National Cheeseburger Day

Are your hungry yet?
(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

I spend alot of time on the Yahoo! news page trying to keep current on daily events.  As I was pursuing the site on Labor Day I found an article about the largest cheeseburger that was made in Minnesota at the Black Bear Casino in Carlton.  It was 10 feet in diameter and weighed a ton.  It even took a crane to flip it.  It took 4 hours to cook, and included 60 pounds of bacon, 50 pounds of lettuce, 50 pounds of sliced onions, 40 pounds of pickles and 40 pounds of cheese.  It was even quite tasty.  A picture of the massive burger is shown here.

That is Really Big!
(Google Image) 

Another feature on Yahoo! is a program called Blue Ribbon Hunter.  These are small episodes of a reporter traveling around to find the best foods in the country.  I recently saw one from a hamburger festival in Akron, Ohio.  I remember all the burgers she tested, as she was one of the judges for the festival.  I think she said she ate 13 burgers, but the winner was a corned beef burger with sauerkraut and blue cheese.

(Google Image) 

I wasn’t really sure about her choice, to me a cheeseburger must have ground beef , and the best ones I have found, other than grilling my own, are from out of the way burger joints, not the big chain restaurants.  There used to be a small burger joint in town called Kathy's Dairy Bar.  They would grill up the best burgers, on a jumbo toasted bun with mayonnaise lettuce tomatoes, purple onions, pickles and mustard the cheese would be placed on the burger while still on the grill so it was slightly melted.  They served it in a paper checked basket with a side of crisp crinkle fries and a mound of Ketchup.  I would get a thick chocolate shake to drink, and I couldn’t think of a better meal ever. Even after the place closed, and I met my future husband, he also had fond memories of the same restaurant, and would frequently reminisce about having lunch there with his father while they were in town working.  Another great place for a cheeseburger was our local bowling alley in the Delta.  Not a place you would typically go to for burgers, but after all this time I still remember how delicious it was. High School Football games are another place for a great burger.  I think they are so good because you are outside, the band is playing, the aroma of the cooking meat and the roar of the crowd make them taste even better.

Yeah, life it good!
(Google Image) 

Today is National Cheeseburger Day.  According to punchbowl.com, there are several theories about the origins of the cheeseburger. One story claims that the cheeseburger was created between 1924 and 1926 by a chef named Lionel Sternberger. As the story goes, a homeless man dining at Sternberger's restaurant in Pasadena, California, suggested the addition of a slice of cheese to his hamburger order. Sternberger complied, eventually added it to his menu.

(Google Image) 

So today, try to find an out of the way burger joint, bowling alley, high school football game or even cook your own.  Finding a place with a great cheeseburger is a wonderful experience, and will make some great memories too.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/09/03/2424907/minn-casino-cooks-up-record-1.html#storylink=cpy

Sweet Potato Month

(Google Image) 

By Chef Diane,

Did your parents ever tell you about the tough time they had growing up?  My mother's story was she had to walk 10 miles, uphill, in the snow and carry hot sweet potatoes in her pockets to keep her hands warm, and then eat them for lunch.  She loves sweet potatoes, but only cookies them for the holidays.  She just likes them plain, with butter and topped with marshmallows.

When my dad started frying turkeys at Thanksgiving, he sliced sweet potatoes and fried them too, made chips.  Now you can even go to restaurants and order sweet potato fries too.  Seems to have been a big explosion in the awareness of sweet potatoes with good reason too.

(Google Image) 

Did you know that the sweet potato ranks number one in nutrition?  Sweet potatoes are high in the following: beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C; fiber, thiamine, niacin, potassium and copper. They are also a good source of protein, calcium, vitamin E.  Sweet potatoes rank highest in Vitamin A and beta carotene.  Vitamin A promotes good vision, especially in low light. It may also be needed for reproduction and breast-feeding. Vitamin A helps form and maintains healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin. It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye.

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by substances called free radicals. Free radicals are believed to contribute to certain chronic diseases and play a role in the aging processes.

My great state of Mississippi produces 19% of the country's total sweet potato crop.  Mississippi has about 150 farmers growing sweet potatoes on about 8,200 acres (33 km2), contributing $19 million dollars to the state's economy. Mississippi's top five sweet potato producing counties are Calhoun, Chickasaw, Pontotoc, Yalobusha, and Panola. The National Sweet Potato Festival is held annually the entire first week in November in Vardaman (Calhoun County), which proclaims itself as "The Sweet Potato Capital", they also elect a Sweet Potato queen who goes on to participate in the Miss Mississippi Pageant.

(Google Image) 

Since sweet potatoes are being recognized all month, you have plenty of time to try them, try some new recipes, or eat sweet potato fries instead of regular fries.  Who knows you may like them better, they are better for you too.

Another way to eat them is in bread.  A friend of mine gave me her sweet potato bread recipe, so I’m sharing it with you.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bread

(Google Image) 

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups sugar
• 3 cups self rising flour
• 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (cook in microwave until done, scoop it out of the skin)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

Mix all ingredients well, pour in greased loaf pan, bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for an hour, or until done.

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts (for one medium size sweet potato)

• Calories 130
• Fat 0.39 g
• Protein 2.15 g
• Net Carbs 31.56 g
• Dietary Fiber 3.9 g
• Calcium 28.6 mg
• Sodium 16.9 mg
• Potassium 265.2 mg
• Foliate 18.2 mcg
• Vitamin C 29.51 mg
• Vitamin A 26081.9 IU