Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

I was promised a recession.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Sunday Recipe Exchange: Let’s Start Grilling

Sunday Recipe Exchange: Let’s Start Grilling

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So I’ve been less than cheery the last few weeks. Time to get proactive and kick myself back into gear. And one of the things that has always helped my mood is cooking. Love playing with flavors and techniques, different recipes. Chopping and mixing is almost meditative for me.

But I’m not much in the mood for blogging about food these days. My plan, if you’re up for it, is to mix some old favorites with some new recipes and start up our recipe exchanges again. Believe it or not, I have four weeks already planned out and ready to go, all summer grilling. As long as you don’t mind revisiting some old favorites. Starting with tonight’s stuffed burger menu.

Stuffed Burger Uncut Snap

I make these all the time because they really are easy and a great way to have a cheeseburger without losing half the cheese to the grill. And the sweet potato cajun fries are the perfect sweet, spicy combo.  Grill some peaches, pears or plums and dinner is done. Enjoy.

On the board tonight:

  1. Jalapeno-Cheddar Stuffed Burgers
  2. Kaiser Rolls
  3. Cajun Sweet Potato Fries (recipe here)
  4. Grilled Sweet Corn  (pull husks back, clean off silk, wash, pull husks up & grill-yum!)
  5. Plums

Jalapeno-Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Stuffed Burger Final

Ingredients for each burger:

  • 4 oz ground beef
  • salt, pepper
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed garlic (opt)
  • 1 oz sharp cheddar, sliced thin
  • 2 or more slices of pickled jalapenos

Mix salt, pepper and garlic into the ground beef. Form two, 2-oz patties. Place jalapenos on one burger, cheese on the other.

Prep2

Place the two sides together and seal the edges completely. Gently flatten the burger, but be careful because you don’t want the cheese busting out of the center.

Prep1a

The key to grilling or frying these is low and slow. Medium heat seals them and allows the cheese to melt without drying the burger out. I flipped at the 5-minute mark, but depending on the heat, 3-4 minutes may be enough to flip. They’re thin, so the beef cooks quickly, but you want to make sure the cheese melts. I would say a minimum of 4 minutes per side.

If the cheese starts to leak out, flip and flip again as needed. DON’T press down on these burgers while you grill, you WILL have a cheesy mess.

Now the warning. Did I say WARNING? Yes I did. You’ll need to rest these burgers to let the cheese cool a bit. Otherwise, you could be biting into a scalding cheese center. You’ve been WARNED.

That’s the basics, now let your imagination run wild.

Now it’s your turn. Do you have a favorite burger recipe? What about favorite burger toppings?

Any good vegetarian grilling recipes? I’m fond of black bean burgers. I have a good recipe here. (I think someone here gave it to me).

Hit the comments with your recipes, questions and ideas.

Reader Interactions

91Comments

  1. 1.

    WaterGirl

    I’m going to try the burgers this week.  I have tried chopping onion and cheddar cheese into pieces and mixing them with the burger – this sounds like it might be better.  And I LOVE sweet potato fries, but I have never made them.  Now I’m hungry

    edit: I have some jalapeños that are ready to pick, maybe I’ll try that instead of pickled.  Would I need to cook them first, or will they cook in the burger?

  2. 2.

    raven

    I tried those fancy veggie burgers and they were just ok but sure not worth the dough! I just finished making a big batch of “doggie ice cream” out of yogurt, banana and peanut butter. It’s not just apples that Lil Bit can smell!!!

  3. 3.

    JMG

    This is not a burger recipe, but a discovery I made last night out of necessity. I bought a piece of swordfish to grill on my charcoal-burning Weber, but discovered when it was time to prep the fish we were out of olive oil! So in desperation I lightly spread some sesame oil tahini on both sides. It worked as both seasoning and keeping the fish from sticking to the grill and drying out. Tasted great!!

  7. 7.

    JMG

    @TaMara (HFG): Soon it will be time for my favorite finfish of Cape Cod — striped bass. I wrap those in aluminum foil with thin lemon slices and black pepper to grill. So delicious!

  8. 8.

    geg6

    If I must say so myself, last night’s dinner was outstanding. I made a corn salad with onions, fresh corn (cut off the cob), red bell pepper. Sauté just until the onions start to soften and take off the heat and let cool. Meanwhile, crisp up 4-5 slices of bacon and cut into bite sized pieces. Cut an avocado into cubes and chop a few tablespoons of parsley. Seared some scallops I got on sale. Mixed the bacon, parsley and avocado into the corn mixture and put some on the plates and put the scallops on top. OMG! So delish!

