Juicy Hamburger Patties and Burger Sauce

There’s nothing quite like a good burger. It’s one of those things I can eat fairly often without getting sick of it. I like them both piled high with lots of fancy toppings, or simple with just pickles and ketchup like when I was a kid. 

When I’m making burgers at home I have a go to mix for the meat. I know it’s more convenient to buy the frozen preformed patties, but most of the time they turn out kind of chewy like a puck and tasteless. I promise the few extra steps of making your own are totally worth it! You get a burger that’s well seasoned and stays nice and moist. 

The Burger Mix

Normally I don’t buy a ton of premixed spice blends.  I prefer to mix my own, but this McCormick Hamburger seasoning is one I make an exception for. 

This along with garlic powder season the meat perfectly. And then, there’s the other secret ingredient, relish! Yep, I put relish in the meat mixture. Dill please, not sweet. It doesn’t leave your burgers tasting like pickles, but keeps the meat nice and moist. The extra fine dice of relish ensures it mixes through evenly keeping everything evenly moist and delicious. 

Whether you form then into thick patties, or smash them thin, your burgers will moist and tasty. 

The Burger Sauce

I know most burger sauces are the same. They are a pink mixture of Mayo and ketchup and so is this one. But I do have something a little extra, horseradish. Not too much, just enough to add a background zip that you can’t quite put your finger on.  And don’t just limit this to burgers, it’s a great fry and onion ring sauce too. 

Burger Mix Recipe

1 pound 80/20 Ground beef 

1 tablespoon Hamburger seasoning 

2 tablespoons Dill pickle relish 

1 teaspoon Garlic powder 

 Mix together all ingredients together with your hands and form into patties in whatever size you prefer. Grill or smash on a flattop or pan to your desired doneness.

You can see the relish bits in the meat.  That's what keeps it so moist

Burger Sauce Recipe 

1/2 cup Mayo 

1/4 cup Ketchup 

1 teaspoon Garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons Horseradish 

1 tablespoon Pickle juice 

Mix all ingredients well. Serve with burgers, fries, or onion rings.

Wardrobe Wednesday- Striped Crewneck Shirt, Jeans, & Flats

Whew! It’s getting hella hot out there and I actually really hate summer fashion. Mostly because for me…there really is no such thing as summer fashion. It’s just too damn hot to put the effort into looking cute (I’m from Phoenix, land of the 118 summers) when really you just need as little clothing as legal and you’ll still be a dripping hot mess of sweat.  

Anyway, all that to say I’m not sure how man Wardrobe Wednesday posts there will but I’ll try!

This outfit is another example of my branching out from skinny jeans…I’m trying y’all! 

These are the extra high rise Sky Hi Straight jeans with Secret Slim Pockets from Old Navy. They are really comfortable and obviously have a looser, more baggy nature. The problem is, I’m not sure my short, sawed off body quite pulls it off. 

Old Navy Sky Hi Slim Pocket Jeans

I also struggle with the fly buttons. Having buttons as opposed to a zipper I feel like that entire area sticks out way too far. My sister thinks it’s all in my head just because I see it looking down, but I feel like everyone else can see it too?

I’ll definitely continue to wear these jeans, but I rate them a 8/10 for my body.

This shirt…why do I love such a simple shirt so much!?!  Really soft and for being a crewneck doesn’t come up too far. The short sleeves are the perfect length (some can be weirdly long for being called “short”). 

I also really like the torso length. I tend to lean towards more long shirts these days so I can tuck, roll, and twist. This one practically looks like a crop top next to my other shirts lol, but it ends up being perfect. And for being shorter it’s not super boxy. 10/10! And the bonus is I got it for under $6! Time and Tru does it again.

Time and Tru Striped Crewneck

And yet another appearance from my Old Navy slides in cognac (I also have them in black). These have been a staple for me for a year now. 

Cognac Flats

That’s it’s for this outfit! Hope you found something you liked 

Wardrobe Wednesday- Crisp Button Up, Jeans, & Sneakers

 I'm a big fan of mixing the sort of preppy, crisp, button up shirt with jeans and sneakers for a more casual feel.  Kinda business up top and party on the bottom.  I've always loved the look and especially wore it regularly about 3-4 years ago. So what made me put it back into the rotation this week?  Well, my seester and I were going to see Chelsea Handler for our second time (the first time was a gift from my sister for my 19th birthday...yeesh! Time flies)  Chelsea regularly rocks this look herself so I wanted to pay homage to her by pulling the looks back out of my closet

 And here's my take 

Luckily, these shirts are very easy to find and I thrift all of mine.  There is no shortage of these kind of crisp tops in thrift stores.  (I imagine some people buy them for special events or interviews and then never wear them again)  This particular top is Ralph Lauren which I seem to be naturally drawn to.  About 90% of the time that I like a top like this, I check the tag and it's good ol' Ralphie!

These jeans are my FAVORTE skinny jeans and the most awesome deal!  They're Time and Tru from Walmart..yes, WALMART!  They are the first skinny jeans in years that both fit my larger thighs and butt while still fitting my waist.  I don't get the back gap in the lower back that I had become so accustomed too and had written off as my normal.  Not after these jeans!  I've had them a couple of years now and have gone back and bought them in different styles and washes since. 

Skinny Jeans

And of course my current favorite sneakers

White Sneakers

Greeko de Gallo

I’m calling this Greeko de Gallo because who doesn’t love a good pun or word play? Basically, just think of this as a Greek inspired salsa. Veggie packed, delicious, and incredibly versatile.  Serve it with crunchy pita chips at your next party as a fun spin on chips and salsa, or serve over proteins like grilled chicken for a delicious entrée.

You could even cut the vegetables a bit bigger and eat this as a salad instead of a salsa. So many options! The flavors are light and bright which are great for the warm weather coming up.

In the ingredients list you’ll see lemon juice and/or red wine vinegar. Either will work or you can do half and half. I chose to remove the seeds from the tomatoes so the salsa would be a little less wet but that is completely optional.

If for some crazy reason you don’t like Kalamata olives (gasp!) you can substitute black olives.

Greeko de Gallo

2 cups small diced cucumber
2 cups small diced tomato (I removed the seed)
1 cup fine diced red onion
1 cup sliced kalamata olives (may sub black olives)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing
1/4 cup light tasting olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar and/or lemon juice
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Pepper to taste

In a bowl, toss together the diced cucumber, tomato, onion, and sliced olives.

Whisk together (or shake in a small jar) all of the dressing ingredients until well combined. 

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle in the feta at the end and lightly toss again to distribute.