Recent Eats - Volume 5 and Memorial Day Recipes!

Raise your hand if you're excited for the long weekend! *Raises hand super high*

My husband and I have a long list of house to-dos, and we will probably be spending an absurd amount of time in the garden center at Home Depot. I've never done much landscaping or gardening, but luckily we have that little thing called the internet (speaking of, how did anyone own a home, plan a wedding, or cook anything before the internet?!) It's been a little quiet around here, but I have been doing a bit of cooking and eating! Check back next week for new recipes, and see below for Memorial Day Cook Out inspiration!

It's totally acceptable to make your own birthday cake

Last weekend, we had some friends over for a joint birthday party and housewarming party, and I whipped up a homemade funfetti cake to celebrate. No matter what cake I'm making, I always use this easy yellow butter cake from The Kitchn and Joy the Baker's classic buttercream. I added about a cup of sprinkles to the batter and viola! Funfetti!

Grilling season!

I got the most ah-mazing birthday present from the hubs--a new gas grill! I had been saying how badly I wanted a grill now that we have a backyard, and now those dreams have come true! For the maiden voyage, I grilled up some beautiful bone-in pork chops and simply brushed them with BBQ sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking. I also made grilled corn on the cob, which our friend smartly taught us is even better when slathered in butter and sprinkled with lemon pepper! Seriously, you have got to try this! What's your favorite meal to cook on the grill?

Doughnut Mastery

A friend and I recently took a doughnut-making class at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts where we learned how to make 3 different varieties of doughnuts! Baked, fried, berliner, the works! I had never eaten doughnuts for dinner until then..,and wow was it delicious! I have a whole packet of doughnut recipes to get through, but these Boston Creme Doughnuts were so addicting. I mean...

Memorial Day Round-up!

As the unofficial kick-off to summer, it's very important that we jump into Memorial Day Weekend with some super tasty recipes. Here are some of my favorite summer cook-out recipes and I think you'll love them, too!

Fresh Corn and Pesto Salad

Watermelon, Feta and Spinach Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad

Creamy White Bean Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Hummus Dip

Spiked Ginger Tea Lemonade

Lemon Bars

Vanilla Coconut Macaroons

Chicken and Sausage Spinach Burgers

Happy First Day of Summer! Could this weekend look to be any more beautiful? This will be a refreshing change from the rainy and cloudy weekends we've been seeing here in the Boston area.

In honor of summer, I wanted to celebrate with a delicious burger recipe that is sure to impress your friends and family at your next barbeque or cookout. I would even go so far as to say this burger is a great summer dinner party dish -- it's everything you want in a burger with a surprising twist.

I got the idea to make this burger from a restaurant in Boston's theater district called Rock Bottom. Hilarious name and surprisingly good bar food along with their own craft beers. This is a win-win-win situation.

These Chicken and Sausage Spinach burgers are packed with flavor and beg to be eaten atop a soft potato bun with all the fixings. I personally enjoyed mine with lettuce, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, and a touch of canola-oil mayo. Cory gobbled his up in no time, and decided to make it a cheeseburger by melting on a slice of provolone cheese. I have a feeling these burgers will be a regular in our dinner rotation!

What makes these burgers so special? Let me show you.

It starts off with a simple and lean base of ground chicken. Into that, we mix in 2 links of sweet Italian sausage--TRUST ME on this one. It's not enough to be overpowering but just enough to turn the white palette of ground chicken into something delicious.

For an additional boost, baby spinach is sliced into thin ribbons. The spinach is soft and tender, a lovely and healthy way to stretch your dollar. For extra flavor, thinly sliced green onions and fresh chopped parsley go in to brighten up each burger. To keep the burgers all together, the finishing touches include a small handful of whole wheat breadcrumbs as well as a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. I mean, COME ON! Burger paradise.

The burgers are best grilled on a BBQ or indoor grill pan or in a cast-iron skillet. All of these tools will give the burgers an irresistibly crunchy crust and moist, juicy center. I used my trusty cast-iron skillet lightly coated in olive oil over medium heat.

Recipe below will serve 4 large burgers or about 8 generously sized sliders. For a low-carb option, these burgers are flavorful enough on their own and are just delicious alongside a marinated cucumber and red onion salad!