burgers

Falafel Burgers

September 6, 2019

The last time I shared a falafel recipe on this blog it was those incredible Falafel Waffles, from a couple years ago, with a tasty Mediterranean slaw that I could literally eat on anything and everything. I still can. (Speaking of which, that same slaw would be great in this recipe). I didn’t think I’d ever make another falafel recipe that would blow me away as much as those waffles did. That was until today, and now I’m sharing these Falafel Burgers with the exact same amount of enthusiasm as I did all those years ago. It wasn’t that long ago, but you get the picture. I don’t eat a lot of vegetarian meals usually but when I do, I like them to be exactly like these burgers; packed with flavor and incredibly filling.

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Shake Shack Style Smash Burgers

March 15, 2019

I have an undying love of Shake Shack, which is quite the loaded statement to make considering I’m a native Angeleno and this is home of In-N-Out Burger after all. I still remember the first time I had a Shake Shack burger in New York—and I don’t mean to sound facetious at all when I say this—but my entire burger-eating life changed from that moment on. They are, to me, the most delicious fast food burger out there (my only issue is that they’re very tiny) and I got way too excited when they started opening shacks here in Los Angeles, and even more so now that there is a location opening up right down the street from me in Pasadena. Which is just as dangerous as it is exciting. The recipe for these smash burgers comes from the Shake Shack cookbook, Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories. If you’ve never had one of these for yourself, now is your chance. Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think. This recipe is also featured in the second episode of Married and Hungry and you can watch it here!

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Caprese Burgers

July 12, 2017

Summer means burgers and burgers means you’re the luckiest person alive because you’re about to eat something amazing and delicious. Especially if said burgers are flavored with pesto and topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. You catching what I’m throwing at ya? Classic burger meets everyone’s favorite Italian salad. I’m using the word salad loosely here because there’s no lettuce involved and I’m not complaining about it. Anyhow, where was I? If this burger doesn’t hit you over the head, screaming at you, “THIS IS SUMMER!” Then I don’t know what will. I don’t think I know the answer to that. I don’t think I know you at all. Lucky for us all though, these Caprese Burgers are here to rescue us from the summer heat and cooking conundrum that plagues us all on a week to week basis, “What’s something easy and delicious that I can make for dinner tonight?” I mean, you still have to fire up a grill or heat up a griddle and cook these, but I mean at least you’ll have a burger at the end of it, and isn’t that what we’re all after in the end? A tasty burger that’s out of the box. These are for you.

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Bacon Cheeseburger Wellington

March 28, 2017

There’s nothing like a really good bacon cheeseburger every once in a while from a fancy restaurant or hotel lobby. On a brioche bun with thin shoestring fries. (If there was avocado involved I wouldn’t be mad at it). They get me every time, and I love them for it. At the same time though, there’s also nothing like a really [good] bad bacon cheeseburger from a greasy fast food restaurant/dive bar, am I right? I’ve had a love affair with burgers, mini and normal sized alike, for awhile now. I even turned it into pierogis not that long ago, which I highly recommend if you haven’t tried them yet. Before I dive into this post though, I have to tell you that I’ve been making wellington for as long as I can remember. It was one of the first dishes I made when I started cooking as a teenager because it felt like the fanciest thing I could make at the time. I made it with chicken instead of beef because cooking steak still intimidated me at that age. I actually don’t make it that often anymore for some reason, so I decided to give it another go. This time around though I ditched the chicken, opted out for a bacon cheeseburger wellington situation that we can all get on board with. It’s everything we know and love in a classic bacon cheeseburger wrapped up in a flaky puff pastry bundle. I’m convinced that this dish is what dreams are made of.

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Gyro Burgers

June 17, 2016

You should see the home screen on my computer right now, it’s littered with screenshots of recipe ideas and inspiration for upcoming posts. You should also take a look at the notes section on my phone. There’s a long list of recipe ideas that are both reasonable and maybe a little too crazy, but you know me well enough by now to know that I sometimes can’t do simple. Whenever I think of something to make for the blog, I write it down in the notes on my phone. Sometimes it’s while I’m at the grocery store, or while I’m driving, or working out, or even lying in bed about to go to sleep. It’s always when I least expect it and so I immediately jot it down because if I don’t, believe you me, I’ll forget it. I can’t even tell you how many times that has happened to me over the years. Half the time, I spend it thinking to myself, “What was that recipe idea you had the other day?” At times, if I really think about it, I’ll remember. Other times, not so much. So now I’ve made a conscious effort to stop that as best I can. The same thing occurs when I’m looking online either on Pinterest or scrolling through Instagram and I’ll come across an image or a recipe inspiration that strikes me, so I take a screenshot of it and look back to it later on when I’m stuck and don’t know what to make next for this site.