    Tonight it’s a quick chicken cacciatore (boneless thighs, diced) with pasta and sautéed zucchini.

    Couldn’t do anything but grill due to the horrid heat last week, so I’m using the stove while I can (only low 80s yesterday and today). It’s back to the high 90s by Tuesday or Wednesday.

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    Purely for curiosity’s sake shall link to a black bean recipe encountered recently that made me go “Say what now?”

    No personal interest in testing it out.

    @raven

    Yeah. As someone I know described them, “it’s like eating a burger from across the room.”

  13. 13.

    NotMax

    Many, many, many moons ago tried something similar, putting a cube of cheese (IIRC it was bleu cheese) inside the caps of button mushrooms and placing those in the middle of the burger. Had to be a BIG burger in diameter in order to be able to get 3 or 4 mushrooms in each. Think I may have broiled them rather than grilled, but memory hazy.

  19. 19.

    piratedan

    since this is a democracy, not everyone is a big sharp cheddar fan, so if you’re changing up your cheese choice be aware that the white cheeses, muenster, provolone, mozzarella, swiss have a tendency to go gooey-er a touch faster and can give you a pizza-like experience when consumption begins… if jalapeno is a tad too spicy, you could also step down to poblanos…

  20. 20.

    JMG

    @Aleta: Every February and March I ask myself daily “why the hell do you live here?” and every July-August-September I go “oh, yeah, this is why.”

  21. 21.

    TaMara (HFG)

    @JMG: Ah, yes…I have fond memories of summers on the Cape. And fall in Boston. But ultimately, winter/spring gloom forced my hand and I had to answer the clarion call of LA. Still go back to Boston for fall when I can. But it’s been several long years since I’ve been down to the Cape. My dad was stationed at Truro, we lived in Eastham, walking distance from the beach. Those were the days…

  22. 22.

    cleek

    meatloaf mix + onion + egg + bell pepper + salt & pep + red pepper.

    in other words, make meatloaf, but shape it into burgers and grill it. so much bang.

  25. 25.

    VeniceRiley

    If you can’t stand the abomination that is very low carb pasta, I found a kinda low pasta at fibergourmet.com 17 net carbs. Their crackers are also good- 1 carb each, light and crispy. Legit can’t tell. I made fettuccini and meat sauce. 1 bag made 3 good size servings.

  26. 26.

    mali muso

    Made a homemade version of my favorite local pizzeria’s gourmet pie. Topped with caramelized onions, bacon, Gorgonzola cheese and a drizzle of balsamic reduction at the end. Heaven!

  27. 27.

    Redshift

    I’m reminded of a great story friends used to tell about a road trip. They stopped at a diner along the way, and picked out choices for dinner. One of them was “the cheese surprise,” so one of them, Mark, decided to try that.

    Their food came, and his was just a hamburger. No cheese on it, no cheese anywhere in sight. What the hell?

    So he picked it up and took a bite, and melted cheese (which had been invisibly inside) spurted out down his shirt, and the rest of the table spontaneously yelled, “surprise!”

    Needless to say, this was a favorite story for everyone but Mark. ?

  28. 28.

    evap

    Now I’m hungry!  My diet is mostly vegan (and I never eat dairy of any kind), but I occasionally crave a real burger.  Finally finished the taxes last night and rewarded myself and hubby with take-out from a local burger joint that makes the best burgers from locally sourced grass-fed beef.   Sooooo good.  And we got $5 off our order through an American Express “shop local” promotion.

    Tonight’s dinner:  Lentils with roasted eggplant and lemon tahini sauce on top, a recipe from Serious Eats that I make all the time.   The eggplant is from my garden, picked this morning, and you just cut it in half, cut deep slashes crosswise in the middle, brush tons of olive oil on it, then throw into a very hot oven until  soft.  So easy and so good.

  30. 30.

    cleek

    made lamb kofta last week. i loved it. Mrs thought there was too much garlic. it’s basically little lamb burgers skewered and grilled. requires tzatziki, which is always a good thing.

  33. 33.

    Drdavechemist

    @JMG: A friend of mine who works for a fish wholesaler in New Bedford, MA, actually recommended using the cheapest Italian dressing you can find (e.g. Wishbone or a store brand equivalent) as a marinade for swordfish, and that’s what I’ve used ever since. It’s messy on the indoor grill, but totally worth it!

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    @cleek

    Not crazy about tzatziki. Now if you stuff them in a pita along with some shredded lettuce and smother them with toum I might seriously consider setting up camp on your doorstep.

