The other night I was in the mood for something a bit different for dinner. How about a burger? Now for many of you the sound of a burger probably sounds fairly routine, but at our house we don’t have them very often, so it is a treat when we do. As I was contemplating the evening meal, I started wondering what I could do to make tonight’s dinner even more delicious.

The first thing that came to mind was to shape the patties differently. How about a square burger? I could not recall ever personally making one before, then me being me, I started wondering if they would taste different being a different shape. Like how better a peanut butter and jelly sandwich tastes better when you fold it instead of cut it. I had the beginnings of my plan. But placing a square burger on a round bun, didn’t seem right. Then it hit me. Texas toast, when was the last time I had used that? The plan was coming together nicely. A quick search in the fridge yielded me some Queso Fresco cheese, perfect. Glancing at the large wooden bowl of onions on the counter I saw red, red onions that is. Now I had my plan.

But how was I going to make this square burger patty? As I started trying to free form the shape, I was not pleased with my results. Then I remembered a shallow square storage container that I had in the drawer. I slipped the container into a lightweight plastic bread bag, and used it as a form (great trick, the bag keeps the hamburger from sticking to the container. The patty falls right out when you flip it over). I had my patties. I seasoned them by brushing a little Worcestershire sauce on both sides followed by my house grilling salt (equal parts of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder). With the burger situation under control it was smooth sailing from here.

I thinly sliced a large red onion, and discovered that I had a half a white one in the fridge as well, so I slice it and added it to the pile. Onion medley. I sautéed the onions is a little bit of olive oil and added a few dried herbs, some rosemary, tarragon, and basil. Wonderful aromas began to emerge, this was going to be good.

Time to grill. I cooked my burgers to a medium rare turning only once (I have witnessed lots of people flip burgers many times back and forth and smashing them against the grill with the spatula. The Horror!). I grilled my Texas toast as the burgers were cooking (better use of time than squeezing all of the flavor out of the meat). As the burgers were just finishing, I cut the heat to the grill, topped them with the cheese, and closed the lid for about 2 minutes (the residual heat from the grill will sufficiently melt the cheese without making it “run away”). Time to assemble.

I put down the first slice of Texas toast and smeared it with some mayonnaise, followed by a hand full of baby arugula. Then came my square burger with the melted (but still present) Queso Fresco, topped with a generous portion of the sautéed herbed onions, and capped off with the another slice of toast dressed with barbecue sauce. What an amazing  explosion of complementary flavors. This one will definitely be repeated.

Sometimes nothing satisfies the taste buds better than a burger. Quick and easy, this grilled wonder is a favorite of mine to prepare. Topped with a combination of whatever happens to be in the fridge, I can always create a version that is sure to please.

Jack is an American cheese made from cow’s milk and is credited to have first been made by Spanish Franciscan friars near Monterey, California during the 19th century. It was a businessman and developer by the name of David Jack who owned a dairy along the Salinas River, that took the idea from the Padres at the nearby Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo. Jack began to produced a cheese originally known as Queso Blanco. As Jack’s dairy went into partnership with other regional dairies, the cheese was mass marketed and came to be known at first as “Jack’s Cheese”, and then eventually as “Monterey Jack”.

There are several variations of the this cheese that have also become quite popular. Colby-Jack or “Co-Jack” is produced by marbling the white cheese together with Colby cheddar, and Pepper Jack is a spicy variety made with the addition of jalapeño and habañero peppers. An aged version called Dry Jack is a hard cheese that can be grated much like Parmesan.

This past weekend, I was treated by a visit from my brother Eric and his wife Tonya who brought their family to Denver over spring break.. Not having any kids of my own, I was a bit lost for ideas about how to make the visit fun for his children.  I live in a ninety-seven year old bungalow in a very quiet part of town.  There are very few families with kids in our neighborhood since the older homes typically don’t have enough space to meet the needs of a modern family. Since I am not around kids very much, keeping up with the latest trends is a bit tough. What games are popular, which flavor of beverage is best, and what TV show is “so last year”. I guess I am just getting old.

March weather in Colorado can be anything.  But fortunately it was warm, so the thought of grilling popped into my head. What kid won’t eat a cheeseburger or a hot dog? I know, right?  So a picnic it was.

I was introduced to all the latest games and technologies that the kids are currently interested in, and caught up on the happenings with school. The young ladies, Makayla, Rachael, and Sierra, turned my sidewalk into a mural of chalk mountains, rainbows, and unicorns, while my nephew Jacob and I had a bit of our own fun creating a crime scene for CSI Denver: What’s Cooking?

When it was time to eat everyone dug right in.  At the table, my dinner got the biggest compliment I could have imagined, when the conversation I was having with my brother was interrupted by young Jacob with ” Dad…….This is the best cheeseburger I have ever had”.  Success!