If the last burger you ate was in a fast food joint, then you short-changed yourself. A well-made homemade burger is not only far superior to what you can buy.

Applebees is now offer 5 different flavors of what they call REAL Burgers.

The price, however, of these REAL burgers, is real expensive. $8 Or more for a burger is hard to swallow in this economy, especially when you deconstruct the REALism of what's making it real.


You can make real, gourmet bistro-style burgers at home for a fraction of the cost.
REAL burgers, without the real burger price tag are easy to make at home with fresh, readily-available ingredients from your local market.



And to make it taste just like the restaurants, mix in some garlic salt, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, a little ketchup and you've got a perfectly seasoned gourmet burger before it hits the grill. Forming your patties with height, rather than width will also give it that bistro look. If you consider yourself a master in the kitchen, saute some onions, garlic and chipotle peppers, and mix those into the ground beef before cooking.

Buns? Skip the bread aisle and head to the bakery department, where fancy buns are abundant and fresh. Condiments can be as simple as horseradish, mayo or barbeque sauce with a spice or mix-in added to gourmet it up.

Quesadilla Burger
Pico de gallo, shredded lettuce and our Mexi-ranch sauce served Southwestern style in a pepper-Jack and cheddar quesadilla (contains bacon).

Fire Pit Bacon Burger
Topped with pepper-Jack cheese and Applewood smoked bacon on a toasted bakery bun smothered with a smoky chipotle spread. Served with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Cowboy Burger
Topped with a crunchy onion ring, honey BBQ sauce, Jack & cheddar cheeses and Applewood smoked bacon on a toasted bun. Served with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

A.1.® Steakhouse Burger
This burger is topped with cracked peppercorn and our special blend of seasonings, A.1.® Steak Sauce, crispy fried onion strings, melted Jack cheese and mayo on a toasted bun. Served with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Surf 'N Turf Burger
Topped with grilled, seasoned shrimp, covered in a blend of rich Italian cheeses, and grilled onions on a toasted bun.

I love my George Forman grill. The one pictured to the right costs less than $20 at Walmart and it will pay for itself in no time.  Other models are available for larger families.

Applebee’s New Quesadilla Burger is a *Southwest-seasoned burger topped with Cheddar and Pepper Jack cheeses, bacon, tomatoes, red onion and jalapenos—all stuffed between grilled flour tortillas. Pico de gallo, shredded lettuce and Mexi-ranch dressing complete the Quesadilla Burger.


Applebee's Quesadillas

2 (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 TBS butter, softened
1/3 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 medium tomato, chopped
2 ts diced red onion
1 ts diced canned jalapenos
1 slice bacon, cooked
* southwest seasoned burger (recipe for seasoning mix follows**)

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Spread half the butter on one side of each tortilla. Put one tortilla, butter side down in the hot pan. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly onto the center of the tortilla in the pan - but not all the way to the edges. Put the tomato, onion, bacon and jalapeno over the cheese, add the seasoned burger and cover with the other tortilla butter side up (like a grilled cheese sandwich). When the bottom side is browned, about 45-90 seconds, flip the quesadilla and grill the other side. Remove the quesadilla from the pan and, using a pizza cutter, cut through the middle like a pizza.

**Southwest Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

***   Shortcut is to use taco seasoning mix

Combine all ingredients and use to season hamburger.

Pico de gallo

2 cups diced very ripe tomato
1 cup diced Spanish (purple) onion
6 - 10 jalapenos, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp salt

***  shortcut  just use salsa from a jar

Dice 2 large, very-ripe tomatoes and 1 large Spanish onion into 1/4" cubes.
Chop jalapenos, garlic and cilantro.
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate at least six hours.
Keeps refrigerated for 4-5 days.
Variations - Add any or all of the following:

1 tbsp lime juice
1 habanero
1/2 can whole kernel corn
1/2 can black beans

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (in the mexican food aisle)
3/4 to 1 cup of mayonaise

Whirl in a food processor until totally blended up. If you want it more spicy, add some more adobo sauce. If you want it less spicy, rinse the pepper some before adding it. If you add a Splenda to taste, that is also a nice kick for sweet and hot.

There are few dishes as versatile as the hamburger. 

Burgers showing up on menus find themselves topped with such things as bacon and blue cheese dressing, pineapple and chilies, and goat cheese and tomato, herb relish. Of course the secret to all gourmet cooking is using the freshest ingredients.

Everybody loves a good burger and here are some ideas to make them say WOW!!!

Cheese Lover’s Burger
A triple treat of Jack, Cheddar & Swiss cheese, topped with fresh onion, tomato, lettuce & pickle.

Bacon Cheese Burger
Cheddar cheese & crisp bacon topped with fresh red onion, tomato, lettuce & pickle.

Blackened Burger
Blackened with the finest Louisiana Cajun dust, topped with fresh red onion, tomato, lettuce & pickle.

Add … for American, Cheddar, Jack, Pepper Jack or Swiss cheese

Sunshine Burger
Cheddar cheese, sprouts, avocado & tomato on whole wheat bread.

Popeye Burger
Sautéed spinach with a hint of fresh garlic, topped with Feta cheese.

California Burger
Jack cheese topped with roasted Ortega chili, crisp bacon & sour cream.

Caribbean Burger
Sautéed julienned zucchini, bell pepper & carrots with our home-style Caribbean jerk sauce.

French Burger
Crumbled blue cheese, crisp bacon on a French baguette.

Chipotle Burger
Jack cheese topped with spicy chipotle sauce, fresh red onion, tomato, lettuce & pickles.

Parisian Burger
Crumbled blue cheese, tomatoes & marinated red onions on a French baguette.

Pesto Burger
Jack cheese topped with garlic-basil pesto on a French baguette.

North Beach Burger
Cheddar cheese topped with sautéed mushrooms & marinated artichoke hearts.

Western Burger
Cheddar cheese topped with tangy barbecue sauce, sautéed onions & crisp bacon.

Alpine Burger
Swiss cheese topped with sautéed onions & mushrooms.

Baja Burger
Jack cheese, avocado & crisp bacon with our home-style salsa.

Teriyaki Burger
Sautéed bell peppers, onions & mushrooms smothered in teriyaki glaze.

Hickory Burger
Jack cheese topped with tangy barbecue sauce & crisp bacon.

Guacamole Burger
Jack cheese topped with sour cream & our home-style guacamole.

Greek Burger
Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado & Feta cheese in pita bread.

Santa Fe Burger
Cheddar cheese topped with sautéed jalapeños & onions.

Russian Burger
Sautéed mushrooms & sour cream on rye bread.

Milano Burger
Jack cheese topped with sun-dried tomato-pesto sauce, grilled zucchini & eggplant.

Chili Cheese Burger
Topped with traditional classic chili with Cheddar cheese.

Maui Waui Burger
Grilled pineapple & Canadian bacon smothered in teriyaki glaze.

Piedmont Burger
Cheddar cheese topped with sautéed onions on whole wheat bread.