Iced Coffee, Burgers, Meatloaf

Time for some food articles. As I am temporarily without employment, I am cooking more between resume updating and job applications. There are some good ones, too. I'm so glad this happened now, instead of in the Fall when a bounced paycheck would hurt a lot more.

Iced Coffee
At a coffee shop, this is about $3, and made from the leftover coffee from that morning instead of being poured out. Its pure profit. To make this, being summer, the right way is have the following tools: French press, good ground coffee extra strong, caramel sauce, whipping cream. Fill a glass or cup halfway with strong coffee, cold. Add a tablespoon of cream and a tablespoon of caramel. Stir. Add ice cubes. Drink.

You just saved $3. See how frugal you are?


Ground Beef for Burgers or Meatloaf
Ground beef is often not that good quality. You can pay more for lean beef, but leaner beef burns and you really WANT that fat available to help it both cook and provide a medium for the oil-based spices to season the meat. I developed this method because a couple jobs ago, I was suddenly missing income from my absentee spouse and needed to stretch my pennies until my savings recovered. This happens in the real world. Being able to cook saves the average American a couple hundred dollars a month, and generally solves problems with mood swings and obesity caused by restaurant foods and raw food bacteria famous for food poisoning that Yuppies buy and "heat" or not in the case of "salads" or sandwiches.

Hamburger is not the cheapest meat out there, but it is one of the more versatile. I learned early on that the best way to enjoy hamburger is to put stuff into it, not just to bulk it out, but to retain more of the flavor during and after cooking. This means spices and binders are necessary.

With simple hamburger for the grill or pan, I add chopped onion, the smaller the slices the better. I use yellow onions because that's what we grow here, not white onions which are more Eastern. Yellow onions keep longer, too, probably due to more sulfur content which kills mold and bacteria. Use a VERY sharp knife and work slowly. This pays off later. Half an onion, finely chopped, per pound. I will note that the right way to cut an onion is very specific, and requires lots of practice. If you do it right, there's no stink. The better you do this, the less smell, saving that for the food. An onion has layers and grain. Use that to your advantage. Pro chefs do.

I keep panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs for a basic expander and binder and coating for some kinds of meats, like chicken or pork chops. A fresh egg. Fresh ground black pepper because not-fresh goes bitter and doesn't work as well. Own a pepper mill and pepper corns. It is worth it. Add a few tablespoons of hickory smoke BBQ sauce to the meat. Doing it this way actually cooks the flavor in, rather than merely topping it, and the spices kill bacteria as well as tenderize the meat. Mix all well with a big wooden tined fork. This or your fingers. Wash thoroughly before and after, because the egg and meat might have salmonella or e.coli, which do cook out but spread to surfaces easily. Be sure to wash all tools with detergent afterwards.

Form meat into patties on a wax paper covered cookie sheet if not eating burgers immediately, and freeze overnight. Place frozen patties into a freezer bag, date and labeled, for later consumption.


Meat Loaf
The above hamburger recipe can be modified with grated carrot, and thin cut celery and tomato paste for meatloaf, adding a second pound of beef or possibly ground pork, and the remaining half of the onion. After forming the loaf in a bread pan I recommend baking it immediately because frozen meatloaf does not defrost well in an oven and tends to be raw in the middle, causing food poisoning. Don't let that happen to you. You can tell it is done because the juices are boiling around the sides and the meat has visibly shrunk away from the edges of the pan.

Serve meatloaf with either boiled and mashed potatoes or baked potatoes with sour cream, the proper Hampshire variety (old style, no additives), or plain Greek style yoghurt, which is high protein but not distracting in flavor. Cut green beans are also traditional. Most people serve Meatloaf with ketchup (or catsup for Easterners), and sometimes top the meatloaf with stewed tomatoes or grated potatoes or hashbrowns. I prefer BBQ sauce because it does good things to the meat and makes it more appetizing.

Please note that all the fat in these dishes will take 12 hours to digest so feel free to fast through breakfast the next day. You probably won't need any more calories.