My hubby and I celebrated twenty years together at the end of June.  For most of our anniversaries we love to make dinner at home and sip Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine, the venue of our Sonoma wedding.  Even after 20 years, we were not up for going bigger like going away, just memorable like our wedding.

I planned, shopped and cooked the menu.  For me to make dinner anymore is special.  I have a sweet deal.  Since knee surgery three months ago, the job was handed over to my husband.  He claims cooking is therapy, a stress release.  None of us, as in me, the boys and my husband want him to stop.  So, when I offered to cook the big anniversary dinner, it was like a present.

My husband is a super healthy eater and he doesn’t mind the work to make it happen.  We eat chopped salads almost every night, like a movie star with a nutritionist and personal chef in one.  My hubby is also handy with a knife.  He claims he could have been a surgeon but he can’t stand the sight of blood.  For him, brightly colored salads with beets, carrots, peppers, strawberries, apples, nuts, mint, cilantro, queso fresco are a safe compromise.  So how am I going to top his colorful and creative displays?

Hamburger buns.

I asked my husband what he might like since he is so picky healthy.  He drew a blank.  I tried to help him out.  “I’m going to make something really unhealthy then. Heh, heh.”  Then I remembered a friend talking about the county fair and the most unusual menu item, worse then deep fried snickers.  Our family happened to be sitting on a surplus of glazed-raised donuts from a birthday celebration at swim practice for my newest teen.  “I know what we are going to eat!  Donut Burgers.”

Best in ANY town!

“What?”

“Yeah.  Donut Burgers.  The donuts are the bun and we grill ‘em.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.  I’m going to do it.”

I sent a text to my friend, the one mocking the donut burgers from the county fair.  “Doing donut burgers tonight for anniversary dinner.”  Her reply, “Don’t forget the blue cheese.”  She was kidding, but I immediately adopted the suggestion.   I’ve had honey with blue cheese before; this should work.

We had SO many donuts I had to find more than one way to use them up.  I felt like Iron Chef Leftovers.  We needed dessert.  Again, a passing comment from a friend added to the menu.  I told her I was going to use the donuts for dessert for our big anniversary dinner.  She jokingly classed up the idea, “Oh donuts with a little raspberry coulis?”  I like that. Yep!  God I love my friends, so deliciously minded.

Then I stopped by another friend’s house for a recipe, on purpose.  She made a yummy salad nicoise with shrimp for a group of friends one night.  It was a salad my husband had yet to create.  And it made the present extra special, I would use a knife to make the salad and not just pre-washed baby greens and hand-washed cherry tomatoes.  Besides, as much as I wanted to junk up the dinner, there is a part of my arteries that clog just thinking about eating a burger let alone a donut.  I couldn’t do that to any of us.

My newly minted teen asked me about dinner.  “Donut burgers,” I say.  “Really? I want something healthy.”  With all the athletes in the house, swimmer, cyclist, football player and exerciser (I like it all) I knew to make a slice of healthy.  “I’m going to make a salad nicoise too, with shrimp.”  “Ah I don’t like shrimp.”  “Well, I could make it with Ahi tuna.  I know!  I’ll sear it.”  Thumbs up.

Everyone’s contributing dinner ideas felt like the friendship soup kindergartners make when each child is assigned a vegetable.  It’s synergistic in eighties lingo.  I say, “Too many cooks better the broth.”

I hit the kitchen around 5 pm.  I felt like a stranger, it had been so long since I cooked.  My hubby didn’t move things around too much so I found my way.  Cooking is like riding a bike, you never really forget.  I started with the hamburgers.  I bought enough beef for two patties.  Donut burger appetizers will jumpstart the party.  I cooked four strips of bacon as bacon makes everything better.  As I prepped, my older son came in from football, observing closely.  He see’s patties and split-open donuts.

“Wait.  Are you really going to make those burgers?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, is dad home?”  He’s not so sure I should be left alone in the kitchen.

“Yes.  He knows.”

“This is either going to be really good or really suck.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

Dressed for dinner.

I go about my business, heating up the grill and chopping up newly boiled potatoes and eggs for the salad.  It’s time to enter the BBQ lab.  I walk outside with a plate of newly halved donuts.  I start tossing the rings on the freshly scrubbed grill and I notice immediately, this will only take seconds, like toasting a marshmallow.  The sugar heats up quick and the donuts start to flatten.  I’m out of the BBQ lab in two minutes with 8 lovely black-striped golden rings, like a county fair pro.

DEE-Lish!

After grilling the burgers, I place a patty on a donut ring, add Humboldt Fog blue goat cheese, sweet & spicy bbq sauce and beloved bacon.  I cut the donut burgers into quarters and pierce each slice with a colorful fringed toothpick, for a festive feel.  The taste test:  Delicious.  Devine.  Delectable.  If you have ever had bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Manchego cheese, it’s the closest thing to a donut burger.  Salty and sweet in perfect harmony.  YUM!

Grande Finale!

The salad put us back into a healthy balance, readying us for the next course of donuts. I needed one more “friendship” ingredient to make the dessert complete.  The donuts begged for a filling, like the middle of an Oreo.  My older son found coconut gelato in the freezer, perfect for a grilled donut. Add a drizzle of homemade raspberry coulis, and WOW!  Grilled donuts never tasted sooo fancy.  The smoky sweets were like eating a toasted marshmallow but less sticky.  I’m thinking twice about deep-fried snickers now.

I think we gained 10 lbs. in one sitting but once every 20 years is probably ok.  It was worth it and above all, we will never forget marking our milestone with a glazed-raised.  Donuts will forever trigger smiles and be as much a part of our anniversary memories as the sparkling wine.