Hamburger Day at Our House . . .

To avoid the cost and grease of fast food, we replicate our favorite meals at home with healthier ingredients and preparation. Yesterday was hamburgers! I got some whole wheat hamburger buns, lean, organic ground beef, and created our version of 'fast' food! Naturally, I always add my own statement to the mix! The hamburgers were pretty basic. I did stretch the meat a bit with Panko crumbs and used dried onions as they plump up in the meat but don't make big bites of onion. Grilled onions are a favorite with three of us so I got a sliced up onion braising slowly in some olive oil. I always come up with a new 'secret' sauce for the event! Yesterday, was a cranberry/garlic sauce.

Cranberry/Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cranberries
10 cloves of peeled garlic
1/2 cup mayo
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and saute the garlic and cranberries together until the cranberries are softened and the garlic is turning very lightly brown. This needs watching as the sugar in the cranberries lends itself to scorching.

At this point, puree the mixture with the mayo and seasoning. And that's it! Use it instead of or with your usual condiments on the hamburger. My husband ended up slathering it on almost every bite of his hamburger. It goes well with the grilled onions.

Sweet and Sour . . .

I like the tastes of sweet, sour, and tangy. Two of my favorite ways to use the sauce is with cooked meatballs or slices of smoked sausage.

Basically, I use salsa, hot powedered mustard, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and tomato sauce for my sauce creations. This is a taste as you go along adventure. Once you have a sauce that meets your expectations, you can add herbs and spices to your specifications. Freshly ground black pepper almost always shows up in my dishes. If you like an Italian taste, go for some pesto. More inclined towards Mexican, add chili and taco spices. Curry works for an Indian slant. Soy and ginger point you East to China. As you can see, there are no rights or wrongs in making this sauce. It is up to you, your tastes, and creativity.

This works well in the crock pot as you can turn it on low with your meat of choice and serve when you and the meal are ready. This works over mashed potatoes, on rice, with pasta, or over a toasted bread bun.

If you are really pressed for time, just doctor up a bottle of inexpensive barbeque sauce and proceed as indicated for cooking.

I like to cook but, sometimes, I don't have the time I want/need so rely on little tricks of the trade to bring good food to the table for my family.

Easy but elegant . . .

Lately, pork seems to be the meat on sale the most. I like pork but get tired of making it the usual ways - fried pork chops, baked pork roast, etc. Sure, they all taste great but . . .

Today, I ran across an idea that sounds promising. It is simple, too, which is always a plus on a busy day. My husband understands when my day is busy but he still works hard and I want to have a good, tasty meal on hand for when he comes home in the evening.

This idea called for boneless pork chops and a bottle of teriyaki sauce. Well, just a browse through the sauce section at the store will show you there is a wide variety of such sauces, more than enough to please most any taste.

Basically, you pour your sauce of choice into a sealable plastic bag or a shallow dish. Add the pork chops and marinate them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Preheat the broiler and fire up the barbecue grill. Remove the chops from the marinade and dispose of the marinade. Cook the chops until they are no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear. Seems to me they would be a perfect foil for some cole slaw.

Want to fuss over this simple meal a bit and be more impressive?

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil (or your favorite oil)
1 tablespoon peeled and freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped and braised* until soft in a bit of oil

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until used.

*Braising just means to gently cook the garlic until slightly golden and softened a bit. You can use raw garlic for the recipe, too, but the taste is harsher.

Italian sauce . . .

I tried a new way of making an Italian marinara sauce this evening and have discovered a keeper! It was easy and only required a stir with the spoon ever so often.

Ingredients:
Ten peeled garlic cloves
3 peeled carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Generous pinch of black pepper & salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 small cans tomato paste
2 cans dices tomatoes

Put all the ingredients, except tomatoes in the food processor and pulse until they are ground but not slush. Simmer for about five minutes in a large pot. You don't want to overcook it at this stage. Add the tomato products, cover, and simmer for 4 to 5 hours. Would work well in the crock pot, too.

Serve over pasta or with meatballs and a good sprinkling of freshly grated Romano or parmesan cheese. Wouldn't hurt to have some garlic bread on hand to sop up the sauce!