Supreme Burger

As posted recently, I spent the very small sum of $1 for this Betty Crocker Good and Easy Cookbook at the library sale table. then posted about Betty Crocker.

It's HOT now and outdoor grilling is best. Checking the book's Grilling section I found a new (to me) burger recipe. The ingredients had an item I'd never used in burgers, but the recipe was easy, all ingredients were on hand, so it was worth a try.

Supreme Hamburger

• 2 lbs. chopped meat
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1/2 C bread crumbs
• 1 C sour cream
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce (my addition)

Mix all ingredients together and shape into 6 to 8 hamburgers, depending on your size preference. of course, if you like REALLY large burgers, you can make fewer. Grill and enjoy.

WHO knew that sour cream would be great in burgers? These were very moist (trust me). Grenville called this recipe “a keeper” which is high praise for a first-time recipe. I know we'll try more “quick and easy” recipes too; here's some listed on the back cover. Looks like this summertime weather is gonna stick around awhile.

Red Robin NOT the Bird

Red Robin is a chain of casual dining restaurants which Grenville and myself had never eaten in until yesterday as we usually avoid fast-food places. But, it was lunch time and, after spending several hours in an Apple store to download the new OSX Mountain Lion, other updates and get questions answered, we succumbed to the aroma of burgers. We had opted out of food court dining and gone to our car. Red Robin was a free-standing restaurant outside the mall. Also, Grenville reminded me of his scant breakfast 4 hours earlier.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is a casual dining restaurant chain with a menu focused on burgers made of beef, chicken, turkey and vegan substitutes, as well as a appetizers, salads, soups, and pasta. There's also a long list of fountain-type drinks, including milkshakes. Red Robin's biggest sellers are the gourmet burgers, which account for nearly 50% of the company's food sales. The average per person meal cost is about $10, excluding a drink but including "bottomless steak fries." There are more than 100 Red Robin restaurants in 13 states across the US and Canada as well as franchise agreements with nearly 100 restaurants in 17 states and Canada.

Red Robin started in 1969 in Seattle as Sam's Tavern, later changed to Sam's Red Robin and then to Red Robin. The restaurant no longer serves alcoholic beverages and is geared toward family and teen dining. A July 2010 post featured photos of real robins and background on the Red Robin restaurants.

Grenville rated it a 5 and still prefers Fuddrucker's burgers billed (by the company) as "the world's greatest hamburger."

But, as you can see, there were no leftovers from this meal which included the cheddar burger for me and the bacon-cheddar burger for Grenville, and those bottomless stem fries, only one reorder, cause we KNOW they are bad for us.

When the Red Red Robin . . .

What do robins, hit songs, and burgers have in common?
More than you might think – as  you will find out in this post.

Meanwhile, there’s been a lot of robins in and around the F&P backyard this spring-summer. We’re caught some of the offspring in the yard – not actually – only through the lens.

Thanks to Red Red Robin songwriter Harry Woods (more details later). First, some “awww” photos.

   There’s nothing quite as tasty as worms – if you’re a baby robin.

 

Proud mother and fledgling.
Notice any family resemblance?

Ready for my close-up now

     L-U-N-C-H

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Good looking little guy and a good model

OK, now some answers  . . . (What were the questions?)

When the Red Red Robin Comes Bobbin’ Along ( Harry M. Woods ) was a hit in the mid 1920s and recorded by several popular singers including “Whispering” Jack Smith and Al Jolson who had a #1 hit. In 1952, Doris Day recorded another hit version. The song inspired the name of the Red Robin American casual dining restaurant chain, which started as “Sam’s Red Robin.” Sam, the original restaurant owner, sang in a barbershop quartet which often sang the tune. The business was originally called “Sam’s Tavern” but was renamed after the song in the 1940s. The restaurant, located in Seattle at the corner of Furhman and Eastlake Avenues E. near the University of Washington, became a popular student hangout.

In 1969, Gerry Kingen, a Seattle restaurant entrepreneur bought the business, renamed it  to Red Robin and expanded it. Today there are over 400 Red Robins throughout the U.S. and the chain is known for gourmet burgers, bottomless steak fries and freckled lemonade. Its Royal Red Robin Burger  has a fried egg on the patty. The original restaurant closed in March 2010 reportedly because of  costly maintenance for the old building.

