Out on the Ranch Burgers

Has summer ended in your neck of the woods? Are schools open, and family summer vacations fading into memory? It seems the school year begins earlier and earlier. But then, summer vacation also begins earlier and earlier. In America over half of the states mandate that a school year consist of 180 days.

In the scheme of things and considering how far behind our children are, somehow that doesn’t seem to be enough. Mind you, that is not the number of days a teacher works. You have in-service days, district meetings, parent-conferences, and all those hours spent creating lesson plans, grading papers and all the other little things a good teacher does. So maybe part of the educational gap needs to be filled by parents and grandparents.

When Kiddo was in school, he literally attended school year-round until he was in the 6th Grade. During breaks from the public school year, I home schooled him. We often took at least one educational vacation a year, such as spending a week in Washington DC learning about our Country’s history or on the Big Island of Hawaii learning about volcanoes. Even vacations that weren’t connected to a lesson plan were educational – whale watching, hiking through Yellowstone, visiting ghost towns of the west. I am a firm believer in hands-on education. We continue to learn new things as a family. A thoughtful mind is a sharp mind, and a sharp mind keeps you young.

So what does all of this have to do with National Burger Day? Not really much of anything, except Burgers make me think of Summer Time. While Summer might still be here for another month, summer vacation for most families is over. Yet with National Burger Day, just maybe we can create some backyard memories.

Oh, and one more thing – these burgers are amazing!

Grilled Onion Ranch Burgers
1-1/3 lb lean Ground Beef
1/4 cup Beef Stock
3 tablespoon Ranch Dressing Mix (dry)
1 envelop Onion Soup Mix (dry)
4 Green Leaf Lettuce Leaves
1 large Tomato, sliced
4 Sesame Seed Buns
4 slices American Cheese (optional)
Ketchup as desired
Mustard as desired
Mayonnaise as desired

Place ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add beef stock, powdered ranch dressing and onion soup mix. Mix well. Shape into third-pound burgers. Cover and refrigerate to chill.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Oil grate.

While the grill heats, rinse lettuce leaves, pat dry and set aside. Slice tomato, set aside. Split buns, lightly butter and set aside.

Cook burgers on the grill until firm, hot and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Toast buns on the grill during the last minutes of grilling. Top burgers with cheese as desired.

Pull burgers, plate and let rest while the buns are dressed. Add condiments of choice to warm buns. Top buns with lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes. Top with burgers, serve and enjoy.

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 Lord, Your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of Your hands