The Devil and the Luther Burger

I like ice cream, with cashews...lots of cashews. I can eat ice cream and pizza, ice cream and hot dogs, Ice cream and any type of sandwich. And don't forget ice cream and lasagna. I guess you get the point.

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My other love is cheeseburgers... with ice cream. And this is off the subject, but patty melts are a thing of beauty. Anyway, what I wanted to post about and which you might have read about is the mutated doughnut burger known by various names as the Luther burger and The Big Kahuna Doughnut Burger and Krispy Kreme Delux among other names. This travesty of meat contains, at a minimum 1500 calories! Something a true burgerologist would not even consider in his daily quaffing of burgers.

Now the hamburger may not be perfect, but with the proper accoutrements, it does come close to being the perfect combination of meat, vegetables and dairy served up in a most satisfying manner that pleases the palet and makes the taste buds sing.

The KKD (krispy Kreme Delux), however is something else entirely. It is evil. It's a cheeseburger possessed by demons. It's a cheeseburger in need of an exorcism, who's main objective in it's existence is to control your humanity. The people who created this monstrosity have only one goal in mind. To make you fat. To make you lethargic. To make you want more Luther burgers and before you know it, there'll be fast food chains of these abominations across the country, populated with obese people who can't think for themselves, whose only desire will be to work and make more money to buy more Luther burgers.

Stick with the original cheeseburger. Don't go over to the darkside. If you don't want to do this for your country, then do it for yourselves. All the wars, all the trade imbalances, all the jobs being shipped over seas would end in a matter of months if we exported only Luther burgers. This insideous blend of doughnut and meat would totally make our competitors on the world stage lackluster, fat, and impotent. In other words, a non threat. Something to think about.

Bitochki

We all know about meatballs, right? We're all familiar with the Italian meatball and the American take on the meatball. But have you ever thought about a Russian meatball?

Usually when we think of meatballs, we associate them with spaghetti, accompanied by our version of a red sauce, some garlic bread (in my case grilled cheese) and a salad.
Add some fried fish and your go to go. Now I'm getting hungry.

So I'm thinking I can shake things up a bit and add a different flavor to an old favorite. For some reason, I don't know why, I chose Russian, well.... because, maybe Russian is one our least talked about forms of cooking. So I'll get out of the way and let you check out the recipe for Bitochki, a Russian meatball.

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground round
8 tb Butter
1/8 ts Nutmeg
Salt- to taste
Pepper-to taste
1 c Bread crumbs
1/4 c Fine chop onion
1/2 tb lour
1/8 c Dry white wine
1/2 c Sour cream
1/4 c Heavy cream

Method:
Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and 6T butter to meat. Roll into 8 balls. Coat with breadcrumbs. Flatten into hamburger shape. Score tops of patties in a crisscross. Brown patties in remaining 2T butter. Transfer to warm platter. Wilt onion in skillet. Sprinkle with flour. Add wine. When it boils, stir in sour cream. Add salt, pepper. Stir off heat one minute. Add heavy cream. Return to heat and bring just to a boil. Spoon over patties.

As you may have noticed, there's nothing about a red sauce or noodles for that matter, but I think that these baked with some noodles in cheese sauce with some garlic bread and a light salad would be great. Of, course this is just my opinion. You can add your own twist to this Russian dish.

Crazy Cantina Chili

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans
1 can (16 ounces) black beans
1 can (16 ounces) garbanzo beans
1 onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes with juice
1 cup tomato juice
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream or plain yogurt

Preparation
Open the cans of beans. Drain off the liquid from the cans into the sink. Set the beans aside.

Put the onion on a cutting board. Carefully slice off the root end and the stem end. Use your fingers to strip off the dry skin. Then cut the onion in half from the top to the bottom. Hold an onion half cut side down and thinly slice it crosswise. Now hold the slices together and cut across them in the opposite direction. Be sure to keep your fingers clear of the knife blade. Set aside.

Put the oil in a large saucepan. Set the pan on the stove and switch on the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and stir with the wooden spoon until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the chili powder and cayenne pepper and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the beans, the crushed tomatoes, and the tomato juice. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the chili with the cheese and sour cream on the side.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crazy-Cantina-Chili-101652#ixzz1dcckvGfi

Peanut Butter and Jelly and Bacon and Cheese and Sauce and.......

Let me start off by saying that I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Lately though people have been taking them to a new level. I thought I was ahead of the pack when I added bacon. How little I knew. People are now putting everything from pastrami to bananas on their PB&J and to top it off, their throwing them on the grill, for christsakes!

OK. That's fine. I did a stretch and used cheese, but I will never go so far as to grill my PB&J. That's just a grilled sandwich. PB&J uses white bread. Plain old white bread. Not wheat or rye. White. with a glass of milk. Cold milk.