Rockin' Robin is a song written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas and recorded by Bobby Day (born Robert James Byrd) an early American rock and roll and R&B musician. In 1958 Day’s solo recording was a a “one-hit wonder” and reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold record.

Despite numerous recordings with various record labels, Day never achieved another Top 40 hit. But, he was also a songwriter, and his credits include Little Bitty Pretty One popularized by Thurston Harris (1957), Clyde McPhatter (1962) and the Jackson Five (1972) and  Over and Over which was a hit for the Dave Clark Five (1965).

Chili Burgers and Slaw

It’s still HOT-HOT-HOT here on the eastern shore so this week’s dinner menus will be limited to lots of outdoor grilling with accompanying side dishes. Grenville keeps coming in with fresh veggies so I have to find more ways to use them. Last growing season, I learned that zucchini do NOT freeze well. And while baking zucchini bread is an option did I mention that it was VERY HOT here this week? And, the worst days are yet to come the next couple of days. Check out the heat index for Thursday.

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 96F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow night: Isolated thunderstorms in the evening. Fair skies overnight. Muggy. Low 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Thursday: Mostly sunny skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. Heat index near 105F. High 99F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.

As you can see, it’s HOT and getting Hotter by the day so our dinner favorites for the next few days will be anything Grenville can grill and lots of salads. If you’ve been following previous posts, you know about the fresh veggies that he’s been harvesting  this week. Burgers are a favorite at the F&P and tonight’s dinner features two recipes from the U.S.A. Cookbook by Sheila Lukins (more on Ms. Lukins below). The cookbook colors went well with this post, especially the RED.

Chili Burgers
If you like chili like we do, here’s a way to spice them up. You can serve the burgers on buns with garnishes, or enjoy them “bunless”  like we did tonight. (Hint: the cole slaw recipe below goes perfect with these burgers.)

• 1 lb chopped meat
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 1/2 C pitted and chopped black olives
• 1 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or dill
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Garnishes -set our bowls of chili-style toppings such as sour cream, scallions, chopped tomatoes and grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese. Serve the burgers on a grilled multigrain roll or eat plain.

• 1/3 C sour cream (optional)
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 C chopped ripe tomatoes
• ½ C  grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar

Prepare barbecue grill. Place beef in bowl and mix with diced tomato. olives, garlic, mustard, chili powder, basil, oregano, lemon zest, and parsley or dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form mixture into 4 burgers. Grill burgers 3 to 4 minutes per side - medium-rare; 1 to 2 minutes - medium to well done. Serve on toasted buns; add garnishes as preferred.
Grilling alongside the burgers is half of a large zucchini, sliced lengthwise and marinated in olive oil and herbs (oregano, basil, parsley, garlic power, salt and pepper).

Cole Slaw
Like coleslaw? Then this recipe is one to try – it’s not only easy, but  Grenville claims, it’s the “best and creamiest coleslaw ever tried at the F&P. It’s also from the U.S.A. Cookbook.

• 1 head green cabbage (2 lbs) – remove outer leaves, grate coarsely 
• 1 large carrot -peel and coarsely grate 
• 1 green bell pepper - stem, seed and grate 
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 C mayonnaise 
• 1/2 C sour cream 
• 1/2 C canola oil (our preference) or corn or vegetable oil 
• 2 tbsp milk 
• 1 tsp caraway seeds 
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, oil, milk, caraway seeds together in bowl.
2. Thinly slice cabbage and place in large bowl with carrot and bell pepper. (SEE shortcut below)
3. Toss with mayonnaise mixture and parsley.
4. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Refrigerate covered for a few hours. Bring to room temperature (if you like it this way) stir to mix.

Serves 6 to 8
F&P shortcut: If time is short (even if it’s not), you can skip grating your own veggies and  buy a package of the coleslaw mix in the produce/salad section of your local food store. You can add more carrot and the green pepper if you prefer, but usually the package contains carrot and red cabbage.

NOTE: Sheila Lukins, former owner of the renowned  Silver Palate food shop in NYC, died in August 2009. She owned the SP for over a decade and authored four Silver Palate cookbooks that helped usher in the new American cooking of the 1980s. In 1986, she succeeded Julia Child as food editor of PARADE magazine and wrote the “Simply Delicious”  column. The store closed in 1993, but its name continues on a line of specialty foods (sauces, condiments and oatmeal) some of which are still made per to Ms. Lukins’s recipes.

Summertime and the cooking is still easy