I love cheeseburgers. So much so that one time when I was making burgers using a meatloaf recipe and discovered I was out of croutons and breadcrumbs, I reached for something else in my pantry--Cheez-its. A little odd, I know, but trust me--this is a frequent request from Tom and even my friend Jay. My friend Candi loves them too, but since she moved to Ohio, I doubt I'll be making them for her anymore. Tom went to the grocery store last night before I got home, and I came home to a box of Cheez-its and a bag of burger buns sitting on the counter--luckily, I can occasionally take a hint.
One note--As much as Rachael Ray annoys me greatly (does she have to be so spastic? Can't she control her hands at all?!?), I am like her in the respect that I only measure when baking. Most measures are approximate--feel free to add, subtract, or substitute to your taste.
1 egg
1 to 1.5 lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 c cheese crackers, crushed (use your food processor or throw it a Ziploc bag and grab a hammer)
1t dehydrated minced onion
1t garlic powder
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t cumin
dash of cinnamon (I know, sounds crazy, but try it. Really. Just a little bit)
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper, ground
In a large bowl, combine onions, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and crushed crackers. Add meat and beaten egg, and combine with hands, being careful not to squeeze the dickens out of the meat. When all is combined, prepare 4oz burgers by rolling and gently patting. Place burgers on a broiling pan and broil, 2-3 inches from the heat, for 3 minutes on each side for medium well burgers. If you like cheese on your burgers, put the cheese on and place under the broiler again for about 30 seconds, checking to avoid burning. Makes 4-6 burgers.
For meatloaf, combine all the ingredients as noted above and transfer to loaf pan, gently shaping to size. Cover top of meatloaf with barbecue sauce and top with a layer of mushrooms. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
For the meatloaf, you can add chopped onions, diced green peppers, whatever you like to add. Very adaptable.
9 comments:
YAY! Becca's back!
Now if she would only add a new post to her blog... After all, the last one was nine days ago!
I printed out the recipe for the cheezit burgers for a meatloaf this evening! Sounds good!
Tara, I am honored. I hope your family likes it. My little one ate half a burger last night very happily--it's one of the few ways I can get him to eat red meat.
The meatloaf was good. I am the only one in my house who will voluntarily eat onion, so I sliced a couple of rings off one and pressed them into a meatloaf. I think it would have been better meat in between a great quality bun with mayo, cheese and lettuce. I'll definitely try this one again! I wonder how it would be with the white cheddar cheez-its??
My favorite part is "three minutes." That sounds nice. I'll see if I can try this one this week.
Nothing really to add, but the word verification was studd, so I had to comment on that! :) First time I've seen anything close to a real word!
That's funny, Tara! Last time I made burgers, I put way too much spice in them (as my mom can tell you). But I was trying not to make them too bland. Anyway, I'll have to try this "pinch" thing (ha ha). I really like McCormick grill mates for burgers. It's easy, and it's good. But I have all these spices you used, and I've been waiting to use some of them, so I'm anxious to try it. We don't currently have any beef, though. I just asked Daniel if he'd like to have burgers this week, and he said, "Do we have beef?" "No" "Then how can you make burgers?" Um, we live around the corner from a grocery store. I wonder how this would work with lamb, though. We do have a package of lamb in the fridge. That might break Daniel's heart, though, as hard as it is for us to find lamb. This one is from the last time mom and daddy visited. I guess making burgers with it would be easier on him than making Lamburger Helper. Oh, the horrors. He might have a heart attack or sign some papers or something if I did that. :-)
Wonder if you could do this recipe with Cheeto's rather than Cheezeits? David hates the latter, so we never have them in the house. Might be worth a try--heck, I guess you could make a burger or a meatloaf with cheerios, if you wanted to, or rice krispies, or maybe even Capn Crunch!
Bought some generic cheez-its last night. Will try this recipe tomorrow night (can't tonight - the meat is still frozen). Tonight is turkey summer sausage (less fat) and colby-jack cheese on flatbread with a big bowl of salad and gazpacho.
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