Simple Summer Sides....and a Burger!
I'm 32 years old, I love to cook, and on Sunday I did something I've never done before - I made a burger. I was a vegetarian for 8 years so I have a good excuse. Also, Jon is the master of the burger in our house, but since he just got home from a long trip, I decided to take them on myself.
I followed the same "recipe" he does and just mixed a packet of dry onion dip mix into the meat and formed them into patties. I did, however, try to up the gourmet-factor on my burger. I made a small patty, topped it with mini mozzarella balls, and then put another small patty on top to form the complete burger. It was good, even if it was a little messy on the grill (sorry, Jon). It's hard to see the cheese in the picture - a harder cheese would probably work a little better.
I made a few very simple sides to go along with our burgers - macaroni salad, roasted tomatoes, and sauteed squash and zucchini.
Macaroni Salad
- Cook 1 box elbow noodles. Drain and run under cold water.
- Chop veggies into tiny pieces: 1/2 of a green pepper, 1 stalk of celery, and 1/4 of a red onion
- Grate 1 carrot into a bowl.
- Mix the noodles and veggies with about 4 tbsp of mayonnaise, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Adjust the mayo and spices to your liking. I had to add more mayo after the salad sat in the fridge for a few hours.
Squash and Zucchini
This one is so easy I'm not even going to use bullet points. Slice the zucchini and squash and then halve each slice. Saute in a pan with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes for about 6-8 minutes.
Roasted Tomatoes
Another easy one - chop tomatoes and a few cloves of garlic. Put them in a baking dish with 1 tbsp olive oil and some salt. Roast in the oven on 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.
