Summer time is grill time. Grill time means burger time. Burgers are among the most cost effective and yet delicious ways to cook out on a summer afternoon. You can make a burger out of almost anything. That includes beef, chicken, turkey, tuna, and veggies. The possibilities are endless.

You can also take a regular, ground beef, burger and make it taste like almost anything. If you like the flavor of steak, mix it with your favorite steak sauce. If you like spaghetti, top it with your favorite marina sauce. Use your imagination. If you like, it will probably work on a burger. If you want to have some fun, let your kids come up with their own variations for backyard burgers. The sky (or the grill) is the limit.

Our first recipe is the old time favorite – pizza burger. Italian-seasoned ground beef patties are stuffed with mozzarella cheese and then topped with pizza sauce and green pepper rings. You can also mix those things into the burger if you like it that way.

Our second recipe is turkey burgers. These usually have less fat and calories than beef but tend to be drier and more bland. So, play with the spices listed in the recipe to make it as spicy or mild as you like. You can also mix turkey with ground beef to get a little of the beef flavor without all of the fat and calories.

The third recipe is cheese stuffed burgers. You can use any cheese that you prefer. The recipe calls for cheddar. I like sharp cheddar. Pepper Jack would also be very good in this burger.

The fourth recipe is a barbeque burger. In the recipe, you make your own barbeque sauce, but that’s not required. If you have a favorite bottled sauce, you can certainly use that. Once you start making your own sauce, you will find that it’s easy and tastes wonderful.

No matter what kind of burger you decide that you like, pull out the grill, gather the family and enjoy some wonderful family time around the BBQ. Besides, you yard will smell wonderful and your neighbors will be jealous – unless you invite them over to join you!

Pizza Burgers

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound ground beef