Spring is here! Spring is here!

The official start to spring makes me insanely happy. It signals sunnier days and, truthfully, better moods in my house.

With warm weather naturally comes lots of grill time and that means BURGERS!!!

I prefer steakburgers – made from ground beef of steaks – because they just taste better. Plain and simple.

And you know I adore my steaks, so it only makes sense that my burgers follow suit.

I’m always on the lookout for ways to spice up my burgers and the beginning of a new season seems like a great time to try out a new burger recipe. Like this Tropical Burger made with Wagyu Kobe beef:

Tropical Burger

Ingredients:
4 Wagyu Kobe Beef Steakburgers
salt and pepper
4 buns, toasted
4 fontina cheese slices
4 pineapple slices
1/2 cup prepared mango chutney
1 red onion, sliced
4 lettuce leaves

Directions: Season burgers with salt and pepper, and then grill on a hot grill. While the burgers are grilling, also place the slices of pineapple, and red onion on the grill, and grill them as well, to cook them slightly. When the burgers are almost done, place 1 slice of fontina cheese on each burger, and melt slightly. Remove burgers from heat and let them rest for five minutes. To build, place one slice of grilled red onion, on the bottom half of the bun, place burger on top with a slice of pineapple, and lettuce leaf on top, and the mango chutney on the top half of the bun.

Servings: 4

Wanna try more steakburger recipes? Check out these equally delicious recipes and tell me your favorites!

Fish Friday can mean almost anything from the sea. And it’s the one day where I’ll allow a break from my beloved steaks.

One. Day.

I’m thinking about some jumbo shrimp. You know, since we aren’t having steak.

Ever tried shrimp pizza? It’s pizza so it HAS to be good!

Check out this incredible recipe for Grilled Shrimp Pizza with Cilantro Pesto.

It’s amazing. And jumbo shrimp on a pesto sauce pizza is an excellent Fish Friday option.

Let me know what YOU think of this yummy Friday dish!

It’s almost Fat Tuesday! Mardi Gras is a time to celebrate and feast before Lent.

Food is such a big part of this fun time and we’ve gotta do it right!

When you think of a traditional Mardi Gras recipe there’s Chicken Andouille Gumbo, Shrimp Etouffee, Creole Fried Rice, Muffulettas and King Cake.

But what if, like me, you’re hankering for some beef this Mardi Gras? Well, lucky for us, there’s a recipe for that!

Check out this Mardi Gras steak recipe. You can create this using whichever steak cuts you love: Kobe beef, ribeyes – the choice is yours!

The Original New Orleans Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras Steak

Ingredients:
2 scallions, white and greens, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped red onions
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. minced, seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp. ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. each black and cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. each dried basil and kosher salt
1 packed tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup each red wine, the soy sauce and bourbon into the spice mixture, vinegar, soy sauce, bourbon whiskey and olive oil
4 (8 oz.) Kansas City Strip Steaks

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the scallions, red onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno pepper. In a large bowl combine the spices, basil, salt and sugar. Whisk the orange juice, both vinegars, soy sauce and bourbon into the spice mixture. Slowly drizzle the olive oil, whisking constantly. Add the scallion mixture and combine. Add the Kansas City Strip Steaks to the marinade and coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, turning once.

Bring to room temperature before grilling. Grill the steaks over hot coals 3-4 inches from the heat source for about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest for 10 minutes, before slicing against the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices. To serve, arrange the steaks on a large platter together with sliced tomato, onion, basil and fresh mozzarella salad.

The Salad:
2 large vine ripe tomatoes, sliced thick, 1 red onion, sliced thin, 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, 8 oz. sliced fresh mozzarella. Topped with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with white balsamic vinegar.