BBQ: lemonade, potato salad, burgers

I used some recipes from epicurious. Apparently I had no idea how to BBQ, it's harder than it sounds. You have to pile the coals in a pyramid, put paper underneath them, and open the lil holes while it's burning. wait for them to get grey before you cook the food.

I made a lemonade, and I added mint leaves, and frozen berries. I think frozen berries are a great addition. They look really beautiful and turn the lemonade a pretty color.

I made a potato salad, recipe follows. I used balsamic vinegar, frozen peas and garlic. It wasn't super flavorful, and might benefit from a flavored oil or extra herbs... i'm not sure. it looked pretty though.

potato salad with mint and peas Gourmet | July 2004 Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

The Last Touch

2 lb small red potatoes
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup thawed frozen or cooked fresh baby peas (5 oz)
1/3 cup chopped or torn fresh mint leaves

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a 3-quart saucepan, then simmer, covered, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, whisk together vinegar, shallot, salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl.

Drain potatoes and halve or quarter if desired. Add to vinegar mixture while warm and toss to coat. Add oil, peas, and mint and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.

Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

I also made hamburgers. I saw lots of recipes for feta burgers so i decided to make these. they came out really big so i think you could make more than 8 servings, and they are really poufy. definitely the indentation is important, i didn't bother to do it. the garlic sauce (i think it's an aioli) is really good, and i might start keeping it on hand to serve with other things... and to ward off vampires. but unfortunately it might also ward off cute boys who want to kiss me so it's a trade off.

feta burgers with grilled red onions Bon Appétit | July 2007 These newfangled burgers are stuffed with feta cheese. Pressing the center of the raw hamburger to form a slight indentation prevents the burger from puffing up in the center when cooking.

Makes 8 servings.

Pam Anderson

3 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup (packed) crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 medium red onions, peeled, each cut crosswise into 4 slices
8 hamburger buns
2 large tomatoes, each cut crosswise into 4 slices

Break up beef in large bowl. Sprinkle feta, oregano, salt, and pepper over; toss. Divide into 8 portions; form each into 41/2-inch patty, pressing in center to form slight indentation. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Puree garlic in processor. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup oil; process 30 seconds. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush onion with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place burgers and onions on grill. Cover; cook 5 minutes. Turn; cook until onions are charred in spots and burgers are medium-well, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer to plate. Brush cut sides of buns with garlic oil. Place buns, cut side down, on grill; toast about 1 minute. Turn; cook until heated, about 1 minute.

Place burgers on bun bottoms. Top each with onion, tomato, and bun top.

Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

I also made the fruit salad again, but I didn't bother with the ginger sauce. I served beer too, but nobody drank it... we went to the beach and met some guys there and they gave us some cheapy beer... ah labor day! It was a lovely day.