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