What can be more classic than a burger with lettuce, tomato and onion? Yet, hamburgers were not a major part of my childhood. Even on the rare trips to McDonald's, my parents favored Filet-O-Fish® sandwiches paired with the iconic thin-cut tallow french fries that, sadly, no longer exist. It was not until a beach camping trip on Hammocks Beach State Park with friends that I learned how to make my first burger. The ground beef was simply seasoned with a pack of Lipton's Onion Soup and Dip mix, and placed on the grill with cheddar cheese melted on top. Sublime... with the ocean breeze, white sandy dunes and soothing rhythm of the waves. 

Years later, when my son was 10 and my daughter was 5, I started making a cheese and bacon stuffed burger, which became the only burger my kids liked to eat. I got the general idea from a Williams-Sonoma recipe card for Burgers Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Bacon, which involved fussy onion caramelization, excess salt and proprietary seasonings, all of which I omitted. 

The procedure involves forming balls out of the meat. Like making a clay pinch-pot, push into the ball with your thumbs and pinch out the sides to make a cavity large enough to hold the bacon and cheese. Pull the edges together and pinch closed around the filling. 

Depending on tastes, the burgers can be further customized by omitting the bacon, or subbing cooked spinach for the rare individual that dislikes cheese. All of this is decided in advance, leading to a more relaxing experience in front of the hot grill.

Because not everyone likes blue cheese, I often substitute sharp white cheddar for some of the burgers. But then I needed a way to distinguish the different cheeses. After creating the cheese-filled ball, it is pretty easy to flatten them not only into circles, but also into blunt-cornered triangles or squares. 

Sometimes grilling for family and friends can feel chaotic as everyone waits eagerly for the food to come off the grill. Stuffing the burger is the simplest way to produce a juicy, tasty burger that does not need any additional sauces or fuss. Kids can be picky about textures and flavors, but they all love the idea of a surprise within the patty. 

Fortunately, I won a copy of Green Burgers: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for Burgers and Sides by Martin Nordin, which was published in 2018, from an Eat Your Books contest. Instead of imitating beef burgers, this stunning book provides a huge array of flavorful and exciting combinations. Many of the ideas for toppings, pickles, sauces and sides are fully crave-worthy and equally at home topping creative veggie-based or meat burgers. 

Although I have not yet ventured into making my own burger buns from the 3 or 4 scrumptious looking recipes near the back of the book, one of the first burgers I made consisted of sliced eggplant marinated in beer and topped with miso-glazed fried carrots. I ended up baking the eggplant slices and then charring them in my wok for a similar smoky effect because it was snowing outside. 

Looking through the recipes, you find that burger patties can be made from green peas and batter-coated zucchini twirls, in addition to the more common mushroom-panko-egg and bean-based options. Plus there are some scrumptious sides and toppings, including quick pickled cucumber ribbons and mushroom crisps. When sprinkled with a bit of chipotle powder or smoked paprika, these thin-slices of fried mushrooms take on a decidedly bacony quality.