Good eatin' and readin'
The title's a bit of a misnomer; I definitely did not make an old fashioned burger last night for dinner. No, all of my burgers are decidedly new fashioned. What I did make, however, was an Old Fashioned and then a power burger. (I drank the first while grilling the second.)
I've recently began experimenting with cocktails that have ingredients with cool names like "Angostura bitters" and "vermouth" and...and, "sugar." Really, anything I can add to gratuitous amounts of bourbon to make a cool drink is fine by be. (Next on the list: a Manhattan.)
And since I'm experimenting with food and drink, I figured you should as well. Just call it good-natured peer pressure.
So, from me to you, here's what I had for dinner last night. (Write your favorite meal and adult beverage in the comment section!)
The Power Burger - Courtesy of Muscle Chow and Precision Nutrition:
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup toasted wheat germ
Lettuce (optional)
Tomato (optional)
Honey mustard (Definitely not optional. Go for the Sierra Nevada brand. It's made with beer!)
Put everything into a large bowl and knead the hell out of it with your hands. Make into four patties. Throw some at your girlfriend for fun. (But make sure to get it back. You don't want any wasted meat.)
Grill on Foreman grill or pan-fry for 8 to 10 minutes. I also recommend using ridiculous amounts of Stubbs seasoning.
The Old Fashioned: Courtesy of fine bartenders everywhere but mostly Esquire magazine for teaching me and giving me a picture of Megan Fox to look at while I mixed my drink
Place 1/2 teaspoon of loose sugar in the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass.
Add two or three healthy dashes of Angostura bitters and a teaspoon of water.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add three ice cubes to the glass.
Stir.
Add two ounces of bourbon whiskey (I used Maker's Mark.)
Stir.
Twist a thin slice of lemon peel over the top
Add stirring implement (I used a spoon. I can't fathom what they used.)
Let sit for one minute.
Drink.
So what'd you have for dinner? And what's your favorite drink? Let me know in the comments!
And if you're looking for more great recipes and a complete nutrition package I've personally used and recommend, check out Precision Nutrition.
Posted May 13, 2009 by .
This entry is filed under lifestyle, nutrition, and cooking.
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Comments for This Entry
Nate,
That meal and drink looks solid.
My current favorite meal has to be the Greek Burger from Precision Nutrition.
Greek Burger
Ingredients:
8 oz. extra lean ground beef (96%)
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup olive slivers
1 ½ cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Form a large patty with the mixture and then cook on a grill or in a large skillet on medium heat for 5-8 minutes on each side. Add a side of steamed broccoli or gilled peppers and tomatoes.
And with summer fast approaching one of my favorite drinks is the Mojito.
Mojito:
4 mint leaves
4 basil leaves
3 lime wedges
1 â„2oz simple syrup made with sugar substitute
2 oz club soda
2 oz diet lemon-lime soda
1 1â„4 oz Cruzan rum
To make the calorie-free simple syrup in this exotic elixir, bring equal parts water and sugar substitute to a boil, remove from heat, and let cool. Refrigerate and use as needed.
1. Stir mint, basil, lime wedges, and
simple syrup in a tall glass.
2. Fill glass with ice.
3. Add club soda and lemon-lime soda; top off with rum.
4. Garnish with mint, basil, and two berries on a toothpick.
5. Enjoy!
Another great simple drink is Woodford On The Rocks.
Ingredients:
Ice
Woodford Reserve
1. Place ice in glass
2. Pour Woodford
3. Enjoy!
-Chase
You never said it had to be healthy, so......
Main dish: Brats boiled in beer and onions then grilled on CHARCOAL grill
Condiments: Ketchup, Mustard, Onions, Sauerkraut
Accompanying drink: Large amounts of your favorite beer
Any guesses as to where I'm from??? Ha ha ha.
I actually had burgers last night also. The ABs Diet burger is awesome. I don't have the amounts but it goes something like this...
spinach
steel cut oats
onion
lean ground beef
egg
salt&pepper
some form of shredded cheese
side dish was baked breaded zuchinni fries
beverage: sam adams summer ale
side note: going to this on saturday: http://www.greatorlandobeerfestival.com/Breweries.html
Nice work on the new blog! Sweet!!!
Once of my favs is from the Gourmet Nutrition book
You just crush some mixed nuts over salmon and then grill it on tin foil. It is awesome!
Rock on!
Mike T Nelson
PhD(c), CSCS
Homemade Pizza
350g of strong flour
teaspoon of salt
tablespoon of olive oil
200ml of warm water, add sachet of yeast to this and let it bubble.
put everything in a big bowl and mix till forms a dough, roll it out into a pizza base and then add the toppings:
layer of tomato purée
mozzarella cheese
peporini or salami
bbq flavoured chicken, pieces scattered
20 minutes in the oven at 220 degrees celious
serve with ice cold coca-cola
My favorite burger uses essentially the same recipe as the power burger however I cut up about 2-3 cloves of garlic and grass fed beef. I call it the Steakburger.
I take the beef cut it into smaller chunks and put it in the food processor and make my own chuck, its not quite ground beef but is processed just enough to hold its shape as a burger. You get an incredible tasting steakburger.
