Buffalo Burgers

If you're going to eat red meat, this is one of the healthiest you can get. It is also one of the tastiest.

It's a little pricey but the flavor is worth every penny. We pay $7.49 for a 1 pound package at Publix.

For meat this good you'll only want to make 2 patties. The kids can eat dog burgers.

The buffalo burgers will cook much faster than regular burgers. These guys I usually cook for six minutes a side, then three minutes a side. Add your favorite cheese and you're ready to go. You can get complete info here: http://www.maverickranch.com/maverick_products/natural_buffalo.cfm

Yum Yum! Just looking at them makes me so hungry that I could eat the ass end out of a hobby horse!

If you're watching carbs it goes nicely with tomatoes and fresh basil and a little vinaigrette.

Or add your favorite condiments.

No bread  for me, just a lettuce leaf bun

A few pork rinds on the side and you will have one of the best burgers that you will ever put in your mouth.

Quick and Easy Grilled Fish With Onions

Fire up the charcoal grill. I know what you're thinking. It's too hard. It tastes like lighter fluid. It takes too long. The fire won't get started. Blah, blah, blah. Well let me show you a few tricks to alleviate some of these things.

First you want an area that is covered whether you're using gas or charcoal. We got this tent over 2 years ago for $50.

Use an electric charcoal starter and a fan to get your charcoal going.

Turn that baby on high and you'll have hot coals in no time.

And who said that a gas grill is as useless as tits on a boar hog? Here it makes the perfect place to hold a hot electric starter. Yes I do use my gas grill occasionally; usually if I just need to cook something small in quantity. Now to get off my soap box and back to cooking. This is all we're going to use.

Slice up a yellow onion or two and place on a platter with your 1" thick fillet or steak. You can use most any kind of fish(king mackerel, swordfish, dolphin, salmon, ect.). Today we're using swordfish.

Drizzle lemon and lime juice over the fish and the onions.

Now add salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Flip 'em over and do all of the above to the other side.

Heat up a grill pan over a hot fire.

After it heats up good place the fish and onions on the grill pan. There will be a lemon/lime/oil mixture in the bottom of the platter. Save it.

Close the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes. You don't have to worry about flare ups with charcoal; it will smoke but there won't be enough oxygen to support flame.

Turn the fish over, carefully pour the lemon/lime/oil mixture over the onions and fish and cook for another 5-6 minutes. I have done this on a gas grill but you have to watch it closely.

 The onions will be caramelized. Take 'em up and serve.

If The Sun Won't Come to You, Sometimes You Have To Go To The Sun

We have a very limited space with sufficient sunlight to grow many herbs and vegetables. I am constantly moving pots around to take the best advantage of the sun.

Here are 3 rosemary pots, a parsley, 3 basil, and 1 key lime tree. We use a lot of rosemary.

We also have 1 garlic chive and 1 regular chive. No where to grow tomato plants right? Wrong! Put 'em on the roof!

These guys I grew from the seeds of an ugly ripe tomato. They probably won't have time to mature before it gets too hot but I'm going to try anyway.

Here's what their Mama looked like.

These are tasty but very expensive like all tomatoes right now. This winter was terrible for crops in Florida. Too bad you cannot get these outside of Florida. See why here: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/uglytomatoes

UPDATE. The above pics were taken last week. Here are today's pics.

I transplanted the little guys into individual pots of three. The best growers of all these will get to move on to a big pot.

These are better boys.Won't be long now.

This grape tomato bush is loaded. There are already at least 20 tomatoes on it. Some of them are ready to turn.

This guy keeps the tree rats at bay!

Garlicy Shrimp

This is a quick little dish that is full of flavor. Start with two dozen or so large fresh shrimp (or frozen and thawed) peeled. Arrange in a baking dish so that the shrimp are flat on the surface. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, a couple or three twists of black pepper, and 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic.

Cover and bake at 350 for 15 minutes

Turn shrimp over; sprinkle with a 1/2 cup of homemade breadcrumbs

 and drizzle with a 1/4 cup of melted butter

Grate a 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the mixture

Well maybe a little more

You know, I was just thinking about how many dishes that I had ruined by using too much cheese. I could count 'em on one hand...

If I cut all my fingers off!!! Cheese it up! Bake, uncovered 5 or 10 minutes more.

Serve with grilled or toasted French bread

Counting carbs? Eliminate the butter and breadcrumbs and substitute finely crushed pork rinds. You can laugh but I think it tastes "more better".

Trinity Burger

I call this the Trinity Burger because it has my trinity flavors: bacon, onions, and mushrooms. Put a little cheese on top.....have you ever tasted anything with these ingredients that wasn't great? Not in my house. Now get off your ass and fire up the charcoal grill. I know some of you are thinking "well it's just as good on the gas grill". BULLSHIT! I grew up cooking on charcoal but then bought into the convenience of gas and " it tastes just as good". I've had at least ten different gas grills and none of them has as good a flavor as charcoal. Don't believe me? If you're reading this blog then you've probably watched steak cook offs on Food Network or somewhere. See any gas grills? HALE NO! Burger cook offs? Sure, if you like Californica foofoo burgers like lamb burgers with mint leaves or some stupid crap like that. Ain't happening here. But I digress.

Start with two pounds of ground sirloin. Don't be chintzy here. You'll end up with a big greaseball. But don't get the ultra low fat stuff either; it will turn out drier than a popcorn fart.

Fry up whole four slices of bacon nice and crispy.

We like the lower sodium bacon.

When the bacon is up add about a half cup of red onion and the same of mushrooms

Saute quickly in the bacon renderings (that always sounds so much better than fat)

Remove with a slotted spoon and combine with the crumbled bacon

Let cool. Now take one pound of burger and make into four relatively thin patties

Place an equal amount of the cooled bacon onion mushroom mixture on each patty

Form four more patties from the second pound of burger and place on top the other patties

Pat down and compress the edges

A pinch of sea salt

A few twists of pepper

But wait! You've got that whole grill fired up for just four burgers? No way! It's time to make some dog burgers! Snake charmers have to keep up their energy!

 For a little over four bucks I can give my dog a cheeseburger every night for almost a week. I don't know what Publix makes this stuff out of but it isn't fatty and does not shrink much.

Grill time! Dog burgers cook for about six minutes per side (depending on your grill heat), stuffed burgers  cook a few minutes longer

Dog burgers get topped with cheaper store cheese

Tonight we're using Provolone but Swiss is good too

Eat 'em with a bun or without, they're great either way.

 He looks like he's ready for his.