I don't like making meatloaf burgers. For me it's meat, seasonings and occasionally some steak sauce or BBQ sauce mixed in, normally just meat (sometimes a mix of beef and pork or sausage) and seasonings, fried in bacon fat and butter preferably. Fry the bacon, keep some of the grease, add a pat of butter and crank up the heat and cook those burgers. I like a thick burger medium-well and often I'll do thin burgers and double them. They're never dry or overcooked when I do them. No sense arguing about the bacteria on meat when ground. There's bacteria in the air so you should never breathe if you're that concerned. But if you follow safe precautions (clean tools, etc, which not everyone uses!) and grind quality beef there's absolutely nothing wrong with rare burgers. They've been cooked that way for a century. Why there's the concern now is the laziness of people. They use store-bought tubes of mass merchandised (sometimes mystery meat) and that's where you run into trouble. Seems like about once a year one of the big processors has a contamination issue and recalls tons of tubes. And I grew up in a farm family and own a farm myself and would be more than happy to discuss this with any paranoid ag teacher. Personally I prefer a burger on a flattop or frypan rather than a grill. The grill marks do nothing for me, I like the look of a nice crust on there that gives it taste.

My DD has been involved in pagents since she was 2 1/2 (she is now 4 1/2). We do roughly 4-6 pageants a yr and recently took 6 month off. Here is why we took off... DD made it the the national finals for a pageant system. We had ot stay the weekend. The fist day she had a lot of fun. The second day (the day of the competition)she didn't want to go onstage until after her time was up. I really thought the only problem was no family could make it and she as always use to having DH, DS and my mother in the audience. While we were getting ready for the party that evening she fell asleep and it was apparent she was not feeling well (it wasn't until this itme she started showing signs of not feeling well). In her 3yr old mind it was the pageant that made her sick (she had a mild UTI). I waited 3 months and she still wasn't interested so I was preparing to sell all her pageant wear. Just sop happened one of the talk shows was having a show on pageants one morning and she walked in as I was watchign it. Well she had the "pageant bug" again and we have started out slowly. This past weekend our only goal was for her to smile on stage (she won best smile). The pageant beofre that is was just to get on stage. Her next one is in Feb and our goal is for her to not look at her feet, me etc during her "walks". I have learned what peageant lines are good and schich are not. The last one we did is a scollarship fund. 2 of the judges were former winners attending college thanks to the pageants. One line we do does not allow false eyelashes, hair extensions etc (nor does the scollarship one). the 3rd does allow them but for 10 and up (not that we would ever use them). Our typical pagreant wardrobe cost less than what some of the mothers spend on one dress. I buy second had (usually Ebay) sew it myself or buy something plain and decorate it myself. I avoid the pageants that are more "copetition" than fun. DD does get a lot out of them. She was (and still is ) a tomboy. She can now at least act like a little girl when needed (ie church). Many systems do a lot of comunity work such as going to nursing homes, animal shelters etc. Just like all little league teams aare not bad neither are all pareants. You just need to do a lot of leg work and find the good ones. BTW the pageant DD went to nationals...In the pageant she won to qualify to go to nationals she beat 2 "big name girls" from the very glitzy pageants. I kept DD away from the nastiness of these 2 women who were so upset their daughters didn't the went after the director and the judges (verbally). I believe they were banned for "life" from this system. DD also participates in gymnastics and soccer. If she wanted to drop pageants then we would no questions asked. Her stuff would soon go up on E bay and that would be that.

Thanksgiving is the only day we eat turkey. The rest of the time, give me a roast capon or a duck prepared almost any way at all. DH and I are just not turkey lovers. My niece makes a very fine brined and roasted turkey, but once a year is enough for us. We're sauce and gravy people. Stews, braises, casseroles - we love them. I do a fair amount of cooking and a lot of dining out, and we hold that a fine sauce is a work of art. Even though we eat a lot of steaks and roasts, a great sauce is always to be admired. There are too many bad ones around to not acknowledge when something is done correctly. One of our favorite restaurants does a great poached monkfish. This is the fish known as "the poor man's lobster" for both its taste and texture. It's a great little fish, with wonderful flavor. But nap it with Amoricaine sauce, and it rises to a whole 'nother level. This is a Bretonnese classic, and for good reason. Red wine and marrow Bordelaise on a rib-eye? Absolutely! Black truffle cream sauce on a filet? Yum! Mop that goodness up with a well made starch - roasted fingerling potatoes, barley risotto, fresh pasta, freshly baked bread rolls. Gravy and sauce was the way to extend meat to feed a lot of people. Most of the world still loves sauced dishes as treasured childhood memories. Like soup, they are warmth and comfort, soothing and homey. Chicken strips that are velveted and steamed with lop cheong sausage (classic Chinese technique) are stunningly tender, almost as soft as sous vide but we like the flavor and texture better. Perfect with a roasted garlic-oyster sauce gravy over lots of rice! Far better than stir-frying or roasting. As Charles Phan of The Slanted Door restaurant in SF points out in today's WSJournal, steaming is considered the ultimate test of a professional chef in Asia. Getting back to the NY Times' and Pepin's suggestions for steaming, one of the greatest dishes in Chinese cuisine is steamed sliced chicken breast with thin slices of Hunan ham. My mother introduced me to this dish (she took classes from one of the leading Chinese restaurateurs in San Francisco) and it still ranks with DH and me as one of the three finest poultry dishes we've had in our 45 yrs of dining. A glaze should always be light. Heavy-handedness is the mark of a bad cook. Peking Duck would not be the same without the glaze applied, for example.

A chain joint called 'Smashburger' has been in most states for maybe ten years, maybe more. A couple dozen locations in the NY area. I don't care for fast food meat quality except ShakeShack. Most smashburgers are just so darm huge so more bun is needed. But htis does look good... Harriet's. Simple and not a mile high. A sturdy brioch bun---not too soft. NYC has buger wars just like pizza the wars. What is the best, yada yada. The best burgers are often a secret custom grind by Pat Lefrieda. A well known NY butcher. We rarely have a burger out anymore. Just too big or too big a bun and $$$. A couple small French bistros have a good 4 ounce lunch burger on a english muffin or brioche. Choice of cheeses like blue, gruyere, swiss. (don't care for American cheese at all)--or ketchup. I don't see many odd toppings but have not paid attention in 'hipsterville'. Usually a list of 'add-ons' at the bottom for an extra buck or two like a runny or fried egg, etc. Ten or so years ago we started grinding our own when our favorite butcher retired and his son took over. The father would weigh our cuts---70% chuck, 15% each short rib and brisket. Ground fresh. His son would point to the pre-made burgers in the case without even a pleasant smile or 'hello'. Over salted the overly fatty, chunky fatty, sausage that his father made so tender and perfect. About the pork addition. When i was grinding my own, i would take a few ounces of bacon ends from our local butcher. Chopped and added to a softball sized mince after grinding. Then re-grind that mix for a 'fattier' mix and press a bit on the top surface of each burger. Cooking top side down 80% of the cast iron cooking time, then flip and off the heat. Good sear and med-rare on the rare side. My new method the past 5-6 years, i learned from the Italians, is a dry brine of ground mixed dried mushrooms and spices. Top side only uncovered in the fridge for 4-6 hours. NO salt. Since covid, Pat Lefreida 3 ounce burgers from local FreshDirect, dry brine, Dry brine side down in a medium high heat cast iron cold from the fridge. Cold keeps it from over-cooking. Nice sear crust. 80%. Flip and off the heat. Medium rare on the rare side every time. Screaming high heat not necessary.