Garlic Pesto Caprese Burgers

I love all the flavors of caprese, so making garlic pesto caprese burgers just seemed like the logical next step.

The juicy beef patty has pesto mixed in, and then we grill it and top it with melty Havarti cheese, tomatoes, crispy lettuce and a tasty garlic mayo between a toasty brioche bun.

I’ve never really been a hamburger girl. I’ve always thought they were too dry and grainy. I realize that may not seem too American to hate a hamburger, but I think I may always prefer a panini, turkey club or something of that sort. Well, that’s not true. Lately I’ve been trying hamburgers to see if I could find one I like. This garlic pesto caprese burger, well, I secretly kinda loved it…

Ingredients for Garlic Pesto Caprese Burgers

This is just an overview of the ingredients you will need to make these scrumptious burgers. For all the measurements and instructions for making the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.

For the Burgers

• Ground Beef Chuck: Go to your butcher and ask for a mix of this and ground sirloin. Having a good blend of meat makes a huge difference when it comes to flavor.
• Ground Sirloin: Combined with the beef chuck, it creates such great flavor.
• Pesto: You can make your own or buy some at the store.
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
• Brioche Hamburger Buns: You want a really good quality bun that is hearty enough to hold up to a juicy burger but also not so heavy that it takes away from the flavor of the burger.

Burger Toppings

• Green Leaf Lettuce: We love the way green leaf lettuce looks and tastes.
• Campari Tomatoes: These tomatoes have such great flavor, but if you can’t find them, you could go with a vine ripe tomato.
• Havarti Cheese: adds creaminess and just a touch of sweetness that is perfection on this burger
• Balsamic Glaze: You would use just balsamic vinegar if you don’t have a glaze.

For the Garlic Mayo

• Light Mayo: You don’t have to use light mayo, but it really tastes great and I like it to be lighter.
• Dijon Mustard: adds a little tanginess
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor

Which Cheese is Best for Caprese Burgers

I decided that since we were doing a caprese style burger, then we might as well add Mozzarella, but ultimately it was the Havarti Cheese that really won us over. There’s slightly more flavor than mozzarella, yet it still melts down beautifully. The flavor is subtly sweet with a light note that pairs it perfectly with garlic and pesto.

How to Avoid Burger Shrinking when Cooking

I have discovered a little trick to keep them nice a

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Ingredients Needed for Orange Creamsicle Cookies

This cookie recipe has all of your standard cookie ingredients with some fresh orange zest for natural orange flavor and white chocolate chips for creamy vanilla goodness. Here is what you will need:

• Flour: just regular all-purpose flour 
• Corn Starch: the addition of just a little corn starch keeps the cookies tender but still crumbly
• Baking Soda: the leavening agent that gives the cookies their fluffiness
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Orange Zest: rub the zest with the white sugar to release oils for smell and flavor
• Sugar: adds sweetness
• Brown Sugar: make sure it is firmly packed and it adds richness to cookies
• Butter: unsalted and softened
• Shortening: you can use all butter if you want but you will get a fluffier cookie with some shortening added
• Egg: gives the cookies structure as they bake
• Vanilla: adds flavor
• Orange Extract: totally optional, I prefer the cookies without it but it won’t have as strong an orange flavor. Never use orange juice.
• White Chocolate: chunks or chips, I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chunks.

The measurements for each ingredient are listed in the recipe card below along with the instructions for how to make these cookies.

How to Make Creamsicle Orange Cookies

1. Preheat oven.
2. Chop the white chocolate chunks.
3. Combine dry ingredients.
4. Activate the orange zest by rubbing

Oh. Wow. This Chicken and Bacon Fried Rice has been established in our home as the best “unplanned and amazingly delicious” meal ever.

Initially made on a whim one night when I had leftover rice in the fridge, I’ve been making this fried rice with bacon and chicken for years now and finally was able to get some updated photos so that I can share it with you.

The whole family very happily gives this dinner two thumbs up each time I make it.

Chicken Bacon Fried Rice

There really aren’t many meals that top the convenience of combining leftover rice with a bit of bacon and some leftover chicken in a way that delivers so much deliciousness.

Chicken fried rice and bacon fried rice have become such staples in our weeknight dinner plans, I regularly double or triple the amount of rice needed for a meal, just to make sure there is plenty leftover for a fried rice dinner too.

And for the easiest “leftover” chicken ever, I often pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store. Full disclosure, with two teenage boys and a very rapidly growing 10 (almost 11) year old in the house, there’s rarely anything truly leftover after most meals.

And if there is? You just might find it in my fridge with a giant note on the container that says “DO NOT EAT THIS” if I actually want it to be there for a recipe the following day. Anyone else relate to this?

