Reach New Heights with a Reinvented Burger

(Family Features) Text your friends, dust off your apron and fire up the grill. It’s time to throw a barbecue party that won’t sink your summer budget.  

You can find everything you’ll need at a one-stop shop like ALDI. With savings up to 50 percent over traditional grocers, you can fill your cart with summer essentials like fresh seasonal produce, premium meats and award-winning wines.

Once shopping is out of the way, you’ll have plenty of time and money to experiment with new recipes. These quick and affordable tips can up your grill game and impress guests:

Boost your burgers. Take burgers to the next level this summer with your favorite ground meats such as turkey, chicken and beef. Then layer on the toppings like avocado, kale, gourmet cheeses and more.

Change up your take on cheesy. Top your burger with a blue cheese mousse by simply blending blue cheese crumbles and cream cheese then season it with your favorite spices.

Spice up your condiments. Combine mayonnaise with fresh orange juice and fresh orange zest to make a citrus aioli or whip up a special sauce by mixing peanut butter with oil and hot water. Sprinkle with bacon for some extra flavor. Toppings such as a pickled red onion can also add a bit of crunch and zest.

Bite better buns. Forgo traditional burger buns and bookend your masterpiece with brioche buns or pretzel rolls.

Find more great grilling tips and recipes for dishes to enjoy all summer at aldi.us.

Six-Mile High Burger

Recipe courtesy of ALDI Test Kitchen

• 1          tablespoon Carlini Vegetable Oil
• 10        Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 8          pieces Specially Selected Center Cut Bacon
• 8          Season's Choice Whole Onion Rings
• 4          All Natural 80 percent Lean Ground Beef Patties
• 8          slices Happy Farms Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1          cup Burman's Mayonnaise
• 1/4       cup Burman's Hot Sauce
• 1/2       cup Burman's Mustard
• 1/4       teaspoon Stonemill Iodized Salt
• 1/4       teaspoon Stonemill Ground Black Pepper
• 4          L'oven Fresh Hamburger Buns
• 1          tomato, sliced
• 2          romaine lettuce leaves, cut in half width-wise

1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. In saute pan, heat vegetable oil and saute mushrooms 2-3 minutes. Set aside. Fry bacon to desired doneness, about 5 minutes on each side. Set aside. Bake onion rings according to packaging instructions. Set aside.
3. Grill burgers 5-7 minutes on each side until they reach desired doneness. Place two slices cheese on each burger and continue to grill until melted. Remove from heat.
4. Mix together mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard, salt and pepper, and spread on both sides of buns, to taste.
5. To assemble burger: layer bottom bun with patty with cheese, tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, two onion rings, two pieces of bacon and top half of bun.

FEED YOUR FITNESS with Seafood

(Family Features) Whether you’re a competitive sprinter chasing a new record or an everyday gym hound looking to get the most from your workout, seafood is among the best foods to support an athletic lifestyle. It not only delivers great-tasting nutrition, but also provides one-of-a-kind health benefits.

A Simple Recipe Sweetener

With delicious California grapes as an ingredient, the possibilities are endless for trying different recipes in your kitchen. From creamy homemade parfaits to delightful appetizer platters and healthy fruit pizzas, grapes can be a tasty, easy way to incorporate nutrients into your meals, desserts and more. Or, if you’re looking for a simple treat, nutritious California grapes can make for a great standalone snack in three colors – green, red or black.

Find refreshing recipes and cooking tips at GrapesfromCalifornia.com.

Big Flavor Recipes for Summer Get-Togethers

(Family Features) From patio potlucks to backyard barbecues, summer is the ultimate time to kick back and enjoy delicious food with your favorite people. If you’re looking to add big flavor to your warm-weather menu, get inspired by these recipes from celebrity chef Jose Garces.

For a taste of Southern cooking, pair Classic Cheddar Pierogies with a buttermilk ranch sauce in Garces’s Chicken-Fried Pierogies. Also enjoy a delicious twist on an Asian favorite by serving up Garces’s Szechuan-Style Pierogies featuring savory Garlic & Parmesan Pierogies, one of 16 different varieties from Mrs. T’s Pierogies, which are the perfect canvas for your favorite ingredients and spices.

For more recipe inspiration, visit MrsTsPierogies.com.

Chicken-Fried Pierogies

Recipe courtesy of Chef Jose Garces

Flour Dredge:

• 1 1/2    cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2    tablespoons kosher salt
• 2          teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2    teaspoons freshly ground white peppercorn
• 1          teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1          teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8       teaspoon ground dried sage
• 1/8       teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8       teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pierogies:

• 1          box (16 ounces) Mrs. T’s Classic Cheddar Pierogies
• 1          cup buttermilk
• 2          eggs, lightly beaten
• 2          cups flour dredge (recipe below)
• canola oil
• large kosher pickles, cut into round slices
• ranch dressing

1. To make flour dredge: In large mixing bowl, mix all flour dredge ingredients until thoroughly combined.
2. To make pierogies: Bring large pot of water to boil. Place pierogies in boiling water until no longer frozen in center, about 2 minutes. Remove pierogies from water and cool in refrigerator 10 minutes.
3. Place buttermilk, eggs and flour dredge in three separate bowls. One at a time, dip pierogies in buttermilk then in eggs and finally in flour dredge. Once all pierogies are dredged, fry in deep fryer at 350 F in canola oil, approximately 3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat flour dredge process with pickle slices and fry 3 minutes.
4. To serve, place fried pierogies and pickles on serving plate. Serve with ranch.

Szechuan-Style Pierogies

Recipe courtesy of Chef Jose Garces

• 1/2       cup, plus 2 tablespoons, vegetable oil, divided
• 3          Arbol chilies
• 1/4       cup Szechuan chili sauce
• 4          tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons, fresh minced ginger, divided
• 2          tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon, garlic, minced (about 5 cloves), divided
• 1/2       tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
• 1/2       cup black bean garlic sauce
• 2          cups chicken stock
• 1          tablespoon thinly sliced scallion (white parts only)
• 1          cup ground pork
• 1          teaspoon soy sauce
• 1          tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1          box (16 ounces) Mrs. T’s Garlic & Parmesan Pierogies
• 1          tablespoon peeled edamame
• 2          tablespoons firm tofu, diced
• 1 1/2    cups bean sprouts

1. Place 1/2 cup oil and chilies in saucepan. Cook over low heat 2 minutes, or until chilies turn brown. Remove chilies from oil and discard oil.
2. Add Szechuan sauce to saucepan; cook 3 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons ginger, 2 tablespoons minced garlic and ground peppercorns; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add black bean sauce and cook another 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes. Reserve.
3. In saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add remaining ginger, remaining garlic and scallions; cook 1 minute. Add pork and cook 5 minutes, breaking up with wooden spoon. Add soy sauce and combine. Reserve.
4. In saute pan, melt butter and remaining vegetable oil. Add pierogies and sear lightly, about 7 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Reserve.
5. In large saute pan, combine Szechuan sauce, ground pork mixture, seared pierogies, edamame and tofu. Cook over medium-high heat until combined, about 2 minutes. Garnish with bean sprouts.