Air Fryer Hamburgers

The temperature is rising and my air conditioner is dying. So my air fryer and instant Pot are saving my butt right now. They are getting me fed without heating up my apartment so don’t be surprised to see a lot of recipes using them both the next couple of weeks.

This week I had already several air fryer recipes planned for the 4th of July so we will start with a good all American hamburger.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Inspired by Air Fryer Handbook Magazine

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt, to taste

1/4 tsp ground black pepper, to taste

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 lb ground beef

Set the air fryer to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and parsley. Add the ground beef and mix well but be careful not to over work the meat. You don’t want tough burgers.

Divide the meat mixture in half and shape into two patties. With your thumb, put an indent in the center of each patty to prevent the patties from bulging in the middle. Put the patties into the air fryer basket and lightly spray the tops with oil.

Cook for 10 minutes. You don’t have to turn the patties. Serve with toppings of your choice.

Meatloaf (Whole 30)

The weather went from a lovely 30 degrees this mornimg to 6 degrees with a -20 windchill in the space of about 6 hous today.  Sigh!  This is what I get for living in North Dakota.

Meatloaf

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From Paleo Running Mama

1 lb ground  beef

1 egg

3 1/2 TBS almond flour, use all purpose flour if not Whole 30

1 1/2  TBS  Whole 30 ketchup, use any ketchup if not Whole 30

4 Tbs onion, diced

1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS ghee to cook onion and garlic, use butter if not Whole 30

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Whole 30 mustard, use any mustad if not  Whole 30

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

dash black pepper

2-2 1/2 TBS Whole 30 ketcup for top of meatloaf, use any ketchup if not Whole 30

Fancy Hamburgers

The fourth of July is just around the corner.  I actually have the day off so I am going to cook up a special 4th of July menu for myself and a few friends.  I decided on burgers, a pasta salad and an apple pie for dessert.  Nothing too fancy.

I found the burger recipe in a 1973 Good Housekeeping Cooking for Two cookbook.

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Ingredients

1/2 lb ground beef

2 TBS sour cream

1 TBS bread crumbs

6- 8 fresh mushrooms, trimmed and chopped

1 green onion, finely sliced

1 TBS fresh chopped parsley

1/2 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well.  Shape into 2 large patties.  Heat a medium frying pan over high heat; reduce heat to medium.  Cook on first side, for about 8 minutes.  Flip the patties and cook for 8 more minutes or until your desired degree of doneness. 

Porcupine Meatballs

My mom would tell you she isn’t a very good cook. I would disagree. My mom is a great cook. She just isn’t a fancy cook and that is okay. When I was a kid, she worked outside the home, first demonstrating that new fangled gadget, the microwave and then in her own business. So when it came to feeding her family she didn’t have time to spend hours hunting down hard to find ingredients or spend hours standing over a stove. My mom needed meals she could get on the table in a timely manner and that her family would eat. Not always an easy thing to do with three kids.

Porcupine meatballs were a favorite meal of mine was a kid and still are as an adult. I tweaked the recipe to remove the processed instant rice and cream of tomato soup all without adding any cooking time or changing the flavor of the recipe. I like to serve a baked potato on the side so I can smother it with the tomato gravy.

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Ingredients
¼ cup long grained white rice
¼ cup water
½ tsp salt
dash pepper
dash garlic powder
½ lb ground beef
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire
In a bowl combine ¼ cup water, rice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground beef. Mix well. Shape into 1 ½ inch balls. In a large skillet, brown the meatballs and drain off the fat. Combine the tomato sauce, ½ cup water, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and pour the sauce over the meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes until meatballs are cooked and rice is tender.
Adapted from my Mom’s recipe

Hamburger Summer Sausage

I really didn’t accomplish much this weekend and you know what? I don’t even feel guilty about it. On Sunday, I made and photographed a couple recipes for the blog and then spent the rest of the day laying in bed and reading Johanna Lindsey’s newest Mallory novel, cover to cover, when I wasn’t sleeping. Don’t judge. I have been battling a low level cold for the last two weeks and because I slept so good yesterday I woke up this morning feeling good for the first time in two weeks. I felt so good, I made a carrot cake to take to a friend at work who is having a birthday this week. You know as much as I love getting in the kitchen and cooking or baking for myself, there is a special joy in cooking for someone else.

This post isn’t about carrot cake, however. It is about something else I made this weekend. It is about homemade sausage, summer sausage, to be exact. I made this recipe for two reasons. 1. I figured since I gave you so many bread recipes in February, I should give you a few things that go on bread in March. 2. This is a forgotten recipe from my childhood. My mom used to make this recipe was a kid. When I found the recipe again in an old church cookbook I just knew I would have to try and make it for myself as I remember it being one of my favorites. Guess what? It still is.

This recipe takes along time between the curing and the baking. However, all but maybe 10 minutes of it is hands off. The most time consuming part just may be finding the Morton’s Tender Quick. I looked in several places in several different stores before I found it. If you can’t find Tender Quick in the spice aisle try looking in the home canning section or the hunting/camping section of the store.

Note: I am offering two different ways to season the sausage.

Hamburger Summer Sausage I

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
¾ cup water
½ tsp garlic powder
2 TBS Morton’s Tender Quick
1 TBS Liquid Smoke flavoring
1 TBS mustard seeds

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and water. This is best accomplished by using your hands. Add the remaining ingredients and mix again. Place half the meat mixture on a double length of aluminum foil. Shape the meat mixture into a tight loaf and wrap tightly in foil, sealing the ends. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture. Place the loaves on a plate and refrigerate for 24 hours. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the logs and poke several holes on the bottom of the rolls. Place the rolls on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan to catch the drips. Bake for one hour. Cool, then wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate until cold before slicing

Hamburger Summer Sausage II

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
4 TBS Morton’s Tender Quick
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp coriander seed
¼ tsp basil leaves
2 TBS Liquid Smoke
1 cup water
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp mustard seed
¼ tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and water. This is best accomplished by using your hands. Add the remaining ingredients and mix again. Place half the meat mixture on a double length of aluminum foil. Shape the meat mixture into a tight loaf and wrap tightly in foil, sealing the ends. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture. Place the loaves on a plate and refrigerate for 24 hours. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the logs and poke several holes on the bottom of the rolls. Place the rolls on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan to catch the drips. Bake for one hour. Cool, then wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate until cold before slicing.