National Hamburger Day

National Hamburger Day falls right in the middle of the perfect holiday weekend for grilling.  Matthew McConaughey says "Man who invented the hamburger was smart; Man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius”  and I have to wholeheartedly agree!

My niece, Tabitha, has been a great assistant for me in a variety of ways
to support beef through farm tours and television interviews.

If you have plans to grill this Memorial Day Weekend I would like to encourage you to find the beef counter at your grocery store for a variety of items that will please your family and friends!  When it comes to burgers beef has the "fake" burgers beat nutritionally besides taste.

Sometimes people substitute ground turkey for beef thinking it is a better
option but this chart shows you that beef is the healthier choice!

Hamburgers are a great choice for large groups with children.  I have a recipe suggestion that offers  topping choices called "Slider Sundaes".  This recipe gives everyone an opportunity to build their own burger and by using slider sized burgers you can have two burgers with different toppings and stay right at that 30 grams of protein.   Here is the recipe:  

Sliders:

1 pound lean hamburger or ground round (makes 8 sliders)

1 tsp Lawry’s Garlic Salt

1 Package Slider Buns

 

Mix hamburger in ¼ cup sizes.  Flatten to ½” thick. 

Grill at medium high heat for 3 minutes on each side.   

Grilling baskets work great to easily grill several at a time.

Sundae Toppings:

Cherry Tomatoes (a tooth pick in one end allows tomato to sit on top of the bun)

Fried Onions

Sautéed sliced mushrooms

Lettuce

Fried bacon strips cut in thirds

Pickles

Shredded cheddar cheese

Blue Cheese Butter*

Hamburger Sauce*

Peanut Butter-smooth

Blue Cheese Butter:  Mix one stick softened butter, ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Hamburger Sauce: ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp ketchup, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp pickle juice, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder-mix well

Slider Sundaes make mealtime fun by letting every dress up their own burger according to individual tastes.  This is a great way to cut food waste by using smaller portion sizes.  Each slider is about 15 grams of protein before the toppings.  Suggested combos include:  Beef, Bacon, blue cheese butter and peanut butter; Beef, Bacon, Cheese, Onions, Pickles and Hamburger Sauce; Beef, lettuce, mushrooms, bacon and Hamburger Sauce.  Make sure to top each bun with a cherry tomato!

You can also have Hawaiian or Mexican themes for your Slider Sundaes by adding other ingredients like sliced pineapple and brown sugar for one and black olives, salsa, sour cream, taco seasoning in the ground beef for the other.  There is no limit to the creativity you can have with beef!  

In Nebraska we will have a beautiful weekend for grilling.  Even though we experience all four seasons, sometimes in one day, my husband can be found grilling all year 'round.  If you need more information about grilling the perfect burger you can read this terrific blog post from a friend of mine here.  We like to use Lawry's Garlic Salt for seasoning or Mike's Seasoning (found at Graybeal's Grocery Store in West Point). 

Enjoy this Memorial Day Weekend by grilling up some beef burgers today and make time to remember those that have died, especially our veterans.  

This is a picture of Steve's dad, Francis and my dad, Clem,
who both served in the military and have both left this earthly
life.  Our hearts still grieve the loss of their love and laughter
but our faith fills us with hope and joy of seeing them again.

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, 

and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

Psalm 34:18 

The Lord is ready to listen and help those who are brokenhearted 

and He saves those who are broken in spirit. 

It is a special hope to all who have lost a loved one.