Fast food - my way - part 2

Well - allow me to get back on my soapbox!

Do you remember the Topps burgers? Those are the frozen beef patties that you could buy in your supermarket that were the closest to the burgers in the fast-food restaurants - until they found e-Coli in them and the company closed down and went out of business.

In order to find anything close - I go to the barns. There they have 1/4-pound frozen 100% beef patties - 10-pound box for $19.95. Not bad for 40 patties.

But they come in handy if I want to play Mc D’s or BK. I never make them for dinner if I am serving burgers, taters, gravy and veggies. Those HAVE to be hand-made and homemade.

This past holiday season while shopping with friends we stopped for a “quick bite” - at Burger King. We all had the same thing - a BK Whopper with a cola. Okay - the fountain drink machine needed to be calibrated - the pop was God-awful. As far as the Whoppers went - within 36 hours all three of us were kissing the porcelain-god. My stomach did so many flip-flops and the pains were so bad - I will never order another thing from BK. It had me sick for a good day and a half.

I used to enjoy an occasional “RAT BURGER” (thus named because it has to be made with a mystery meat that no one can duplicate) which is something you can only get at Mc Donald’s. You know what those are - they call them Quarter Pounders - they fry them in the sludge from Mr. Oil Change, and sprinkle them with MSG. I watched one of their grill people flip their burgers on the grill and then season them with some sort of a “dust” which had to be MSG. Then they proceed to place the patty on the bun heel, roll the crown of the bun in some of the sludge from Mr. Oil Change, slap on the condiments and by the time you get the sandwich it looks like they stepped on it. And if you order cheese on it - it’s stuck to the wrapper/container and not on the sandwich. I think they purposely want the cheese to stick to the wrapper because:

(from an article I have:)

The DuPont Co.'s failure to report widespread exposures to a potentially toxic chemical used to manufacture nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpet and hamburger wrappers will cost the company $16.5 million in fines and compensatory payouts.

So how many of you peel the cheese off the wrappers and enjoy it?

And it’s not just Mc D’s and BK - it’s all the restaurants.

When I let the babies (remember I am an adopted gramma - to Princess I am gramma - but to Bruiser I am grammaw - don’t know where the redneck came in on that one!) pick where they want to go for lunch occasionally it’s Mc D’s. And if their mom goes with us - mom likes the Big Mac at times. We’ve yet to see a Big Mac served that looks like a Big Mac is supposed to. Usually the bottom burger is hanging half off to the right of the heel of the bun, the middle piece of bun is usually hanging half off to the left of the bottom heel (you see, the burger is so far off to the right and the center piece of bun is so far off to the left that they don’t touch in the middle). The top burger is half off to the back and the crown of the roll is hanging forwards. And you think that it would be easy to “push” is all together and stack it the way it is supposed to be stacked. NOT! They put GLUE on the cheese slices and smash it all down so that you can’t!

Make your own.

Mc Donald’s Big Mac Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons French dressing
4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon finely minced white onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well. Place sauce in a covered container and refrigerate for several hours,
or overnight, so that the flavors blend. Stir the sauce a couple of times as it chills.
Makes about 3/4 cup.


It absolutely amazing how you can make burgers and smash them into rolls any old way, serve them like that, and people come back for more! I should open my own burger stand! But mine would be served the way they should be. That would either shock everyone or no one would want to eat them because they didn’t look like the others from fast-food joints.

Makes you wonder just how these people that own or franchise fast food places and the ones they hire to work for them were brought up. Would they want to eat something that looked like that? The television commercials make them look soooooo good. Maybe, as consumers, we are supposed to eat their slop with our eyes closed and fantasize. Who knows?

I do have to compliment Wendy’s. I have had burgers there a couple times and they were assembled and wrapped properly. And their foods never repeated on me. Just don’t order their fountain drinks. No matter what you order - they all taste the same - watered down and lousy. You couldn’t make out the flavors in a taste test - even with your eyes open! B.Y.O.B. if you eat there.

I got a kick out of the square patties.

So I made them. Press your ground beef in a square or rectangular pan and oven bake till done. Cut into squares and serve. Make them nice and thick and they go great on Thomas’s Square Sandwich Bagels. Those are really good! Unfortunately - I haven’t seen the square ones in the grocery store in ages.

And - speaking of bagels - OMG - a good bagel makes an excellent sandwich. I love burgers or a cheeseburger on a toasted bagel with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayonnaise. If you place lettuce leaves on both sides of the bagel - you’re mayonnaise won’t slobber you up.

I also like one of those frozen patties from the barns stuffed into a pita round.

Also - if I play fast-food restaurant - I like to make homemade steak fries. They are so much better. And - if you want them seasoned, try this:


CAJUN FRIES

2 8-oz each Russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning -- (2 to 3)

Cut potatoes into French fry shapes, coat with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning; toss and place on nonstick baking sheet. Roast 15 to 25 minutes in preheated 425-degree oven, or until golden brown and tender.


LETHAL WEAPON FRENCH FRY SAUCE

2 cups mayonnaise
5 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir and let stand for 2 hours or enough time for the chili powder to rehydrate and other flavors to meld together.

Dip fries in sauce or use on hamburgers and hotdogs.

CRISPY POTATO SKINS

4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
salt
pepper
oil for deep frying
sour cream mixed with chives, optional
shredded cheese, optional

Prick potatoes in several places with a fork; bake in a 400° oven until tender, about 1 hour.
Remove, cool slightly, and cut in halves lengthwise. Scoop out potatoes and refrigerate for another meal or casserole topping.

Cut skins in half again.
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375°. Place potato skins in deep fryer basket; lower into oil and deep fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until skins are browned and crisp.
Transfer potato skins to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream and chives, if desired, or top with cheese and place under the broiler to melt.


SEASONED FRIES

3/4 cup cornflake crumbs

ITALIAN FRIES SEASONING:
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning

CHILI FRIES SEASONING:
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

POTATOES:
1 1/3 pounds potatoes (4 medium) cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
1 egg

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with vegetable cooking spray. Lightly beat egg in shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix crumbs and seasoning blend of your choice. Dip potato wedges into egg; coat completely with crumb mixture. Arrange in single layer on baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes, then turn potatoes over and continue to bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until potatoes are browned and crisp and insides are tender when tested with toothpick or fork. Serve immediately, plain or with lemon or ketchup.




And of course - onion rings can top it all off:


ONION RINGS

4 medium onions sliced 1/4 - 1/2 inches thick
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Seasoned salt and garlic salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl; mix eggs and milk in another bowl. Dip onion slices (rings) into milk, then flour, then milk again, and back to the flour.

Deep fry until browned. Drain.


Sometimes it’s nice to open your kitchen as your own fast-food restaurant. Not only will you save money, but you will be eating much, much healthier! And if you have little ones - visit some of the dollar stores or discount stores and get a supply of little toys or trinkets to make your own Happy Meals or Kids’ Meals. It’s so easy -

You can make your own apple slices - just peel an apple and slice it - and it’s not in a solution that will keep it from turning brown and supposedly will last in the refrigerator for weeks (scary thought of what is in it!)

You can even make your own Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce for chicken nuggets (which by the way are at the barns - packed in 10-pound boxes for a total price of $8.50 - that’s 85 cent per pound!)


MAKE YOUR OWN MC D’S SWEET AND SOUR DIPPING SAUCE

1/4 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons water

Combine all ingredients except the water in a food processor or a blender and puree until the mixture is smooth.
Pour mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add water, stir, and bring mixture to a boil.
Allow it to boil for five minutes, stirring often. When the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and let it cool. Store sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator.



MAKE YOUR OWN MC D’S BBQ SAUCE

1/2 cup Kraft original flavor barbecue sauce
1/3 cup Bullseye original barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Combine the ingredients very well. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds, then stir again. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed.


MAKE YOUR OWN MC D’S HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoon prepared mustard.
1 tablespoon Heinz 57 Sauce

Mix. Refrigerate covered. Use within 1 month

Makes 1/3 cup sauce.


To be continued………………

(TRUST ME - I’ve got more on this!)