Bacon Bourbon Blue cheese Bison Burgers….BOOM!

Hello!

Can you believe it’s already Thursday?!

Can you believe I’m giving you two, count them – TWO!, food posts in one week?!

I know, right?!

It even amazes me. I’m darn near rendered speechless over here.

Well, that would make for an awkward blog post, now wouldn’t it?

Just imagine it.

Anywho, I had a major craving for a burger this weekend but I didn’t want a standard old burger.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I make a pretty mean burger, if I do say so myself!

But, I decided to up my game.

And, be alliterative in the process.

Because alliteration is FUN!

(For those of you that weren’t paying attention or were out sick that day in English class, alliteration is “the use of words that begin with the same sound near one another. But, I’m sure that’s none of you. And yes, I’m a grammar nerd.) 😉

So, I started with the bison that I had and went from there.

Bacon? duh. Blue cheese? Totally awesome on a burger. Bourbon? Why the heck not?!

I threw in some McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning because it’s the bomb. If you don’t have any, you can use your own preferred seasoning. Remember that the blue cheese is already salty so don’t overdo it with that seasoning.

Basically, I mixed the ground bison with about 1/4 cup of Montreal Steak Seasoning, a couple of tablespoons of Bowman Brother’s Bourbon (more alliteration!), and a couple of tablespoons of blue cheese.

I probably could have added more blue cheese but I didn’t want to overdo it. I love blue cheese but I knew I wasn’t going to be the only person eating. If you are making these for blue cheese lovers, add more.

Feel free to add in fresh chopped onion and garlic, if you desire. That would be YUM!

And, out onto the grill they went! I tossed some red onion slices on there, too. And fresh-picked corn on the cob.

Now, depending on how you like your burgers, they’ll be on the grill for anywhere between 9-13 minutes.

You generally want to get a good sear on one side and that will take about 5-6 minutes before you flip.

Once you flip, the rest is up to you. Less time for rare, more time for well-done.

We prefer ours medium.

Now, you’re probably wondering where the bacon is.

I ate it all!

Just kidding. 😉

I debated putting the bacon IN the burger but I think bacon goes best ON a burger.

The combination of the salty, crispy bacon on top of a burger made with salty blue cheese and sweet bourbon was just amaze-balls. The red onion added a nice smokey sweetness to it, too.

Have you ever grilled a red onion? So good!

Bacon Bourbon Blue cheese Bison Burgers
makes 4 burgers

1 pound ground bison (will work with ground beef, too)
1/4 cup Montreal Steak Seasoning or burger seasoning of choice
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons blue cheese (or more, if desired)
8 slices bacon (I prefer Smithfield All Natural)

Mix bison, seasoning, bourbon, and blue cheese with hands. Form into four patties. Grill according to preferred doneness. Place burger on bun, top with bacon and additional condiments as desired. EAT!

Talk to me: Do you have a favorite burger joint? What’s the most unusual burger you’ve ever eaten?

When we lived in Florida, this bar and grill we liked to go to made a burger with Jamaican Jerk BBQ sauce, jerk seasoning, and grilled pineapple. Oh my goodness, it was SO good!!

– jennifer

Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Veggies

Hello, hello!

Can you believe it’ll be a whole new year in just 2 days!?!

I have BIG plans and goals for 2014. BIG!

I can’t wait to share them with you!

Okay, honestly, it’s not like I’m going to wait long. Tomorrow’s the day!

Can you wait until tomorrow?

I’m not sure I can – I’m so excited and PUMPED about them!

I’d share them today but I have something tastier to share with you. 🙂

Remember that little “gift to myself” I bought when I was out doing last minute Christmas shopping?

Well, I have been totally LOVING it.

And, *sneak preview alert*, it’s helped shape part of my plans for 2014. 🙂

There are some really delicious recipes in this book!

OH! That reminds me! This book came with 2 trial issues of Clean Eating Magazine! Hang on a second – I have to run the card out to the mailbox so I can take advantage!! BRB!

Okay. I’m back. Thanks for waiting. Phew! So glad I remembered to do that!

Anyhow, I found a recipe in there for stuffed potatoes with roasted veggies.

Um, yeah. So TOTALLY making that.

And I did!

With a few small tweaks, of course. Because, you know, that’s how I roll.

Actually, one was because my grocery store was lacking.

The other  two were by choice.

The recipe calls for Yukon Gold potatoes.

I love Yukon Gold potatoes. LOVE. Alas, my grocery store did not have any. 😦

So, I used Russets. A fair substitute but the cooking time/process changes a little. I set my crockpot to high per the recipe and, while the veggies cooked perfectly, the potatoes did not finish. I had to microwave them for about 9 minutes afterwards. Which is fine. Frustrating, but fine. So, just be aware of that if you use Russets instead of Yukon Golds.

The recipe calls for yellow onion. I chose to use red onion instead. I thought the flavor of the red onion would be better. I also increased the cayenne pepper to 1/2 teaspoon. It just seemed to be the right thing to do. And honestly, don’t tell the peeps at Clean Eating, but I think I was right. It was amazing!

And, I served it with a side of bacon. Because, well, it’s bacon!

Bacon. Is. Awesome.

Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Veggies
Makes 4 servings

Olive oil cooking spray
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 carrot, scrubbed well and thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 6-ounce Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed well
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon each sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
½ cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup crumbled low-fat bleu cheese

1. Coat a 6-qt slow cooker with cooking spray. Add bell pepper, onion, corn, carrot, cayenne, and oil; stir to combine. Using a fork, pierce potato in several spots, wrap in foil and place over top of pepper-corn mixture. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

2. Remove potatoes and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Add parsley, garlic, salt, and black pepper to pepper-corn mixture and stir to combine.

LOVE the colors in this dish!

3. In a small bowl, add cheddar and bleu cheese and toss gently until well blended. Remove potatoes from foil and cut each in half lengthwise.

4. Fluff potato flesh with a fork and top with cheese mixture and roasted veggies.

5. Om. Nom. Nom.

Nutrition per stuffed potato:
Calories 275; Fat 7g (saturated 2g, monounsatured 3g, polyunsaturated 1g); Carbs 45g (fiber 5g, sugar 5g); Protein 10.5g; Sodium 230mg

Question: What’s your favorite way to top a potato?

– jennifer