Polynesian Hamburgers with Pineapple Relish

    This has been the summer of unpredictable weather.  The summer really has not been able to decided that it is supposed to be warm.  Having said all that, I'm loving the summer!  The lazy carefree days of summer.  For me summer means freshly picked corn on the cob, new potatoes and hamburgers.  It means kicking back and just drinking it all in because before you know it it's back to school.

    When I make burgers I really like to make them from scratch, nothing tastes quite as good or quite as juicy as hamburgers made from freshly ground beef.  I could have just plain old hamburgers pretty much every day of the week, but the kids start to complain that they are bored by my limited summer menu.  That's where I get creative!

    My favourite summer burger is the Polynesian Burger.  They still taste like burgers, but with a little extra flavour boost.  Christopher declared it to be the best burger that he had ever eaten, and that is high praise from my husband the burger aficionado!

    I like to start with a family sized regular ground beef.  I know that we are supposed to be buying "lean" or "extra-lean" because it is healthier, but let's face it you can't have a juicy burger without some fat.  Besides, the fat burns right off, it's a win win (at least that's what I tell myself).  So here is the rest of what you will need....

1/3 cup of bread crumbs (I like the Italian)                 3 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove of garlic, minced                                            1 sweet onion diced thinly (or my kids won't eat it)

1/4 of a green onion diced really small                       1/2  tin of pineapple tidbits (save the juice)

    In a big bowl mix in the above ingredients.  Mix it all up really nicely (by nicely what I am saying is make sure everything is all blended in), making sure that you save the pineapple juice, and half of the can of tidbits, because you are going to use that later.  Christopher likes to baste the grill with olive oil before he starts to grill.  He swears by it, saying that it stops things from sticking.  Now slap those bad boys on your barbecue, and slather them up with the pineapple juice.  It's tempting to push down the burger with the spatula, lets face it we get bored and it feels like it might speed up the process... DON'T DO IT, you're squeezing all of that beautiful juice out.  Just be patient (I know easier said than done), don't over flip them, just let them sit there.  When they are done to your liking, serve those burgers up.  They taste AMAZING on a pretzel bun, but honestly what doesn't?

    I made my husband a special treat to go on top of his Polynesian burger, pineapple relish.  I saved the other half of my can of pine apple tidbits.  In my trusty cast iron frying pan (honestly I don't know how I ever live without it) I poured in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil,  and when it was heated up I poured in half of a sweet onion.  I fried them up until they were slightly browned, and then I poured in the pineapple and 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of garlic powder, salt and pepper.  I let them gently simmer for about 10 minutes, and then let it cool.  Christopher raved about it, making it a hit.

    So there you have it my summer burger boredom buster, Polynesian Hamburgers.