H is for...

H is for Hamburger.
Who: The Hamburger.
What: A Hamburger is a patty of meat (beef, pork, chicken or other) or vegetables that is fried or grilled and served on a bun, usually with condiments like ketchup and mustard and lettuce. Adding cheese turns it into a Cheeseburger.
Where: While ground meat patties have been around since the 1200's, the modern hamburger was created in the late 1800's or early 1900's in the US. Many towns claim to be the home of the first hamburger, but it may have been first served at the 1904 St Louis Fair.
When: Hamburgers really hit the mainstream in the 1950's when fast food restaurants started popping up everywhere.
Why: Burgers don't have that much value nutrition-wise. You can make them healthier by using lean meats, no oil, and no cheese or mayo. But what's the fun in that?

Standard Burger toppings in North America would include ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, lettuce tomatos and onions. Some like to add barbecue sauce or hot sauce, hot peppers, bacon, avocado, salsa, even a fried egg.
Australians add canned beets, fried eggs and pineapple rings to theirs. In England, HP Sauce is a standard condiment.

Speaking of nutrition, at Hardee's, a popular chain in the US, their 1/3 Lb Thickburger has 850 calories and 57 grams of fat. Their Monster Thickburger has 1410 calories and 107 grams of fat. In-N-Out Burger's Double Double has 670 calories and 41 grams of fat. A Big Mac from McDonald's has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat. I know, I'm such a party pooper.


Big Mouth Mexican Burgers
These are just guidelines, not an actual recipe. Make your burger mixture as you normally would, but instead of salt and pepper and what ever other spices you would add, use taco seasoning and add some shredded cheese- cheddar, mozza or a jack cheese. Form the patties and cook as usual. Instead of the usual ketchup and mayo, use guacamole and salsa (i made a black bean, corn and tomato salsa) instead.
Muy Bueno!


I took a picture of these Big Macs and then deleted it! Argh!
Homemade Big Mac
adapted from Fast Food Fix
makes 2 burgers

10 oz extra lean ground beef
salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns
2 tb finely chopped onion
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 or 4 slices processed cheese
pickle rounds
Big Mac Sauce

Big Mac Sauce
1/3 cup low fat mayo
2 tsp dill pickle relish
2 tsp ketchup
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tb finely chopped red onion
Blend all sauce ingredients together and chill until ready to use.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Form into 4 4" patties. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Split all 4 buns in half. You will need 3 bun pieces for each burger - one top and two bottoms. If you wish, you can use 3 buns, one with 2 tops and a bottom and one with 1 top and a bottom. It's up to you. Toast all the bun pieces in the pan until golden. Set aside. Cook the burger patties until done.
To assemble the burgers:
Spread the Big Mac Sauce on all the buns. Put one bottom bun on the plate and top with one patty. Put a piece of cheese on the patty and top with pickles. Place the second bun bottom on top and the next patty. If you are using two pieces of cheese per burger, put the second piece of cheese on the patty. Top with shredded lettuce and the burger bun top.
Serve.



We won't speak of calories and fat right now. Here is my Fatburger Combo with Rootbeer from Fatburger. Oh, the things I do for you!

Previous Alphabet Posts:
A is for Artichoke
B is for Beet
C is for Carrot
D is for Dogs
E is for Egg
F is for Fondue
G is for Garlic