Home-burger!

It’s Saturday again, woohoo!  And so, in the spirit of work-life balance, I spent the afternoon in my workshop, laboratory, err kitchen. I had not eaten lunch and decided, like last week, to make it.  The result, my homemade version of the hamburger, which I am calling home-burger.

Apart from today’s session in the kitchen, I’ve only made burgers once.  This was way back 2006 or 2007, when Rachael Ray featured the winner of the contest for America’s best tasting burger.  It was made with turkey patties, and had an avocado-guacamole relish, or something to that effect.  I tried it at home to see what the big fuss was all about.  I did some changes, of course.  I used chicken, which I believe, is tastier than turkey.  It was a delicious dish, but I knew I could do better.

Fast forward to this week. Epicurious.com posted this special on 21-top rated burgers.  Again, the first of 21 burgers has avocado.  I was inspired, and I wanted to try it out.  But too bad, there were no avocados in the grocery (are they out of season already?).

I suddenly craved for a good burger.  I have been ordering drive-thru from McDonald’s lately, and I’ve been quite disappointed with the Quarter Pounder.  I used to like it a lot, and I’d have to say it was comfort food for me before.  But lately, the famous burger has deterioated.  It is very dry, and, is it just me or has McDonald’s reduced the size of the patty?  Is it still really a quarter pounder?

Another reason I craved — two colleagues who are now in a province conducting training.  Their craving for hamburgers has made me hungry myself.

I used the usual hamburger ground beef, salt, and pepper.  I added chopped garlic and red onion, rosemary, and thyme.  And to make the patty extra special — I put cream cheese into the dressing.

The garnish: fresh lettuce, tomato, white onion, cheddar cheese, pickle chips, and a slice of toasted bacon.

As far as I’m concerned, this burger recipe is in my book.  I love its juicy, smoky, and homey taste.  Of course, to complete the meal, I made spaghetti with salmon and smoked scallops, as well as baked fries.

I made two burgers.  So as usual, there goes my diet — and my brother’s!

A real happy meal indeed!  All I needed was a toy to come with the meal.