Stuffed hamburgers with feta and African peppers

Labor day is upon us. Gas up your grills!

I got these ideas from watching a food challenge last year on TV. This gal put filling in her burgers that transformed them from plain ol' dry beef patties to moist, interesting and not-as-messy-easy-to-eat-gourmet-looking-not-only-for-the-campout-burgers! I'll share what I used for filling, but I think you could use almost anything!

What you need

• 1/4 pound beef per burger (which in our family is per person, but I know some of you out there like to indulge a little and eat two!)--I use the cheapest I can get, I think it makes the best burgers.
  

• feta cheese

• little peppers in the deli/olive bar section from Africa, plus some of the oil from the peppers. (I don't know the name, and I realize that this is ambiguous, so forgive me and I'll look up the name the next time I'm at Safeway!)

• wax paper cut into squares large enough for your patties (this just makes things easier for transferring to the grill and clean-up)

• Mayo, just a bit, maybe 1 Tbs, but to taste

• Buns, your choice

• yogurt sauce (also known as tzanziki sauce, it's Greek so you might find it at an international market or you can make your own, it's not hard)

• tomatoes, sliced

*for the amounts of cheese and peppers, I make enough so that I have a heaping Tbs full for each burger.

For the filling: Chop peppers up coarsely. Crumble your feta fine. Mix the two together and add some of the oil. Mix well. Add just enough mayo to make it all stick together. You don't want a lot, it could override the flavors of your cheese and peppers.

For the patties: Take about 1/8 pound meat in your hand (this looks like about a 1/4 cup) and form a ball. Press ball into wax paper to form a patty about 6-7 inches in diameter. They're going to be really thin, don't worry. Set aside and form the rest of the patties, stacking on wax paper.

For the burgers: Now, take one patty, place about 1-2 Tbs. filling in the middle and spread around with a spoon to about a 1/4 inch from the edge. Place another patty on top and press the sides together.

Grill about 3 mintues per side. Serve with accouterments and enjoy the last of your summer!

Variations:
Instead of those cute little African red peppers, you could use roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes. You could even chop up some marinated artichoke hearts. Let me know what you try!

Grilled Shrimp--2 ways

My mom has this great recipe for grilled shrimp, but I didn't have it written down anywhere. When I called her (2 hours before dinner time), she wasn't there, so I had to improvise in order to give the little crustaceans enough marinatin' time. I love what I came up with! So, that's what I'll give you here first. (Scroll down for my mom's recipe.)

Kickin' Lime Shrimp

What you need

1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, de-shelled, de-veined, tails on
1-2 limes (depending on how much you like the taste)--squeeze juice out and throw in the lime "shells" too
about 1 Tbs Essence*
salt and pepper
about 2 Tbs soy sauce

Mix all ingredients together and marinate covered, in fridge for about 2 hours. Grill or broil (this is what I did because I don't have a grill) for about 4-5 minutes max. If you decide to grill, you can soak some bamboo skewers for 30 minutes, then thread the shrimp on. It makes it easier to turn. If you broil, no need to turn!
*Essence (Creole spice mixture): You can make your own! Click here.


Shrimp Spice Rub

This is my mom's recipe. It's great tasting and good if you forgot to marinate your shrimp before dinner!

What you need
1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, de-shelled, de-veined, tails on
3 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
3 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed

Mix Old Bay, sugar, garlic and onion powder, and cumin together in small bowl. Heat oil in skillet and put in garlic clove. Let heat over warm for a bit. Take off heat. Brush shrimp with oil mixture. Sprinkle on spice rub. If grilling, thread onto bamboo skewers (that have been soaked for 30 minutes). Grill or broil for 4-5 minutes.