My brother is two years younger than me, but our birthdays are only four days apart. Every year our family would have a celebration for the both of us on the same day, and that is how it was always done. I think I used to hate sharing my cake with him, and maybe even thought that I would have gotten more presents if people didn't have to spend twice as much on the two of us! As the years went on though, I would have to admit that I loved sharing this event with him and became sad for the times he wasn't there.

His time in the Marines kept our birthday celebration separate, but it also kept us away from each other for long periods of time as well. Otherwise we almost always did something together for our birthday even if it was just going out for dinner or having some friends over for an impromptu party. Now that I live here in New Hampshire and my brother lives in NYC, we have come back to the singleness of the celebration. When my birthday rolls around and my brother can't be here; it's sad in a way that maybe only twins can relate to. There is a sense of, "Hey, where is my other half?"

This past weekend my brother called and said he was coming up. It wasn't either of our official birthdays yet, but we celebrated by just enjoying each others company. I knew he would arrive late Friday night and leave on Sunday morning, so I wanted to pack a lot into Saturday. A long time ago I found this burger recipe in Bon Appetite and made it for my brother and his fiancé. They loved it and I have been told by various family members that they still talk about those fabulous burgers. Hmm.

I decided I would be making those Jalapeno Cheeseburgers with Bacon and Spicy Ranch Sauce. I'd also whip up my favorite cheesecake which I believe rivals any cheesecake you can buy from Juniors in Brooklyn New York; but my brother would have to be the final judge on that subject. He has already declared my General Tsaos Chicken and Fried Rice just as good as any NYC take-out, so why not go for the cheesecake rating as well.

We had a great time and my brother's fiancé is such a gem; I love that she is going to be my sister. We enjoyed appetizer type foods during the day along with some cocktails. I believe it was the cocktails we enjoyed that led us to a few rounds of Guitar Hero on the Play Station. We looked a bit ridiculous, at least I did! Much of this was caught on video and I'm sure the playback will be quite hilarious to our children someday.

Dinner rolled around and I sent my brother and husband out into the snow to grill the burgers while my soon-to-be sister-in-law and I manned the bacon, fries and other necessary preparations. The burgers were perfect and my brother was pleased to have such a favorite served up on our birthday celebration night. Maybe it was all of the cocktails we had, but no one wanted cheesecake that night so we stayed up late and woke up hard. We decided that cheesecake would be our breakfast, and I have to say I may have stumbled upon the perfect hang-over food. All was good with the world after that, until my brother was packing to leave. I will definitely still miss him again when my birthday rolls around next week, but he'll be back when he can manage the time off, but until then...I'll miss the guy!

Oh, he loved the cheesecake. Was it as good as Juniors? He didn't say, but my brother has this way of not getting excited about something right away, however will brag about it to family and friends for years to come. I'm waiting for my mom to call me and tell me how much he loved it. We will see.

I'll leave you with the recipe for those ‘out-of-this-world' Jalapeno Burgers. Who cares if there is over 50 inches of snow on the ground...grill  these up and the jalapenos alone will warm you up in a way that makes it very worth the trouble...I promise!

JALAPENO CHEESEBURGERS WITH BACON AND SPICY RANCH SAUCE

Spicy Ranch Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Burgers
2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño chile (canned works well if you don't have fresh)

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Worcestershire-Coffee Glaze
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter

16 bacon slices

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
8 hamburger buns

8 lettuce leaves
2 cups coarsely shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
Assorted additional toppings (such as tomato and grilled onion slices)

For spicy ranch sauce:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

For burgers:
Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Form mixture into eight 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place on small baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For glaze:
Stir first 5 ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Working in batches if necessary, cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Toast buns until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer buns, cut side up, to plates. Place lettuce on each bun bottom. Grill burgers 5 minutes, basting with glaze. Turn burgers, baste with glaze, and grill until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium. Press cheese atop each burger and allow cheese to melt. Place some sauce, then 1 burger on each bun bottom. Top each with 2 slices bacon and desired additional toppings. Cover with bun top. Serve with remaining sauce.

Makes 8 servings. Bon Appetit Magazine 2005