A visit to the North Country and one delicious burger!

How did we get to Monday again?  The weekend went too fast, as usual.  A quick update of ours...

Saturday we went to the "North Country" of NY to visit the in-laws for the day.  The kids had fun playing with some new toys that Grandma got them, eating ice pops, and running through the house like wild animals!

We had a nice lunch, visited for a few hours, then headed home.

Trying on some new sunglasses at Papa and Grandma's house.  Wish this picture wasn't so blurry!

Unfortunately we don't get up North as much as we'd like.  It's really a beautiful area....right on Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains right down the road.  I went to college there and lived there for a few years after I graduated.  The hubs is a local and most of his family still lives there, and we still have many good friends there too.  If you ever head up to the North Country, there are 2 things you must try:

1.  A Michigan from Clare and Carl's.  Yes, this place looks a little sketchy, but I promise you, they  make one delicious Michigan!!!!


And what's a Michigan you ask??  It's basically the North Country's version of a hot dog with meat sauce, topped with onions and mustard.  NO- it's not a chili dog!!!  Don't ever call it a chili dog!  The North Country folks will get real mad at you!

2.  Cider donuts from Rulf's Orchards.  They serve them warm.... oh they are so good!  They also have pick your own apples and strawberries.

Besides Lake Champlain (and friends and family), these are the two things I miss most about the North Country!

The majority of Sunday was spent cleaning and cooking.  We did take a little field trip later in the afternoon to watch the boats come through the locks (the Erie Canal runs through our town).  Nick loves watching the boats and it gave us something fun to do close to home.

OK, now onto my 2nd recipe of the week!!  I love me a good burger, especially a summertime burger hot off the grill.  A friend from work shared this recipe with me and I fell in love.  It's just a little spicy, a little cheesy, and a lot guacamole!

Jalapeno Guacamole Burgers

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or ground chicken)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion (make sure these really are finely chopped or your burgers might fall apart on the griill)

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (fresh)

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 cup shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Oh, and don't forget your hamburger buns (I used onion rolls)

TOPPINGS:
Guacamole

Salsa 

Leaf Lettuce

Red Onion

Sour cream

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, mix all the above together with your ground beef or chicken.  Really get your hands in there and mix it all up!  Make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Have your significant other form the mixture into patties (or do it yourself.)  I was told by my husband that there is a "special way" to use the burger press so I should let him do it.  Whatever...

Pop your burgers on the grill and cook to your desired "doneness."

OK, now here is the really fun part.  TOPPING your burger.  I topped mine with a couple slices of red onion, leaf lettuce, lots of guacamole and just a little salsa.  It was kinda like a delicious taco in a bun.  The hubs gave it a thumbs up and suggested we add it to the rotation.

I promise you, it tastes better than it looks in this picture!  I'm still working on my food photos!!

My friend used ground chicken and loved the outcome just as much.  She also added sour cream on top and said it gave it a nice "little something extra."