Video: Dazzle up that dull burger!

There are so many ways to make a dull burger delicious and nutritious! Mash it up with different meats. Make it special with garlic, herbs and spices. Or, you can dazzle with delicious dips and drizzles. Free yourself from the need to follow recipes by flexing things up with farm- and garden-fresh ingredients. We are loving farm-fresh garlic at the moment!

These Tree House Kitchen burger systems allow for multiple variations to suit any eater. These systems are created for all ages and cooking stages – creativity is your key. Parents, you just need to follow a system once with your kids and then they can be a big help putting burgers on the table for you. Our tips are systems for success! These systems set yourself up for dozens of beautiful burger options in your future. Make it meaty by following the basic, downloadable Build Your Own Burger System with chicken, turkey, beef, bison or lamb! Make it miniature by following the same process to create meatballs. Make it moist by following safe and sound cooking tips. Garlicky marinated feta cheese (recipe included on page 2) may be your new best friend!

Did you know that eating garlic is a 6,000-year-old health trend?!! Garlic marries well in most recipes related to burgers, so it is good for both your body and your burger! Shown here is just one special variety called pink garlic of Lautrec (created originally in Lautrec France) and heritage farmed locally at Ballantrae Garlic Farm, which is not too far from Tree House Kitchen. Ballantrae also sells locally and you can order by mail. It sells seed stock too for your garden.

Tom, a big fan of garlic and meat, explored Ballantrae Garlic Farm when he was 14. Go on other farm tours and hear farmers stories on our YouTube channel!

Marinated feta cheese is one of Tom’s favourite recipes. Now that he is 18, a time-challenged student and living on his own, Tom finds adding 1 or 2 tablespoons to scrambled eggs, sandwiches and pasta to be a quick, budget-conscious flavour upgrade. Properly stored, the feta marinade can last for weeks in the fridge! When you run out of cheese you might have leftover olive oil and seasonings. Just freeze the olive oil to retain freshness, then defrost it the next time you want to make something with olive oil, such as a  homemade vinaigrette for salads.

The next step in your burger-building learning is a dull-burger-breaking dry roasting spices process. You can do this! It is so easy and a one-minute effort for fragrant, delicious results. This one-minute cooking trick is a fun one for kids (with supervision) because they can see amazing textures, hear sizzling and smell exotic fragrances as a direct result of their efforts.

Here are close up views of dry roasting spices (above) and grinding spices (below). Learn how to do this yourself, and also how to create herby and spicy chicken burgers, in our Herby and Spicy Chicken Burgers System. A bonus recipe for garlicky, creamy tzatziki topping is included on page 2. (If you want, you can add a dash of your fresh roasted spices to the tzatziki, too!)

Pictured here is a Tree House Kitchen student and her family taste tasting her own tzatziki creation to top on roasted vegetables.

On his visit to Ballantrae farm, farmer Paula Willinsky taught Tom all about garlic and how to plant it for himself. That inspired him to create in the kitchen. He worked with the Ballantrae garlic and made a delicious vinaigrette. Try this Vinaigrette System at home on your salad, vegetable side dishes and as a marinade too!

For another delicious burger accompaniment – and another freeing, creative, kitchen experience – try out our Salsa System.  Tell us how you like it!

Tree House Kitchen systems are boil-downs of thousands of hours of chef experience and are triple-tested with community members and families just like you! We care about your success in your kitchen. And if you have any questions, Ask a Chef!