A Grandma's spin on crafts, games, recipes & lifestyle

Tag: Grilling

Grilled Hamburger Bowls

What a fun way to serve up hamburgers that closely resembles a shepherd’s pie!  This recipe is great whether you are doing family night or if you are trying to wow your dinner guests!  It is truly one that is simple but looks elaborate!  Have you made any yet?  No?  Then let’s dive into the details of grilled hamburger bowls!

It’s very easy to get caught up in making the biggest and best grilled hamburger bowl, so you must remember that once it is created and grilled…you must eat it!  Keep that in mind!  My suggestion here is to go a bit smaller in diameter if you are doing individual bowls OR create a big monster that can be split between two people!

Creating the Grilled Hamburger Bowl ~

Season your hamburger liberally with your choice of spices.  One of our favorites is Montreal Steak Seasoning.  We use this on SO many dishes!   Another fantastic option is Blues Hog Bold & Beefy!


Section off the amount of hamburger you wish and roll into a ball.  Select a bowl and press it down into the ball of meat.    As you can see from the picture, I used more of a “cereal” bowl.  I will use a bowl with a flatter bottom the next time!  Regardless, you will most likely need to firm up the shape of the hamburger bowl with your hands for final stage.

This is how it should look when you are done shaping ~

Cut a piece of foil about the length of a cookie sheet.  Turn it length-wise and do a tri-fold so that you have one long strip that will fit completely around the outside of the bowl.  This will help the bowl hold its shape while cooking as well as balance the heat while cooking.  (It is also a great idea to have a piece of foil underneath to help with transition to/from the grill later!

Get Those Mushrooms Simmering ~

Rinse a package of sliced mushrooms.  Place in skillet on low heat.  For extra flavor, pour a can of french onion soup (undiluted) over the top.  We absolutely love cooking our mushrooms this way and use them as a side dish or as a topper for many meals.  If you want less onion, pour about 1/4 cup of water over the mushrooms and season with more Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Cook until softened.  While these are simmering, you can get started on the next step.

Prepare The Mashed Potatoes ~

Clean  red potatoes and cut into small chunks.  Place in boiling water and cook until softened.  Blend softened potatoes with a half stick of butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste.  When using red potatoes, I leave the skins on.  If using white or Russet potatoes, I would peel them.  This obviously is according to your preference.

While the potatoes are boiling, you can start with the next step.

Let’s Get These Hamburger Bowls Stuffed ~

We are ready to fill these babies with all the goods!  Start out by filling the bottom with a handful of shredded cheese of your choice.  We used Cheddar Jack, but, of course, the sky is the limit here!

Next, add in your assorted veggies.  I cut fresh broccoli florets in small pieces.  Throw those over the cheese.  Top with sliced onions and the cooked mushrooms once done.  You can add any veggies you prefer.  Some great options are:

  • zucchini/squash slices
  • peas
  • carrot bites
  • green beans
  • white navy beans
  • peppers
  • turnips

Top With Fancy Mashed Potatoes ~

Once the potatoes are cooked and mashed, it is time to add them over the veggie mixture.  I love any opportunity to use my Easy Accent Decorator from Pampered Chef!  (I’ve included a link here to my favorite consultant, Rose Berg, in case you need a great gal!)  This baby is good for so much more than just icing…like this fun recipe, deviled eggs, etc!  It comes with 6 fun tips!

Easy Accent Decorator

Load your decorator up with potatoes and start adding some potato swirled fun to the top of your burger bowl.

Not only is this so satisfying to create but it is so much fun to serve up looking all fancy!  Now, I know not everyone has a decorating tool, so you can either create your own by snipping off a small tip from a zip lock baggie or you can just dollop potatoes on with a spoon!  Once again, I am all about options!

Let’s Grill! ~

Grill on medium indirect heat for 45 minutes or bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

These are seriously so darn good…add this to your recipe list….it will be sure to quickly become a family favorite!

