Bacon, Swiss Burgers with Tomato and Avocado

I didn't have time to take a picture of these hamburgers because they were eaten so quickly!
I got part of this recipe from www. epicurious.com--their hamburgers were a bit boring but I added a few ingredients to make a savory flavor.
Tip:  If you're having trouble keeping the patties together, add a beaten egg.

8 slices bacon
1 pound ground beef chuck or sirloin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 or 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for grilling
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted, for serving
Thinly sliced ripe tomato
Thinly sliced red onion
Sliced ripe avocado
Lettuce leaves

1. If you will be grilling the burgers, preheat a barbecue grill to medium-high.

2. While the grill is heating up, cook the bacon on the stovetop in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it is just crisp, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set it aside to drain. (If you prefer to panfry the burgers, reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet.)
3. Place the beef, Worcestershire, Tabasco, green pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper in a bowl, and toss lightly with a fork to combine. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.
4. When you are ready to grill the burgers, oil the grill grate well. Add the burgers and grill for about 3 minutes for rare, 4 minutes for medium-rare meat. Turn them over and grill for another 3 or 4 minutes, topping the burgers with the cheese in the last minute of cooking. (Or panfry the burgers in the hot bacon fat over medium heat for 3 minutes per side for rare meat, adding the cheese as described.)
5. Place the burgers on the toasted buns, and top them with the bacon, tomato, onion, avocado, and lettuce. Cover with the tops of the buns and serve immediately.

Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Toasted Pignoli Garlic Sauce

My friend Sarah cooked this at our girls' weekend last year.  It's a fancy dish that doesn't require a whole lot of time. And it's to die for!


3 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 tablespoon minced shallots (or minced onion)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup dry white wine (or white grape juice with a dash of apple cider vinegar)
2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon crystals
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fine
1/2 cup toasted pignoli nuts (optional)
1 lb fresh linguine (or bow tie pasta)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Boil water for pasta.  Add pasta and cook to taste.

While pasta is cooking, toast pignoli nuts lightly in oven or nonstick teflon fry pan.

In a large skillet or sauce pot, saute garlic and shallots in olive oil.

Add white wine and cook to reduce by half.

Add half-and-half, then bouillon crystals to sauce and reduce again by half.
Add tomato paste and mix well to blend in sauce. Add the basil.
Add toasted pignoli nuts. Stir to mix.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes and parsley and stir. Let this simmer gently while the pasta cooks.

Put pasta in skillet with sauce and mix well. Empty pasta and sauce into a large serving dish. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the pasta.