All of this only to say that these Gyro Burgers were one of those ideas that I came across online a while ago. I found the image for this on Tumblr with no title or recipe itself. I had nothing to go on other than the picture itself, but the idea was so interesting to me that I was determined to create something out of it. So here we are now, these Gyro Burgers staring us right in the face. All this also to say that the constant brainstorming and struggle for the next recipe is all worth it, if it means that it makes your life a little bit easier. Nothing is worse than having to figure out what to make for dinner, especially after a long day at work. So don’t think about it anymore and just make these burgers ASAP. Don’t worry I have your back, and whenever you’re in need of some recipe inspiration, you won’t have to look all over the internet or wrack your brain over it because this site is here for you.

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Surf ‘n’ Turf Sliders + Cookbook Announcement!

December 2, 2015

Before we dive right into these colossal over-the-top sliders, I think it’s important to talk about some very exciting news that I’m finally able to share with you. I’ve been keeping this big secret from you for a while now, dropping a few hints here and there whenever possible. Some of you might’ve guessed it by now, or heard it through the grapevine, but I wanted to wait until the right moment to announce it. I just finished writing and photographing my very first cookbook. I’m in the last stages of the editing process and it’s almost ready for y’all to see. Almost. It’s been an extremely long two years in the making, and the entire process has been exciting, tiring, overwhelming, and nerve-wracking all at the same time. It’s hard to explain because part of me wanted to tell everyone right from the get go, but then another part of me was wary because I felt like it was too good to be true. Like I’d eventually wake up to the realization that I’d just dreamt it all. I kept rationalizing my decision to stay quiet by telling myself, “I’ll wait a bit longer until it’s actually official, just in case something changed.” Well, it’s finally official, official and at this point I’m more than certain it’s a reality and my publisher isn’t going to back out. Cue excitement here.

This cookbook is dedicated to my all-time favorite food; SLIDERS! All the sliders you could possibly think of, and then some. It’s called The Slider Effect and it will be published by Andrews McMeel, the same publishing house who puts out all of Chef John Besh’s books and the Calvin and Hobbes books (talk about my childhood dreams come true). You might remember that on more than one occasion, I’ve referred to myself as King of the Sliders, sure it’s self-appointed, but I feel like it’s finally come true. The Slider Effect will feature four chapters on sliders; meat, poultry, seafood and vegetarian. There’s something for everyone, so have no fear. There’s also a chapter on homemade buns and rolls, and another chapter on homemade sauces and condiments for those of us that want to rule the world and impress our family and friends.

The book is set to be released in June 2016, so start the countdown now. And while it might seem like it’s still so far away, look on the bright side, at least you didn’t have to wait as long as I did. I’ve been waiting forever. Seriously though, it’s been forever and a day. But I promise it’s worth the wait. The book is beautiful with a capital B, and I’m not just saying this because it’s my book. My agent, editor and designer have made this book look like a dream. A dream I tell you. I’ll keep you posted with all of the updates, and as soon as it goes up for online preorder, you better believe that you’ll be the first to know! There’s still so much to share with you all, and as we ride this wave together I’m ever so thankful to have you there alongside me. I’ll finally be able to get back to my normal schedule and start posting here more often again. Thanks for being so understanding this past year while I’ve posted sparingly on the site. Turns out, it’s hard to juggle a blog, other misc. work and a cookbook. Who would’ve thought?

I’ve created a hashtag (#TheSliderEffect) on instagram and tagged the sneak peek photos I’ve already posted on there. It should all make sense now. Be sure to follow the tag closely for updates and more sneak peeks leading up to the book’s release. Let’s countdown together friends, and make this the best summer cookbook of the year! Sliders really are magical. They bring people together.

Okay, enough of my babbling. Sorry for the long post, I just had a lot to share. In honor of this special occasion, I decided to make these Surf ‘n’ Turf Sliders. While these aren’t in the book (they didn’t make the cut), they are however, an example of what you can expect from my book. They’re not all as labor intensive, I promise. Most of them are rather easy, but they’re all definitely achievable. I hope you’re as excited as I am!

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