Hows About a Burger Bar?

Today, May 28th, is National Hamburger Day. You know what that means....BURGERS FOR DINNER!

One of the things that feels like a total waste of brain energy is the continual debate about what to have for dinner. Ugh! Seriously makes me CRAZY!

I used to keep a menu, but I really do have this rebellious streak in me. I can follow it for a little while, but even though it makes life easier, one missing ingredient and you might as well toss it into the trash. Wish I was more disciplined, but ah well....Will that day ever come? Nope. I have some serious doubts about that. I figure I'm halfway done with my life, and it hasn't happened yet. Yah, it ain't gonna happen.

For today, though, I'm very happy to announce that I bought burgers at the grocery store yesterday.

The Hess kids LOVE burgers. Every year, for their birthdays, they get to choose a special dinner. It's not uncommon for them to follow each other in their choices--there was the year everybody wanted a Build-a-Bear as a birthday gift. Then a couple years ago, they all wanted a Costco-sized container of Jelly Bellys. Last year, for birthday dinners, they all wanted burgers, fries, and milkshakes. The kids' birthdays run from September to January, and then #7 is all alone in June, but we were making burgers each month.

In short, I'm sure they won't be disappointed that today is National Burger Day, and as such, we MUST eat burgers....A moral imperative.

I know what I like on burgers, but I really want to throw a bunch of choices on the table for everyone, so I turned to my friends for their favorite toppings. Here are some ideas just in case you're planning on celebrating this momentous holiday too:

Burger choices:

• regular burgers (I bought the frozen sirloin variety yesterday)
• veggie burgers
• half ground beef and half ground pork mixed with barbecue sauce, minced onions, salt and pepper and enough bread crumbs to help it hold its shape (recommended by my friend, Catherine. Sounds AMAZING!)

Bun choices:

• I bought the plain ol' white buns because they were cheap, and I know my kids'll eat them, but there are so many other choices.
• whole wheat buns
• onion buns
• sesame seed buns
• pretzel buns -- another friend suggested these. I may go get some today.

Cheese choices:

• cheddar (we're Tillamook fans at our house)
• pepperjack -- my kids' favorite
• Swiss 
• Blue 
• Feta

Sauce choices:

• fry sauce 
• salsa
• pico de gallo
• peanut butter (I'm not joking. Two friends have heard of this craze....I might just give it a try)
• jelly (see note to peanut butter--I like a little sweet with serious protein like this)
• Miracle Whip
• mayonnaise
• barbecue sauce
• tzaziki
• teriyaki

Toppings (okay, here we go...):

• lettuce
• spinach
• ketchup
• mustard
• grilled peppers
• bacon
• avocado
• guacamole
• onion
• red onion
• sauteed onions
• onion rings
• onion straws
• mushrooms
• sauteed mushrooms
• pickles
• tomato 
• cucumber
• jalepenos
• jalepeno poppers (my friend Tonya's dad owns a pub, and they carry a burger that has poppers on top--YUM!)
• pineapple
• fried egg

There was one other suggestion....
Claudia, who is from Wisconsin shared that when the burger is fresh off the grill, they melt a pat of butter (about 1/2 Tbsp) on it. Sounds DELICIOUS!

So, there you have it. Enjoy National Hamburger Day! 

If you have additional ideas, I'd love to hear them. Please feel free to leave a comment or send me a message on Facebook.