Lynn's Kitchen Adventures » Grilling

Maple Sausage Burgers

Lynn — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:37:29 +0000

I mentioned earlier this week how much I love to grill hamburgers on football game day. They are such a quick and easy meal.

We love the bacon chipotle cheeseburger I shared earlier this week, but if you are looking for something a little different, with less spice, today’s recipe might be for you.

This is a nice change from a regular hamburger and the combination of the maple syrup and the sausage together gave this incredible flavor without much work. I put together the burgers ahead of time and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to cook them. It saved a lot of time to do that step ahead.

I paired the maple sausage burgers with Bush’s Onion Baked Beans, which are flavored with brown sugar, bacon, onion, and a blend of spices, and it made for perfect game day food.

And speaking of game day, the winner of the Bush’s Baked Beans Game Day Giveaway is Angela I sent you an email. Congratulations!

Maple Sausage Burgers

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Mix ingredients all together and form into 6 to8 patties, depending on the size you want them.
Grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until done. Flipping once during cooking.
Serve with extra barbecue sauce and toppings of your choice.

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Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time for this post by Bush’s Baked Beans, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger

Lynn — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:27:25 +0000

I mentioned last week how much my family loves football and food, and the combination of both make for a fun way to spend a Saturday evening.

We had a lot of fun watching OU play Missouri last Saturday night. And of course we had some good food to go along with it.

I love to grill hamburgers on OU game nights. And I enjoy coming up with new flavors and combinations of hamburgers to serve. A new recent favorite of ours is Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger.

Bacon and cheese always go together well in a hamburger, and the chipotle pepper in this gives it a nice smokey flavor that pairs perfectly with the bacon.

I served this on Saturday with a green salad and Bush’s Bold & Spicy Baked Beans. The Bold & Spicy Baked Beans flavored with cilantro, cumin, bacon, and brown sugar were perfect with the Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger.

The spiciness of the beans went very well with the spiciness of the burger and the Bush’s Baked Beans made this meal so quick and easy to put together.

Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger

2 lbs ground beef
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped (use more if you want more bacon flavor)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 chipotle pepper (one pepper not one can)
1/2 cup shredded cheese

In a food processor or blender mix together barbecue sauce and chipotle pepper. Puree until smooth.
Combine pureed sauce, bacon, cheese, and ground beef together and form into 6 burgers.
Grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until done, flipping the cheeseburger once during cooking.
Serve with extra cheese and additional toppings of your choice.

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Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time for this post by Bush’s Baked Beans, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Fall, Football, Fun, Grilling, and a Giveaway

Lynn — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:23:00 +0000

Fall, football, fun, and grilling just go together. Don’t they?

I am not a huge sports fan. Is that okay to admit? However, I married into a big sports loving family, especially when it comes to football.

And not just any football team. We live in Oklahoma. My father-in-law worked for OU for years, and my husband graduated from OU College of Dentistry.

Any guesses who we were cheering for last Saturday night? Any guesses who will be watching OU play Missouri tomorrow night?

Okay, so it is not hard to guess that if OU is playing football, my family is usually watching.

And what is football without some good food?

Since I love to cook, and I don’t usually mind missing a few minutes of the game, I am usually the one in charge of the food when it comes to football games. And really I do not mind at all.

However, I do like to keep it simple and plan ahead, not just when it comes to football food, but when it comes to entertaining in general.

Football food and grilling are the perfect combination. I love to grill hamburgers and hot dogs on game day. Hot dogs are easy and very kid friendly. Hamburgers are great because you can make the hamburger patties ahead of time and cook them when you are ready. You can set out all the toppings and everyone can fix their own with the toppings that they enjoy.

In the spirit of keeping things simple, I love to take a few cans of Bush’s Baked Beans and place them in the crock pot to heat on low. You can pick your favorite flavor, or if you have a large group you can use several crock pots and serve several varieties of baked beans. The beans really do not take long to heat in the crock pot and it keeps it quick and easy.

And we can’t forget dessert when watching football and entertaining. Again, I like to keep it pretty simple and bake up a few batches of cookies for everyone to enjoy. Cookies are something that everyone likes, and a few different varieties set out on a large platter is easy to do. You can even make your cookies ahead of time, freeze them, and take them out on game day to enjoy.

Next week I will be sharing two of our favorite game day grilled hamburgers, Maple Sausage Burger and Bacon Chipotle Cheeseburger. So, stay tuned for those.

Now for a Game Day Giveaway from Bush’s Baked Beans!

Bush’s Baked Beans is giving away one Grilling Kit to one of my readers. This kit includes:

One black Bush’s branded cooler with speakers
o Cooler has side zippered pocket with jack to allow for compatibility with MP3 player and front pocket to store accessories
Two royal blue Bush’s branded folding chairs
o Chairs have built in cup holders on each side
One hamburger press with handles
o Prep two perfect burgers with this two-piece press, an easy way to make neat and uniformly sized patties
One hot dog/brat griller
o Six-slot stainless steel cooker produces professional-style results while keeping foods from failing through the grill
Vouchers for Bush’s Baked Beans to serve up to 20 guests (or 5 cans)

To Enter: Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite game day food and/or what team you are cheering for this football season?

