McDonalds Vs Homemade Burgers - Beating The Recession

As a family we can not resist regular trips to McDonalds especially for one of the burgers as they taste so nice when you want your quick fix of naughty food. Not to mention the fact that the children absolutely love it and my son gets very excited for a nice yummy burger.

When we lived in England before relocating to the Algarve in Portugal we used to have a McDonalds once a month. But since moving to Portugal there isn’t a McDonalds as close by and we have adapted a much more healthier attitude so we have decided to challenge ourselves to some lovely homemade burgers that we can enjoy as a family.

Homemade Cheese Burgers

Plus I decided to experiment with cost as we are all looking for a fantastic Saturday night meal on a budget. So lets crack on and let me guide you through the ultimate night in with your family.

Ingredients

1 Pack of Minced Beef

1/2 Slice of breadcrumbs

1 Medium Onion

Handful of Fresh Basil

1 Teaspoon of Pepper

2 Teaspoons of Plain Flour

1 Small Egg

Other Herbs to Taste

Method:

1. First of all in a medium mixing bowl, add the mince beef and cut it into pieces so that it is easy to mix together. Then on your chopping board chop up your onion and add it to the bowl. Now also chop up your fresh basil and add this along with your mixed herbs and breadcrumbs.

2. In a small bowl add your egg and mix it until smooth and on a space in your worktop add your plain flour so that you can use it for binding.

3. Now go back to your bowl, add any herbs that you prefer (I always use my jar of mixed herbs) and combine it into the size of burgers. Once you combine it place a coating of egg around it and roll it in the plain flour. Then stick each one on a large oven tray and once they are all completed place them in the fridge for four hours. The idea behind this is that they will then be well formed and they are less likely to break when you are cooking them later. I find that it is easiest if you make them first thing in the morning and then you know they are done and it always helps to be a little organised.

Half an hour before you want to eat

Now is the time to head back into the kitchen to make your dinner, I recommend that you do so with your children as it so important for them to learn how to cook and they have a lovely time helping you. First of all you want to get your burgers into the oven to cook. I always make mine in the oven though you can always use the grill. Put the oven on a medium heat and cook your burgers for 25-35 minutes or until they are cooked through.

Homemade Cheeseburgers With A Beautiful Homemade Sauce

In the meantime make yourself some homemade chips, you can spice them up with some Paprika on top if that is your fancy. Or like me with some melted cheese on top.

After you have prepared your chips and they are cooking you can prepare your burger buns, add some nice lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayonnaise to your buns.

You can also make yourself a side sauce from scratch that will taste just as nice as a McDonalds one. I prefer to do a Spanish Aloli which is mayonnaise with garlic and lime and tastes fantastic.

Then once your burgers are cooked stick them in the buns with a slice of cheese and serve all your food together at the table. If you are looking for a healthier version say if you are on a diet what you would do is:

– Have oven chips instead of fried ones

– Make a diet mayonnaise

I hope you enjoy your burgers and enjoy the saving you have made. It has cost me five euros to make for a family of three. For the same portions and nice food it would have cost me 30 Euros including petrol at my local McDonalds so I am extremely happy with the savings I have made.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic healthy eating cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

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