The Ultimate Brunch Burger

My boyfriend claims he invented the brunch burger.

Long before I was following the LA brunch scene, instagramming my meals, or geeking out over my favorite chefs, he was just a high school kid combining a bunch of ingredients he liked between 2 pieces of bread. After a long day at school, he would grill up beef patties, and layer a bun with a burger, frozen hash browns, a fried egg and some mayo with cracked black pepper. (Side note-- how impressive is it that he was crafting this meal in high school? I'm lucky to have such a good cook in my house!). This was a meal he loved and loved to make. Nowadays, we see similar versions on every great brunch menu around town. Okay, maybe some restaurants have been serving up brunch burgers for years, but we like to think he created it in his Southbay kitchen.

So when I started brainstorming brunch recipes, I turned to the people closest to me, and my boyfriend's story served as inspiration. We crafted this recipe together, after much testing in our small kitchen, and we were both very happy with the final results. It might have a few more ingredients than that original version and is certainly made with a bit more skill, but it still has the heart of his old meal and provides the same comfort.

Ingredients

• 2/3 lb ground beef (we recommend 80/20 for this recipe)
• 2 buns (choose something hearty that will stand up to a big burger)
• 2 eggs
• 1 russet potato
• 2-4 slices cheddar cheese 
• 1 cup arugula
• 3 T mayonaise
• 1 T sriracha
• 1/2 T honey
• Canola oil or other oil with high smoke point
• 1 T butter
• salt and pepper

Method

1. To make the sauce, mix together mayonnaise, sriracha, honey and fresh cracked pepper in a bowl and set aside in the fridge.
2. Prep the hash browns. Peel and grate potato. Place grated potatoes in a tea towel or cheese cloth and ring out the excess water. Microwave drained potatoes for 1 minute. Season potatoes with salt and pepper.
3. Prep the burger patties. Divide ground beef into 2 chunks and form 2 wide and flat patties. Burgers will shrink up when cooked. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Heat up 1-2 tbsp oil in a pan. Drop about 2 Tbsp. of the potatoes in the heated oil and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb some excess oil.
5. Using the hot pan from the potatoes, cook 4 slices of bacon 3-5 minutes on each side until cooked through and slightly crispy.
6. Heat up a grill pan with some oil and place burgers on pan when hot. Cook about 2 minutes on each side for medium doneness. Once cooked, take burgers off pan and top with 1-2 slices cheese and cover to melt. We place them in the microwave since we don't have a lot of space!
7. Carefully wipe any brown bits out of the first pan and discard. Add 1 tbsp butter and bring to medium-low/medium heat. One at a time, crack 2 eggs into a ramekin and add to pan. Cover pan and cook for about 2 minutes until egg whites are set, but yolk is still running.
8. Toast bun if desired.
9. Put it all together! Start at the bottom with the sriracha mayo, then a bunch of arugula, then the burger with cheese, hash brown, 2 slices of bacon in a criss cross, fried egg, and a little more sriracha mayo and the top bun. Enjoy!

Makes 2 burgers. Prep/Cook time ~ 45 minutes.

Peach Pie Smoothie Bowls

As August speeds by, and we rapidly approach the end of summer, it's easy to get down about the end of the season. Sure, autumn has it's beauty, and we can finally rock those sweaters and boots that we wish we could wear in July. But there's something about the end of summer that brings back those "school is coming back and our freedom will be gone" feelings of childhood. In adulthood, those feelings translate to internal dialogues like "did I "do summer" enough?" "Is it already August?" "How did I not go to the beach ONCE?" "Why haven't I tried frosé yet?" Oh, summer regrets...

Fret not, though, Brunchers! I discovered that there is indeed a silver lining to the end of July and August: STONE FRUIT!!! If you're like me, you get the most excited to visit the farmers market this time of year. You get to spend time (like, way too much time...) perusing the fruit stand for samples of every peach, nectarine and pluot you can find. Searching for the perfect bite. The juiciest and sweetest flesh. That piece that explodes when you take a bite and reminds you of just how good a fresh piece of fruit can be when in season.

Lucky for us, it's that time of year, and I'm ready to eat peaches whenever and however I can. And since it's still unreasonably warm in Los Angeles, it seemed fitting to turn my standard smoothie bowl into a peach pie version this morning. I had a couple peaches that were getting close to being too ripe, so I froze one overnight and blended it up into a smoothie concoction and used the other as a fresh topping. It was wonderful! Peaches aren't a common base for smoothie bowls, but after trying this recipe, you'll wonder if  maybe the world is missing out. Peaches deserve the glory of the smoothie bowl! 

