It's All Greek to Me...

One of my favorite things about summer is grilling. It just screams summer. 

Since we've been gone most of the month of June, we haven't gotten to use our grill very much yet. (And yes, we are still using the baby grill that can hold about 4 burgers. Plans to get a big boy/grill are in the very near future.)


That all changed last night, with a twist on the classic burger. After seeing so many Greek-ish recipes floating around the internet, I decided to do a Greek-inspired burger.

And yum-O! These were fabulous! The burger is made up of a mixture of beef, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, parsley, garlic, and breadcrumbs. Pretty nutritious, actually.

It's topped with a feta aioli, which complements the burger perfectly. We topped the burgers with some spinach, more sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled onion rings. Served on pita or naan bread, it's a winner!


And yes, it's all pretty lying on the pita bread like in the pictures above, but not real practical for eating. This is what happened before we dug in:

Greek Burgers

Servings/Yield

4 servings

• Feta Aioli
• ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ¼ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• Burgers
• 1 sweet onion, sliced into thick rings
• 1 lb. ground beef
• ⅔ cup panko crumbs
• ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, & squeezed dry
• 1 egg , lightly beaten
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 pitas or naan breads
• additional sun-dried tomatoes
• spinach

Method

Prepare grill to medium heat. While grill is heating up, prepare burgers.

Combine beef, panko crumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, spinach, egg and garlic in large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Divide into 4 equal portions; shape into patties.

Place patties on grill, and cook for 6 minutes on each side until desired doneness. During last 4-5 minutes of grilling, add onion slices to grill.

While burgers are grilling, prepare feta aioli. In a bowl, combine yogurt, feta, garlic, and pepper.

To assemble burgers, place a patty on the pita bread. Top with feta aioli, spinach, grilled onions, and additional sun-dried tomatoes.

Enjoy!

In other news, the downstairs of our house is pretty much complete! This past weekend when my parents were here, we re-painted the kitchen, re-did the baking nook's floors, and hung an awesome chandelier in the dining room. (Along with finishing up the 'problem child' room upstairs.)

So here's some before & after pics of the downstairs!

Living Room

Before.

After.

After, from other side of room. (I made those curtains! Go me!)

Dining Room

Before.

After, still needs some curtains.

After, other view. Don't you love the light fixture?

Baking Nook

Before.

Before, wasn't that wallpaper lovely?

After.

After; we painted over the yellow.

My cupcake sign! :)

Kitchen

Before.

First paint color, Wasabi. (aka baby puke color) 

Final paint color, Bella Mint. Much better. Can't wait to tile the floor eventually. And get my dark granite countertops. In time...

Well guys, that's it for now! Today's project is to unpack and assemble our bookcases from the apartment into the spare bedroom upstairs. I already carried them all up from the garage yesterday and my arms are so S-O-R-E today! I am considering that a sign that I should probably get into some strength training... or not. ;-)


Happy Thursday!