Think Fourth of July, and you envision friends gathered around a backyard BBQ, and burgers galore.  Did you know that Americans spend $176 million on hamburger patties and $34.5 million on buns, just on this day alone?  This year think about grilling up some Sliders – the ever popular mini burger.  I used to think why bother with these little things, until my cousin served them one evening to the kids.  She used small rolls to put them on, and the kids loved them.  All of a sudden, I was really taken with the brilliance of this idea, for the following reasons:

1.  For the little kids, voila – you have cute little burgers just their size.  Cuts down on waste, and there’s always more to be had if they’re still hungry.

2.  For the bigger kids, how fun to put 3-4 mini burgers on your plate.

3.  And for us adults, it enables us to indulge our cravings for a burger, when there is a choice of healthier grilled chicken, which we really feel like we should eat (but keep on glancing at and salivating over the burgers).  After all, a Slider is not much more than a bite or two, right?

4.  This also works well when you may be worried about not having enough hamburger patties.  Six big patties can turn into 20 mini burgers rather easily.

And if you want to jazz things up a bit, you can really turn them into gourmet fare for the adult crowd by having fun with different toppings and sauces, like guacamole (see comment on Elaine’s Potluck Protocol blog for a delicious recipe), caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, various cheeses (shaping a burger around a chunk of blue cheese is delicious), BBQ sauce. 

So enjoy your July Fourth celebrations today, and try some Sliders if you’re so inclined!