It's Grillin' Time!

I promised food stuffs so here we go! The past week and a half has been just plain AWESOME here in Ohio. Because of this Michael and I bought a grill. There's nothing that beats grillin' and brews in the in warm weather. I threw together these puppies and they were so good the first night that I went back out the next day and bought more beef to make them again. Yes, they were just as deliciousthe second time around. I think I could eat them everyday, but Michael cut me off. Seriously. Sriracha, blue cheese and bacon! What more could you want?! Enjoy. (I'll try to remember photos next time)

Sriracha Blue Cheese Bacon Burgers (serves 4)

What you need:          

1 lb. really good, fatty ground beef (I used organic grass fed. Can’t afford  it all the time, but honestly, it really does make a BIG difference and since the beef is the focal point of the show here go for the good stuff

2 Tbls. Sriracha, separated

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (nothing too creamy)
2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. kosher salt

4 strips of bacon, cooked and split in half

½ an onion, cut into thick rings that won’t fall through the grill

¼ cup mayo

4 burger buns

Burger fixins- tomato and spinach (that’s what I used)

What you do:             

Pre-heat your gill

Crumble together the beef, 1 Tbls. Sriracha, blue cheese, garlic and salt. Just work it gently until it’s combined. You don’t want to knead the crap out of it because you’ll make your burgers tough, so just crumble and gently work everything in. Form into 4 patties and put a little indentation in the center of each with your pointer finger (helps it cook better) Set aside.

Mix together mayo and remaining Tbls. of Sriracha. Set in fridge. (add a little more if you like it spicier. I did)

Slice onion into big rings. Try to keep them all together because it’ll be easier to grill them as one unit.

Prep your fixins. I had tomato slices and spinach.

                                   

Heat pan and cook the bacon. Set aside.

Toss the onions on a not quite as hot section of the grill. Cook for 3 minutes then add the burgers. Cook burgers for about 4 minutes per side. Maybe a little shorter or a little longer depending on how rare or done you like them.

Pull the onions and burgers off the grill. Grab the Sriracha mayo from the fridge and spread it on the buns. Layer your delicious burger, bacon, onions and fixin. Grab a nice brew (Dogfish Head Aprihop?) Dig in!

You've met Michael now meet me

I’m 26. I went to a private university for a couple of years (waste of MUCH money) studying Latin. I took some years off. Took a couple of classes at various places here and there through the course of our travels (Pittsburgh, A; Lubbock, TX; Boston, MA; Seattle, WA, and now back to my old stomping grounds). It’s been…interesting, challenging, depressing, AMAZING, satisfying, but above all liberating. I have learned that I have it in me to just pick up and go anywhere I choose if I feel like it and that’s more than most people will realize in a lifetime. For that I am grateful.

I have also realized through all this moving that although I love to have a nice home, and I do LOVE to have a nice, inviting home (not to be confused with an expensive home. Turns out I have pretty cheap or “vintage” or “eclectic” taste with most home décor. Also, I have a love affair with Ikea. I get seduced by the Swedish meatballs and then $150 later I leave with a cart full of stuff and a stomach ache and it's terrible and I love it and I hate it and I love to hate it and then I feel a bit guilty, but mostly just irritated at all of the damn people that are in there on a weekend) in the end it’s all just stuff. Maybe I really like my stuff, but it’s just stuff and it runs its course. I don’t like to hold on to stupid shit that doesn’t really matter. Get rid of it. There’s always more super sweet other stuff out there so who cares?

I have learned that what really matters it what Michael and I have together. None of the other junk matters. He’s got my back and I’ve got his. That’s it. The other thing that I have realized it that sharing a home cooked meal with others is the greatest gift I can ask for. There’s something that’s…well, comforting and satisfying at the most basic level. I love being able to bring people together in that way.

You know, I may not have much money (would be helpful and game changing to have more. working on it.) or fancy stemware (overrated for the most part) or an expensive car (16 year old Subaru Legacy! BOOM! Freaking AWESOME by the by. I’ll say it again in case you didn’t hear, BOOM! Awesome.), but I can remember the way my Grandma’s house smelled when she was making pierogies from scratch (like a delicious caramelized onion pan of unconditional love), and really that’s worth more. The greatest gift you can give another is a home cooked meal. I try to top myself with each one.

Also, blah, blah, blah, I have worked in cafes/food service for the past 10 years of my life. I've done everything from manage coffee shop to prep cook to mop the floors  to wait tables in the diviest of dive bars (Oh! the Squirrel Cage!), but mostly I have been a barista. Moving back to Ohio though has brought on my favorite job thus far. I am a cheese monger in a gourmet market. It's freaking great! They actually pay me to learn, eat and talk about over 500 different types of both imported and domestic cheeses. It's an education. I absolutely love it. Doesn't hurt that I am sandwiched right between the amazing wine section and the extensive beer section.

Honestly, for me right now in life, there's not really much more I could ask for.