Deluxe Spicy Burgers with Cheese Sauce: Frim Fram Sauce

I love spicy food.  I just do.  I'm the person who puts dried hot pepper flakes on food instead of salt and pepper.  These burgers are definitely spicy!

The cheese sauce is a great addition to the burger and helps temper the spice in the burger.  I've never been a "mayo-on-my-sandwich" fan.  Anytime I can put a different kind of sauce on my burger or sandwich is a good time!  To honor this yummy cheese sauce, here's "The Frim Fram Sauce" performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, a great duo!

DELUXE SPICY BURGERS WITH CHEESE SAUCE

BURGERS

1 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon molasses

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dash garlic powder

Dash onion powder

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 strips of bacon, cooked and cut in half to make 6 pieces
3 hamburger buns

GARNISH
1 recipe of cheese sauce (below)

1 cup fresh baby spinach

1 roma tomato, sliced

1. Combine all ingredients except Worcestershire sauce, bacon, and buns.  Mix thoroughly into ground beef.  Divide ground beef into thirds and make three patties.  Place on hot pan over medium high heat.
2. Make a little well in the middle of each patty and put ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce in each well.  Cover with a lid.  Turn a couple of times until cooked.
3. Spread cheese sauce on both sides of each bun.  Layer sliced tomatoes and fresh spinach over cheese sauce on each top bun.  Put burgers over cheese sauce on each bottom bun.  Put 2 pieces of bacon on top of each burger.  Top each burger with the top bun and serve.

CHEESE SAUCE

1 teaspoon flour

1 teaspoon corn starch

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup milk, warmed for a minute in microwave

1. Toss grated cheese with flour, corn starch, and cayenne pepper. 
2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour coated cheese and stir until blended.  With pan still over medium heat, slowly add warm milk, whisking ingredients together and continue to whisk until thickened.  It will start to separate then combine to a smooth consistency.

Shrimp Pasta with Hot Garlic Sauce: The Frim Fram Sauce

This recipe is the best pasta with shrimp dish I've ever tasted!  The shrimp comes out perfectly cooked and tender and the hot garlic sauce adds that little punch I love in all my food.  If you don't like spicy hot seasoning, you can tone down the amount of red pepper flakes.

I wanted to highlight the sauce on the pasta so here's "The Frim Fram Sauce" sung by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.



SHRIMP PASTA WITH HOT GARLIC SAUCE

1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup white grape juice

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

½ teaspoon Splenda

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped (optional)

1 pound angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon parsley

1. If shrimp is frozen, thaw under running water for a few minutes.  Let drain.
2. In a medium sized bowl, put olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Add thawed shrimp and coat with olive oil mixture.  Put onto a large, hot skillet over medium heat, using a scraper to get all the oil in the bowl into the pan with the shrimp.  Cook shrimp just until pink.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to directions for al dente, reserving ½ cup of pasta cooking water, drain pasta then put into a large bowl.  Set aside.
4. In a saucepan, put white grape juice, drained tomatoes, and Splenda.  Add optional garlic if so desired.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Pour tomato mixture over pasta and toss lightly.  Add shrimp mixture and toss lightly.  If pasta is too sticky incorporate the tomato mixture and shrimp mixture, pour reserved pasta water over it.  
6. Put into a serving bowl and toss lightly.  Sprinkle parsley over the top and serve immediately.