Happy Grilling~

Mimi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor Griddle Fun for Father’s Day

IT’S NOT TOO LATE!!!!  Run, do not walk, to get Dad an outdoor griddle for this Father’s Day.  Maybe you are saying, “Mimi, I am not a procrastinator!  I already have Father’s Day covered!”  That’s ok, keep this idea in mind for the next time you need a great gift idea.  However, our family is definitely going to have some outdoor griddle fun for Father’s Day this year!

My son brought this perfect idea up about a month ago.  I casually mentioned it to my amazing chef of a husband.  I have to admit, at first he totally pooed pooed the idea.  Being the loving family that we are, however, we knew not to listen to him.  However, the joke was on us because exactly one week before Father’s Day, my loving husband decides he is going to go buy himself an outdoor griddle grill!  What?!?!

It’s Not Father’s Day YET! ~

Yes, you are correct!  He went ahead and bought it himself!  At first we were all frustrated, but seeing how happy he is made the frustration fade quickly.  The man is happiest with a grill and a beer!  Besides, we decided there are now a slew of accessories he will now need for this new type of grill.  So….many…..gift…..ideas!

Click here for a MUST HAVE set of accessories for the griddle!

Cast Iron Grill Press is another necessity!

Hard Lid Cover is a DEFINITE must if you purchase one without a lid attached!

All in all, I was personally glad that he went ahead and picked out the one that he wanted.  He purchased his at Cabella’s, however, you can find them at most home improvement stores and, of course, on Amazon.  As you can see above, it really didn’t ruin the gift idea for the kids as there are so many accessories available for the MANY different types of meals you can cook on this awesome grill!

Things to Consider When Purchasing ~

There are many features you will need to consider when deciding on which outdoor griddle you want:

  • Number of burners (Brad wanted 4)
  • Attached lid or not
  • Sturdiness of the whole unit
  • Drain hole in upper left front corner (for easy access to remove the grease)
  • Sturdy shelving on both sides

Pinterest Anyone??? ~

You can be sure that I will have a new Pinterest Board set up by the end of the day today.  There are so many fun ideas just waiting to be created on this grill!  The first night we did smashburgers (as you can see from the pics).  Wow!  Those were AMAZING!

Tonight we are doing breakfast for dinner.  We are huge lovers of the Waffle House (very low cal, I know! 😉).  Now Brad can recreate all of our favorites right here at home!

Do you follow me on Pinterest yet????  Mimi~A Great Name for Grandma Pinterest Ideas can be found here!  I am on Pinterest daily looking for new ideas from grandparenting to cooking to gardening and more!  Do you have a Pinterest account?  Drop your name in the comments below….I would love to follow you as well!

How Is This Grill Different?~

There are a lot of accessories available for the traditional gas and charcoal grills that allow you to do pretty much the same thing.  Believe me when I say, we own most of those accessories!  For instance, there is a griddle top that you can place on your  gas or charcoal grill.  If you do not do a lot of grilling, this is perfect!

Griddle top for Gas and Charcoal Grills

We bought him one of these a few years ago, and we have gotten great use out of it.  It was an earlier Father’s Day gift along with this fun breakfast set.  One of the things I love most about cooking breakfast outdoors is the clean up is SO much easier!

Check out the fun griddle breakfast set here!!!

Do We Still Love Our Traditional Grills? ~

The answer is definitely YES!  As stated earlier, Brad is happiest with a grill and a beer!  He has a deck, “The Penarve,” dedicated to all of his grills.  It got so crazy that we had to give it a name (thanks Kelly W 😉 for coming up with the winning name!)  My personal dream is that some day Brad will open a restaurant.  The tough choice is what name should he give to his restaurant?

  • Pappy’s
  • The Penarve

Cast your vote in the comments…I would love to hear your opinion!  Maybe you have a different name idea…let me know!

For now, he will keep doing his magic on the Penarve at the Latinovich homestead!  Stay tuned for some great cooking ideas because you KNOW he will be creating those wonderful meals and I will be sharing them!

Happy Father’s Day to all you wonderful fathers!  Enjoy!

Mimi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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