Friday, June 10, 2011

Black and Blue Burgers

First of all, thank you everyone for all the shout-outs and support for my new book, Grace Interrupted. I'm really excited to bring out Grace's newest adventure because I had such fun writing it. Thanks to my Blog sisters for all the boosts, and congrats again to Wendy and Elizabeth (Riley) on your new releases!!

Now... to food! Believe it or not, Avery and I didn't secretly coordinate posts. Last week, as you may recall, she posted a "Hooray for Barbecue Season," titled Barbecue and Blue. You can read it again here.

Sometimes I feel as though I'm not only "Blog sisters" with all these lovely ladies, but that I'm "Brain sisters" with them as well. (A frightening prospect for them; a reassurance for me!) because this week I'm here to talk about blue cheese stuffed burgers---and I'm betting that when Avery was grilling in the sunshine, I was making these little delights indoors, longing for a little warmth. Fortunately for us, our weather has taken a turn for the better. As I write this it's in the 90s. About time, I say!

Apologies to my vegetarian daughter, but my husband and I need to watch those carbs. We haven't been particularly diligent about that lately, but burgers like these certainly help.

I picked up this recipe from The Low Carb Bible Cookbook, but, as always, adapted it for our use.

Black and Blue Burgers

1 lb (plus or minus) ground beef. I chose a lower fat-percentage chuck they had on sale and I think I had one and a half pounds to work with
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

Divide the ground beef in half, then half again, then one more time. You should have 8 small sections. Shape each into a patty. Set aside. I placed mine on aluminum foil, spread out like cookies on a cookie sheet.

Combine the cheeses, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic. Toss gently, but make sure it's mixed well. Separate into four equal portions. Place a portion atop each of four of the beef patties. Top each of these with a plain patty and smash and seal the edges so that the cheese mixture is trapped inside.

Heat olive oil in skillet, add pepper strips and cook until the edges of the peppers begin to brown slightly.  Add salt, if you like (I didn't). Remove to a small plate.

Add the beef patties to the same skillet, cook on medium-high about 5 minutes. Turn each of them carefully so all the good stuff doesn't spill out.
Top with peppers and keep over heat until cooked through, about 5 more minutes.



Voila! Low-carb and delish! We served these atop a little lettuce. No bun required.


My husband and I liked them very much. One of our other daughters thought they were just okay, but she doesn't care for blue cheese at all. I think next time I might up the cheddar and lessen the blue, but that's just our personal taste. These were great and super easy!

Thanks again, everyone for giving Grace Interrupted such a wonderful launch! And, remember, if you're in the Chicago area Sunday, June 12th, please come by and say hello. I'm having a party and you're invited.

Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore
1:00 - 3:00
7419 W. Madison Street
Forest Park, IL 60131
708-771-7243

I'd love to see you there!
Julie


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CONTESTS!
 
Wendy Lyn Watson's new mystery A Parfait Murderfeatures a story line about the Lantana Round-Up Rodeo Queen Pageant. To celebrate, Wendy's giving away a little cowboy couture: a leather and rhinestone cuff, and a "rodeo queen" keychain. 

Eligibility: This contest is open to everyone living in the U.S. and Canada. One entry per person, please. 

How to Enter: Send proof of purchase of A Parfait Murder (either a receipt, or a picture of you holding the book), by e-mail to wendylynwatson@gmail.com. Put the words "Parfait Giveaway" in the subject line.


Entries must be received by 5:00 PM Central Standard Time on Friday, June 17. Wendy will randomly select one entry and announce the winner here on the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blog on Saturday, June 18. She will contact the winner via e-mail. If she does not receive a response within 7 days, she will draw a new winning name. 





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Riley Adams (Elizabeth Spann Craig) is also running a contest to celebrate the release of Finger Lickin' Dead, her new Memphis BBQ Mystery. 


To learn how to enter Riley/Elizabeth's contest, click here and visit her blog Mystery Writing is Murder



15 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your release, Julie! Woot! I'm hoping to get some reading time in the next couple of weeks and then it's Grace time for me! Love this recipe. I may have to make it inside, though, because it's gotten so HOT here (although I think Krista and Cleo have it even hotter, in some sort of weird weather fluke...)

