Homemade Hamburgers

It's just about barbeque season again, and what better thing to throw on the grill than a big juicy burger?

Ingredients:
1 pound groud beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs (use fresh if you can - throw a chunk of bread in a food processor and pulse until crummy)
1 egg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 clove grated garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, or 1/2 Tbsp deydrated onion flakes

Mix spices and crumbs together in a big bowl.  Add egg and beef, mix with your hands until just combined.  Shape into four patties and cook on your preheated barbeque grill on medium-low heat until just cooked through.  Slap on some old cheddar and serve on split crusty buns with your favorite toppings.

Sausage and Pepper Pasta Dinner

1 pound (or so) fresh italian sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sweet bell peppers, (red, green, yellow, whatever you like!) chopped
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (I like red)
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or 1 large can diced tomatoes with juice)
2 cups spinach, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregeno
1 pound cooked pasta

In a large skillet, sautee the sausage until browned. Add garlic, onion, peppers, herbs and cook until almost tender, about five minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Add tomatoes, juice and all. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Add to pasta and stir. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Simmered Steak

Simmered Steak

One 2 to 2.5 pound simmering steak
A couple of tablespoons of flour
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups puréed tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme, sage, marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon each of dried

1 Rub flour into both sides of the steak. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a wide, shallow (3 inches), covered pan to medium high heat. Add 2 Tbsp of oil to coat the pan. Place the steak in the pan, and cook for a few minutes on each side, enough to brown the steak.
2 Remove the steak from the pan and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the pan and another tablespoon of oil. Cook the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes, using a metal spatula to scrape up any steak drippings, mixing them in with the onions. Add half of the herbs to the onions. Return the steak to the pan, placing it on top of the onions. Crowd the onions around and on top of the steak. Sprinkle the rest of the herbs on top of the steak. Add the 2 cups of puréed tomatoes to the pan.

3 Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Use a high lid if available. A high lid will help circulate the steam and moisture from the cooking juices and keep the steak moist. Bring the steak in the tomato purée to a simmer and then lower the heat to the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer.

4 Cook for about an hour, turning the steak every so often. To check it, you can poke it with a fork. The meat should be quite tender. To serve, remove the steak and slice it on a carving board, or shred with two forks and serve on rice with the sauce. Serves 4-6.