Red "Sparrow" Night

Are you dreaming? Nope- this is a homemade copy-cat Red Robin Guacamole Burger and fries (hence, we called it "Red Sparrow"). It is SPECTACULAR! It's James' fave thing to order if he's got the chance to eat out, and I thought it'd be fun to try to surprise him with it at home. It came out perfect! The recipe is below- I believe the order of the stacking is what seals the deal... 1. Make seasoning for meat and fries: Combine 3 T salt, 1 T tomato/basil/garlic soup mix- I used Mrs. Dash seasoning, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.
2. Make guacamole: (The last time we had Red Sparrow night, we just used avacado smooshed up by itself instead of guamcamole and we thought it tasted better- plus it was way less work.)
3. Toast bun
4. Season meat with mix you made above, and grill. We used the really lean ground beef, and it was delightful! I kind of think the actual Red Robin uses not-so-lean beef. :-) I'll leave that up to you!
5. The stacking of the sandwich. Burger goes on the bottom bun. Top with guacamole, melted swiss cheese, bacon, (onion- we skipped this), lettuce, tomato (from our garden!), and mayo.

This is now probably our favorite meal. And if you thought the burger at Red Sparrow was good, check out the freckled lemonade!!

I had a little snaffoo with the 'dream like' look I was trying to create with this picture, and didn't notice until it came up now. If I hadn't gone overboard, you'd see beautiful strawberry lemonade with strawberries gently floating in it. This is the highlight to Red Sparrow night, so I recommend making this regardless of the poor quality picture above! :-)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves.

3. Add 1 cup of lemon juice, stir, cool, and pour into a pitcher.

4. Once it's cool, add 1 pint of strawberries, stir, and refridgerate until chilled. (I used frozen strawberries twice, and fresh strawberries once- the frozen strawberries were better, but the fresh ones were healthier- you take your pick!)

5. When ready to serve, add 2 cups of water, stir, and serve. It is TO DIE FOR!!! :-)

To finish off Red Sparrow night, we added steak fries (Kroger brand) and cooked them with the seasoning above. They came out just like Red Robin. The coolest part about the meal? It cost us about $12 all together and fed our entire family. Compare that to a $30-plus ticket at Red Robin, and I think you'll agree that Red Sparrow is the way to go! :-)