Tablescapes, Burgers and Blue Moons
Things got back to normal quickly after the flooding on the coast last week.
What a difference a day makes!
In 24 hours most of the water had receded and things were drying out, thank goodness!! Crazy Mother Nature!
Unfortunately so many people did have damage and a mess but in some places it was like it never happened! The sun was out, the seas were sparkling, people were out boating and fishing and sunning~
Of course I had to set a table to celebrate!
We were expecting weekend guests just in time for lunch
Our favorite Steakhouse Burgers were on the menu [see recipe below]
With just a few simple accompaniments, chips and veggies with dip~
And Blue Moon Cupcakes! Our guests just love Blue Moon beer, so I made these cupcakes in their honor
The sun reflecting through these bowls reminded me of blue moons
I couldn’t resist adding lots of happy fish
Everything is so glad the seas are calm and blue again!
Smooth sailing ahead!
Here’s my secret to a great slider or burger~
a little Dale’s Steak Sauce or your favorite steak sauce or Worcestershire
Lipton Dry Onion Soup mix and Ground Chuck. For a juicy burger you must use ground beef that has a little fat content otherwise your burger will be tough~
Place meat in a baking pan and drizzle with steak sauce, about 1/4 cup. Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix
Now, here’s the trick~ quickly and lightly, mix the meat with the soup mix and sauce, keeping the meat loose~ mixing the meat with your hands, only 5 -10 times
Then divide it into equal portions in the pan~I used about 1 1/3 lbs. of ground chuck for 8 large sliders
Again, quickly and gently form portions into patties, leaving a dent in the middle. This insures that your patties won’t swell up in the middle when grilling. Resist the desire to over work the meat, that is another thing that makes it tough!
Grill them up!
Steakhouse Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 envelope dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
- 1 1/3 lbs. ground chuck
- 1/4 cup Dale’s* seasoning Worcestershire or steak sauce.
Instructions
- Gently mix seasonings into beef and form into 8 patties. Do not overmix meat or patties will be tough. Use your thumb to make a small dent in the center of each patty to keep them from swelling up during cooking.
- Grill until cooked through and serve on buns with your favorite toppings.
Hamburgers are a great way to kick off the summer season!
Tomorrow I’ll share the recipe for Blue Moon Cupcakes~
sources:
white ceramic boat/gift from special friend
papier mache fish, coasters/gifts from my sweet SIL
blue dot glass bowls, aqua place mats/HomeGoods
napkin rings, pink napkin chair, sail boat knife/gifts from special friends
painted glasses, divided tray and chip bowl/JMdesigns
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Your weekend guests had the greatest of times. Those burgers and cupcakes were very delicious!! Everything was perfect, as usual!
Your lunch and the view look perfect! I just tossed a burger on the Smoky Joe last week myself-bring on the nice weather:@)
So glad everything is getting back to normal and good food is still coming out of your kitchen!
Thank you for your post today! I love the aqua dot glass bowls and all your “happy fish’! I WILL definitely try your hamburger recipe! I’m never really happy with mine. Rosie
You are so welcome!
Crazy weather!!
Love your table and the burgers look so good!
Jenna, I don’t know what looks better your sliders or that beautiful blue water! Love your blue moon shadows from the bowls 🙂 I know your guests were delighted with the table, view and the food!
You are making it very difficult for me to work at my computer when I look at these pics. I just want to jump in my car and head down to the “islands” to take a walk on the beach.
Thanks for visiting Karyn~
OK, you just shared a piece of information I didn’t know: to depress the center of the burger patty. I had no idea that’s how to keep that center from humping up during the cooking process. Yay! I’m all good now. We don’t get to eat burgers very often, but when we do I like for them to be just right! I like mine with a little “moo!” still left in ’em…medium to medium-rare, so it never gets overworked. My husband, on the other hand, likes to cook his burger into submission. I don’t know how he eats that shoe leather!!!
I’ve never heard of Blue Moon beer (I’m the only Catholic on earth who doesn’t drink beer, I think!), but it’s neat that you used that as your inspiration to set the table for your guests. The bowls are beautiful. And, of course, all your fishies…right on time!!!
Glad you guys didn’t sustain substantial damage due to the storms. So sorry for those residents who did. I know it’s a big, messy job to conquer in the aftermath. Sucks.
Have a wonderful Mother’s Day, Jenna!
I’m not much of a beer drinker either [too much in college I think :)] Glad that you liked my burger trick, I learned it from Bobby Flay~ Grilling season is on! Thanks for the kind words~ I hope your mother’s day is wonderful and relaxing~ we are celebrating both of my grandsons May 11 and 14 birthdays too, so mine will be wonderful, but definitely NOT relaxing!! 🙂
I love the colors of this table…so perfect with the beach theme. Gorgeous!
Great recipe! I love your vibrant tablescape too! What a fun little dinner party you planned! Thanks for sharing at the Creative Ways Link Party. I hope you’ll be back again this week with more inspiring posts!
Blessings,
Nici
I love your dot bowls! Your entire tablescape is fun and totally appropriate for sea-side. Great tips about the burgers. Now I realize I’ve over-worked the mixing part before. Dry burgers…yuk. Anyway, now I’ll have great burgers that begin with a dent in the center. Love that! Thanks for another great post, Jenna.
Great meal and tablescape.
Debi