Other than that, I guess you can put whatever you want on your sandwich. But be careful, it might turn into a Monte Cristo.

Top 5 Hamburger Sauces

Sauce For Those Hot Buns

I made a detour with that Possum recipe. I promised some sauces for your burger. Below I found five of the most popular "secret sauces". Enjoy.

1. IN&OUT

• 1/4 cup salad dressing (like Miracle Whip®)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp French salad dressing
• 1/2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 1 1/2 tbsp dill pickle relish
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried, minced onion
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp ketchup
• 1/8 tsp salt

Preparation

        1.   Mix all ingredients, and stir well in a small container.

       2. Microwave on high for 25 seconds, and stir well again. 

       3. Cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

MCDONALDS'S

1 C. Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Indian Relish Drained
1/2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. Thousand Island Dressing

Mix all ingredients well. Let stand for at least 20 minutes, allowing to sit overnight is desired.

That was easy and the most simplest.

3.BURGER KING

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons French dressing
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Are you beginning to see a trend here?

4. CARL'S

* 1/2 ts Sweet pickle relish
* 1 1/2 ts Catsup
* 1 ds Salt
* 2 ts Mayonnaise

As you can see, there are no secrets here. Just plain ol' stuff you'll find in the fridge!


BOBS BIG BOY

• 2 Teaspoons water
• 2 Tablespoons sweet relish
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup

The base ingredients seem to be mayo (heavy on the mayo), ketchup and French dressing. With a little work you should be able to make your own signature dressing.

Oh My, Opssum

 Down Home Possum Stew

Okay people. Times are getting bad out here. If you're going to survive the shit storm that's coming, you'll need a few survivor skills. One of them is food. What do you eat when there's nothing to eat? And saying each other is out of the question. That is really, really bad. How about road kill?

What comes to mind is possum. Yep. Possum. Yep, that's what I said. Check out the nutritional values:

Calories:221
Protein:  30.6 grams (wow!)
Fat          10.g grams

You're going to need that protein and fat to survive and be healthy.

So. How would you go about cooking a possum that you came upon while doing your morning stroll? Look no further. Here's a healthy and tasty recipe you can try out.

Possum Stew

1 possum, cut-up
1/2-cup oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
4 carrots, cut in thick slices
1 small can whole kernel corn
1 can whole tomatoes
1 bell pepper sliced
2 zucchini cut in large pieces
1/2 head cabbage cut in large pieces
8 ounces tomato juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
10 drops Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown possum in oil in a Dutch oven or heavy skillet. Add all ingredients except potatoes, cabbage, pepper, and zucchini. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer another 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Note: The ingredients in this stew will work with any road kill you might chance upon, up to, and including rats.

This recipe is courtesy of: possumjimandelizabeth.com/xhtml/mason_possum_recipes.html

I Didn't Know That THAT Many People Ate Pigs Feet!

The above picture is what you might call a "pigfeet  slider". It's a Vietnamese version on pigs feet.

Seems that Asians have a thing for pigs feet. That deserves a shout out. Back here in the US of A, believe it or not, pigs feet are very popular. You can boil them, pickle them, grill them and fry them.

My humble recipe follows.



* 6 pig's feet, split
* 2 cups wine or 2 cups tarragon vinegar or 2 cups vinegar
* 2 onions
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1 red pepper pod
* 1 teaspoon whole cloves
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 teaspoon celery seed
* 1 pinch marjoram
* salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Wash pig's feet well. Cover with cold, salted water. Soak.
2. Drain. Place in a stockpot. Cover with cold water and simmer 1 hour.
3. Add vinegar, onion, bay leaves, paprika, red pepper, cloves, dry mustard, celery seed, marjoram, salt and pepper to season. Simmer until tender.

Soak the pig feet for about 2 hours.

Simmering takes a loooong time. Be sure to check on your water level occasionally.

When you stick a fork in your pigs feet and the meat separates like magic, then they are done. Enjoy.

The Best Cheeseburger You Will Ever Eat

The cheeseburger is an American staple. How you like your cheeseburger or what appeals to your personal taste is an entirely different subject.

For now, let's go with the most popular. Bear in mind that this does not include grilled burgers. That's a different animal. Let's stick with the good old fashioned burger.

What does it take to make an exceptional burger? In one word: fat. The higher the fat content, the more flavor you get, the better the burger. Simple. I tend to stick with an 80/20 beef content. Call me middle of the road. Plus it's easier to work with.

OK. Best burgers I have had? McDonalds quarter pounder. Very good.  Depends on where you buy it though.
Surprisely the flavor changes, depending on where you buy it.  Her in AZ, they aren't very good. They ARE NOT the same as in Ca. Why is that?  Isn't beef, beef? Wouldn't you think so?

