Beer Can Bacon Burgers + Summer Playlist

Recently, our Sunday nights have been spent on the deck with great company, enjoying a cold cocktail, listening to good music and grilling. We have taken advantage of the beautiful 80 degree weather which has recently turned into triple digit temperatures this week {hello, summer}!

I promised many of you that I would share the delicious hamburger recipe that I mentioned in my post on Monday so here it is. A huge thanks to the BBQ Pit Boys for putting together such a delicious recipe for all of us to enjoy.

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds of 80/20 Ground Chuck

2 pounds of regular cut Pork Belly Bacon

1 cup of shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 Red Onion

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 container of mushrooms

2 tomatoes

2 15-ounce cans of Chili 

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

1 package of hamburger buns

3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Bring charcoal grill to a temperature of approximately 300 degrees with the coals offset for indirect cooking.

2. Prepare the vegetables by dicing the mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, green pepper and red pepper. Thinly slice 4-5 pieces of bacon.

3. In a large pan, mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the diced mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add the thinly sliced bacon into the vegetable mix and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.  

4. In a small pot, heat the 2 cans of Chili on low heat until boiling. Cover and let simmer until the burgers are done. 

5. Prepare 6 hamburger balls, 8-12 ounces each then press the beer can into center of each meatball forming a pocket around the can. 

6. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each hamburger. Remove the beer can from the meatball carefully {make sure the burger stays together}.

7. Add the vegetable and bacon mixture to the pockets that you created with the beer can. 

8. Cover the top of the burgers with shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and top with BBQ sauce.

 

9. Place the burgers on the opposite side of the hot coals for indirect cooking. Put the lid on the grill and cook for approximately 1 hour. Check occasionally and cook until they have reached your preferred temperature.  

10. Remove the burgers from the grill. Let them sit for 2-3 minutes and then serve. Enjoy the most delicious burger! :)

This playlist has been on repeat the past week and I completely okay with that. After watching the CMT Music Awards last night, I'll be adding a few more country songs to this list especially Jake Owen's new song, "Real Life." What's on your playlist right now?!

Weekend Highlights

Happy Monday! After this weekend, I am feeling refreshed and ready to take on the week ahead of me. It was the perfect mix of friends, family and house chores.

{Picture 1 and 2} I spent the week in Anaheim, California for a work conference, it was a blast catching up with friends that I don't get to see very often because we are spread across the country. After our sessions were finished, we would meet to enjoy cocktails on the gorgeous patio of nFuse which is located at the Anaheim Marriott. I highly recommend this hotel if you are visiting the area, the staff was extremely accommodating, the hotel was beautiful and it is very close to Disneyland.

{Picture 3}Speaking of Disneyland, we were able to squeeze a quick trip to Disneyland before I headed back to the East Coast. You can't travel all the way out there and not spend a few hours there, right?! I grew up going to Disney World in Orlando, Florida and regardless of my age, I have always had a blast. I may be a bit bias but I think Disney World is better than Disneyland. I love all the different parks at Disney World and the entertainment at Disney World is over-the-top too. If you have visited both, what are your thoughts?

{Picture 4} After a long day of travel on Friday, I was so happy to see TC. We had a quiet date night at home and we were able to sit on the porch to enjoy the beautiful weather that NC has recently been experiencing. After dinner, I was loving puppy cuddles from Tenley. She was attached to my side for the first few hours and I was soaking up every second!

{Picture 5 and 6} On Saturday, we headed to Pinehurst to spend the afternoon by the pool with my mom and then we enjoyed another evening of outdoor dining at The Porch of 195. I had an amazing Indian-Inspired dish - Local Goat Cheese Curry Paneer, Organic Basmati Rice, Peppers, Onions, Naan, Pompadon, Raita and Chickpeas. I am already getting hungry just thinking about it.

{Picture 7} In the Summer, Sundays are spent in the yard. No questions asked. I spent most of the morning mowing grass and listening to my newly updated playlist that I created for my nightly runs. You can tell that I was too excited and impatient to wait until my run on Monday night. TC was thrilled since he had to listen to me sing Taylor Swift, Andy Grammer, Ellie Goulding, and Ariana Grande on the top of my lungs :). I spent the last few hours, cleaning up our flower beds so we can finish laying the new mulch next weekend!

