Liven Up Your Brunch: Bloody Mary Burgers

You love brunch, right?

So do we. 

I'll confess that we don't make it at home very often, but that's because there are so many amazing places here in Milwaukee to grab awesome eats during the brunch hour.

And while the food varies wildly from restaurant to restaurant, there is always one thing you'll find at a good Milwaukee brunch: A Bloody Mary.

In fact, it's gotten a little bit crazy around here -- with all sorts of restaurants competing for attention with their crazy Bloody Mary concoctions.

One of the biggest -- and reportedly the best -- is the Sobelman's Bloody Mary.

This behemoth of a brunch cocktail comes complete with 13 total garnishes, including celery, onion, Brussel sprout, lemon, pickle, shrimp, mushroom, cherry tomato, olive, cheese, sausage, asparagus and green onion. Oh, and a bacon cheeseburger slider. Once you toss in the Sprecher Brewing Company beer chaser (a Wisconsin tradition), the drink really becomes an entire meal in itself.

So, if Sobelman's can put a burger into their Bloody, we figured we'd put a Bloody Mary into our burger.

Tender ground chuck is flavored with Worcestershire, celery seed and horseradish, grilled, and then topped with a rich vodka tomato sauce that pulls in all the sweet and salty qualities of a great Bloody.

Because it's brunch -- and because they're the perfect size for a burger, we planted these puppies atop toasted English muffins with the prerequisite lettuce and tomato. And bacon, of course!

The garnish is completely optional -- but in Wisconsin it’s tradition to serve a Bloody Mary with a beer chaser. So, we recommend serving up these burgers with a nice cold beer on the side. 

Top with a sunny side up fried egg for the ultimate brunch burger experience.

Bloody Mary Burgers

There are more great recipes where this one came from! We created this dish as part of our work with the Go Bold with Butter blog, where you'll find an amazing collection of delicious recipes using real butter.

©BURP!

Better Stuffed Peppers: Filled with Quinoa & Chorizo

 Have I ever told you my feelings about stuffed peppers?

For many, stuffed peppers are the ultimate comfort food. For me... well, they're not comforting at all. They're bitter. And often soggy. And honestly, if I wanted meatloaf, I'd just make meatloaf.

I recall an episode of one of Michael Chiarello's cooking shows where he talks about green peppers, and how no one should have to abide them. "They're not ripe," he said. And that resonated with me.

I have no love for the green pepper, and ever since I saw that show I have used their "unripeness" as my excuse for not eating them (I make one exception -- and that is chicken cacciatore, which I believe is never quite right without at least one green pepper added).

But, anyhow -- getting back to stuffed peppers -- Obviously, I've overcome my aversion, right?

Well, not exactly. However, since I'm not a big fan, I almost always buck tradition when I stuff a pepper. First, I almost always use red peppers. Or orange or yellow ones.

I also sometimes put eggs in them (they make fun little souffles). And always cheese. I might even fill them up to the brim with vegetables. But, you'll almost never see me making the classic stuffed green peppers with the meatloaf-y insides. Bleh. 

It's an effort to overcome what I feel might be a simple psychological aversion to a perfectly delicious food. And sometimes it works.

For instance, these Mexican inspired stuffed peppers may have taken me over to the other side. Seriously.

They're fresh and delicious,  filled with protein-packed whole grain quinoa, easy to make and perfect for company, since they can be made ahead.

Pre-roasting the red pepper halves with a bit of butter gives them lots of flavor and prevents the filling from being overcooked during a long oven time. So, they're not soggy or slimey!  Hurrah!

Quinoa & Chorizo Stuffed Peppers

There are more great recipes where this one came from! We created this dish as part of our work with the Go Bold with Butter blog, where you'll find an amazing collection of delicious recipes using real butter.

©BURP!