Burgers with BBQ sauce, Blue Cheese, and Grilled Red Onion

Juicy burgers for breakfast? Unfortunately, no. These barbecued beauties were the highlight of the weekend here in Seattle. Saturday night, the sun still shining at 8:30 pm, the grill fired up, me pretending to be Bobby Flay in an unlikely episode of “Boy Meets Grill.” Everything I could hope for in a summertime supper. A quarter pound of lean, grass-fed beef, grilled to a medium rare pink center, slathered in smoky barbecue sauce, and crowned with crumbled blue cheese and sweet grilled red onion. The play of flavors here was outstanding.

I highly recommend that next time you decide to make a burger, you mix your favorite barbecue sauce with the ground beef before forming it into a patty. About 1 TBSP per burger, along with a few dashes of worcestershire sauce. And then, in the last few minutes of grilling, or pan frying, brush the burger on all sides with a tad more barbecue sauce so that you get a really strong smoky depth of flavor. To complement this intensity, pair the burger with a pungent cheese- preferably blue, and grill thick rounds of red onion. I’m very specific about the red onion here. Though all onions, most notably vidalia, become sweeter when heated at high temperatures, the red orbs develop the most natural and mouth-watering caramelization. Simply brush thick slices of onion (about 1/4″ in thickness) with a bit of canola oil and place directly on the grill for about 4 minutes per side.

The sharpness of the cheese and the sugary sweetness of the soft onion rounds will practically do Swan Lake on the tongue. A promise you can hold me to.

A trick for grilling large slices of onion. Take a skewer and spear the onion rounds through their side- inserting the rod all the way through the width of the onion. Each thick onion round will look like a lollipop with the stick coming out of both sides. Like this: ——–O——  By skewering them in this manner, you’ll ensure that the rings don’t separate and fall between the grates of the grill. And yours truly has had one too many barbecue flare ups.

Besides burgers and grills, this weekend was fantastic. I’m relaxed, restored, and ready to begin a new week. One thing worth mentioning: I spent a lot of time with a new friend, Bethenny Frankel. Is anyone watching “Bethenny Getting Married?”? I’m obsessed. The woman is hilarious, outright, and seemingly sincere. She puts it all out there, but not in an overly self-indulgent way. Unlike the Real Housewives, she’s got class, a better grasp on reality, and a healthy dose of humility. I’m a sucker for self deprecation, I’d say.

Now I feel the need to read “Naturally Thin,” her book that was published a few years ago. Have you read it?

Let me start by saying that I care very, very little about gaining information/knowledge on how to be or become naturally thin, but instead am simply interested in reading her writing. To sit with her thoughts on the matter. I’m fascinated by the ways in which people think about weight and body image. I’d say in the last four years, after losing as many LB’s  as Justin Bieber weighs (quite possibly more), and learning to maintain and find my own healthy balance, I’m unbearably over the notion that there are new and improved ways to become thin and stay there. Because the process can’t be penned and achieving the balance can’t be bookmarked. I assure you.

I’ll read it and send you the Cliff’s Notes. Until then, get to a grill. Bite into a burger with barbecue sauce, blue cheese, and grilled red onion.

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16 thoughts on “Burgers with BBQ sauce, Blue Cheese, and Grilled Red Onion

  1. lisaou11

    I have read NAturally Thin. I thought some things were annoying about it, but overall I like her writing and her strategies were helpful.

    Love your grilled onion! burgers look good.

    Reply
  2. greensandjeans

    I definitely have a major friend crush on Bethenny (even though the question mark in the show title drives me crazy for some unknown reason)

    Reply
  3. Cindy

    I did read her book.
    I actually, think it’s the first blogger inspired thing I did. Wierd.

    I love that it got me off the diet mentality, that for some reason I have reclaimed as of late, however…

    I just have a hard time with a lot or some of her principles like eating a bite of something and walking away from it. Or NOT eating the noodles in your noodle soup.

    personally, I order noodle soup FOR the noodles.

    and I simply cannot waste food like that. So after a year later, I am learning to serve myself foods that I love, that are healthy, mostly made myself, balanced with lots of movement and live life.

    scooping out bagles?? I tried it. I buy those orowheat thins now.

    I cannot live by her principles and come to sites like yours and open my eyes! haha

    have to try, taste and live life. Just learning to make it all work.
    I am glad it works for her. She IS fun!

    If you didn’t buy her book, I’ll send you mine!

    and I agree …you had me at blue cheese too!
    MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

    Reply
    1. Can You Stay for Dinner

      Cindy, my lovely, thanks for such a thoughtful response. I agree with much of what you said. Life isn’t meant to be lived with rules and regulations- especially when there’s so much delicious food and drink to be had. I love your outlook. Thanks! I haven’t bought the book, and I’d love it if I could read your copy! I’ll send you the money for shipping! Is that weird??

      Reply
  4. joan

    I always add worchestershire but I have not added BBQ sauce. I will try that next time.
    There was an article in More magazine I read a few months ago. Some ladies posed nude and stated how they felt about their bodies. Even the very thin/lean ladies had something negative to say about themselves. I found that sad. Why do we as women do that.

    Reply
    1. Can You Stay for Dinner

      Joan, you’re absolutely right. It’s devastating that so few people are content with themselves. It’s taken me 25 years and while I can’t say I’m perfect or one hundred percent comfortable in my own skin all the time, I am a world happier with myself today. For 21 of those years, I was morbidly obese, and now I’m thin. At both ends of the spectrum, I had self doubt. I’m over it. No more wasted time and energy on lamenting my body or thinking it’s not enough.

      Reply
  5. Thomas

    Incredible what a simple google-search can turn up. The funny part is that I actually used danish search-terms.. ah well, enough blabbering.

    Loved the grilled onion!!

    Reply

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