6th Annual Memorial Day Burger Cook Off

In 2009 the Steffes/Hasty families joined together to have an annual Memorial Day Burger Cook Off. The first year was actually just finding a good burger recipe to have on the grill. We found the Cola Burger, which was an internet find and actually very good. We made it a few times over that summer with a few embellishments like ripe tomato slices and grilled onions.

You'll see this bottle a lot this summer: Bob bought us a case!

As you can see in 2010 our minds were on other things besides the burger contest. We were trying to keep our routine "normal" but even in the brief write up it coming popping out...

I think 2011 is when Facebook became a thing in our family. Like a second child, maybe, with all the attention it received! Here you get to see the onion jam I put on my burger... but it does look like we had a winner as described in a June post.

Our Cook Off had a new venue this 2012 year: Bloomington! I've noticed a theme during our cook offs, we celebrate Bob's birthday AND I have allergies. This tradition continues this year, but you'll have to wait for it.

And last year, and yet another new location: New Town at St. Charles! I have to say, I had forgotten how adorable Huxley looked in his Memorial Day tie. Yummy burgers, too, especially Eric's Risotto burger.

This year we were back in Bloomington, it's Bob's birthday weekend and I have such bad allergies that I have been literally in bed for two days before the weekend, all the way to Bloomington, and all day the Saturday before. Sunday was the first day I felt like doing anything and my family even waited until the evening meal, when it was likely I would be pretty hungry. They were right!

We prepared two burgers this year: Eric and Ashley had an Eggs Benedict Burger with homemade hollandaise sauce and Bob and I had a Julia Child's butter burger. Everyone had a part to play in Ashley and Eric's apartment kitchen and with the timing of a walz, we floated in and out of the kitchen without much issue. The burger burger is a panfried burger and Eric's was grilled, so that helped as well. A simple side dish of roasted new potatoes and a simple dessert of a strawberry galette was made. Cocktails of bomb pops and Prosecco was enjoyed. The burgers tasted and judged.