Crave Wednesday: Southwest Salsa Burgers

Did you have a phenomenal Thanksgiving?  Do you smile thinking about the food and family?  Me too!  So let's relive it!

Thatkid usually helps me out in the kitchen on a regular basis.  So when it came time to make a pumpkin pie for his class party, it only made sense I would put him in charge of it

He did a fantastic job of making the crust, the filling, and combining the two.  (I did the heavy lifting of putting it in and out of the oven).

Normally we head up to Thatmom's the day before Thanksgiving.  But since she was in London this year, we got to wake up at home.  I went for an early morning run with friends, then came home in time to shower and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Thatkid.  Which also marks the day we break out the hot chocolate.

The night before, Thatkid had informed me that for Thanksgiving you have to dress up like a pilgrim. Ever one to please, we made him a pilgrim hat while we watched the parade.  After he decided Thatbaby needed a hat too.  Since Thanksgiving is supposed to symbolize the friendship between the pilgrims and native Americans, I thought it fitting to recreate the symbolism at home.  By the way, once you have a toddler, owning construction paper is a must.

We headed up to Repro and Nissan's home and got to spend Thanksgiving with family, despite Thatmom's absence. Which made it a Thanksgiving success, because I love spending time with my family.  I especially love the fact that my now-adult cousins spend so much time playing with Thatkid.  I remember when they were just little guys themselves!

I brought up the idea of making our own Thanksgiving at home with Thatboy, but he quickly shot down that idea.  That's a lot of work.  And you've probably figured out by the fact I'm blogging about Thanksgiving in January, time is not a luxury I have lately.  Most of our meals are thrown together very quickly.  I've really hit my stride when it comes to that.  Because I just don't have time to spend in the kitchen when I have a million other things to accomplish.

Burgers are such an easy weeknight staple, and there are enough variations that it's hard to get bored.  I'm on a very spicy kick lately, so this burger plays into that very well.  If you're not as into heat, you can easily sub in regular Monterey Jack.  And the salsa can be as hot or mild as you like it.  I definitely recommend some fresh, refrigerated salsa versus the jarred stuff you find in the chip aisle.  But I would recommend the same to go with your chips.

Southwest Salsa Burgers (From Cooking Light)

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

3/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 lb 90% lean ground sirloin

1/4 cup salsa

cooking spray

4 slices reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

4 boston lettuce leaves

4 hamburger buns, toasted

1. Combine first 5 ingredients and 2 Tbsp salsa in a medium bowl.  Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty.  Press thumb in center of each patty, leaving a nickel-sized indentation.
2. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add patties to pan, cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Top each patty with 1 cheese slice; cook 1 minute or until cheese melts.
3. Place 1 lettuce leaf on bottom half of each bun, top with 1 patty, 1 1/2 tsp salsa, and bun top.