often like to know the origin of certain recipes.  You know, the one’s you’ve been eating for decades but you aren’t really sure who invented it or where it actually comes from.  Our last post featured a special family recipe for Kari called,  Al’s Lemon Chicken  which came from her Grandfather’s best friend Al.  We both love recipes that have a story and carry traditions but it just got me to thinking, the BLT has been around forever so what’s it’s story?  It’s not rocket science but who the heck thought of this sandwich that became a universal classic?  Well, lucky for you, you don’t ever have to wonder again (phew!)…the BLT is believed to have descended from the late Victorian-era tea sandwiches.  Although the ingredients for the BLT have been around for decades, but there is little evidence that the sandwich existed prior to the 1900’s.  Who knew?  Maybe you did but I didn’t.  There are people doing research (and writing entire cookbooks) on this kind of stuff and I’m the kind who reads it!  I also learned that BLT’s really took off during the post war supermarket boom which made the ingredients available to nearly everyone.  There are a variety of different spins you can put on the BLT (hence our addition of chipotle and avocado) but the basic ingredients will always remain a classic.

Now that you are an expert on the BLT, let us give you a quick overview of how we do our version.

Here’s the lineup.  Easy enough right?  You can make this sandwich anytime during the year but summer is when the heirloom tomatoes are at their peak and that can be a game changer.  A perfectly ripe, sweet tomato will elevate the simplicity of this sandwich.  The chipotle crema is really easy to make.  You just blend up greek yogurt, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and a little salt to a nice creamy consistency.

Toast up the bread,  layer on all the ingredients and enjoy!

 

 

Chipotle BLT + Avocado
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 2 slices whole grain bread - or bread of choice
  • 3 slices hierloom tomato
  • ¼ avocado, slices
  • 3 pieces nitrate free organic bacon, cooked
  • 1 large red leaf lettuce leaf (can sub other such as romaine)
For the Chipotle Crema:
  • ½ C 0% greek yogurt
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo + 1 tsp sauce
  • pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients for the chipotle crema to a blender or use an immersion blender. Blend on high speed until completely broken down and incorporated.
  2. Place 2 pieces of bread in a toaster and toast until golden brown.
  3. Spread desired amount of chipotle crema on both sides of toasted bread. Assemble remaining sandwich ingredients on bread (lettuce, bacon, tomatoes and avocado. Top with other side of toasted bread and cut in half to serve.

Tomato Stuffed Wedge Salad with Creamy Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing

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Tomato stuffed wedge salad is simple to make and lets you look super gourmet, even if you’re not.  Stuff food into food.  Really, it’s true….just look at this simple salad. Isn’t it beautiful?  Stuff a wedge salad inside a tomato and all of a sudden it takes it to a whole new level. Drizzle easy homemade yogurt blue cheese dressing over the top and crumble some crumbled turkey bacon and you can pretty much call yourself Julia Child or Giada De Laurentiis or Gordon Ramsey…you get the idea.  You will look like you really know what you’re doing in the kitchen, even if you really don’t!

This is an awesome salad to serve if you’re entertaining.  You can hollow the tomatoes out in advanced, make the salad dressing, clean the lettuce and cook up the turkey bacon.  When it comes time to serve the salad, it’s easy to quickly assemble.  You will look like an effortless cook in kitchen…you can even use the line “oh, I just threw this together…no biggie.” Because literally you DID just throw it together, even though it looks majorly Pinterest worthy.

So now that you know about our little secret about stuffing food inside of food it’s time to get started.  Throw this salad together the next time you have guests over for dinner. Try it with Orange-Ginger Grilled Pork Tenderloin or your favorite grilled chicken and you will look like a pro!


Tomato Stuffed Wedge Salad with Creamy Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 large tomatoes like beefsteak or hierloom
  • 2 C romaine lettuce, chopped into thin strips
  • 2 pieces turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
For the Creamy Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing:
  • ½ C 0% Greek Yogurt
  • ½ C buttermilk
  • ½ C crumbled blue cheese
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Using a paring knife cut a large circle over the top of each tomato to remove the top. Remove as much of the inner tomato as possible without tearing the skin. You may need to flip the tomato over to remove any excess liquid and seeds.
  2. Stuff each tomato with romaine lettuce. Divide the turkey bacon crumbles equally and sprinkle over the top of each tomato. Spoon creamy yogurt blue cheese dressing over the top.
For the Creamy Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing:
  1. In a small bowl add all ingredients together and mix with a spoon until incorporated. Store any remaining dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Summer Squash, Leek and Tomato Gratin

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This dish just screams, “Say hello to summer!”  I mean, first of all, the brightly colored squash and tomatoes are to die for…then you line them up all pretty in a dish on top of some beautifully caramelized leeks and top the whole thing with cheese???  Yea, I know, it’s insane!! Yum! This summer squash, leek and tomato gratin is sure to become your new go to side dish!  Your friends are going to be begging you to bring this one to the next gathering or to please just make it and invite them over!

Don’t be intimidated by the layering process.  It’s actually really simple.  Just start by slicing up those leeks and giving them a nice slow saute until they are soft and golden brown.  Slice up your zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes and toss them with a little parmesan asiago and fresh thyme mixture…then start layering. See how pretty that looks?

 

Top the whole thing with the rest of your cheeses and the fresh thyme and pop it in the oven and let her do the rest! In about an hour you will have the most amazing , flavorful veggie side dish and you won’t be sorry!

Stephanie Heymann Photography

 

Summer Squash and Tomato Gratin with Parmesan and Fresh Thyme
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbs good quality olive oil
  • 2 large leeks - halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 zucchini - cut into ¼ inch thick slices
  • 2 yellow summer squash - cut into ¼ inch thick slices
  • 4 medium tomatoes - cored and cut in ¼ inch pieces
  • 3 Tbs fresh thyme leaves - chopped
  • 1 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ C freshly grated asiago cheese
  • 1 clove garlic - minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°
For the Leeks:
  1. Heat 1 Tbs oilve oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add leeks and satue, stirring often, until soft and light golden brown, about 25 min. Add garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes until softened. Set aside to cool.
For the Gratin:
  1. Lightly oil bottom of shallow 2 qt. gratin dish with olive oil. Place tomato slices on a shallow plate lined with paper towels to drain juices.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss zuchinni and squash with 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbsp shredded asiago, 1 Tbsp parmesan, ½ tsp salt and 2 turns freshly ground cracked pepper.
  3. Start assembly by layering leeks on bottom of gratin dish. Sprinkly lightly with a pinch of thyme, a pinch of parmesan and a pinch of asiago.
  4. Begin by laying one row of tomatoes across the pan, be sure to overlap somewhat and sprinkle with thyme, asiago and parmesan. Next, place a row of zuchinni, overlapping tomatoes and sprinkle with thyme, asiago and parmesan. Repeat with yellow squash and then continue with remaining layers, sprinkling each with thyme and cheeses until the gratin is full. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese.
  5. Cook until browned all over and all of the juices have reduced, about 1 hour. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Good Thyme Tip - The leeks can be made the day before as a time saver. Just allow them to cool after cooking and store in airtight container in fridge.