MOORHEAD-What is it about Minnesotans and cheeseburgers? Our neighbors to the east embrace the title "America's Dairyland" and even wear blocks of cheese on their heads. But it is here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that cheeseburgers reach new heights. The biggest cheeseburger in the world was built in Carlton in 2014 weighing in at a colossal 2,014 pounds. When asked what is the state's most famous food, many point to the Juicy Lucy, a cheese-stuffed burger two different bars in Minneapolis claimed to have created. So as we approach Friday's National Cheeseburger Day, here's a quick look at five little-known cheeseburger facts followed by a couple of recipes that were inspired by the Juicy Lucy. Watch our video at www.inforum.com to see how to sneak a little veggie flavor into a burger and how to make another taste like garlic cheese bread. • The cheeseburger is thought to have been invented in the mid 1920s by Pasadena, Calif., restaurant chef Lionel Sternberger, who added a slice of cheese to a burger after a homeless man he was feeding asked for it. Shortly thereafter, Sternberger added it to his menu. • The most expensive burger in the world is served by New York City food truck 666 Burger. The "666 Burger" is a Kobe beef patty (wrapped in gold leaf), foie gras, caviar, lobster, truffles, imported aged gruyere cheese (melted with champagne steam), kopi luwak barbecue sauce and Himalayan rock salt. To make it even more obnoxious, it's wrapped in three $100 bills. • In Sweden you can get Cheeseburger in a Can. • Abs-tastic former stripper and Magic Mike star Channing Tatum once said, "Life is too short to miss out on the beautiful things like a double cheeseburger." • Jimmy Buffet's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" hit No. 32 on the charts in 1978. According to Buffett's Margaritaville website, the myth of the "cheeseburger in paradise" was inspired by a boat journey Buffett once took in the Caribbean. Buffett states that while subsisting on canned food and peanut butter, he envisioned eating a "piping hot cheeseburger." Upon arriving in the British Virgin Islands, the singer was thrilled to find a restaurant serving American cheeseburgers.
Garlic Cheese Bread Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Stuffed Burgers Ingredients 1 pound ground hamburger 2 teaspoons McCormick Garlic Bread Sprinkle Pepper ¼ cup Philadelphia Brand Chive and Onion cream cheese Directions Mix hamburger with Garlic Bread seasoning. Add a few dashes of pepper. Form meat into 4 thin patties. With your thumb or the back of a teaspoon, form a well in the center of two of the patties. Fill the wells with as much cream cheese as you'd like. Place the remaining patties on top of the cheese-stuffed patties. Seal the edges to prevent cheese from oozing out during cooking. Press down on the patties to flatten slightly. Cook on the grill or in a 350-degree oven until done. Makes two large patties. Seasoned Garden Veggie Cream Cheese Stuffed Burgers Ingredients 1 pound ground hamburger 2 teaspoons seasoned salt Pepper ¼ cup garden vegetable cream cheese Directions Mix hamburger with seasoned salt. Add a few dashes of pepper. Form meat into 4 thin patties. With your thumb or the back of a teaspoon, form a well in the center of two of the patties. Fill the wells with as much cream cheese as you'd like. Place the remaining patties on top of the cheese-stuffed patties. Seal the edges to prevent cheese from oozing out during cooking. Press down on the patties to flatten slightly. Cook on the grill or in a 350-degree oven until done. Makes two large patties. Watch "The Great Indoors" with Tracy Briggs every Thursday on www.inforumtv.com.
