"Burger BBQ Buffets Blizzard Blues"

Now, for most of you all out there - Spring has sprung where you live. For us here in Northern America aka NORTH DAKOTA.....we experienced quite the Winter storm yesterday. However, we are the "Frozen Chosen" and because the calendar says it's Spring, many of us have decided to think of it as really being Spring despite ALL the white stuff still on the ground. Ok, so it's not really as bad as the picture above indicates (I just like to be dramatic at times)

What better way to battle the blizzard blues, than to have a burger BBQ?!? Sean & I decided to spend this blustery blizzard day with friends and AMAZING food. I'm here to share a couple of delicious recipes with you.

First off, this prego lady was craving homemade gourmet burgers.

My FAVORITE recipe is as follows: Homemade Burgers

Ground Beef - we used 7lbs and made quite a few GOOD size burgers
Famous Dave's Steak & Burger seasoning (my fav!!) - I never measure, so eyeball it
Worcestershire sauce -liberal amounts, this stuff is great in burgers!

Form into nice sized patties, keeping in mind that they WILL shrink in size once grilled.

Next, have your hunky hubby grill the burgers to perfection (yes, my husband is the ultimate grill master!!) I LOVE that guy!!


No burger is complete without your choice of toppings and we certainly had quite the selection yesterday! That is something I LOVE about homemade burgers, there are SO many options to make your burger exactly what you want it to be.
Our toppings were:
**Variety of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, avocado (a MUST!), sauteed mushrooms and onions. Of course ketchup, mayo, yellow mustard, and spicy mustard. We had quite the "create your own burger buffet" going on!

Pile your burger so high that you'll have to eat it with a fork - that's when you KNOW it's gonna be amazing! haha


Now, a Burger BBQ isn't complete without a satisfying dessert. This is where the magic comes into play. Have any of you ever made homemade CUSTARD ice cream?? Once you've had this dreamy concoction, there really is no going back to "normal ice cream". It is OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD!!!! Serve this to your guests, and you will truly create a memorable experience for all involved. It takes a little extra time, but is SO worth it!!

I used the Pioneer Woman's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe which you can view here. She has many wonderful recipes you'll wanna check out while you're over there, not to mention some great illustrations on how to make this decadent dessert. For those of you who would rather view the recipe here, it is as follows:


Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 whole Vanilla Bean, Split And Scraped - REAL vanilla makes ALL the difference!
  
• 3 cups Half-and-half
• 2 cups Sugar - I might try 1/2 cup less next time, just my preference.
  
• 8 whole (up To 9) Large Egg Yolks
• 3 cups Heavy Cream

Preparation Instructions

Heat half-and-half and 2 cups sugar in a saucepan over low heat, adding vanilla “caviar” to the mixture. (You can also drop in the scraped vanilla bean, just to extract all the flavor. Make sure to discard the bean before moving to the next step.) Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated.

Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling into the 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, (I skipped this step, and it turned out perfectly fine),then pour into a bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine.

Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for at least eight hours.

My parents gave us one of those uber cool ice cream makers that can make ice cream in 20-25 minutes! I'm not sure if I should thank them a million times over or blame them for the undeniable pounds I'm sure to gain from this spectacular little machine! Ha!

I love homemade ice cream and love that it can be so simple to make....not to mention that you know EXACTLY what's in it. Try it, you won't regret it!! (although, your waistline might!)

I hope our Blizzard BBQ inspires you to go fire up the grill and enjoy the warmth that this season is SUPPOSED to be bringing. Please, for those of you who have green grass and budding blooms, enjoy them for ME! I know ND will catch up in a month or so, until then - long live the Blizzard BBQ's!!

~Lauren