The Recessionproof Gourmet

I have been bombarded lately with the word recession. Everybody I know is running around whining and griping and about recession and looming poverty and starvation. Mass starvation, I'm told since you do not have a job and you lost your home.



WOW!!!!! Then on the other hand I see the waste of food and the ideas some people have about what they eat. They can be very finicky. This reminds me of my cat, she has been raised (I am sorry to say) on commercial cat food. After that scare over the pets that died from that poisonous addition to pet foods, I cooked for her myself.



My home cooked cat food consisted of roasted breast of chicken, a few peas and carrots processed to her usual consistency with home made chicken broth. I also made her a beef version with sirloin steak, peas and carrots and home made beef broth. In both recipes I included some fat since cats need fat. When I presented these offerings to my beloved pet, I got the shock of my life.



She went over to her dish, looked at it, sniffed it then she looked at me in a most disgusted manner and said to me: "do YOU actually expect ME to eat this stuff?!!" She had the same reaction to both meal versions and I had to return to feeding her her regular diet from the vet.



EXCUSE ME already, I'm only trying to be nice to you and make sure I know what is in your food but cats can be ingrates!!!!



My dog, however thought she died and went to heaven and had no trouble almost licking the bottom off the dish since, of course she got to eat the cat food as well. I was cooking for the dog the same food but cheaper steak and all the chicken after I made soup. Since she got to eat the cat food as well she got extra, she had no problem with that. My dog was very appreciative but then dogs tend to be.



Anyway, this really is not about pet food but rather about some people's attitude to food and cooking. Are we not, now a days accustomed to sending out for pizza or pasta or any number of fast food meals at the expense of home cooked. I understand that most of us are really busy and tired after a long day at work but eating a diet of fast food is hard on our health and harder on our pocketbooks.



Does not being able to afford as many fast food meals constitute poverty? I tend to think not so for all of you who are of the same opinion as myself and are willing to try something really easy, something quite popular, in fact. Something that you are probably buying right now. How about some really awesome, homemade hamburgers? So Here goes...........

Truly Awesome Surprise Burgers

This recipe make four hamburgers

What you need:

1 pound extra lean hamburger

8 ounces of blue cheese

sliced green onions

2 tablespoons light cream

To make:

With wet hands and on a clean, wet board, flatten out the hamburger meat to an oblong shape of 12 X 6 inches. With a wet knife, cut the oblong into eight equal squares.

To make the filling:

Cream the blue cheese with the light cream, add the sliced green onions, mix lightly.

To assemble the hamburgers:

Spread equal amounts of filling on four of the squares of meat to about a quarter inch from the edges. Place a square of plain meat on top of each cheese spread meat square (you will need a wet wide spatula to lift the meat) and crimp the edges to seal. With the wet spatula lift each assembled hamburger off the board. Broil to the required doneness. YUMM!!!!

Serve on a bun as usual with whatever you usually serve your hamburgers with. These are incredible on a whole grain ciabatta bun.

I know these are not to evrybody's taste (I happen to love blue cheese) so here are a few more suggestions that I have tried.

Most popular with my family was a slice of salami (cut a little thicker) with a slice of Velveeta cheese (cut to the size of the salami with a cookie cutter)

And yet more suggestions: cripy fried bacon and a slice of avocado, sliced cheddar cheese and a slice of onion, cream cheese mixed with baby shrimp, cream cheese mixed with smoked oysters.

You see what I mean......the sky is the limit, try something of your own don't be shy.

It doesn't take that long and it's way better than any fast food you can buy and less expensive.

Above all, the people who constantly grumble about impending poverty are the ones who have the same attitude towards food as my cat. I have seen them waste food by putting a huge heap of food on their plate (like they are not likely to find food ever again) then eat a few fork fulls and throw the rest out. Please don't waste food.....there are people starving and if we don't waste food we can help others by having a few extra dollars to spare for the foodbank maybe and if we can't manage that at least we will not be as poor as we think we are. Even if we do not help anyone else, at least we will have a few bucks to spend on other things....like bills!!!!!

Till next time I hope you enjoy my two cents worth.