Social Media Burger

Friend of a friend. A co-worker's mom. The lady from church. The hostess at a Tupperware party.

That's how we used to discover new recipes.

Now we have blogs, food products and magazines online, Facebook...you name it.

A few weeks ago on Twitter, someone I follow retweeted the Instagram of a burger they'd had...somewhere. It looked and sounded amazing, so Matt and I decided to replicate it at home

Quality beef burger (veggie ones for the non-meat eaters, of course), bacon, chipotle barbecue sauce and tempura-d avacodo on a roll. 

And yes, it was as good as you think.

Minted Lamb Burger

Like the rest of you (I'm sure), I have more recipes bookmarked on my computer than I will live long enough to make.

Each has a folder, with expected titles like 'chicken', 'pies', 'beverages'.

There's also one marked 'For Matt'.

With the range of meat analogues (faux meats) available today, Alex & I can have the same, albeit vegetarian, meals as Matt.

But there are just some things that can't be 'faked', & lamb is one of them.

So it was finally time to make something just for Matt, & the Minted Lamb Burgers wtih Feta & Hummus got the nod.

Well...sort of.

We completely forgot to get feta, so there's that. But hummus spread on the bottom roll, the burger, lettuce, tomatoes & topped with raita.

And yes. He says it was as good as it looks.

Oh, & don't worry! Alex & I weren't left out: we had the same meal, but with falafel 'burgers', instead.

International Black Alice Day

This time around, I'm baking not for a big name superhero, but for a snarky & not-as-well-known-as-she-should-be anti-hero: Black Alice.

Black Alice is the costumed name of Lori Zechlin, created by Gail Simone.
As is often the case, Lori's powers developed after a traumatic experience, in this case, the death of her mother.

And those powers? Oh, she 'borrows' the abilities of other magic users. Most of the time, neither well nor wisely, but it certainly makes for an interesting read.

Lori, or Black Alice as she's being celebrated today, is a fun, sad & nuanced character. You can learn more about her in Simone's Birds of Prey and Secret Six.

When International Black Alice Day was announced, I was stumped. No foods came immediately to mind.

So I asked 'mom' if there were any dishes associated with Black Alice. Gail suggested things a teenager could make for herself, like cheeseburgers.

Ok. That I could do.



The Black Angus Alice Burger

Starting at the bottom: roll smeared with barbecue sauce, topped with potato chips, an enormous Angus beef patty, cheese slice, bacon, ketchup & mustard, lettuce & tomato.

Very much the sort of thing you can eat when you have a sixteen year old's metabolism!

But of course I had to make dessert. It just wouldn't be me, otherwise.



Devil's food cupcakes with a peanut butter ganache filling & goth-grey buttercream frosting, topped with purple 'disco dust'.

An inch & a half of pure sugar, chocolate cake & a bit of bitter, sweet & peanut butter-y goodness.

Chocolate cake...well, because. The frosting because there is no way Lori'd use pink!
And the filling? A bit sharp, a touch of sweetness...& peanut butter to reflect the nuttiness of the world she lives in (c'mon; she had a crush on Ragdoll & worked with King Shark. Who's a shark!).

Matt & Alex had gone to bed, so I was out of taste-testers.

...so sweet, my teeth literally ached.

But were I (redacted) years younger? I'd love it.

 So happy International Black Alice Day! Enjoy a burger too big to eat & little cakes so sweet they might send you into a sugar coma.