Gearing Up For Grilling

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Two things that are pretty synonymous with the summer season are grilling and ice cream. There's just something about that combination that gets me again and again and I'm so excited to share a couple fun new recipes that are perfect for the summer season!

Since we have two Giant Eagle stores nearby, we always seem to end up there for groceries and anything we need, especially when it comes to grilling season, they're pretty much the grilling headquarters because you'll find everything in one store, instead of having to go to multiple stores. During a recent trip, we spotted these delicious looking cheddar bacon patty gourmet burgers at the meat counter and decided we simply had to try them. I'm glad we did, because they are so tasty! Perfect for taking to the park for a family grilling out trip and even more perfect for eating!

I also whipped up a batch of our favorite homemade jalapeno cheddar hamburger buns to pair them with! I'll share the recipe below (of course everything you need for this recipe can easily be found at Giant Eagle too)!

Jalapeno Cheddar Hamburger Buns

1/4 cups warm water

2 teaspoons butter (either room temp or cut into little pieces)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon yeast

4 fresh jalapenos (minced)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Add ingredients to a bread machine in order given and select the dough cycle. After ingredients have mixed into a nice dough (about 30 minutes, most bread machines have a beep around this time) spoon jalapenos and cheddar cheese into dough. After dough has completed it's entire cycle, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure you have a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and coat your hands in olive oil (so the dough doesn't stick to your hands). Shape into round fist sized balls and set on parchment paper, take your hand and smash them down a little and sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Set on top of stove (or anywhere that's out of the way), let rise for about 15 minutes. Carefully slide buns into oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°. Put them with your favorite burgers from Giant Eagle and enjoy!

These are so simple to make and are the perfect addition to the Bacon Cheddar Patties from Giant Eagle that we grilled up. Of course you know we have a little bit of a sweet tooth (I mean, who doesn't, right? Haha), so we made sure to grab some super delicious dark chocolate chip cookies at Giant Eagle too. We got both the Pepperidge Farm Nantucket Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies and the NEW Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin & Crispy Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (newly available at Giant Eagle), goodness, they're so good, you simply must try them! They're the perfect compliment to a savory Bacon Cheddar Burger.

One of my most favorite sweet summertime drinks is a nice cold Izze, so I was super excited when I spied these new Izze Fusions at Giant Eagle a couple months back. We've been buying them ever since, so I made sure to grab a couple to bring to the park for our cookout. The perfect thirst quencher for sure, and they even go well with dessert!

Oh yes! I just went there! We're talking Fruity Izze Floats! Yum! Only the best Breyer's Ice Cream (I picked out the Extra Creamy Vanilla) easily found in the frozen aisle at Giant Eagle with all the other ice cream treats. One of the biggest reasons we love Breyer's is because of their Milk & Cream Promise, which means that no artificial growth hormones were used on their cows. I just love this about the Breyers brand!

Fruity Izze Floats

1 container Breyer's Extra Cream Vanilla ice cream 

2 cans Izze Fusion Lemon Lime 

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries 

2 mason jars 

2 straws 

Put 2 scoops of Breyer's ice cream in each jar, fill it up to the level you'd like with your Izze Fusion. Throw a handful of blueberries on top. Add a cute straw and enjoy!

Make sure to head to Giant Eagle to gear up for your next cookout and grab all your grilling essentials! Who's ready for summer and looking forward to spending time with the family? Will you be trying any new recipes this summer?