Monday, September 14, 2009

Hanging on to Summer

I've been enjoying a lot of simple things lately that have been gobbled up before my camera even thought of coming out to play-- grilled cheese sandwiches with home-grown tomatoes (thanks mom!), pita pizzas (including one with green tomatoes and an egg which I loved), salads and even breakfast for dinner.

I did manage to catch a photo of the brownie batter buttons I made, drizzled with a bit of barney butter. Phew, that's alot of b's :) If you're looking for a unique way to use up some chocolate amazing grass, head over to Katie's site for the recipe!

Brownie Batter Buttons

I've also been hanging on to the last bit of summer, making burgers, muesli, and a grain salad chock-full of summer's bounty. The burger recipe came from grad school, when a friend of mine was trying to remember Weber's recipe off the top of his head. I've continued to make it this way since then, although I have since switched to ground buffalo or lean grass fed beef. Red meat isn't a huge part of my diet, but I do get cravings for a good burger :) These knocked my socks off, but I may have been swayed by the lettuce and tomatoes, which came straight from mom's garden!


Randy's Burgers


2lbs ground meat (I used ground buffalo)
~20ml ketchup
~7.5ml worchestire sauce
~1/2t salt
few grinds of fresh ground pepper
cayenne pepper (how much depends on your taste buds!)
~1/2-1t dried thyme

Burger tips: Bring the meat to room temperature. Don't handle it too much when mixing it together. When forming the patties, a depression in the center will help to prevent a puffy center (keeping the burger flatter). I seem to recall the recommendation to cook these at med-hi heat, 3.5min/side.



My muesli kick started after getting a sample in my last race packet. For my own version, I combined 1/2c thick cut rolled oats, unsweetened coconut, dried cranberries, chopped almonds, ground flax and some cinnamon. At night I'd mix an individual-sized greek yogurt and a splash of milk, stir it together, and pop it in the fridge. In the morning, a little more milk and some cantaloupe or a peach made a fantastic, filling breakfast.

Muesli w/cantaloupe

I also gave a new grain a try--farro! It's alot like wheat or spelt berries, and cooked kinda like pasta (in a pot of boiling salted water, then drained when plump). Like similar grains, I loved the chew. Paired with some of my favorite things (corn, fresh green beans and goat cheese), this salad was a winner (click here for the recipe)! While I added some poached chicken, I could see chickpeas or some roasted tofu going perfectly as well. I didn't have marjoram, so I used about half the amount of oregano (I read they're in the same family, with marjoram being the mellower member).

Chix, Green Bean, Corn & Farro Salad w/Goat Cheese


I'll leave you with a picture from the weekend, from an awesome hike in NH with the owners of this pup :)

from the top of Mt. Monadnock

36 comments:

Chocolate Covered Katie said...

Aww you are so sweet :)

And I love that last pic; haha I love the unusual angle!

Now I am craving museli... and cantaloupe.

Love,
Katie

Erica said...

ahhhhh I am hanging onto summer too- I'm just not ready for it to end! One of the main reasons- that amazing cantaloupe in your museli bowl! Love the hiking picture- portions of NH are just SO beautiful

Bec said...

Nice Keens!!!

♥peachkins♥ said...

That last photo is awesome. Love the brownie batter buttons! they're cute...

The Purple Carrot said...

I agree ... stay summer, stay!!

Ha, I hear you on the "thanks, Mom" for veggies! And Mmm, I like buffalo!

Esi said...

Love that view from the mountain top!

Anonymous said...

I hope we have a little more summer left this year! The brownie batter buttons sound scrumptious!

Emily said...

All of this food looks delicious. I'm dying to try farro after the way you described it. Maybe in a pasta salad form.

Joanne said...

It's funny, probably an hour or so before you commented on my blog I was thinking about blogging in general and I said to myself, "Hmmm I haven't heard from Shannon in a while." We must have psychically connected or something.

It sounds like you have been eating well, even in your absence! Those brownie buttons look delicious. I have never had faro although I've been meaning to try it. It's hard to find, however.

Lauren said...

Yay for buffalo meat! Though I rarely crave red meat, when a hankering hits, ground buffalo hits the spot.

Gorgeous shot on top of Mt. Monadnock. I was thinking of taking a trip out to western Mass sometime soon for a hike. I'd love to do a weekend hiking trip in the White Mountains in NH :).

Elina said...

I love that last shot. Breath taking!
I need to make those brownie buttons soon... and try farro. It sounds cool :)

Jen Feeny said...

LOVE that last shot girl!

stephchows said...

mmmmm the chow looks delicious and that hike looks amazing!!

Adam said...

Yeah you're right, summer is on it's way out the door, but you can still grill all year long if you'd like... that's the beauty of it :)

I can totally tell those tomatoes are homegrown, there's no white in them!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

I really need to get on CCK's brownie breakfast creations...thanks for posting your endeavors!

LMK when you Zevia shows up and what you think of it. Hope you're doing great!

xoxo
averie

vanillasugarblog said...

girl summer is leaving us...you know what's in store for tomorrow? cold weather. I say we got jipped this summer.
I haven't been to that mountain in years.

Dewi said...

WOW, I can't find anything I don't like here. Yummy!! Love that muesli Shannon!
Cheers,
elra

MacDuff said...

Oh I've always wanted to do Monadnock!!! Do they allow dogs to be on the mountain?

The recipes look great. It's Boston - we have to make summer last as long as we can.

Nicole Chow said...

Hmmmm, brownie batter buttons and buffalo burgers...all B's and all things I need to try. They both looked amazing! That last photo was beautiful and I love how your shoes are in them - too cute!

Kerstin said...

I SO want a bite of your burger - yum! I still need to give farro a try!

Reeni said...

That burger looks incredible!! And love that last pic!

Annie said...

Sounds and looks like you've been busy this summer. It is sad to let it go, but fall is a great time of year, especially for biking and hiking. Love the photo too!

Sagan said...

I love that last photo! It's adorable!

That burger looks tasty.

Anonymous said...

That farro salad is So calling out to me with the goat cheese!

Haha, BBB with BB! Very cool!

Jenn (eating bender) said...

You make life sound so beautiful :o) I love the burger with lettuce and tomatoes straight from your mom's garden! It looks so juicy - I'm a big fan of red meat in a burger style, too!

Those brownie buttons (and your alliterative skills) are equally amazing. It sounds like you've been enjoying the simple summer pleasures that make life so much better. I'm glad!!

Cheddar Cheese said...

That's a lovely combination of breakfast recipes.

Pumpkin said...

Mmmm... buffalo burgers!

What a beautiful picture to end your post with. How relaxing!

Maria said...

What a gorgeous view! The cantloupe looks so good! I am sad summer is ending!

Jess said...

I haven't tried farro, but it looks good! I love race packet samples and am jealous of the muesli.

Maggie said...

I've never tried farro - going on the list!

And I haven't had muesli in ages, but I think fall is a good time to have. That's going on the list too :)

miss v said...

what a view! the food looks great too, but i can't get over that view! i want to be there. right now.

Juliana said...

Love the picture from the top of Mt. Monadnock...and the hamburger :-) yummie!

Every Gym's Nightmare said...

thats definately a restaurant quality burger!

I love the last picture, what a beautiful view

Emily said...

I've been eating lots of simple things lately, too, though your burger does look fantastic. :-)

brandi said...

what an awesome view!!! the brownie batter buttons are so cute!

Pam said...

All the food looks really delicious, especially the burger. I love the last shot of your feet...cool picture.

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