Recipe: Michelle's Awesome Burgers

(Photo: Michelle's Awesome Turkeyburger, a variation of the recipe below)

If it is not apparent at this point let me make it clear. In my home I do 90% of the cooking. After a one-hour commute to work and a nine-hour workday, I get my butt back in a car and spend another hour in traffic to get home so that I can prepare a real dinner for my family. I do it day after day after day and you know why? Because I LOVE IT! Well, not the work and commute stuff, SCREW THAT! It's the cooking for my family thing I enjoy. It is relaxing and I think its fun. We've got a pretty good situation in my home. I love to cook and hate to clean, my wife hates to cook and loves to clean -- HARMONY!

However, there are times and situations when I just can't cook or on very rare occasions, don't feel like cooking. That's when Mrs. K works her magic and cooks for the family. Remember, I wrote that she hates to cook, not that she can't cook, she certainly can. Unlike me, she's really humble about her skills and her dishes. She'll charmingly deflect any attempt to compliment her efforts. Though sometimes I think that's because she doesn't want to get too good at cooking too many things! She's clever like that. How else was she able to wrangle such a high quality man into marrying her?

There are several things she prepares for me that are among my favorite versions of those foods. Among them are her hamburgers. True to her style she takes some simple ingredients and creates something I REALLY and SINCERELY enjoy. True to my writing style I'll offer that her hamburgers transcend the potential of their ingredients! Snazzy huh? In fact I like her burgers so much, that she is the only one who makes them in my house. They're better than any of the ones I've ever made and well, once I grab onto something I like I'm not letting go!

So here is my favorite burger recipe, compliments of my wife Michelle for whom I am happy to cook 90% of her meals.

Michelle's Awesome Burgers

3 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup onions (chopped fine)
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
Ground black pepper to taste
Wheat or whole grain hamburger buns*
Sliced cheddar cheese
Stone ground mustard
Bufalo Brand Chipotle Hot Sauce
Dad's Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce

In a large bowl mix the ground beef, onions, Worcestershire Sauce and ground black pepper.

Divide into desired size servings and form into hamburger patties.

Place patties on grill.

While patties grill, toast the hamburger rolls.

Cook patties until done adding a slice of cheddar cheese the last few moments.

On the bottom of the bun spread Bufalo Brand Chipotle Hot Sauce to taste.

On the top of the bun spread the stone ground mustard.

Place burger on bun and top with two tablespoons of Dad's Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce.

You can also add tomatoes, lettuce and extra onions if you like.

*OR Supremely- Portuguese sweetbread buns or bolos levedos (Portuguese pancakes). For more information on these please see this previous entry.

Recipe: Michelle's Awesome Burgers from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk

Recipe: Dad's Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce

So this Zen guy goes up to a hot dog vendor and he says, "Hey, make me one with everything!" Come on, laugh! It's funny! I suppose you are one of the unbelievers and you doubt the "Be here now" Zen aspects of the hot dog? Many people can link certain foods they enjoy back to certain moments in their life. None do this as much for me as the hot dog.

I remember a rainy night of fishing in Newport, Rhode Island as a young child with my dad and grandfather. It was fruitless but it was capped with a late night stop at the King Phillip Diner in Fall River, MA. Several dogs with the works, a coffee milk and not one, but two pieces of blueberry pie. I also remember my dad returning from bowling on Friday nights with a dozen for my sisters, my mom and myself to share. These would be the first of my late night hot dogs. Later on however late night hot dogs usually came/come after copious amounts alcohol!

Then there's the one I had outside in the cool air after a night of dancing in a hot night club in Ponta Delgada, Azores. It had all manner of toppings including tiny french fries! Wait, then there are the ones I have had at that shrine to Americana, Fenway Park while watching the Boston Red Sox win the world series! (Remember when that was just a dream? GO SOX!). Sure, I can't remember every hot dog I have had, but why can I remember so many?

I was introduced to the local variety Coney Island hot dog by my dad. It was long enough ago where I can't remember it (peculiar), but I'm sure it was because him and my mom were arguing, because that's how I got to see Planet of the Apes (which by the way, ended up with us getting hot dogs at Nick's Coney Island in Fall River, Massachusetts. I think I also got a fish at a pet store that day, fight on parents, fight on!).

Anyway, my dad is a kickass cook and he makes one helluva good hot dog sauce. Unfortunately, he does it a little differently each time and never writes much of it down, but this is his basic recipe. I always make a surplus and freeze servings in zip lock bags.

Says Pop, "Don't be afraid to use more onions or cumin."

Says I, "Don't be afraid to write it all down old man!"

Dad's Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce

1-1/4 lbs of lean ground beef
2 cups of water
2 shakes of ketchup
2 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup of onion (minced)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
3 tsp of chili powder

Place the hamburger in a heavy skillet. Add water and remaining ingredients.

Stir mixture as you bring it to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and maintain simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.

If sauce becomes too dry, add a little water.

The finished consistency should be like thickish chili.

Add a cooked hot dog to a steamed bun, add mustard, coney island sauce, chopped onions and a sprinkle of celery salt.

Dad's Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce by Henry Krauzyk from Chop Onions, Boil Water