Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Hey, June bugs! I have a big Memorial Day Weekend recap coming up, so grab your beverage of choice and get comfy. I was going to do an update last night, but we went to sleep early so we could be up to bring my mom to the hospital for her sinus operation. She has this operation about every 2 years because they keep getting blocked. Poor mommy! She’s home and resting comfortably, though.

We bought this tiny little charcoal grill at Target the other day with the intention of roasting marshmallows for S’mores. We decided to make lunch on it on Sunday. And it’s not Memorial Day weekend without some sort of burger, so I made 6 burger patties out of 1.25 lbs 93% lean beef.

Dustin set it up and thought he did it according to the directions…

Mistake #1: Too much charcoal

Mistake # 2: Not opening the vent when we put the lid on

We didn’t realize that until we put the burgers on and they weren’t cooking. So, we ended up having to finish cooking them on the gas grill. We have absolutely no experience with charcoal cooking, lol. Lesson learned!

The burgers tasted a little too charcoal-y, even though they were only on there for a few minutes. But still good enough to eat, especially when you’ve been waiting an hour for a lunch that should have taken 15 minutes, lol. This (confirmed) glass of lemonade sweetened with NuNaturals NuStevia helped wash it down.

The delicious onion roll, onions, and dill pickle slice helped, too.

You might notice we didn’t have any sides with lunch. We were saving room for a cool afternoon treat:

Vanilla bean agave milkshakes!

• 1 cup vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream (500 cal)
• 1 TBSP vanilla bean paste (45 cal)
• 1 TBSP agave nectar (60 cal)
• 1 cup Valio lactose-free nonfat milk (80 cal)

2 servings, 342 calories each

BEYOND delicious! Sooooo vanilla-y!! We loved it, but it STILL didn’t take the taste of charcoal out of my mouth. What the heck? lol Ugh!

Later on that night we (gas) grilled again. This time it was London Broil marinaded in EVOO, vinegar, S+P, and garlic…

My mom made German potato salad with potato, mustard, bacon, and I don’t know what else. But I’m sure Jessica approves just because REAL bacon was used, lol.

We also had perfectly grilled asparagus on the side. We use nonstick foil so they don’t get too charred.

LOVED the potato salad!! The London Broil was a little on the tough side, though.

And finally, our Memorial Day feast: Beef tenderloin pinwheels with veggie pasta salad

Best beef tenderloin EVER! They were so easy to prepare, too. I bought 2 small end pieces of tenderloin at Hannaford the other day. Then I just butterflied them and pounded them out to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkled a little salt + pepper on, then a layer of fresh baby spinach, and a layer of provolone and cheddar cheese blend. I rolled them up like a burrito, then tied them with butcher’s twine and grilled them on nonstick foil to avoid burning the spinach and cheese. They turned out perfectly! Loved the spinach and oozing cheese… Mmm! Delish.

We never did get around to making S’mores. We’ll probably make them sometime this week, though. I planted some of my potted garden. Good thing, the plants that I bought a few weeks ago were outgrowing their smaller containers. I also planted a strawberry Topsy Turvy and a tomato one. I’ll post pictures later on this week.

We have a very, very busy week ahead. Dustin’s birthday is on Friday, we’re having my cousin over for dinner on Thursday, Dustin has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, Gingerbread has an appointment at the new vet that’s 2 hours away on the 8th, plus all of our usual work, chores, errands, and exercise. Thankfully, Aunt Flo roared into town on Saturday and I already dealt with the worst of her stay. I punished her with an 11.5 mile ride on my recumbent bike as soon as she showed up and she behaved herself the rest of the day. Unfortunately, she acted up the next day and made me miserable until I took more Advil than recommended, lol. At least she’ll be on her way out of town when things gets really hectic this week. hehe

Ok, I have a million kajillion things to do, be back later tonight.

Question: Hot dog or burger?

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Tagged as: 3 day weekend, beef tenderloin pinwheels, charcoal grill, grill, hamburgers, Memoridal Day weekend, vanilla milkshake