Turkey Burger
1 pound meat
1/2 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic-minced
2 tbsp Honey
2-3 ounces of Feta Cheese
To Taste:
Salt
Cumin
Chipotle Chile Powder
Mix in a big bowl, divide into 3 patties. Cook in frying pan (The foreman tends to destroy these) on low for 5-8 minutes to solidify everything, then increase heat to medium-high for 5-8 minutes turning every couple of minutes. Peel back a bit in the middle to check for doneness.
Nate, seriously, 1c of wheatgerm? Didn't that make it taste odd?
You will most definitely enjoy the manhattan. By far one of my favorite drinks. If it seems just a little off to you though, try a Rob Roy. Its pretty much the same thing only made with Scotch so it's got a bit more of a bitter taste.
I had some kind of mystery patty at the DFAC here at Ft. Benning. One person told me it was steak, another pork, and of course someone said chicken.
My favorite dinner to make is just ground turkey mixed with some Dinosaur BBQ sauce. Cook until almost done then top with pepper jack cheese and finish in the broiler. Slice up a few potatoes into steak fry sized pieces and throw them under the broiler before you prep the meat and you have a delicious bar meal.
And of course a micro IPA, or five.
Nate, this one is right up my alley. This is a bit labor intensive and requires a good deal of practice and time, but in the interest of showing off here it goes...
Stone Seared Local Rockfish
1 Smooth Stone, the kind you would skip across a lake or pond except big enough to rest a side of fish on comfortably.
1 Rockfish gutted, filleted and scaled
Lemon
Thyme
Sea Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Build a fire with real hard wood, or basically a medium sized camp fire. Allow the fire to burn for an hour until the coals turn grey and the fire is blistering hot. Enjoy copious amounts of craft beer while waiting. When the fire is hot enough drop the stone in the center of the flames and the coals and wait another 30-35 minutes, or until the flames die down a bit. Season the fish with lemon, thyme and olive oil. Dust off the stone with a cloth (it will be very hot, be careful) and place the fish skin side down on the hot stone, season with salt as soon as it hits the stone. Do not touch the fish, leave it and enjoy the sound of fire cooking.
Take the fish off the stone with the bottom half fully white and the top half is still freshly opaque and a bit raw. Allowing the fish to slightly burn and caramelize on the skin side creates a texture that is amazing, in one bite you will get fresh fish, caramelized fire and the acid from the seasoning. The experience is truly special.
Everyone who likes grilling should stop and read the book, Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way. After reading one should reevaluate everything they thought was holy and adopt this as their way to summer happiness.
I forgot to post a drink... I usually stick to a good wine or beer but a few drinks i keep in my arsenal are a good Caipirinha and a few others that are simple and tasty. It pisses me off that people try and make good mixing drinks with bourbon, vodka, rum with "fake" ingredients. Try going to bar in manhattan and asking a pro mixologist for a "light" or "Splenda" sweetened cocktail. Quit being a pussy and just drink it, the pinch of sugar or honey won't make you loose your abs.
Summer Caipirinha
Mint, Lime, fresh Ginger and Honey. Muddle in a highball, add ice and pour Cachaca or 10 can Rum. Cachaca is a sugar cane liqueur from Brazil, most good liqueur stores should have it.
The Plantation (Nate, this one is all you)
Single Barrel Bourbon, smoked Honey and Sweet Vermouth. Shake it together with rock ice and pour in a copper cup (if you have it)... fucking awesome
Get on the Mint Julep, they are all the rage here in Melbourne. Well not quite, but if bourbon is your thing...
Thanks to everyone for their recipes!
And I think it's safe to say I'd give my first-born son to have J.C. cook me dinner.
(Well, maybe that's a bit too much to give. OK, my first-born daughter.)
-Nate
Man, every time I see you mention Maker's Mark, I remember how I used to like it too... until I tried Jameson. :)
As for good eats... it's chunky chicken chili, baby.
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can red beans (rinsed)
3/4-1 cup frozen corn kernels
3-4 cups chopped tomatoes (I use 1-1.5 containers of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes, but not they're strained tomatoes)
3-4 chicken breast, diced into bite-sized chunks
1-2 Tbsp EVOO
Chipotle powder, ground red pepper, and sriracha hot sauce
- Saute chicken with EVOO, stir in sriracha to taste.
- Combine all other ingredients in a pot (with chipotle and red pepper to taste). Bring to a slow boil.
-Reduce heat, add chicken to pot, cover and simmer very low for about 10 minutes.
Nate, you haven't mentioned one of the greatest cocktails of all time; the Rusty Nail!
1.) Fill an old-fashoned glass with ice.
2.) Add 3 parts scotch
3.) Pour 1 part Drambuie on top
4.) Start sipping
As far as food goes - The Uber BLT.
1.) Toast 2 big slices of your favorite bread (toothy breads work best, like Ezekiel Bread, or some rustic sourdough.)
2.) Mix some mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chopped cilantro, and garlic together in a blender, spread on the bread.
3.) Fry up half-real bacon, half-turkey bacon and throw it on. Make sure the total thickness of the pile of bacon is at least equal to the bread when viewed from the side. Too little meat is a common rookie mistake.
4.) Add sliced tomatoes, sliced avocados, and sprinkle on some watercress.
5.) Dig in. Put your feet on the table.
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