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  2. These sound delicious. We eat more bison than we do beef these days, but I bet they would be awesome with bison or beef. My youngest hooligan might have the same reaction to the blue cheese, but I'm pretty sure his older brother will love them.

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  3. Julie, these burgers sound delicious and a great change from the usual. Congratulations on your latest release. I have it on my desk to read and am looking forward to it.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress
    Freelance Editing By Mason

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  4. Thanks, Elizabeth. It was hot here as I wrote my post, but yesterday we were back in the 50s with flooding conditions. Raining again today. I think it's a good reading day for me! (Except I have that pesky novel to finish first!)

    Booklady - I've never had bison, but if I have the opportunity, I'll give it a try soon. I bet these would be great!

    Mason - What I liked about making these was that they were still burgers, but just a tiny bit more elegant. Thanks for picking up Grace. Hope you enjoy it!

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  5. Congratulations of Grace Interrupted, Julie. I can't wait. These burgers look wonderful. I do really well on lo-carb and hamburger buns are not my friend. This will be a big hit with us too. Thanks!

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  6. What decadent burgers! I love the idea of stuffing the cheese right inside.

    Thanks for the shout-out, Julie, and I'm so excited for you and Grace! Happy belated launch day. :)

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  7. Elizabeth, it's so hot here that the sun is burning weeds and clover!

    Booklady, you must be the one who is driving up the price of bison! Just kidding. The price has jumped by 50% since last year. I guess that's proof of how popular it is.

    Julie, I'm making this recipe for sure this summer. It sounds absolutely delicious!

    ~ Krista

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  8. Thank you, Mj, Wendy, Krista, and Cleo...

    BTW, Wendy, I made a veggie burger with a similar cheesy topping the other day and it was fabulous! My daughter prefers Morningstar, so I gave it a try myself. I was surprised at how tasty it was!

    Thanks, everyone for helping me launch my newest Grace! You guys are the best!

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  9. Congrats, Julie - GRACE INTERRUPTED is off and running! Very nice recipe today for grilling season. Blue cheese is a favorite in our house and these will go down with a smile (and most likely a side salad with any leftover Roquefort). Have a wonderful launch party on Sunday. Marc and I will be with you in biblio-spirit. :)

    Read with joy, everyone,
    especially on this New Release-a-Palooza weekend!

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  10. Julie, congrats on GRACE INTERRUPTED's release. It's selling like hotcakes, if all my charts are right. Yeah.

    I had to laugh at your post, because when you were grilling burgers, I was thinking about grilling burgers and did them a few nights after the steak (yep, red meat is good for skin suppleness, remember?), and stuffed them with a cheddar mix. Great minds do think alike. Love these and I know my husband will adore them. He's a major blue cheese lover.

    ~Avery AveryAames.com

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  11. I grew up (I'm 59) with my Daddy barbequing hamburgers stuffed with blue cheese. It has been a trip down memory lane to read about this, and enjoy the thought that my daughter, now in her 30's also bbq's hamburgers that same way! Thanks so much for a great post!

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  12. Avery - I hope so! Fingers crossed.
    I'm far too attached to red meat (trying to cut back), but when you assured us it was good for our skin, I felt much better about my recent choices. I'm still trying to eat less meat, but when I enjoy a steak or burgers, I'm not going to feel as bad!

    Readerwoman - I'm so happy this post reminded you of your dad. And now your daughter has picked up on the stuffed burgers! How cool is that!

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  13. These are a staple at Chez Phillipe come summer!! They were supposed to be on tonight's menu but our 90 degree summer has devolved into a rainy, chilly 55 degree day!!! So...when the sun shines again (supposed to be Sunday) we will be grillin' and chilling' on the front porch. We love Maytag brand bleu...it is a wonderfully creamy cheese.
    Can't wait for Grace and to reconnect tonight...I brought out the quilts again and have a lovely coffee mead to enjoy...Have a great party tomorrow...wish I could be there :-)

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  14. Congrats on your book release. I'm adding this to my recipe folder.

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  15. Thank you so much, Nanc! Hope it warms up again for you soon, but those quilts and coffee mead sound pretty fabulous. Happy reading!


    Thanks, Dru! Glad to see you!

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