ramblings from an arkansas farm girl
Seriously. This is the best meatloaf ever. I found the recipe in one of my favorite old cookbooks—The Ozarks Collections (1987). So far, this cookbook has never let me down. It’s tagline is best recipes from the heritage and traditions of a storied region.
Gotta be good, right?Continue Reading
Looking for a special burger recipe for Labor Day (or any day)? This grilled basil burger recipe is it! John has whipped up these burgers several times this summer. I’ve been planning to share his recipe for weeks, but here we are nearing the end of August, and I’m just getting around to it. One bite and you’ll taste what you’ve been missing. I apologize in advance for waiting so long.
John at the helm of his Big Green Egg. Basil burgers and spicy sausage…
John uses a Big Green Egg, but I am confident this burger recipe will turn out great on any grill or smoker. Also, we highly recommend Ozark Oak Hardwood Lump Charcoal made in Yellville, Arkansas. John swears by this hardwood charcoal which adds a light, smoky aroma and doesn’t overpower the food. If you live in Arkansas, look for it at your local grocery store. In Dallas, try Jacksons Home and Garden or Elliot’s Hardware.
Okay, without further delay, let’s move on to the recipe.
This flavorful burger is Italian inspired with sun-dried tomatoes, Italian red wine and Fontina cheese. My homemade basil pesto (in lieu of traditional condiments) adds a fresh flavor. Of course, you can add your favorite fixings when it’s time to build your burger, but I recommend tomato, red onion and arugula. (I added pickled radishes because I had them in my fridge—that’s the odd looking reddish-orange thing in my first picture). We used grill sourdough which added a light touch. Sometimes regular hamburger buns add too much bread for my taste.
If you give this a try for Labor Day, let us know what you think!
Ingredients
Instructions
So juicy! See the bits of basil and sun-dried tomatoes in the meat? Yum.
Fontina cheese is creamy and luscious. Melts evenly too.
Happy Grilling!
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
#ifyoulikeitputaneggonit
My husband and I whipped up these grilled turkey-spinach burgers a few days ago when it was practically spring-like in Dallas. I added every herb growing in our garden along with spinach to make them extra aromatic and healthy.
parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
Method
Mix an egg into your ground turkey to bind everything together. Add salt, pepper and cayenne.
Mix in chopped herbs. I didn’t really measure but once I chopped everything up I had a little less than a cup.
I meant to add my spinach with the herbs but I forgot so in it goes. I am a big believer in sneaking veggies into ground meat…
John grilled our burgers on his Big Green Egg. He’s does amazing work…
Now for the bonus—add a fried egg on top. I prefer my egg sunny side up, but over easy would be great too. Serve with or without a bun.
Look at all the yumminess.
Grace Grits and Gardening
“Wonder what day God created the egg? How should we know? We should not question. Our stay on earth is not for long. Let us rejoice and believe and give thanks. Eat an egg.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
