Dazzle Up That Dull Burger—Burger Recipe System—Watch This Video!

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 mixing things up with farm- and garden-fresh ingredients. We love farm-fresh garlic!

The Tree House Kitchen burger recipe systems allow for multiple variations to suit any eater. These systems are great for all ages and cooking stages—creativity is key. Parents, you only need to follow a system once with your kids, and then they can be a big help in putting burgers on the table for you. Follow our tips for success!

These systems will set you up for dozens of beautiful burger options in the future. Make it meaty by following my 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. Did you know that eating garlic is a 6,000-year-old health trend?!! Garlic works well in most burger recipes, so it’s good for both your body and your burger!

Shown here is one special variety called pink garlic of Lautrec (originally from Lautrec, France), which is heritage-farmed locally at Ballantrae Garlic Farm, not too far from Tree House Kitchen. Ballantrae sells locally and by mail. If you’d like to try your hand at growing garlic, they also sell seed stock for your garden.

Tom, a big garlic fan—and as a 14-year-old budding chef—toured Ballantrae Garlic Farm. Explore farm tours in your area and hear farmers’ stories on our YouTube channel!

Marinated feta cheese is one of Tom’s favourite recipes. As an 18-year-old student living on his own, he was time-challenged. Tom added one or two tablespoons of marinated feta to scrambled eggs, sandwiches and pasta for a quick, budget-conscious flavour upgrade. Properly stored, the feta marinade can last for weeks in the fridge. Garlicky marinated feta cheese (recipe included on page two) may be your new best friend!

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 system is dry roasting spices. It may sound complicated, but you can do this! This is an easy and one-minute process for fragrant, delicious results. This cooking trick is fun for kids (with supervision) because they can see amazing textures, hear sizzling and smell non-native 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 create herby and spicy chicken burgers in my Herby and Spicy Chicken Burgers System—which also includes a bonus recipe for garlicky, creamy tzatziki topping. If you want, you can add a dash of your fresh roasted spices to the tzatziki, too!

Pictured here are a Tree House Kitchen student and her family taste-tasting her tzatziki creation with roasted vegetables.

Back on Ballantrae farm, farmer Paula Willinsky taught Tom all about garlic and how to plant it himself. The lesson inspired Tom to get creative in the kitchen. He used the Ballantrae garlic to make a delicious vinaigrette. Try this Vinaigrette System at home on your salad or vegetable side dishes. It’s great as a marinade, too!

For another delicious burger accompaniment—and another freeing, creative kitchen experience—try out my Salsa System. Let us know how you like it!

Tree House Kitchen systems are boiled down from thousands of hours of chef experience and triple-tested with community members and families just like you! We care about your success in your kitchen. If you have any questions, ask a chef!