How Do You Like Your Burger?

Recently heard about the "face method" for testing burgers:

 

Rare-- feels soft and spongy like your chin

Medium-- feels firmer like your nose

Well done-- feels solid like your forehead 

 

For more cooking tips check out this blog by my friend Dara

Sandwiches, Pizza, Burgers and Dogs

Sandwiches

Sandwiches can be as simple as peanut butter and jelly or as grand as grilled vegetables with pesto and fresh buffalo mozzarella. Experiment with different breads, different meats, no meat, spreads and vegetables. The better your ingredients, the better it will taste. Just remember to add a a spread for taste and a vegetable to make it moist and crunchy.

Here are a few combinations I like:

~Pesto, tomato and fresh mozzarella on a baguette

~Sliced ham, cooked asparagus and melted gruyere on challah bread

~Roast beef with horseradish mustard and swiss cheese on pumpernickel bread

~Smoked turkey, sliced Jarlsberg cheese with garlic dill pickles and honey mustard on whole wheat

~Thin slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini with fresh tomato, basil, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar sprinkled with parmesan cheese, served "open face" over sliced foccacia (means sandwich is open or not topped with another slice of bread)

~Bacon, lettuce and tomato with mayo on whole wheat

~Hummus, roasted peppers sliced cucumber and tomato on a pita

For a lower calorie lunch serve the meat and cheese or vegetables over lettuce with one slice of bread or pita on the side.

(See salads for tuna, chicken and egg salad recipes)

 

Pizza

Making a pizza is like making your bed. You may not do it very often but it’s really good when you do. To keep it simple let’s start with ready-made dough you can buy at the supermarket. You can find it in the freezer section or in the bread aisle. All you do is add toppings and bake. It’s faster than a delivery.

  1. The first thing you do is top the dough with sauce. It can be as basic as olive oil and garlic, pesto, marinara or alfredo sauce. (See sauce recipes under entrees or try basic pizza sauce below).
  2. Almost everything you put on a pizza is already cooked except maybe fresh tomatoes, olives and cheese. If you have leftover cooked veggies just lay them over sauce and add cheese. Or top it with tomatoes, olives, artichokes, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers – you get the idea.
  3. Always finish with at least one kind of cheese. Mozzarella is most common but try experimenting with others like feta, gruyere, asiago or goat cheese.

 

Easy Pizza Sauce Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic chopped fine and mashed into ½ teaspoon salt

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 can (6 ounces) water

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

  • In a saucepan heat olive oil and add garlic and salt.
  • Swirl it around for about a minute till it smells good and then add tomato paste.
  • Refill the same can with water and pour into pan.
  • Stir until paste is dissolved into water.
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for about 15 minutes until sauce thickens.

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Burgers Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

(Makes 4)

Burgers can be plain meat formed into a patty but a little breading and spices will make them more tender and tasty.

1 pound ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, lamb)

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup diced onion or ½ teaspoon onion powder

1 egg beaten

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

Slices of American, Swiss or cheddar cheese (optional)

Hamburger buns toasted just before serving

  • Mix all the ingredients together.
  • Form into four patties.
  • Grill on a preheated barbecue, in a frying pan on the stove or under a broiler for at least 4-to-5 minutes on each side until juices coming out of burgers are clear.
  • Top with a slice of cheese at the end and let it melt.
  • Serve on toasted buns.

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Hot Dogs Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

As you know hot dogs are not very expensive meat so choose the best you can buy. Spring for the all meat dogs and avoid mystery meat ingredients in the cheaper brands.

  • The quickest way to cook a hot dog is to zap it in a microwave.
  • Lay a paper towel over a hot dog and microwave for about 45 seconds on a plate all by itself.
  • Add the roll or tortilla or whatever you are wrapping around it and top with cheese and salsa or ketchup, mustard, etc. and nuke for another 15-30 seconds.
  • If you don’t have a microwave, you can boil it by dropping it in boiling water for a minute or two, cook in a pan until browned on all sides or the best option is cooked on a grill.

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