Jack in the Box used to make an Ultimate Cheeseburger that had a most unusual taste. One humoungus patty with all the extras. Now they give you a double cheeseburger and pass it off as the Ultimate Cheeseburger. The keyword here is "cheeseburger", not "cheeseburgers". Sorry, it's not the same.

MY favorite is IN & Out. Although I simply love sliders. White Castles to be specific. But that's another post. There used to be a burger franchise called Black and White. They made burgers similar to In & Out. I don't know if they survived or not. Does anybody have any information on this?

Again. What does it take to make an exceptional burger? Here's a list.

A. Fat content.
B. Dressing.

Damn, that was a short list. It all depends on where you put the extras and condiments. For some reason (I'm not an expert) you'll pick up the flavor of the catsup first, then the onions and then the meat and somewhere along the chewing process, you'll get the mustard. Lettuce and tomatoes is an afterthought. You know you just ate something crunchy, but you can't identify it. That's why In & Out put the onions on the bottom.  It has something to do with the taste buds. And to be honest. Can you really taste American cheese? It's there, but it's not there.

Let's get down to business.

To make a great, mouth watering burger here is what you need.

1. Hamburger. Preferable an 80/20 mixture. That's 80% meat and 20% fat. Less if you can deal with it. I am poor and can't afford to have the butcher grind up prime beef for me, so I stick with 80/20.

2. Buns. Not the cheap 99 cent ones. They don't absorb moistures very well. Check this out. Pick up a package of cheap buns, now pick up a package of the more expensive buns. Feel the difference in the weight? Spend the extra dollar.

3. Onions. For those of you who love onions. Here's a trick I learned.
   Cut the onion as usual in slices. Now salt them. Yep. Put a little salt on the   onions and leave them alone. The salt releases the juices  in the onions and   intensifies it.
4. Cheese.  Strictly your choice. Whatever you like. Everything else you put on    the burger is up to you and your tastes.

The Cooking Process

Cast Iron Skillet. Conducts heat really good.
High Heat. For the cast iron skillet
Try this out. Take a paper towel, dip it in grease or cooking oil and rub the bottom of the skillet with it. Just a very thin coating. It helps to prevent sticking of the meat or you could use  cooking spray.

The Patty

Squash it and shape it. Take into account shrinkage, but it should be thin. Put it in the skillet and cover it. You can also freeze it awhile. The water and steam will make a softer burger. It will cook for maybe 2 minutes on one side and 2 to 3 min. on the other at high heat.
When you see the grease forming with a little red in it... turn it over and let it cook for about a minute more. Cover it up again. We are trying to keep the steam in. The Secret.

Now put your onions in with the burger. Let them cook for a minute or two. Then put them on top of the burger. Now put the bottom bun of your hamburger bun on top of the onions which are on top of the burger. Leave the top off and  let cook for maybe 30 sec.

Carefully flip the whole thing over,  take out and and apply your favorite cheese and whatever flavors you prefer. Now take the top bun that you forgot about and put it into the skillet and let it brown a bit.  Place it on your cheeseburger , add assorted  add ons and press down a bit. You are good to go.

You can also put it in the microwave for 12 seconds. No more. McD's calls this Quing? Notice I didn't add any salt or pepper. That's because the salted onions provided all the seasoning I needed.  However, you can experiment with your favorite seasonings.

Next up.

Hamburger Dressings. The soul of a good cheeseburger.

When Good Pickles Go bad

This used to be a dill pickle. Once upon a time it was green. The exterior remains pebbly, a reminder that long ago it began it's  life on a farm, on the ground, as a cucumber.

But it now has an arresting color that combines green and garnet, and a bracing sour-sweet taste that it owes to a long marinade in cherry or tropical fruit or strawberry Kool-Aid. Yep. You got that right. Kool-Aid.


The pickles have been spotted as far afield as Dallas and St. Louis, but their cult is thickest in the Delta region, among the black majority population. In the Delta, where they fetch between 50 cents and a dollar, Kool-Aid pickles have earned valued space next to such beloved snacks as pickled eggs and pigs’ feet at community fairs, convenience stores and filling stations.

Nobody knows just who first decided that pickles would be improved by a bath in sugared drink mix, or when. In my day, we used to stick a peppermint stick in the middle, but the invention seems to be of fairly recent provenance.

Here's the recipe to make your very own "Koollicle".

• 1 gallon jar dill pickles
• 1 lb granulated sugar
• 2 pkgs. unsweetened Kool-Aid 

Place a colander over a large bowl and drain all of the pickle brine. Do not discard the brine.

Mix the Kool Aid, sugar and brine together.  Place pickles in large jar and pour brine over pickles, making sure you cover them completely.

Seal the jar and place the pickles in the refrigerator for one week. The pickles will absorb the Kool-Aid brine and take on their new color and flavor. Don't be alarmed if the pickles shrink slightly -this is completely normal.