Happy Thursday! Can you believe we have only more week of February left??!! February is my least favorite month of the year. It’s usually pretty grey where I live and besides the Super Bowl, there isn’t much to look forward to. March is on it’s way and I couldn’t be happier… and hopefully we’ll get some 70 degree weather like we did last year!
Along Lake Michigan, March 2012
Since it was so warm last spring, I was able to use my grill a lot. Besides my Vitamix and slow cooker, my grill is another prized possession. There is something fun about cooking outside, the smell of the grill and easy clean up.
I long for those warm days. Earlier this week, Chicago’s windchill was in the negatives. Way too cold to be cooking outside, so I came up with a meal that reminded warm days will be here soon.
Blue Cheese Burgers with Steak Sauce Tomatoes & Onions. There isn’t much to it but when I took my first bite, I felt like this is something I would eat during the dog days of summer. Burgers stuffed with blue cheese. Homemade steak sauce. Freshly sliced tomatoes and onions. Doesn’t it sound like something you’d be eating at a cook out??!
I also made a side of sweet potato chips. I finally used my mandolin slicer for the first time. I’m loving this kitchen gadget, too! There is no way I would take the time to slice super duper thin potatoes with a knife to make chips. Now that I know how to use the mandolin, I feel like the world is my oyster.
If you’re wishing for warm days, I hate to break it to you but Mother Nature doesn’t care what you want. But this Blue Cheese Burger Meal will make you feel like it’s time to slap on the SPF and a tube top… or whatever you like to wear in the summer. 
Ingredients
- 1lb ground beef
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- Salt & pepper
- Blue Cheese Crumbles
- 4 Buns, sliced & toasted
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 8 oz canned tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes, pick more round shaped potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- For the burgers, add all ingredients except blue cheese into a bowl and mix with your hands. Shape into 4 patties. Make a hole in each patty and add blue cheese. Reshape patty to seal in the blue cheese. In a skillet, cook patties 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. When burgers are done, remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes. Place burger on toasted bun and top with Steak Sauce Tomatoes and Onions.
- For the Steak Sauce Tomatoes & Onions - in a sauce pan, add vinegar and the next 3 ingredients. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add tomato sauce and whisk in olive oil. Set aside to cool. In a bowl add tomatoes, onions and sauce. Toss to coat and garnish with parsley. Serve on top of burger patty.
- To make Sweet Potato Chips - Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice potatoes to be 1/4 inch thick. Add potatoes and all ingredients to a ziplock bag. Shake potatoes and the marinade. When the sliced potatoes are fully coated, place in a single layer on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.
