Cedar Plank Burgers

     Although I have started cooking meat less often in recent years, one thing I can never pass on is a good hamburger. And when it comes to hamburgers there is nothing I love more than a burger cooked on a cedar plank . . . or an In-N-Out Burger. 

    We don't really do anything special when seasoning the burgers because the incredible flavor and texture (very moist) comes from grilling the meat on a cedar plank. In the past I have bought ours near the charcoal in our local grocery store, but these cedar planks from Amazon are a much better price. Each time we cook the burgers we tend to season them a little differently. Last week we ate them twice because my daughter requested them for dinner on the first night of school after she enjoyed them so much last weekend. The first time we mixed a little feta cheese and garlic into the burgers, the second time we just used salt, pepper, and a little bit of garlic sauce. Usually we cook roughly one pound of meat, shaped into four burgers. Grill for about twenty minutes/and or cooked until done. I can guarantee that once you try a cedar plank grilled burger it will be hard to go back to anything else! 

Cedar Plank Salmon

It is fairly obvious that I love salmon based on the sheer number of salmon recipes that I have posted on this blog. Another way that we cook salmon at our house and really enjoy, is grilling it on a cedar plank. We usually marinade the salmon in a mix of 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar (more or less depending upon the size of your salmon), and 1/2 Tablespoon minced ginger. Grill for 20-30 minutes/ or until done. Depending upon the thickness of your salmon this could take slightly less time. 

A Week at the Beach

It has been about two weeks since we returned from a very fun trip to San Diego, and in the rush that accompanied our last few days of summer (school started today) I have not had much time to upload photos. We spent the first day unwinding from our two days of driving, playing with cousins, and meeting a new cousin. 

What could be better than a trip to Sprinkles Cupcakes and the beach on a Friday night? Not much in my opinion! The girls were especially excited to "fly" along the beach wearing their homemade butterfly wings that we made as a craft project a few weeks ago. 

We spent some time in Balboa Park which is absolutely amazing. I love the Spanish style architecture that is incorporated through much of the area. While my family visited the Air and Space Museum, I took a stroll through the gorgeous Balboa Park Botanical Garden. We went on a Saturday to watch my brother-in-law in a race, and the park was absolutely packed with no parking except for down by the Air and Space Museum. I had plans to ride the carousel but it was impossible trying to park in the madhouse that was up by the Zoo. 

Another favorite part about the trip for my girls, the lemon tree in my sister's yard. The girls loved the smell and kept running over to it and picking fresh lemons. So yummy!

On Sunday night we attempted to watch the sun set at the beach, unfortunately the coast was overcast so we settled for simply enjoying the sounds and smell of the ocean. 

Monday afternoon seemed like another great day for the beach (yes I am obsessed witch beach time and love the ocean) so we spent several hours enjoying wave jumping, sand castle building, sea shell collecting, boogie board surfing, and playing with seaweed. My daughter thought that was quite fun even though it grossed everyone else out. She even asked if we could bring it home with us. Her uncle told her only if she was willing to eat it. Ha! 

We spent our last day in town at the Oceanside Pier, strolling around and people watching while eating the most delicious shave ice. The ocean breeze was so pleasant and watching all of the surfers so interesting that the kids didn't want to leave.