{Picture 8 and 9} The weather couldn't have been more beautiful than it was this weekend so we wanted to take advantage of it before it becomes 100+ degrees. On Sunday evening, we had a few couples over to grill out and we made the most delicious vegetable stuffed hamburgers that were wrapped with bacon and topped with BBQ sauce. By no means, is it the healthiest meal but my goodness it is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I'll be sharing the recipe later this week. I also loved spending time with my adorable Goddaughter, Emery. Isn't she adorable?

It was a perfect weekend, it made my soul happy! I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend too! I am linking up with Biana and Meghan to share our weekend highlights.

   

Summer Favorites

I apologize that it has been a little quiet around here recently, work has been very busy over the past few weeks as I was preparing to attend the annual NACE {National Association of Colleges and Employers} Conference in Anaheim, California this week. I always look forward to attending because it is an opportunity where campus recruiting and career services professionals are able to connect and collaborate, share challenges, trade best practices and listen to fresh ideas and perspectives about recruiting university talent.

Speaking of Anaheim, this place is beautiful! I hope to find a few hours over the next couple days to venture to Laguna Beach, San Clemente or LA. Stay tuned but until then I will leave you with a few of my Summer favorites.

Favorite Summer Salad:
During the summer, I love a fresh salad. On the weekend, I enjoy spending the afternoon walking up and down the aisles of the Raleigh Farmer's Market or visiting our local produce stand to find the freshest fruits, vegetables and flowers. A few weeks ago, I was craving a salad but not the typical house salad that I usually find myself making or ordering. I wanted something different and I found it!

Ingredients: 

1 Green Pepper

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper 

1 Cucumber 

1 bunch of Scallion Onions

1 container of Cherry Tomatoes

6 Ears of Corn

5 ounces of Feta Cheese

4 tablespoons of Olive Oil

3 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons of Sugar

Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Shuck the corn and place it into a large pot of boiling water. Add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar to the water. Cover and let cook for 7-8 minutes or until soft.

2. While the corn is cooking, wash all of the vegetables then dice the green, red and yellow peppers. Slice the cherry tomatoes and cucumbers into halves. Thinly slice the scallion onions. Then combine all of the vegetables into a large bowl.

3. Once the corn is cooked, drain the water and let the corn cool for 4-5 minutes. 

4. On a separate plate, cut the corn off the cob and place the corn into the bowl with the vegetables.

5. Add the Feta Cheese and mix thoroughly. Once everything is well mixed, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinaigrette, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix together thoroughly. Enjoy!

Favorite Summer Outfit:

Don't get my wrong, there is nothing better than wearing a dress or a maxi in the summer but I also get very excited when it is finally time to break out my white pants again! Yes, I am one of those people that will begin counting the days until we can wear white. I love pairing white jeans with a bright and fun top for a date night or even during the work week - it is the perfect balance between professional and fun. 

Once I arrived in Anaheim, CA for a work conference this week, I was ready to change into this outfit for an afternoon of meetings and networking events. 

Outfit Details:

Top: Lilly Pulitzer {old}

Pants: 7 For All Mankind Slim Cigarette White Jeans

Shoes: Tory Burch Miller Metallic Gold Sandal

Favorite Summer Cocktail:

The past few weekends have been spent from sun up to sun down {literally} working in the yard. As many of you know, we have been focused on updating the inside of our home over the past 6 months. I have to admit that I have really enjoyed the entire process and seeing the transformation take place in each room. But once the warm weather arrived in North Carolina, TC convinced me that we should take a break from the inside and focus our time and energy on the yard {which also needed a lot of attention}. Our list is lengthy but I can't wait to see what our yard looks like once we are finished! 

After a long day of working in the yard, there is nothing more refreshing than a summer cocktail on the porch with beach music playing in the background, right?! For those of you that follow me on Instagram {stephaniechalk08}, this picture may look familiar. :)

Favorite Summer Quote:

source

What are some of your Summer favorites?