  36. 36.

    MagdaInBlack

    I made a big cucumber, cherry tomato, green onion salad w/yogurt lemon juice and dill. But, main course is Ben and Jerrys Brownie Batter Core. ?

  37. 37.

    Another Scott

    Looks like a great way to make a cheeseburger. I assume you use a very lean stack of ground beef?

    The foodie grocery up the road sells ground bacon+hamburger patties. I might have to try something like this recipe with that.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  38. 38.

    Roger Moore

    One thing I’ve found with burgers is that it’s worthwhile to grind your own beef.  Most commercial ground beef is from whatever cut is the cheapest, so it’s often not the best.  If you grind your own, you can get the cut you like the best.  Of course it’ll be a bit more expensive than the pre-ground stuff, but even really expensive cuts aren’t that much when you’re talking about 4 ounces per person.  Also, too, you hear all the time about recalls of ground beef, but very, very rarely about recalls of steaks or roasts, so it’s a better idea from a food safety standpoint.

  39. 39.

    jeffreyw

    @SiubhanDuinne: 
    t
    There can be too much garlic salt. I learned this from a drunken apprentice instructor at the yearly Apprentice Picnic. That year a guy fell onto that smoking hot grill and stayed there, motionless, incredulous that he was there, in that spot. Long enough to hear the sizzle. He was forever after known on the job and off as “Meat”. Just an aside, I spotted him (in the before time) at the local Kroger, standing and talking to one of the butchers. I hollered “Hey,Meat”! They both turned to look.

  40. 40.

    dexwood

    @Drdavechemist: A good tip. I like the Zesty Italian on fish or chicken.

    ETA: about mayonnaise on fish before grilling or broiling – the first time my wife tried that I was very doubtful, but I quickly became a convert.

  41. 41.

    NotMax

    Gave in to temptation when came across the rarely spotted Ben & Jerry’s rum raisin flavor a couple of months ago.

    Somewhere along the way the recipe has been altered; now much too far on the sweet side.

    (It’s extremely unusual for me to have ice cream in the house. Maybe – maybe – have a craving for it once a year.)

  42. 42.

    Another Scott

    @NotMax: Chunky Monkey has very few walnuts in it these days.

    :-(

    But, it’s everywhere in ice cream these days.  1/2 gallon tubs are now 1.5 quarts.

    And it of course should be illegal to sell ice cream by volume.  It should be sold by weight.  Too much of it has too much air whipped into it.  (Few things are sadder than melted store-bought ice cream, and seeing all of the empty space.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“… up hill both ways!!1”)

  43. 43.

    MagdaInBlack

    @NotMax:

    I feel like this right now: I’ve been furloughed since April 6, I’m not sure when, or even if, Im going back.  The only human contact I’ve had has been the masked grocery clerks, and my government is trying to kill me/us.

    I’m having my ice cream ?

    I love rum raisin and black walnut, both rare.

  46. 46.

    divF

    Post-covid, I’ve been making more of an effort to up my game, making a real dinner for four every night*. Tonight it is green chile chicken (chicken thigh meat cooked  with tomatillos anaheim, poblano and jalapeno chiles) with side dishes of black beans and eggplant sauteed the way you would mushrooms (the latter from Marcella Hazan).

    I’m not much for grilling, though. I leave that to the (live-in) nephew, who bought his own grill / smoker. But he is working today.

    * Actually, only about five nights a week – the other two are typically declared leftover nights.

  47. 47.

    Roger Moore

    @Steeplejack:

    I have a grinder attachment for my stand mixer.  I was a little nervous about it the first time, but it’s not hard.  And the flavor from using something like short ribs or chuck instead of mystery cut is a real advantage.

  48. 48.

    Mel

    @MagdaInBlack: Ohhh, rum raisin! It’s a toss-up between that and butter pecan for decadent flavor. Add a piece of really good carrot cake, and it’s dessert heaven.

  49. 49.

    NotMax

    @MagdaInBlack

    If pressed to single out a favorite flavor it would be pistachio.

    Good luck finding that here, much less finding a well made, well balanced version.

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack

    @Roger Moore:

    I’ve thought for a while that home-ground is probably better, but I don’t have a stand mixer, or room for one. Don’t have a food processor either, although I am often tempted to get one.

    I guess I could look at those manual grinders that clamp onto the edge of the counter. Hmm . . .

  52. 52.

    jeffreyw

    @NotMax: I remember the pistachios I first came across in my callow youth.  I remember them being bright red and was sorely disappointed when an order of ice cream in that flavor was green.

