I’m going to tell you something.

As much as I hate to admit it, I have a few bad habits. Not refilling the ice cube tray is the first thing that comes to mind, mainly because I NEVER DO IT. We don’t have a fancy fridge that makes it’s own ice, so we have the old school trays that need dumped and refilled. Not only is this 1.] a huge pain when we are entertaining or consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages, it is also b.] one of the activities I find extremely annoying, even ahead of emptying the dishwasher and folding clean laundry.

Apparently this came to a head for my husband this weekend as he fiercely threw an empty, now room temperature tray on the floor and asked, “why are these always sitting on the counter?! Is it really that hard to take five seconds and fill them with water and stick them back in the fridge?!”

Why yes. Yes it is.

I don’t know! I mean, why do I set a new roll of toilet paper on top of the old empty one instead of taking the extra two seconds to install it properly? I just do. I’m an idiot sometimes. I’m a product of the extremely lazy, work ethic-less, I-get-everything-I-want-by-clicking-a-mouse-in-fourty-seconds internet generation. It’s disgusting and it’s real. Welcome to 2012!

But I must point out that one of the only reasons he frustratingly questioned me was because he.was.starving. You know… the type of husband starvation that occurs when they haven’t eaten in 16 minutes? Only to be exacerbated by cutting the lawn for a few seconds and ingesting two diet Mountain Dews before deciding they simply couldn’t take it anymore and rush inside in a flurry?

About a half hour earlier I had the foresight to realize that my worst nightmare would probably come true (him + me in the kitchen = two steps from divorce… or homicide, whichever comes first) and decided to make these green chili burgers that I’d been dreaming of for a few days. In an effort to save time, I quickly made one burger… and only one… to tide him over and to save my sanity. I made it… and since it was something new and he can be quite picky, I tasted it.

Except I couldn’t stop tasting it. I had a bite. Then another bite. And before I knew it, more than half of the sandwich was gone and he was busting through the front door like a angry bull.

And that’s when he saw the empty ice cube trays and started – for lack of a better word – whining about them. It’s not like I constantly bring up his annoying habits (lies, I totally do) such as his lack of punctuality (biggest pet peeve evah), but whatever. One bite in and he was profusely apologizing, to the point where I don’t think it matters if I ever refill one of those stupid trays again. He inhaled a second burger, finished mowing the lawn, then came in and ate a third. This… is my life. I fear the day when we have to feed more than two people on a regular basis. So does our bank account.

But who wants to listen to me talk? All you really need to know from this? We love these. Like, totally love LOVE.

Green Chili Chicken Burgers

makes 4 burgers

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 (4 ounce) cans of diced green chilis

2.5 ounces of monterey jack cheese, cut into tiny cubes + more for topping

1/2 tablespoon honey

juice of half a lime

Preheat your grill or heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine chicken, oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, cheese cubes and 1/2 a can of green chilis. Mix until just combined, then divide into four sections and form into four patties. Place on grill or skillet and cook on each side until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once you flip the burgers, add additional cheese on top to melt.

While the burgers are cooking, toast buns if desired and combine remaining green chilis in a bowl with honey, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper (green chili sauce here adapted from bobby flay). When ready to serve, spoon green chilis on top of cheeseburgers and eat!

Note: if you use ground chicken (as opposed to ground chicken breast) you can omit the olive oil or use a bit less.

P.S. last night I ate these again, but piled with like, boatloads of guacamole on top. UGH.