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh peaches       
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 c almond milk
• 1/3 c vanilla yogurt (we used Kite Hill almond yogurt)
• 1/4 granola (we used Wildway grain free granola)
• optional: honey 

Method:

1. Peel and dice up a peach and freeze overnight. Laying the pieces flat in a plastic baggie helps the piece not stick together and makes for easy blending. Dice up a banana and do the same (we always keep half bananas in the freezer for easy smoothie making)
2. Blend frozen peach, banana, almond milk, and yogurt in a high-powered blender until well combined. Add a touch of almond milk if needed to help the blending process along.
3. Pour mixture into a bowl and top with peach slices, granola and honey if desired.
4. That's it! Enjoy your refreshing and delicious smoothie bowl.

Spiced Tahini Granola

The old days of granola are gone: it's no longer a food reserved for hippies and flower children, instead it's just about as common as Corn Flakes in the average American's breakfast rotation and the variety of available flavors is vast. While grocery store shelves are stocked with any number of delicious options, we find that granola is best made at home, because it's incredibly simple and produces excellent results. 

Granola is one of those recipes that is endlessly customizable; it can be easily adapted to suit just about any taste or dietary restriction. Using a really simple formula, you can fill in the blanks based on your preferences, and have a little fun experimenting in the kitchen at the same time. 

Spiced Tahini Granola - Brunchographers

Below is one of the recipes that's in continuous rotation at my home, and it speaks to our personalities and preferences pretty clearly: I like to keep things on the savory side with a kick, so this recipe isn't overly sweet and has just a hint of heat. My husband avoids coconut in his diet, so you'll see this is coconut-free. And we are both tahini fanatics, so we thought, why not try adding that, too?  Of course, you can switch this up as you please, adjusting the sweet-to-salt ratio as you prefer. Or go totally off the rails and try something that's completely your own! Have fun with it - granola is like a blank canvas, waiting for your personal stamp to make it all your own. 

Spiced Tahini Granola - Brunchographers

Spiced Tahini Granola - Brunchographers

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Ingredients

1/4 c tahini
5 tbsp honey
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 c gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 c quinoa flakes
1/2 c crisped quinoa
1/4 c pepitas
1/4 c walnuts
1/4 c pine nuts

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, quinoa flakes, crisped quinoa, pepitas, walnuts, and pine nuts. 
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the tahini, honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Add in the cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper and whisk until well combined. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until entire mixture is well coated. 
4. Pour the granola mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and spread out evenly using the back of a flexible spoon or spatula.
5. Bake until crispy, about 45 - 50 minutes, stirring and re-smoothing halfway through (note: smoothing and flattening out the mixture will allow for large chunks, so don't skip this step if you enjoy big clumps of granola). 
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely before eating. This is going to be difficult, because it smells amazing, but do yourself a favor and hold out! It will be so nice and crisp once it's cooled, and you can crumble it into big or small chunks, depending on your preference. Store in an airtight container for one to two weeks. 

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A Picnic Brunch with Friends

Summer is in full swing, and we are smitten. Even on the hottest days, sunny Southern California weather does not disappoint, and we find ourselves drawn to spend long, leisurely afternoons at the beach or by the pool. Farmers markets are alive with color and activity, their stands piled high with ripe produce, inspiring vibrant, vegetable-centered feasts best enjoyed al fresco. Friends gather to enjoy music or movies in the great outdoors, families ride their bikes along winding beach paths, the sun sets late. Sunscreen is required, but shoes are definitely not. This can only be described as summer bliss, and it deserves to be celebrated - ideally, with brunch served outside. So naturally, on a sunny summer Sunday, we packed up some brunch in our baskets and headed to the park for an afternoon with friends. 

In true summer spirit, we wanted our brunch picnic to reflect all the vibrant flavors of the season without requiring that we spend too much time in the kitchen. We focused on simple, easy-to-transport mains, backed up by plenty of shareable, hand-held snacks and treats. A fresh, fruity cocktail was a must, as were heaps of fresh summer berries, cherries, and grapes. 

To drink, some refreshing cocktails made with fresh pureed watermelon, tequila, blueberries, mint, and lime juice. These are oh-so-delicious, and taste like summer in liquid form - even the watermelon-fearful among our group fell in love with them. The recipe is easily made a few hours ahead of time, and it's easy enough to transport as long as you've got a leakproof container and a cooler. We topped off each glass with a touch of La Croix to add a bit of sparkle. You could use plain old sparkling water, but why would you? La Croix is too much fun. 

All good brunch includes a little something sweet to start, so we kicked off ours with some adorable coffee cake muffins using a recipe from Joy the Baker's beautiful brunch book, Over Easy. Joy's recipe is for big-kid sized muffins, but since we knew we'd be taking our treats outside, we decided to make 'em tiny - because, you know, tiny things are cuter. And also easier to eat. These are downright addictive little things - they've got a lovely toasty brown butter flavor and a perfect balance of sweet and salty, and they're topped off with a generous amount of sweet, buttery crumble and crunchy nuts. 

