Aloha!

Are you craving cookouts and backyard BBQ's?  Oh, wait.  Hang on.  Before we get to that:

Amazingly, I made it to round 2!  

I honestly am shocked.  I was so convinced that I would not be going on (based on the awesomeness of projects over there) that I didn't do the project for the next round.  No, I'm NOT kidding.  Imagine my surprise on Friday then, when I only had about 24 hours to whip something up.  (sheepish laugh)  Sooooo, anyway... go vote!

Ok.  Now, back to food.  Are you craving cookouts and backyard BBQ's?  It's time for the next edition of:

For today's burger recipe, we're heading to the islands - Hawaii, that is!  I present to you, for your eating pleasure:

I originally found there recipe here.  For your ease, I'm posting it below.

The recipe.

The Aloha Burger

1 lb ground beef

3/4 C teriyaki sauce

1 small can pineapple slices 

1 large onion, sliced

4 lettuce leaves

4 buns

4 slices of swiss cheese

4 strips of bacon - cooked

1 T butter

Drain pineapple juice in a bowl.  Add teriyaki sauce and mix.  Place pineapple slices and 3 T of pineapple mixture in a reseal-able plastic bag.  Turn to coat and place in the fridge.  Shape hamburger into four patties and spoon remaining pineapple/teriyaki mixture over the top.  Preheat the grill.  Butter the buns.  Place burger patties on the hot grill until done (If you are using a stove top, about 7-8 minutes a side is well done).  Place swiss cheese on the patties and melt for a few minutes.  Place buns on the grill buttered side down to toast.  Remove pineapple slices from the bag and place these on the grill.  Cook briefly on each side until slightly browned and warm.  Assemble the burgers: patty and cheese, bacon, pineapple, lettuce, and onion slices.

Reaction:

Delicious!  Scrumptious!  May I have another, please?

Challenges?  Changes?  Suggestions?

Uh, none and none.  Really.  The recipe and directions are very straight forward.  Easy to follow, easy to make.  I didn't do the onions because my mom is deathly allergic to them and I am slightly less deathly allergic to them.  Still good without them.  I used fresh pineapple instead of canned (the precut fresh kind).  There was enough juice in the container to use for the sauce mixture.  Also, I do want to note that I don't grill - I don't really know how.  So I make all my burgers in a skillet on the stove.  I checked, and Rachel Ray says that's ok - so that's good enough for me.  

Here are some other tips for making burgers that I learned from Rachel Ray:

1.  On a stove: 5 minutes for medium, 7-8 minutes for well-done. (per side)

2.  Make a little "tent" out of aluminum foil to go over the cooking patties once you set your cheese on top.  This will help the cheese to melt faster so you don't burn your patties.

3.  When you form your patties, make an indentation in the middle with the heel of your palm.  This prevents the middle from bubbling up (like mine always did before) so your burgers will be nice and flat and you can put lots of toppings on without them sliding off.  I bet you knew that already, didn't you?  I was excited when I read that, though.

You could say that Rachel and I are kind of an item now.

Overall Assessment:

Super yummy.  I really liked the sweetness of the pineapple mixed with the other flavors.  I also liked that the pineapple was grilled before hand - nice and warm.  I would definitely make these burgers again - they tasted like a million bucks, but weren't difficult to make at all.

Now, although I don't have a delicious side to go with this cheeseburger, I believe the dessert will make up for it.  Are you ready for this?

Yeah.  That's right.  It's like you're going along, yum, a homemade chocolate chip cookie, and - BAM! - whoa!  What was that?  

A surprise mouthful of that other favorite cookie, the oreo.

Hello.  It's an oreo.  It's a chocolate chip cookie.  It's an oreo INSIDE a chocolate chip cookie.  What could possibly be better than that?  And furthermore, why didn't I think of this decades ago?  Nothing seems more natural than putting the two together.  Alas, I did not think of it.  I got the idea from Very Culinary, who was alerted to it by her friends.  Here's the recipe:

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a mixer until well combined.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In medium bowl mix the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.  With a cookie scoop, form balls with the dough.  Place one ball on top of an Oreo cookie, and another ball on the bottom. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is fully enclosed with dough.  Place onto parchment or silpat lined baking sheets and bake cookies for approximately 13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

I found that these were best directly out of the oven.  Still warm and gooey and melty... not because they tasted better that way.  Just because then you can eat them before anyone else knows they exist.

Oh yum....

You're welcome for that tip by the way.

*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!