further reading:

From time to time, I will continue to update this when I find something that peaks my interest, and it looks like today is the day!

So, if there are still any meat-readers, specifically, hamburger readers, out there, here are my picks--

The Hamburger by Josh Ozersky

"...this fast-paced and entertaining book unfolds the immense significance of the hamburger as an American icon...This is the story of their sizzle and their symbolism, where they came from and how they conquered the world."

In-N-Out Burger: A Behind the Counter Look at the Fast Food Chain that Breaks All the Rules by by Stacy Perman

"Perman casts an affectionate and admiring eye at In-N-Out Burger, the family-owned, Southern California chain that has become a cultural institution without franchising, going public, changing its menu or precooking its burgers..."

Any other suggestions?

daily burger, number thirty-one.

Lazy Burger, protein style.

Yes, the last one.

In 'n' Out Burger, Glendale, CA, 3:12PM, May 31, 2009.

daily burger, number three.

Hamburger, Protein Style.
In 'n Out, La Mirada, CA., 5:22pm, May 2, 2009.

the poor man's turducken

or "the bird and the beefs."

all of us southern californians know of the secret menu at in 'n out, but did you know that mcdonalds has one as well? some sound more appetizing than others-- from the mcbruschetta, which is pretty much a grilled tomato sandwich (because mcdonald's buns are so tasty someone wanted to eat them with the meat?) to the mcnugget mcflurry, for which no description is necessary.

but here's the one that perked up my ears, the mcgangbang--

(image source: www.eatmedaily.com)

sure, the name is pushing it, but it is amusing none the less.

what do you think? would you order this sandwich within a sandwich? i think it sounds like a serious stomachache! or the next documentary subject for that supersize me guy.

progress, in steakhouse form.

another personal story from the vaults.

last night, the man and i decided to do a proper date night; dinner and a movie.

no big deal, right? well, consider that the only restaurants i've had a full meal (not a salad or a bowl of fruit) at in the last year and a half are in 'n out and clifton's, that is a big deal. my man stumbled upon this happy secret at morton's steakhouse and we decided that the deal was too good to pass up. i have been inspired to try to eat out more and ask questions from this blog and the necessity that will occur on our upcoming trip to south america, so i promised him that if he called ahead and asked about ingredients, i would join him for meat and wine.

we ordered the mini prime cheeseburgers (seasoned with tomato juice, salt and pepper)

and the filet mignon sandwiches, medium rare and without bread. and let me tell you, it was delicious.

when the waitress came back around to ask how everything was, i replied (as i often am overly revealing with complete strangers), "great!!! i haven't eaten out in years!!!" this is an exaggeration, of course. but, i was elated when the waitress said that all of the waitstaff carry a card with a list of ingredients and potential allergens and a member of their team has a gluten intolerance. she said that they were very familiar with and accommodating towards those with food allergies and intolerances.

so we ordered another round of cheeseburgers.

thanks, morton's.

ground meat experiences

i had several amazing ground meat experiences this week that i thought i should share.

in an attempt to bring an out of town guest into my meat-consumed lifestyle without too many major projects, we made a quick trip to marconda's meats in the 3rd and fairfax farmers market. the man and i bought the most amazing steak burgers a few weeks ago, so i decided to go on a search for some really great ground lamb to make a twist on soulvaki.

if we had been exceedingly ambitious, i would've loved to try this recipe, but we just cooked up some patties in the trusty cast iron with some lamb they ground fresh for us. we added some chopped onion and garlic, oregano, lemon zest, white wine, salt and pepper and made some rice and salad for an excellent simple (and cheap!) meal.

since we were at the fancy butcher shop, i had to get some more steak burgers that i cooked up last night, protein-style, for the ever-dieting man and i. gosh, such good meat. i'm usually kind of distrusting of buying preground meats... well, i guess i should clarify. i hesitate to buy preground meats and cook them nice and medium rare, so this was definately a treat because i knew i could trust the butcher-- i know where their beef comes from and know that they grind their burgers on-site. so tasty with fresh, leafy greens, onion, tomato, and avocado.

(not our burger, but an example of protein-style for the non-in 'n out initiated. ours were thousands of times tastier.)

i still want to try the alton brown meat grinding techniques... they're supposed to be the best, he says so himself! soon.

what your portion should be.

(image source: www.hsph.harvard.edu)

so, i've been giving the "stop eating red meat to save your planet" thing a lot of thought. it is pretty tough to know that a meat-based diet is bad for the environment, but i'm trying to put it into perspective. upon further research, many experts recommend cutting your (red) meat portions down to 4 per week and restricting them to the size of a deck of cards. so, i'm pretty much rolling my eyes while writing this. how much meat does one really need? and isn't the deck-of-cards thing how we are supposed to determine meat portion sizes anyway? and do we really need to have red meat every day? switch it up! be creative! there are so many other options out there, i've decided these principles mostly would change the eating habits of the fast-food, white bread, meat-and-potatoes crowd.

harvard revised the usda food pyramid (as seen above) and you can see that it focuses on whole grains, good fats, fruits and vegetables, supplemented with lean proteins and red meat. just because i'm carnivorous doesn't mean i have to have a steak for every meal, but i think that doing so a couple times a week keeping in mind the deck-of-cards portion will do me a heck of a lot more good than harm (especially since my particular diet doesn't allow me proteins of the vegetarian variety.)

so, here are a few examples of meat portions from the typical American diet.

mcdonald's quarter pounder

stats:
serving size - 6 oz.
calories - 430
fat - 21 grams protein - 23 grams

outback special steak

stats:

serving size - 12 oz.

calories - 820
fat - 50 grams

protein - 90 grams

bk original whopper

stats:

serving size - 10.26 oz.

calories - 720

fat - 43 grams

protein 31 grams

in and out double double hamburger

stats:

serving size - 11.64 oz.

calories - 670

fat - 41 grams

protein - 37 grams

(all stats from www.chowbaby.com)

as you can see, all of these options are considerably over the recommended 3.1 ounces of meat (with only half of that being red) per day. in conclusion, i'm officially over feeling guilty for my meat consumption.

oh, and if you're checking my math on the sandwiches, i do know that the serving size includes the bun and toppings, but if you refer to the smallest portion - the mcdonald's quarter pounder, a quarter pound equals four ounces, going over the limit with one little meal.