Last year, I gave him a book, “Hamburger America: One Man’s Cross-Country Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation” by George Motz. We have been trying burgers as we travel, some locations are in the book and some are not. While reading it, when we got to Ohio, our home state, we were a bit disappointed as we didn’t see our favorite, Sky Way Drive-In, in the book. But that didn’t keep us from visiting Sky Way this month when we were back in Ohio for family reunions.

We brought two of our grandkids with us and they were excited to try our favorite. Of course there also is Swenson’s, Sky Way’s burger rival. It is another drive in just down the road so we had to have both burgers. Now, I don’t know if as we matured our taste buds changed but oh, my gosh, I fell in love with the Swenson burger. Now, I am not saying I didn’t like Sky Way’s burger; after all, my fondest and wildest teenage times were cruising in my car and enjoying a burger with their signature Californian drink. So, between the burgers, the grape shakes, and special sauces… it is almost a tie. I am desperately searching for the Swenson’s special burger sauce. I’ve experimented and the best results have been to mix, mayonnaise, horseradish, finely chopped onions and a tad of Thousand Island dressing together and generously top the burger with this sauce. Now as for the meat recipe, I think they use brown sugar in the mix. So I added not quite 1/4 cup of brown sugar to one pound of 80/20 beef and the result seems pretty close. Also, I cooked the burgers on a griddle or in a pan, not outdoors. And please, butter and toast the buns using a clean hot griddle or in a pan.

OK, enough about the rival burgers, enjoy the following recipes and “Please, Join Our Table”

Beef and Lamb Burgers

1 pounds of 70/30 ground beef

1 pound ground lamb

1 1/2 teaspoon of Greek oregano

1/2 teaspoon of crazy mixed up pepper

1 tablespoon salt

4 tablespoons of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 tablespoons of red wine

1 tablespoons of olive oil

Toppings

1 pound block feta cheese sliced into 8 slices

1/2 cup olive tapenade, or 1/2 cup Greek olives pitted and chopped

Sliced red onions

Grilled zucchini, in a jar, drained

Grilled sweet red pepper in a jar, drained

Baby spinach, stemmed

Optional tzatziki Sauce, (note: see Tribune archives for the recipe)

DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients, except toppings, until soft and well blended. Form the meat into patties, make a small indent or dimple in center; this will help reduce shrinkage as it cooks. Heat grill to medium heat. Grill uncovered, 5-6 minutes on each side to medium rare (160 degrees). During the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, top each burger with a slice of feta, remove to platter, place on buns, add toppings and enjoy!

Firecracker Burgers with Cooling Lime Sauce

(Adapted from a recipe by the Texas Beef Council)

1-1/2 pounds ground beef chuck

4 sesame seed sandwich rolls, split and toasted

1 cup watercress or mixed spring greens

Seasoning:

11/2 T. curry powder

1 T. Caribbean jerk seasoning

1 tsp. garlic salt

Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup whole milk, Greek plain yogurt (if you are not using Greek yogurt, strain regular yogurt overnight and then measure 1.4 cup)

1 T. fresh lime juice

2 tsp. grated lime peel

1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS: Combine ground beef and seasoning ingredients in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four 3/4-inch thick patties. Place patties on grill over medium heat; Grill uncovered, 5-6 minutes on each side to medium-rare (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally until not pink in center and juices show no pink color. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in small bowl; set aside. Spread sauce on cut sides of rolls. Place a burger on bottom half of each roll; top evenly with watercress. Close sandwiches.

BBQ Burgers

From “The Great Big Burger Book”

3 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/2 cup mesquite-flavored barbecue sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup grated Monterey Jack or extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients except the cheese and onion together in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Shape into six patties, each 1-inch thick.

Lightly oil the grill or a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the burgers to the desired degree of doneness, at least 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Top with the cheese and onion for the last minute of cooking. Add lettuce and sliced tomato, if desired, and serve on toasted sesame-seed buns or onion rolls. Makes 6.

Italian Pepperoni Burgers

2 1/2 pound ground beef 80/20

1 1/4 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce

3/4 cup finely chopped red onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

8-12 ounces Italian blend cheese, shredded

8 oz sliced pepperoni slices

8 slices mozzarella cheese

Italian Ciabatta buns/rolls

DIRECTIONS: Mix together the beef, 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce, the onion, garlic, and seasonings. Divide the mixture into 16 thin patties. Sprinkle half of the patties with the cheese. Top each with a remaining patty and carefully seal the edges together. Oil the grill or a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the burgers to the desired degree of doneness, at least 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium. It’s OK if some of the cheese oozes out. Top with pepperoni slices and the remaining 1/2 cup marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese. Serve on toasted ciabatta rolls.

P.S.

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