Hamburgers and Corn, Tomato, Feta & Basil Salad for Dinner - YUMMO!

I found this recipe for Corn, Tomato, Feta & Basil Salad on Pinterest in the Spring.  I knew I'd be trying it this Summer with some fresh corn.  I was a little worried about the flavor combinations and it being a hot dish but it was delicious!  As you can see from my inferior picture, I did not use cherry tomatoes.  I had plum ones in the house so I seeded and chopped those and used basil from the hubs' herb garden.  I highly recommend this recipe.

I served the salad with the best hamburgers I've ever made.  And I've made some pretty good hamburgers in my life.  Flavorful hamburgers will all kinds of stuff in them: Monterey Jack Turkey Burgers, Turkey Stuffing Burgers, Pacific Rim Turkey Burgers, Inside-Out Beef Bacon Cheeseburgers, hamburgers with a little ranch dressing and freshly grated pepper mixed in, etc.  The burgers I made tonight were just plain ole 80/20 ground beef, but the way I cooked them made all the difference in the world!

When I make burgers, I split 1 lb of ground beef into 4-6 burgers, depending upon how much other stuff I put in them.  Tonight, I divided the 1 lb of ground meat into 8 balls.  I have a panini press that opens up completely flat and came with both griddle and grill plates.  I opened that thing up, put on the griddle plates and heat up to sear/425 degrees.  Than I put the back, flat side of my bash 'n chop kitchen tool on top of a ground beef ball and hit it with my meat mallet, smashing the ball into a cardboard thin patty.  I saw this technique used on a show last night.  A gentleman was touring the US, visiting the best burger joints.  One of the places flattened their burgers like this and served 2 on a bun with 1 slice of cheese in-between.  Then they fried the burgers in a pot of grease that is over 100 years old!  I cooked mine on my dry griddle plates.  The burgers weren't handled much because I wasn't mixing anything into them and being so flat, they cooked in a flash.  That's what contributed to the tastiness.  2 patties with a slice of American cheese in between them on a potato hamburger roll and we all agreed they were the best burgers we'd ever had.  I am going to make burgers like this from now on!

A New Way To Cook Corn

 I read recently on Pinterest about roasting corn on the cob, in the husk, in the oven.  According to the author, when the corn is done, you can cut the bottom off and the cob will fall right out, leaving all the silk with the husk.  Unfortunately, I forgot to pin the directions, but I think I remember the directions.  I preheated the oven to 350, placed the corn directly on the oven rack (see picture, above) and baked for 30 minutes.

 When I took the corn out and sliced off the bottom, my cobs did not slide out.  Starting at the cut bottom, I easily peeled off the layers of husk and every last string of silk did stay with the husks.  :o)  Well worth it, to me!  I know we tend to avoid using our ovens during the Summer, but I love the result so much, I will just plan accordingly, roast the corn in the morning and heat it back up at dinner time.

If you try this and are able to get your cobs to slide right out, let me know!

Silkless cob of corn.

Roasted Corn for Cheaters

Do you like the taste and look of shucked corn on the cob roasted on the grill?  Well, corn on the cob is not available all year round, or it's available but you don't have any on hand or you just may want some in a quicker and easier way.  I have a solution!  This corn is a great addition to salsas, guacamoles, salads and tacos.

Pour some frozen corn into a strainer and rinse with cool tap water for a minute to thaw.

Put a non-stick pan over medium heat and let it get hot.

Empty corn from strainer onto paper towels and spread out to a single layer. Then roll the corn up in the paper towels to dry them.  You need to get the moisture off the corn.