Cheeseburger Dinner Salad and Father's Day

Are you running out of ideas for hot weather dinners yet?  It seems like all over the country places are having record breaking hot weather these days, as we are, too, in Seattle.  We are eating lots of salads and I just added this one to my list.  It's like a taco salad except it has a cheeseburger-take instead. And I like it better than just making a cheeseburger and wrapping it in lettuce as a bun like the paleo people do.  I thought this salad was a good idea.  I got the recipe from Hannah Freese, RD and we had it for dinner tonight and Bruce really liked it, too.  We had three days of over 100 degrees recently that broke records around here but fortunately we have air conditioning upstairs, plus a cool basement, and a big east-facing deck that cools off at night.  Less than 50% of households have air conditioning in Seattle so it's a big deal when the weather gets hot here.  People's houses get over 90 degrees inside and it can get dangerous.  And then, who feels like cooking!  Fortunately, our state has "opened up"at the end of June and people are slowly starting to crawl out of their shells and restaurants are opening back up as best as they can after such a horrendous year.  And we are having people over to our house again.   I'm so happy about that. 

This warm weather is perfect for eating al fresco, although since we are all vaccinated against covid, we don't have to worry about outdoor ventilation like last year. Now, we're eating outside because it's hot. We had a great Father's Day celebration at our house with friends which was really our first "party" at our house since the pandemic.

Plus, it was our first time celebrating Father's Day with Nick since he became a dad so that was really special.  Two great dads to celebrate. (Nick gave Bruce some Yamasaki whiskey from Japan and we gave Nick some Wagyu beef from Japan so we had a very Japan-themed gift exchange. LOL)  



We barbecued steaks for Father's Day and all the Wagyu beef we gave Nick was eaten.  It was so melt-in-your-mouth tender.  It was from the region of Miyazaki in Japan which Nick knew about.  The rest of the steaks were local.  We got the Miyazaki steaks at a local meat market in our neighborhood called Lady Jaye.  They get a shipment in from Japan about every three months or so.  I knew it would be a perfect gift for Nick and everybody enjoyed it immensely!

We've been eating pretty well during these warm days and if you need ideas, just go to my recipe page and look up recipes under salads or barbecue.  This Cheeseburger Dinner salad is very hardy, filling and satisfying and you might find that you'll crave it even when the weather cools down.  Go for it!  

Makes 4 servings

2 lbs ground beef
sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 heads Boston lettuce

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup red onion, diced or I used Walla Walla sweet onions

1/2 cup pickle, chopped

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1.  Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Add the beef to the pan, breaking it up as it browns.  Once it is cooked through and no longer pink, season with salt and pepper.  

2.  In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and mustard.  Thin dressing with a bit of water to your desired consistency.  

3.  Divide the lettuce, tomatoes, ground beef, cheese, onion, and pickle between plates.  Drizzle the dressing over the top, sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy.