Savory Sunday: Guacamole Burgers

I love a great burger, and I have to say - I'm pretty picky about my meat. Quality matters a lot to me, and whenever possible, I like to know that the meat I'm eating is sourced locally, and that the animals were treated well. I had planned on making these burgers earlier in the week, but the avocados were rock hard at the grocery store, so alas, I had to wait. And, I'm sure glad I was forced to wait, because it gave me the opportunity to stop by the butcher shop that I had just learned about, that's only half a mile away from my house. The place is immaculate, and features local, pastured raised meat. I think I've found my butcher!

If you love guacamole, you'll adore these burgers. I like to season my burgers simply - either using Montreal Steak Seasoning, or just kosher salt and freshly ground pepper - and then add lots of toppings. Guacamole can be customized to your tastes; the ingredients listed below will show you what I was in the mood for, but avocado, lime juice, and salt & pepper alone is delicious. And depending on how much guacamole you like on your burgers, you just might end up with some leftover to enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips.

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Chocolate Babka with Cinnamon Streusel

If you're looking for that special something to impress your friends or family (perhaps for Easter brunch?), this, my friends, is it. Decadent brioche-like dough is loaded to the brim with chocolate and cinnamon, twisted, and then topped with a delicious cinnamon streusel.

I'll admit - this recipe is a bit over the top, with over four sticks of butter, a whopping 36 ounces of chocolate, and you'll need to commit to fairly intensive process to pull these gorgeous loaves out of the oven. But I assure, you, it's well worth it. I'll also note that I like a lot of streusel topping; feel free to halve if you prefer less.

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Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch

Passover began last night, and thus begins a week of abstaining from many foods, included leavened foods, for many. This is one of my absolute favorite ways to dress up matzo, and let me warn you - it's very easy to prepare, and seriously addictive.

I believe that the only potentially problematic ingredient here for Passover is the vanilla extract; feel free to omit, or find a brand that is acceptable for use during Passover.

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Savory Sunday: Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

Do you like CPK's Thai Chicken Pizza? If so, hold onto your baking stones people, have I got the make-at-home-version for you (that I personally think is better than the original). This pizza is loaded with flavor and lots of texture and crunch!

My bread making habit has also encouraged many batches of homemade pizza dough...which means many pizzas! This is one of my personal favorites. You start with pizza dough of your choice. Top the stretched dough with spicy peanut sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, scallions, sliced red bell pepper, and peanutty chicken. Bake it up. And then, add some crunch and color - bean sprouts, shredded carrots, chopped roasted peanuts, and cilantro. Mouth-wateringly good. Keep in mind here that the topping amounts that I list are just guidelines - want more cheese? Go for it. Fewer scallions? Reduce away.

Though it's impossible to get your home oven up to the normal working temperature of the wood fired pizza ovens at your favorite pizza joint, it is possible to bake up wonderfully crisp, amazing pizzas at home with just a few tools. A large baking stone is a must, and a pizza peel is a really nice addition to your toolbox if you have the space for it (it makes it MUCH easier to load a pizza, or bread, etc into a very hot oven).

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Marshmallow Bunnies & Eggs

This is my version of Peeps, customized for Easter! Making homemade marshmallows is easier than you may think - it's as simple as dissolving gelatin, boiling sugar, and whipping the two together until you end up with fluffy, white marshmallow!

These can be easily customized by using cookie cutters of your choice - I chose small egg and bunny cookie cutters - and can be made in any color you heart desires. Yield will vary, depending on the size of your cutters; with the cutters I chose (bunny is ~3" long; egg is ~2" tall), I ended up with 8 bunnies and 8 eggs. I'd love to see these in my Easter basket this year; how about you?

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