"365 Ways to Cook Hamburger" & "The Art of Salad Making" - Barbecued Hamburgers and Rice Salad

Date I made these recipes: September 14, 2009

365 Ways to Cook Hamburger by Doyne Nickerson
Published by: Doubleday& Company, Inc.
© 1958, 1960
Recipe: Barbecued Hamburgers – p. 19

The Art of Salad Making by Carol Truax
Published by: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
© 1968
Recipe: Rice Salad – p. 80

Not that I name my blog postings, but if I did, this one would be the “I’m not quite ready for summer to end” blog. Luckily, after a somewhat disappointing June, July and August, we are finally, midway through September, getting some warm weather and to that I say “Amen!” It won’t be long before it’ll be cold and possibly even snowy and I won’t be craving anything summery at all. It’ll be hot food and tons of it!

Last week’s recipe was called Sloppy Louie, a variation of a Sloppy Joe, and I mentioned how I much preferred a Sloppy Joe to the recipe I made (and let me just say again that I cannot figure out the purpose of the chicken gumbo soup ingredient). So not that I planned it, but you’ll see that the Barbecued Hamburger recipe resembles a Sloppy Joe and -- dare I say -- a Manwich? (With a little help from Google, I managed to find the correct wording to one of their commercials —“A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal.”)

To offset the heaviness of this barbecued hamburger (not a lot of heaviness, just a little), I paired it with a salad from this cookbook by Carol Truax. Carol is kind of the pinch-hitter of cooking, as I’ve seen her co-authoring a few cookbooks here and there, including one by her and Liberace, the famous piano showman from the 60’s and 70’s.

This salad was super easy and actually refreshing what with its fresh tomatoes, crisp peppers and light oil and vinegar dressing.

What I really liked about this dinner was that I made it on a Monday night (totally out of character for me who tends to be a Sunday cook) and I finished both recipes in less than 45 minutes. The second thing I liked it that it is still warm out today (Tuesday) and so my leftovers just extended my summertime fun. Let’s hope it just lasts and lasts…hahahahaha…..


Barbecued Hamburgers 3 (as opposed to the recipes for BBQ Burgers 1 and 2) – Serves 8
1 8 oz bottle catsup
½ bottle chili sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tbsp vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar)
1 tbsp salt
2 cups chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper (I used a mix of green and red)
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 ½ pounds hamburger

Saute the onion and chopped green peppers in two tbsp cooking fat. Add the hamburger, crumbling it into small pieces as it browns. (I suggest pouring off most of the grease)

Mix the catsup, chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and salt, stir into the browned hamburger and simmer for 1 minute. (I went about 10 minutes) Serve over toasted buns cut in half.

Rice Salad – 4-6 servings
2 cups cooked rice
3 tomatoes, peeled and sliced (I didn’t peel and I chopped instead of sliced)
2 green peppers cut into strips (I mixed red and green and diced them)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used white distilled)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
Minced parsley (garnish)

Put the rice, tomatoes, and peppers in a bowl. Mix the salt and pepper with oil, vinegar, and mustard. Pour into the salad and stir gently. Sprinkle with a little parsley if you wish.