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I loved eating and making these burgers. Summer is almost done and I feel like grilling and eating all sorts of fresh produce. I had been busy all day Friday and we didn’t have any plans for dinner. We got home around five and I decided to grill burgers, roast some potato wedges and make a salad- simple summertime meal.

I still had to go and buy some ground beef. Usually I prefer turkey meat due to health reason but I decided to go look for grass fed ground beef. Before going shopping, I peeled and cooked the potatoes. I chopped basil, thyme and rosemary for the burgers. I minced garlic and grated a shallot. Once I got the meat and rolls, I simply added the chopped ingredients and that was it- I was done. My husband had asked me to purchase the ready to grill patties but I can’t get myself to do that. I have no idea what is in there.. especially the meat quality. I prefer to make my own- especially since it doesn’t take very long at all.

We grilled the burgers and ate a delicious, simple summer meal… I can’t believe it is almost done. Make this recipe this weekend…
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I loved making this main entree for a few friends we were having over the other day. I knew I was going to grill but wanted to come up with something different to serve. Mexican and Latin themes always come to mind for a warm summer evening dinner. The bold flavors lend themselves beautifully to summer meals.

I bought a gorgeoous, grass fed piece of ribeye. It was huge- about three pounds or so. I decided to make a dry rub and sprinkled it all over the juicy steak for a good 4 to 5 hours- over night will be ideal.

I then made my own barbecue sauce- which is super easy and so delicious. Usually barbecue sauces are full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup and salt. If you make your own, it is easy to control the salt and the sugar plus you end with a tastier product.

I grilled the huge steak while basting with the barbecue sauce. I had extra sauce on the side for the meal.

We ate the delicious steak inside grilled tortillas topped with avocados, grilled peppers and onions and the barbecue sauce. The meal was absolutely delicious.

Try this recipe for your next grilling party…
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This is what I came up with the leftovers from last night’s dinner. I had some shrimp- not too many, so I chopped them up into small pieces so a little goes a long way.

My husband loves paella, especially the kind with lots of red sauce- he is crazy about anything with red sauce.

I made this paella with arborio rice since it is creamier than the regular one. I cooked it like a risotto but didn’t stand in front of the stove, stirring constantly. Instead I added most of the broth at once and let it cook. It resulted in a very delicious and perfectly cooked paella.

To start the process, I crumbled up the leftover chorizo and cooked it with the onions and garlic. I added rose wine because that is what I was drinking. Tomato sauce and chicken broth later, I had a yummy dish. By adding the frozen peas, I had a one pot meal.

A neighbor and my daughter’s friend stopped by and joined up for dinner. They both ate up the paella and complemented on the taste.

Next time you have leftovers- make a paella!
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This meal is kind of like a surf and turf- well, I guess not really since there is no steak… but there is delicious sausage! This dinner/lunch is an ideal summer meal since it does not require too much prepping or cooking time. Everything cooks on the grill while I sit on my deck enjoying a glass of wine.

My favorite kind of sausage is the chorizo which has tons of flavor and a bit of a kick. It is a pork sausage with paprika and garlic and it is absolutely delicious. If health was not a consideration, I would eat chorizo everyday!

I bought some fresh chorizo and a pound of shrimp. I decided to make a simple cilantro garlic sauce to marinate and baste the shrimp and the chorizo with. That is all there is to this meal.

I made some garlic bread and a salad and I was done! We enjoyed everything on the deck and were not able to finish everything- perfect leftovers for another meal tomorrow!!!
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Well, we are a week away from the official start to the barbecue season. Although this past year I have been very good about grilling regardless of the weather- but there is something special about this time of year. Everyone dusts off the outside furniture and the grill getting ready for lazy summer days.

We recently cleaned out our grill- I actually was trying to convince my husband to buy a new one since this one is about nine years old. He was not convinced, since it had never given us trouble. After we changed the grates and cleaned the inside- really well- it was like new again.

I digress-as usual… the idea was to talk about these fabulous lamb burgers. I wanted to post something different for Memorial day and instead of beef or turkey burgers, I decided to use lamb- and lamb made me think of Moroccan food. So, I started doing some research and came up with this fabulous burger recipe. It has garlic, shallots, cilantro, cumin and harissa- which is a Moroccan hot sauce. It was a big hit- super flavorful. I paired it with a sun dried tomato and herb mayonnaise- it is a great combination. I also decided against the regular soft buns and bought a very crusty sour dough bread- a match made in heaven!

Definitely make these for the upcoming long weekend- your family and friends will love you.
Click here for the recipe… »