Giveaway will end Tuesday September 27th, 2011, at 6 pm CST

If you are reading this by email you must click here and leave a comment. Responding to this email will not count as an entry.

For more giveaway details please see my giveaway policy.

Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time, and I received a kit similar to the one above, from Bush’s Baked Beans, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Barbecue Bologna {Oklahoma Prime Rib}

Lynn — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:53:51 +0000

If you live in Oklahoma, you probably know all about barbecue bologna, also known as Oklahoma Prime Rib.

If you are not from Oklahoma, you might think I am a bit crazy for posting a recipe involving bologna. But my husband has been trying to get me to post about barbecue bologna for quite a while now and I finally decided it was time to share this Oklahoma specialty with all of you.

After all we would not want to keep the secret of barbecue bologna all to ourselves here in Oklahoma.

And actually, I have no idea if this is just an Oklahoma thing. I do know that I had not heard of it until moving to Oklahoma. And a lot of people here call it Oklahoma Prime Rib, so maybe it is just an Oklahoma thing.

Now, really some of you may think I am joking about barbecue bologna, but I am not. It truly is served and loved by many people here in Oklahoma. Almost every barbecue restaurant that you eat at will have it on the menu.

My first experience with barbecue bologna was years ago, at a really nice barbecue restaurant in Oklahoma City, where my in-laws took us to eat. I looked at the menu, with all the high end steaks and meat, and saw barbecued bologna, and could not believe bologna was on the menu. My husband and in-laws could not believe that I had never had, or even heard of barbecue bologna.

Well, let’s just say that barbecue bologna is not something on many menus, or dinner tables, in Oregon. The only way I had ever had or seen bologna was the kind that you buy sliced in the package at the store. The kind you eat on a regular old sandwich. But I quickly learned that in Oklahoma they take their bologna seriously.

Now you will meet a few Okies that do not like this specialty, but most enjoy it. Last month we served this at a church picnic and I could not believe how popular it was. My husband thought that there would be plenty of meat with just barbecue pork and barbecue bologna, but I insisted we also do chicken because I was not sure many people would eat the bologna.

Well, was I wrong. I think more people ate bologna than anything else. ~~Everyone~~ Okay almost everyone loved it.

Now here is where I admit, that although my family loves barbecue bologna, I am not a huge fan of it. I have told my husband many times that bologna is bologna no matter how you serve it. But since the rest of my family, and most of our friends and family enjoy it, I do fix barbecue bologna a few times a year.

Now, after all that are you curious how it is done. It is actually really easy.

First you buy your bologna like this.

See, I told you we take our bologna seriously in Oklahoma. Right next to the rest of the lunch meats, and small packages of bologna, you can find a 5 lb round chunk of bologna.

Unwrap the bologna and cut a slice into the bologna. You want to make a slice about 2/3 through the bologna, but do not cut it all the way through. This helps the smoke flavor go all the way through the bologna. Rub the bologna with a barbecue dry rub. I use Head Country because it is really good and it is a local Oklahoma company. You can easily use a different dry rub or even a homemade one.

Place the bologna on a smoker. I use my Weber smoker, but you can easily do this on any smoker type barbecue. Smoke for about 3 hours. We keep the smoker at about 225 degrees. And we have used various woods for the smoked flavor in this. So, just use your favorite.

After 3 hours, the bologna will be nice and browned and have a smoked flavor. Remove the bologna from the grill and slice.

Serve with barbecue sauce and enjoy!

Most people eat this sliced served with sauce or served as a sandwich. We like to use Head Country because it is our favorite barbecue sauce and it is a local Oklahoma company.

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Now, do you all think I am crazy? Or have you had barbecue bologna?

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A Tip For Making Perfect Hamburger Patties

Lynn — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:55:36 +0000

Today’s tip is so simple and yet it makes a huge difference in getting the perfect hamburgers patties every time.

But my tip has nothing to do with the seasoning or the meat, it is all about the technique.

When hamburgers cook they tend to swell up in the middle and form a bulge. This makes them harder to eat because all the toppings fall off. This always bothered me, but I always figured that it was just the way hamburgers were meant to be.

However, sometime ago I read a tip in a magazine that changed my hamburger making forever. It solved the dilemma of my misshapen and bulging hamburgers.

And it is so simple. All you need to do is make an indention in the top of your hamburger patty before you cook it. When the hamburger cooks it won’t bulge in the middle This means that the toppings won’t fall off and I can enjoy my hamburger much better.

Now please tell me I am not the only one that is bothered about things like bulging hamburger patties? Because seriously does this mean I have a weird issue with my food?

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Grilled Vegetables With Balsamic Vinegar

Lynn — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:59:19 +0000

Grilled vegetables are one of my kids favorite ways to eat vegetables. It is so easy to cut up a few vegetables and place them on grill and if it gets my kids to eat more vegetables I am all for it fixing them that way.

One of my favorite ways to fix grilled vegetables is to marinate them. I often use a store bought salad dressing to do this, but another quick and easy marinade is to mix the vegetables with a few tablespoons of olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of either a balsamic vinegar, a red or white wine vinegar, or you could also use Holland House’s garlic flavor red wine vinegar to add an even different flavor.

Add whatever fresh or dried herbs that you like, along with some salt and pepper, and let them marinate a few hours. Place them on the grill and cook until done. (I use foil when grilling my vegetables and the foil makes the clean up so easy.)

Last night for dinner I grilled zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and mushrooms with a little Holland House balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper, and it was the perfect side dish to our steak dinner.

Grilled vegetables are so quick, easy, and healthy, and they go well with almost any summer time meal.

Disclosure: Holland House sent me products to try and compensated me for my time spent writing this post, but all thoughts and opinions are mine own.

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Grilled Chipotle Orange Chicken

Lynn — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:43:59 +0000

I may have mentioned once or twice that I love to grill this time of year. But really I do love to grill and entertain during the spring and summer months. I recently had a group of friends and family over for a grilling party and we had so much fun.

The weather the day of our grilling party turned out to be less than perfect for grilling weather. It was in the low 50′s and was quite windy. The adults ended up spending the evening inside, while the kids dressed for the weather and played outside.

This did not stop us from having fun though. We still grilled outside, because as you know you can use your grill in almost any weather.

I decided on a spicy theme for our grilling party and served Bush’s Texas Rancheros Grillin’ Beans and salad made from lettuce from our garden.

We had some very tasty homemade raspberry lemonade and regular lemonade. And for dessert we had both white chocolate and regular chocolate custard.

The main dish for our grilling party though was a really good grilled chipotle orange chicken. It had great flavor, with just a slight spiciness, and paired really well with the Bush’s Grillin’ Beans.

Don’t forget to enter my Grillin’ Kit Giveaway. The giveaway ends tomorrow May 27th at noon, so if you have not entered yet please leave a comment on my giveaway kit post.

Now on to the recipe for Grilled Chipotle Orange Chicken.

Grilled Chipotle Orange Chicken

1 cup orange juice, divided
5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 chipotle pepper (This is one pepper, not one can.)
2 lbs of chicken, either breast, tenders, or drumsticks
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 – 1 chipotle pepper (one pepper not one can) You can add more if you like it really spicy
2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the meat: Combine ¼ cup orange juice, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, garlic, salt, and 1 chipotle pepper into a blender or food processor and pulse until well combined. Pour over chicken and marinade for about 15 minutes. You do not want to marinade for much longer than 15 minutes or it will change the texture of the meat.

For sauce: In a blender combine remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, remaining ¾ cup orange juice, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 or more chipotle pepper. Blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and whisk in cornstarch. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat and cook until thicken. Set aside.

Cook chicken on the grill until almost done. Brush sauce onto grilled chicken the last few minutes of grilling. Continue cooking until the chicken is done. Serve and enjoy!

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I was compensated for my time in working with Bush’s Grillin’ Beans on this campaign, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Bacon Cheeseburger

Lynn — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:38:31 +0000

How do you make a hamburger even better?

You add a little chopped bacon and cheddar cheese to it.

Today while I was getting ready to grill hamburgers for dinner I realized that I had a few pieces of bacon that needed to be used up. I decided to chop it up and add it with a little bit of cheddar cheese to the ground meat.

Yum! The hamburgers were so good and a nice change from the way I usually fix them.

What is your favorite way to eat a hamburger?

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Grilling Tomatoes

Lynn — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:18:36 +0000

We love grilled tomatoes. They work great in pasta dishes and salads because they have so much flavor.

Not only do grilled tomatoes taste good, they are really easy to do. I simply toss the tomatoes in a little oil with some salt and pepper.

I like to cut larger tomatoes in half and then place them directly on the grill. If I am using smaller tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, it works best to put them on skewers.

I then grill them for just a few minutes on each side.

You can now use the tomatoes in pasta, linguine, pasta salads, or however you like.

Have you ever grilled tomatoes? If so what is your favorite way to use them?

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Grilled Buttermilk Chicken Salad

Lynn — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:51:22 +0000

During the summer and warmer months, I often want something a little lighter for dinner. You won’t find many soups or casseroles on my menu plan right now. I am much more likely to grill something or make a salad.

I love salad for dinner. It is a quick, easy, and healthy meal. However, my husband does not really like just salad for dinner. In order to make us both happy, I like to serve salads that contain quite a bit of meat. Or at least where my husband’s salad can contain quite a bit of meat.

This buttermilk grilled chicken salad works perfectly for that. We both enjoy this salad, and it makes for a perfect summertime meal.

Buttermilk Grilled Chicken Salad

Marinade:

1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Meat

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, or other cuts of chicken

Whisk together marinade ingredients. Add chicken and let marinade for 4-8 hours, turning chicken occasionally. I like to let this marinade for about 8 hours, but less time will work.

Remove chicken from marinade and grill chicken until done.

Serve over lettuce, and other desired vegetables.

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This post linked to Foodie Fridays and What’s On Your Plate.

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