By Mike Thayer 

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 2, it's a 'Meatloaf' burger for lunch!   I know the burger purists out there might say this isn't really a burger, but let me tell you, it's another dose of YUM!  Three meats = flavor, the breadcrumbs provide a nice little texture crunch because it crisps up on the grill, the ketchup glaze is scrumptious and the mac & cheese topper just kicks things up another notch.  It's comfort food and a burger in one awesome package!

The Meatloaf burger

Ingredients:

• One pound ground beef
• One pound ground veal
• One pound ground bacon
• Two eggs
• One packet onion soup mix
• One heaping Tablespoon yellow mustard (for the loaf)
• One Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• One Tablespoon steak sauce
• One Cup bread crumbs
• One package Macaroni & Cheese (prepared as directed)
  
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• One Tablespoon yellow mustard (for the glaze)
• One teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ stick of butter
• Garlic powder to taste
• Hamburger buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all the meats, eggs, mustard, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, Worcestershire and steak sauce together to incorporate.  Form into  patties. Keep chilled until ready to grill.  When your grill is ready to receive, place the patties over the hot spot to get those great grill marks and a good sear. While those burgers are grill'n, make the mac & cheese per the package instructions.  Flip the burgers after about five minutes and over to the lower heat side of the grill and get ready to put the lid on. Before ‘lidding‘, place the butter and garlic in a grill safe dish to melt down on the low heat side of the grill next to those great smelling meatloaf burgers. Check after about five minutes. While the burgers are finish cooking, mix together the ketchup, mustard and brown sugar and brush it on the burgers.  As that ketchup glaze warms up on top of the patties, by now the garlic butter should be melted.  Apply the melted garlic butter to the hamburger buns and toast.  Assemble the meatloaf burgers and serve, topped with the mac & cheese.

Tip: If you don’t like forming patties by hand, a quick way to get those made is by using a round Tupperware/plastic container type lid and plastic wrap. Invert the lid, line with plastic wrap, then press the ground beef into the lined lid to form a perfectly round patty.

This burger cost only about $2.50 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes, classic, "Idaho," "Meatloaf" and more, it's the Bachelor on the Cheap Burger Challenge!