Sandwiches are perhaps the most essential picnic food, so we whipped up two sandwich variations for ours. First, a grilled chicken sandwich with sundried tomato spread, spinach, and mozzarella. The spread was super flavorful and added a bright, tangy flavor that complimented the hearty chicken and creamy mozzarella perfectly. Of course, bread is perhaps the most important factor in a good sandwich, and must be carefully considered during construction. Before the picnic, we dropped by one of our favorite spots, Lodge Bread, to pick up one of their amazing naturally-leavened whole wheat loaves. Its nuttiness and tang add a really nice element to this delicious combo. 

For the vegetarians of the group, we put together some pretty Green Goddess Sandwiches - pleasing not just to the eyes, but to the belly! We were inspired by two recipes for these: Joy the Baker's version, again from Over Easy, and also a version by The Bojon Gourmet that employs fresh mozzarella. These start with a base of seeded sourdough from a vendor at our local farmers market, Bakeshack, which is toasted and then slathered with some homemade herby, garlicky mayo. Next, layers of sliced zebra-striped green heirloom tomatoes, fresh daikon sprouts, tender butter lettuce, creamy avocado, and luscious fresh mozzarella. For a few special diets in the group, we even made a vegan, gluten-free variation of this sandwich - for the bread, we picked up a loaf of gluten-free sourdough from Honey Hi (one of our favorite healthy spots on the Eastside), and used Kite Hill's delicious soft fresh almond milk cheese in place of mozzarella. 

For a protein-packed side dish, we made a quick quinoa tabbouleh with tons of parsley and mint, heirloom cherry tomatoes from the farmers market, and a generous drizzle of lemon and olive oil. This is the sort of thing we make without a recipe - its composition is defined more by muscle memory and whatever's currently in our fridge than by any strict rules - but here's a good one if you're in need. On top, we sprinkled some crunchy chickpeas tossed in za'atar, which are completely addictive and add depth to pretty much anything you put them on. That's assuming, of course, you don't eat them all the moment they come out of the oven. 

No good picnic is complete without some chips, so when Johnna discovered this simple recipe for homemade salt and vinegar chips, we knew we had to try them for ourselves. There's something so satisfying about a chip that's homemade, and this one is especially appealing with a generous sprinkling of salt and just a kiss of vinegar flavor. To simplify portioning them out (and let's be real, to keep us from eating most of the batch before we even got to our picnic spot), we put them in simple parchment bags from the grocery store, which also made for a very pretty effect. 

For dessert, we turned once again to Joy's wonderful Over Easy for inspiration, and created a riff on her Peaches & Cream with Honeyed Cornflakes recipe. Peaches are abundant in our farmers market these days, so we chose some sweet white peaches with a delicate floral flavor and grilled them quickly to add a nice touch of caramelization. In cute little picnic-friendly jars, we combined them with creamy whipped mascarpone cheese and blueberries, and sprinkled them with Joy's lovely honeyed cornflakes for some crunch and added sweetness. 

With heaps of seasonal produce, this picnic spread was a celebration of summer abundance - and with a little advance preparation, truly wasn't all that difficult to whip up. We can't think of a more delicious way to celebrate the warm summer months than an al fresco brunch with our friends, and we hope we've inspired you to throw one of your own! 

Chicken + Waffle Skewers

Looking for an easy crowd pleaser for your Super Bowl party but want to stick to your usual brunch theme? We've got you covered! Try whipping up these chicken and waffle skewers! 

1. Prepare your favorite waffle recipe or prepared waffle mix and let stand in a bowl. Make enough for 4 large waffles. We made one serving of this waffle mix which we picked up at our local Sprouts (we believe in taking some shortcuts when serving a crowd!).
2. Chop up 1 lb. chicken breast into 1 inch pieces.
3. Put 1 cup flour into bowl and add in 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix to combine.
4. Fill cast-iron or large non-stick pan with about 1/2 inch of a light non-flavored oil like canola oil. Put burner on medium and heat oil until little bubbles form when you put a wooden spoon in the oil. Don't let oil get too hot!
5. Dust chicken in the flour and put pieces in the hot oil one by one. Don't dump all the chicken in quickly, or the oil temperature will drop quickly.
6. Cook chicken 7-8 minutes until golden and delicious! 
7. Heat up waffle maker and spray with cooking spray.
8. Cook waffles as directed by your waffle maker. You'll want them to have a bit of crunch for best results.
9. Take waffles off the waffle maker and chop into similarly-sized 1 inch pieces.
10. Place one piece of chicken and one piece of waffle on a skewer and put on a platter.
11. Mix 1 tsp of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce and 1 cup of maple syrup up and set aside in a jar for your guests.
12. Sprinkle all the skewers with some chives for garnish and serve alongside syrup in an easy-to-hold plastic up. 
13. Watch your team win the big game! 

Makes about 20-25 skewers.