  53. 53.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Smoked 3 racks of baby backs July 4.  Dry rub consisted of salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika. I removed the membrane, brought them to room temp and rubbed them down. My mister consisted of 1/3 bourbon, 2/3 apple juice.

    I used a Weber Bullet charcoal smoker and my wood chunks were 85% apple, 15% mesquite. Started them by fooling them into three rounds and keeping them in place with skewers, standing them on end.

    I kept the temp at about 220-240 the entire time. The hot water pan above the heat source consisted of onion, garlic, oranges, apples and a lemon. Misted and turned after the first hour and a half and again at the three hour mark. After four hours, I unrolled them and did a half hour per side, misting. Took them off at five hours, they were perfect and tender. Served with potato salad and a lemon dressed slaw, with two separate sauces and a nice pickle tray.

  61. 61.

    prostratedragon

    One of the thousands of things that can be done with caponata is garnishing burgers, especially if, like me, you sometimes eat them breadless or open on just one slice. . A basic recipe. These ingredients are all coming into their peak seasons now.

    I’ve actually never tried this, but I have it on good authority that hummus can be a great burger topping. I make mine like anybody’s, but with roasted garlic and black or kalamata olives. And if hummus works, baba ghanouj should also.

  62. 62.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    LOL. Aw, hell, no!

    I am loving the new notebook (ThinkPad T480 for onlookers). Really, really fast—boots up in about 20 seconds—great HD display, plenty of room to spare on the 256GB SSD (although of course I can upgrade later if necessary). The fan very rarely comes on, so it runs cool. Absolutely no complaints.

    But I do not need burger spatter!

  64. 64.

    rikyrah

    I don’t go grocery shopping anymoe.

    I miss picking out fresh vegetables.

    I joined a fresh vegetables/fruit service business that was born in the pandemic.

    For a price, I get a box full of fresh vegetables/ fruit.

    I have to accept what is delivered.

    Yesterday, I ate roasted cauliflower.

    Today, I am roasting parsnips and fixing green beans with potatoes. Will cut up a tomato to top it , when I eat the beans.

  68. 68.

    Jager

    Friends in Minneapolis took us to a small bar/restaurant that makes this kind of a cheeseburger, my wife ordered one, the first bite surprised her, Our friend Liz said, “that’s why we call them cum burgers.”

  69. 69.

    Steeplejack

    @prostratedragon:

    I’ve actually never tried this, but I have it on good authority that hummus can be a great burger topping.

    I could see that. I like hummus, especially with garlic, and I would def try it on a burger.

  72. 72.

    TaMara (HFG)

    @WaterGirl: It would be too moist I believe. You want something drier, for that crisp bottom.  A flour, water, salt, yeast recipe is usually best unless you like that Chicago style crust – you’ll need a recipe with butter in it for that flaky, pastry texture.

  77. 77.

    mrmoshpotato

    @jeffreyw:

    There can be too much garlic salt. 

    That’s because of the salt, not the garlic! :)

    SubaruDiane and I are in agreement (and right) here.

  78. 78.

    BruceFromOhio

    Believe it or not, I have four weeks already planned out and ready to go, all summer grilling.

    i believe! About to grill up asparagus, red and yellow peppers, yellow and green squash, and then a dozen marinated chicken breasts. Well have meals and salads all week from it, it’s easy to do, and all of the produce and meat is local.

    I LOVE this time of year for grilling.

  79. 79.

    NotMax

    @mrmoshpotato

    If ever you see garlic salt, onion salt or celery salt in my spice cabinet you have free rein and full permission to shoot me.

    Aside from actual NaCl the only item in there with the same word on the label is sour salt (which contains no salt of any type at all).

  80. 80.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl: Cherry what? ?

    Pelmen from the city that gave us machinery making modern music that could still be open-hearted.

    Got them from one of my local (walking distance) markets.

  82. 82.

    mrmoshpotato

    @MagdaInBlack: We have Kasia’s and Alexandra’s too (both Chicago-made), but I haven’t seen cherry pierogies from them stocked in a while.

    Now if I could find Alexandra’s Maultaschen perogies around my place without having to go out Belmont…

  89. 89.

    Pete Mack

    Jalapeno juicy Lucy sounds good. But I like to make “Italian meatball” burgers, with finely sliced onion, a little wet bread, parsley, olive oil  garlic, s&p. Maybe some cumin, just ‘cos I like cumin, but other herbs would work as well. Just mash it all together, roll it into a ball until it hangs together well, and flatten it gently onto a hot, well-greased skillet.

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