the greek burger

for the final entry of our unofficial burger week, we decided to go with classic mediterranean flavors. it's like a lamb kebab and a greek salad together on a bun and we call it the greek burger. it was so much fun coming up with different out of the box burger recipes that we're thinking we will definitely need to post more of our creations throughout the summer, so stay tuned. we are off to the hot sun of palm springs for the weekend - have a great weekend!

The Greek Burger

cracked wheat bun

ground lamb patty with crumbled feta

cucumber, yogurt and mint tzatziki

thinly sliced red onion

mache or arugula

sliced tomato (optional)

the pig burger

when planning out a burger week, i think we might have had a list of choices twelve to fourteen deep.  when narrowing them down, we had a discussion about whether a burger has to be beef or if the only suitable substitute is turkey or veggie.  we came to the conclusion that if its ground, it can be a burger.  well, to a point i guess.  here we wanted to bring a variation of a sort of pulled pork sandwich, but with a burger twist.  in our minds we nailed it, but it is all up to personal interpretation.  again we just have a list of what we had involved, but feel free to add and take away as you wish.

The Pig Burger

onion bun

honey mustard

ground pork and chorizo patty (2 parts pork, 1 part chorizo)

thick & sweet bbq sauce

coleslaw

sweet dill pickle slices

all american

happy memorial day everyone!!!  since it looks as though the entire editorial world is burger happy these days, we decided to do a little burger week here at pictures & pancakes.  today is a great day to kick it off with all the grilling going on, and we thought it fitting to have our all-american burger be the first.  a simple, juicy burger to satisfy your bbq needs.  we are also experimenting for the first time in a long time with a friend's 4x5 camera - thanks megan.  it couldn't be more fun, i think i just fell in love with photography all over again.  so this week will feature 4x5 images of different burgers.  we hope this inspires you to eat and fall in love with something of your own!

The All-American Burger

sesame seed bun

thousand island dressing

thick sliced beefsteak tomato

ground sirloin patty, seasoned with salt & pepper

sharp cheddar cheese

applewood smoked niman ranch bacon

caramelized onions

maple almond popcorn

in keeping with the easy snack theme of the week, we decided to whip up some of our favorite salty & sweet treat - maple almond popcorn! this popcorn is similar to caramel corn but much easier and we've substituted maple syrup for traditional sugar. feel free to sprinkle the finished product with even more salt to up the salty & sweet factor. this stuff is dangerous though - once it's cooled, we can't stop eating it!

Maple Almond Popcorn

4 cups popcorn

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp kosher salt

in a large bowl, toss popcorn and almonds together. prepare a sheet pan by lining it with foil and lightly oiling. in a small sauce pan, melt butter. add maple syrup and bring to 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer without stirring. quickly pour over popcorn and mix well with an oiled wooden spoon to coat evenly. spread the mixture out on prepared sheet pan and let cool before breaking into pieces. enjoy!

quick & easy

everyone needs a few simple but beautiful go-to appetizers to throw together at the last minute. or a little something to nibble on with a nice glass of sauvignon blanc when 5 o'clock rolls around. these are two snacks we've been making lately. the white bean dip is a nice change from hummus, which we love but eat way too often. it's always a good idea to have a few cans of cannellini or garbanzo beans in the pantry for just such an occasion! mixed olives are so easy and available everywhere and this is a nice way to make them a little more unique. enjoy!

Marinated Olives

10 oz mixed olives in brine

4 kumquats or 1 small tangerine, sliced

4 sprigs rosemary

1/2 cup olive oil

drain olives reserving a few tablespoons of brine. in a small bowl, mix olives with sliced kumquats, rosemary and olive oil. refrigerate for 2-6 hours and bring to room temperature before serving.

White Bean Dip

15 oz cannellini (white kidney beans), drained

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

2 green onions, chopped

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

2 tbs white balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

in a food processor, combine beans, garlic, lemon juice, green onions, parsley and vinegar and pulse to chop. with processor running, slowly add olive oil and puree until smooth and creamy. adjust seasoning with salt & pepper to taste. serve with assorted vegetables and crackers for dipping!

cupcakes

we were inspired to make cupcakes when we saw these adorable paper liners from martha stewart crafts at michael's recently. almost too precious to use! we love most flavors of cupcakes - chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, coconut - but one of our favorites is definitely carrot cake. we even had them at our wedding! this carrot cake cupcake has a traditional cream cheese frosting (my favorite part) but a few nontraditional additions like banana and chopped candied ginger. hope you like it as much as we do!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

makes 1 dozen

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped candied ginger

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded carrot, about 4 carrots

1 ripe banana, mashed

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. in another bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla . add carrot and banana and stir until smooth. mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened and combined. fill lined muffin cups about 3/4 full, using all the batter. bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cool completely before frosting.

cream cheese frosting

8 0z. cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

with an electric mixer, whip cream cheese and butter together until combined. add vanilla. add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl. use frosting immediately.

frikadellers

i grew up in a house that holds many different food traditions and some of them happen to be danish. frikadellers are danish meatballs and common in most scandinavian countries - if you've ever been to ikea, i'm sure you've seen the swedish meatballs in the frozen foods near the lingonberry jam, creamed herring and that awesome soft serve ice cream! we make frikadellers every christmas eve but i was recently reminded of them in gourmet's may review of this cookbook which sounds great. has anyone gotten it yet? i think everyone probably makes their frikadellers a little differently but this is my favorite way - enjoy them with some boiled red potatoes and chopped dill!

Danish Meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 egg, beaten

1 small red onion, diced

1 tbs ground cardamom

4 tbs unsalted butter

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

lingonberry jam for garnish

in a large bowl, combine beef, pork, egg, onion and cardamom and season with salt and pepper. form into small balls about the size of walnuts, rolling them between your hands. heat 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs in batches, turning to brown on all sides. transfer the cooked meatballs to a small sheet pan and set aside. continue to fry, adding remaining 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil, until all meatballs are cooked. add remaining 2 tbs butter and melt. whisk in flour and cook for a few minutes until golden brown. remove from heat and very carefully add 1 cup water (pan will bubble and splatter). return to the heat and whisk in sour cream and season with salt and pepper. add meatballs and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until sauce thickens and meatballs are cooked completely. serve frikadellers with sauce, lingonberry jam and boiled potatoes. enjoy!