Burger Night with Teenage Boys

Okay, so one would assume that burger night would be hugely popular with teenage boys. With the teenage boys in our house, you would be wrong. Boot is visiting for the weekend. This happens to be a weekend when he "can't eat" because of wrestling. Apparently, he can drink anything at all, including chocolate banana peanut butter smoothies. He just can't eat. This whole wrestling ethos seems bizarre to me in the first place. But the not eating thing seems like a great way to make teenage boys either anorexic or bulimic. It makes more sense to me to tell the boys that they should be eating lots of lean proteins and fruits & veggies to drop weight. But what do I know? I am the crazy one who doesn't think the coaches should recommend steroids on the sly and hand-pick a group of boys to encourage into participating in Mixed Martial Arts (AKA cage fighting) as soon as they turn 18. Oh, boy, am I proud that my boy's gonna be a cage fighter! Enough ranting. Pie is easier. He was willing to eat a veggie burger with soy cheese, although he was much more excited about playing PS3 with his brother than about eating. I believe he left the special vegan-safe roasted potatoes I made on his plate, as he promptly fell asleep as soon as his brother & mom left for Liquid Planet or Robek's. Oh, well, J and I enjoyed our dinner. I made onion soup burgers, ranch roasted potatoes and cucumber & red onion salad. The salad was my favorite.

To make the burgers, mix 2 lb. of hamburger with an envelope of onion soup mix and 1/2 c. water. Form into patties (this will make 8) and cook (broil, grill or pan-fry) until cooked to desired doneness. We had ours with cheese.

To make the potatoes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut up about 5 potatoes. Toss with an envelope of ranch dressing mix (I am partial to Hidden Valley) and 1/4 c. olive oil. Bake 30-35 minutes, until slightly browned. Serves 4-6.

To make the cucumber salad, wash 2 cucumbers well. Run the tines of a fork down the sides, piercing the skin (if you want the cucumber slices to look frilly and fancy...otherwise, just skip this step). Slice thinly. Mix 2/3 c. rice vinegar, salt & pepper, 1/3 c. olive oil, 1 tsp. dill, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. sugar in a medium bowl. Cut a red onion into wedges. Add to vinegar dressing with cucumbers and toss until everything is thoroughly coated. Allow to marinate in fridge 1/2 hour to overnight, overnight being preferred. Toss before serving & serve with a slotted spoon. Serves 4-6.