Cat Burger

In honer of Catarina Blivblaflop's birthday we gave her the stick of choosing this week, allowing her to grill up some tasty burgers for us! MMM MM! Everyone pitched in and we had an amazing meal of course. (no pun intended) Sarah and I arrived around 8:30ish and chatted amongst Matt, Chavis (our gracious weekly hosts) and the others for a bit when out of nowhere a juggernaut of shenanigans burst in, bellowing with intoxication! It was the mustached Gavon with Kitty and Sparky! "RRAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

We managed to get them settled down to a steady simmer and turned up the drinking to even thing's out. Then it was down to business!

As for the plate shot up there, you can see a totally dope pimpburger, some crazy potato salad and baked beans.

The potato salad was an adaptation of a Bobbie Flay recipe. We followed it to a tee besides doing half sour cream and half mayo, but then i threw in 4 ounces of shredded cold smoked salmon to satisfy my desire to make it overblown.

Mesa Grill's Southwestern Potato Salad

1 1/2 cups prepared mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chipotle pepper puree
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 new potatoes, about 3 to 4 pounds, cooked, drained and sliced 1/2-inch thick

Combine all the ingredients, except the potatoes, in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place warm potatoes in a large bowl and pour the mixture over potatoes and mix well. Season again with salt and pepper, to taste.
(then let edog do wtf he wants with it!)

Kitty had pillaged many an innocent marketplace to find halloumi, a squeaky cheese from squeakalotopuss. (kitty, please elaborate more on this!) and came through with killer apps! (i will allow her to explain when she gets a chance)


YUM! SQUEAKTASTIC!




i still have a couple things to add here.



Lime Tart

For dessert I whipped up (literally) an incredibly easy lime tart. This dessert is one of Matt's favorites and it is ridiculously easy, so I make it often, and now you can too!

Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz. can of condensed milk
• 8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter (also at room temperature)
• the juice and zest of 2-4 limes (depending on how tart you want it)
• 1 cooled graham cracker crust (recipe to follow)

Procedure:

• In a food processor, blend cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Pour smooth and creamy mixture into a cooled graham cracker crust and chill for at least 4 hours.
  

*Substitute 2 large lemons in place of the limes for an equally delicious lemon tart!

Graham Cracker Crust (makes enough for 1 9in. pie crust)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. of graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 c. of sugar (white, brown or combination of both)
• 6 Tbsp of melted butter

Procedure:

• Blend crumbs and sugar(s) with a fork.
• Stir in melted butter until evenly mixed.
• Pour mixture into tart pan or pie dish and press firmly along the bottom and up the sides.
• Bake at 360 degrees for about 8 minutes.
  

*Feel free to experiment with this. I've added more/less sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, nuts, etc. As long as you use at least 6 Tbsp of butter and bake it long enough it has always held together for me. The more sugar and butter you add and the longer you bake it (avoid burning!) the crisper the crust will be.