Fried Rice with Bacon

Can you go wrong adding bacon to fried rice? I say that it’s impossible. As evidenced by this mouthwatering Chicken and Bacon Stir Fry that we’ve been making for almost ten years now, the combination of chicken + bacon + Asian flavors is absolutely fantastic.

Tender chicken, salty bacon, along with bites of egg, onion, and peas in a very flavorful rice skillet? Oh yeah, you need to make this.

Read more

Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowl

This Mexican chicken burrito bowl starts with delicious cilantro lime rice topped with our sticky Mexican chicken and then pile on all the toppings! I’m here for allllll the toppings — corn, peppers, onions, tomatoes, avocado, cheese and avocado cilantro lime dressing! Drooling!

For some reason, I’m bowl obsessed. There’s something about all the flavors and textures that makes me all giddy. It just feels so exciting to me! It’s also a family-friendly, affordable, healthy and easy weeknight meal.

What is a Burrito Bowl?

It seems like Chipotle was the restaurant to make the burrito bowl popular, but now you can find them almost everywhere. A burrito bowl is basically the filling of a burrito put into a bowl instead of wrapped in a tortilla. They are lower in carbs without the tortilla making them quite popular and also gluten free. And they are so versatile, you can make them exactly how you want them.

Ingredients for a Chicken Burrito Bowl

This recipe is a little different than our usual recipes because you start with three of our other favorite recipes to assemble a whole bowl. I will briefly describe each of those recipes (head to those individual posts for the full recipes). and then finish off with the ingredients to make these burrito bowls.

Cilantro Lime Rice

• Ingredients: rice, water, unsalted butter, chicken bouillon, garlic, cilantro, lime, and green chiles
• Time: 25 minutes
• PRO TIP: This is a copycat recipe for the rice served at Cafe Rio. It’s so easy to make at home!

Sticky Mexican Chicken

• Ingredients: chicken breasts, taco seasoning, olive oil, green onions, honey, and lime juice
• Time: 10 minutes
• PRO TIP: You only need 6 ingredients for this simple recipe, and the flavor is phenomenal!

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

• Ingredients: avocado, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, tomatillo, garlic, apple cider vinegar, honey, coriander, olive oil, Kosher salt, and water
• Time: 5 minutes
• PRO TIP: Can be made up to a day ahead of time. The flavor actually gets better if it sits for a few hours before serving.

Toppings

• Greens: feel free to choose whatever is your favorite — mixed greens, all romaine lettuce or green leaf
• Corn: fresh corn on the cob with the kernels sliced off is best, but you can also use frozen corn if needed, adds sweetness and crunch
• Red and Orange Bell Peppers: seeds removed and diced, adds flavor, color and texture
• Red Onion: adds flavor, color and texture
• Jalapeno: adds heat and flavor
• Avocado: adds a creaminess and healthy fat
• Cherry Tomatoes: adds brightness, col

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Our summer has already been a whirlwind of visits with friends and family and I have been enjoying all of the company. Sean and I have plans to finally see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie tonight and I can hardly wait.

Psssst – don’t miss today’s giveaway at the bottom of this newsletter!

ON THE BLOGS this week: With a little bit of sweet and salty goodness in every bite, GORP is a snack mix that my family devours every time we make it. Lucky for all of us, it’s an easy hassle-free trail mix to make.

The BEST chicken tetrazzini recipe begins with chicken, mushrooms, and pasta tossed together with a creamy, garlicky sauce. Layer that deliciousness in a baking dish and sprinkle it with just a handful of cheese before baking just long enough to melt everything together. Served with warm bread and a salad, this meal is a hit every time.

This cake. Hershey’s Chocolate Cake is the most versatile and the easiest perfect one-bowl chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. (traditional and gluten-free variations are included with this recipe)

Chock-full of bacon and beef, sweetened with molasses, and simmered until thick and sweet, Cowboy Baked Beans are sure to impress!

Sweet bits of pineapple and spicy jalapeño combine to make this easy pineapple salsa one of our favorite condiments and snacks.

Infused with the flavors of balsamic vinegar, garlic, and fresh herbs, you will want to pour these mouth-watering Marinated Tomatoes over everything.

The bold flavors of ripe, juicy tomatoes marinated in balsamic vinegar with plenty of seasonings make this delightful Tomato Pasta Salad an easy winner.

Gooey mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant basil on toasted sourdough are going to make this Caprese Grilled Cheese your new favorite lunch option.

This creamy, sweet, fluffy three-ingredient peanut butter spread was a fun discovery when we moved to Amish country a few years ago. The kids fell in love with it as soon as they tasted it.

Nutty Bars Ice Cream is a rich peanut butter ice cream loaded to the absolute max with chunks of Little Debbie’s classic Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars