Hawaiian Lamb Sliders with Hoisin-Soy Glaze . . . So GOOD

Sliders were not in my vocabulary until about 3 months ago when I decided to tackle my own version of White Kastle sliders. The cute little burgers were so much fun, EASY to put together and delicious. Have you ever cooked a slider burger? I am not sure a bun could get prepped as fast as the miniature burger will cook and be done~!



Now the ideas for little burgers sound endless. The Hawaiian lamb sliders are just as fun to make and juicy delicious.

The grilled pineapple wrapped in sticky strips of prosciutto add a wonderful salty sweet flavor to the lamb burgers and hoisin-soy glaze. A really fun dinner to try.

Hawaiian Lamb Sliders W/hoisin-soy Glaze
FOR THE HOISIN-SOY GLAZE:
2 T. hoisin sauce
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. honey
1 T. Sriracha hot sauce
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple rings in juice
FOR THE BURGERS:
Around 1 pound ground lamb
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 slices prosciutto
1/3 cup mayonnaise
wasabi, to taste
Hawaiian sweet rolls, toasted on the grill

Directions:
Make the hoisin-soy glaze: In a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, Sriracha and 1 Tablespoon of pineapple juice, reserving pineapple rings for later. Whisk together until combined.
Mix mayonnaise with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of ready-made wasabi and set aside.
Make the burgers: Prepare grill to medium-high heat, or preheat broiler. In a medium bowl, add lamb, salt, pepper and 3 tablespoons of hoisin-soy glaze, reserving remaining glaze. Gently mix to combine, and form into miniature patties for sliders.
Drain pineapple rings and set on a plate, ready for the grill.
Same with Hawaiian sweet rolls. Slice sets of three in half, ready to toast on the grill over indirect heat.
Cook lamb patties on grill or in broiler 2 minutes per side, longer depending on desired doneness. TOP LAMB PATTIES WITH HOISIN-SOY GLAZE 1 MINUTE BEFORE YOU FINISH COOKING. Put pineapple slices on grill during the last 2 minutes of grilling patties along with the buns.

ASSEMBLE: Cut pineapple slices into 4 sections and wrap each section with a strip of prosciutto. Put mayonnaise mixture on bottom buns, then lamb patty, 2 sections of pineapple wrapped in prosciutto, then top bun.

Burger Grilling Season is Here: Cubano-Style Burgers with Double-Fried Tostones

Burgers sizzling on the grill, condiments being whipped together, cheese slices waiting to contribute in creating a gourmet burger . . . all screaming spring/summer is here and we are READY!

What is any burger without a crunchy something to assist in the visual pleasure, getting our mouths watering; ready to sink our teeth into a virtuoso of food heaven?

A Cubano burger needs to be completed with a few perfectly seasoned, fried plantains!Cubano-style Burgers
Time: 20
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
FOR THE MUSTARD RELISH:
1/4 c. prepared yellow mustard
1/4 c. dill pickle relish
2 T. minced onion
2 T. diced pickled jalapeno (regular jalapeno from slices in a jar works fine too)
1 T. honey
FOR THE BURGERS:
Mix 1/2 lb. ground turkey or pork WITH 1/2 lb. ground beef
(You can use 1 lb. ground pork or ground turkey instead of the mix)
salt and pepper
4 slices deli-sliced ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 onion hamburger buns, buttered Directions:

Preheat one side of grill to medium-high and the other side to low.

COMBINE ingredients for the relish in a bowl; set aside.

DIVIDE the ground turkey and hamburger mix into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a patty slightly larger than the bun to allow for shrinkage. Season patties with salt and pepper and coat both sides of each one with nonstick spray.

GRILL burgers, covered, over medium-high heat until cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Top each burger with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes more. Remove burgers from the grill and tent with foil.

GRILL buttered buns, covered, over low heat until lightly toasted, 1-2 minutes. To serve, place burgers on buns, and top with mustard relish.

Double-fried Tostones
Time: 25
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 c. vegetable oil or use a deep fryer
2 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Salt, garlic powder, and chili powder to taste

Directions:

HEAT oil in a saute pan or deep fryer to 365 degrees. Fry plantain slices until light brown, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate; let cool. FLATTEN each plantain between sheets of waxed paper with the flat side of a meat mallet. Fry tostones again, until crisp, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season with salt, garlic powder and chili powder.

Killer 7-Layer Dip Plus Bluegrass Beercheese Melts with Bourbon BBQ Glaze

7 layer chip dip is a work of art created through layers of delicious flavor piled one over the next. The variety of recipes for layered dip could be endless. The one I make is loved by everyone that has ventured forth to dip the chip. Hearty and yet not to thick or stiff to cause a chip explosion during chip dip scooping.

Killer 7-layer Dip
1 can spicy jalopeno refried beans
1 package of your favorite taco seasoning mix
2 cups of sour cream
2 cups of spicy salsa
2 cups of shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
3 avocados, mashed
1 diced tomato
1 small chopped sweet onion

1 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of sour cream for the Guacamole

Directions:

This taco dip is made in two parts. For the base, you will want to grab a small bowl and mix your refried beans and your taco seasoning mix. You can use regular refried beans if you like, I prefer the spicy.

Next take a separate bowl and sir together your mashed avocados, your tomatoes, sweet onion, lemon juice, and only 2 tablespoons of your sour cream. Season your mixture with pepper if you like.

Now to create your layers, spread your bean mixture on a large platter. Next take your sour cream and layer over your beans. The next layer that you will put is your guacamole. Follow this with a layer of salsa, cheese, and olives.

Serve your 7 Layer Taco Dip with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

Have you ever had a recipe you kept in sight for a LONG time, KNOWING the right day to make this creation would just appear? You would wake up one morning and just know. The Bluegrass Beercheese Melts with Bourbon BBQ Glaze is "that" recipe. The title and recipe looked so long that I assumed the beef burgers would take a while to put together. I was wrong. Start to finish, maybe 35 minutes. Not bad.

The recipe is courtesty of Brigette Nguyen and I would like to say: DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:
12 slices bacon
1 stick butter, softened
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small yellow onions, sliced thinly into rings
1 poblano pepper, julienne
1 green bell pepper, julienne

Bourbon BBQ Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Beercheese:
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
1 tablespoon spicy steak sauce (recommended: A1 Bold and Spicy Steak Sauce)
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flat beer
2 pounds freshly ground chuck
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for brushing grill
12 slices Texas Toast

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lay out bacon strips on rimmed baking sheet pan, lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake until brown and crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove, drain on paper towels, and set aside. Alternately, bacon can also be cooked in the microwave or on the stove top.
Preheat a gas grill, charcoal grill, or indoor grill to medium-high heat.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside remaining butter for bread. Saute onions and both peppers until soft and caramelized.
Meanwhile, combine ketchup, barbecue sauce, bourbon, mustard, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a light simmer and continue to cook until sugar is dissolved and sauce is thick, about 3 to 4 minutes.
For Beercheese, combine first 5 ingredients in food processor, and with machine running, drizzle in beer until mixture is smooth and well combined.

Divide ground chuck into 6 square-shaped patties, approximately the size of Texas toast. Season with salt and pepper. Brush grill with vegetable oil. Place patties on grill and cook, turning once until done, approximately 5 to 7 minutes until desired doneness. Once flipped, brush tops of patties with BBQ glaze.
Meanwhile, lightly butter both sides of each slice of Texas toast and grill on either side for 1 to 2 minutes along outer edges of grill, until lightly browned and toasted.

To assemble, spread 6 slices of Texas toast liberally with beercheese, approximately 2 tablespoons per slice. Top with bacon strips and burger patties. Top burgers with caramelized onion and pepper mixture. Spread the remaining slices of toast with additional BBQ glaze, about 1 tablespoon per slice, and invert onto burger patties. Enjoy!

Note: The beercheese spread is incredibly easy to make and stores well in the refrigerator. Double or even triple the recipe and use the leftovers for a dip; serve with crackers and vegetables, such as celery, carrots, cucumbers, and radishes.