By ALYSSA DORCHAK, Guest Writer   –   The Michigan Journal

When I travel down Michigan Avenue’s brick-paved road, it signals one thing — Corktown Detroit — home to popular restaurants like Slows Bar BBQ, Gold Cash Gold, and Bobcat Bonnie’s. But this weekend I was due for a treat meal and my heart, and stomach, were set on Mercury Burger Bar.

Mercury is a small, upbeat diner mastering the art of creative, hand-pressed burgers, hand-cut fries, tater tots, and shakes.

Walking into the restaurant I was hit with the aroma of fresh grilled burgers and it got my appetite going. Customers can choose to dine in red and black upholstered booths that line the outskirts of the diner, stainless steel tables and chairs, or at the bar in which the restaurant centers around. The restaurant is cozy and a little limited on space, but the service is great so you don’t have to worry about waiting too long to grab a seat.

Aside from the great atmosphere, the burgers are Mercury Burger Bar’s specialty. They offer a wide variety of burgers. Whether you like to stick with traditional burgers with the usual fixings or you like to be adventurous and try burgers packed with flavorful ingredient combinations, this diner has something for everyone. Some of their popular burgers include The Local, a burger topped with pulled BBQ pork, cheddar cheese, slaw, pickles and Dreamland BBQ sauce and the Topor Burger, accompanied by Corktown’s own “Topors” Hungarian hot peppers, grilled onions, cheddar, fried egg, hot sauce, burger sauce and crispy onion straws.

If traditional burgers aren’t your thing, there are turkey and black bean burger options as well or you can opt for a grilled cheese, a classic Reuben, or a buffalo chicken sandwich. Salad options are on the menu also.

When it came down to selecting my burger of choice, after looking over the menu for about 15 minutes, I finally made my decision. I went with the Southwest Detroit burger. This was by far the best burger I have ever had. On a burger bun, there was the burger patty itself, topped with a chorizo slider (spiced Mexican pork sausage), jalapenos, muenster cheese, tortilla strips, fresh avocado and zanahorias, which are pickled, spiced carrots. The flavors and spices of the meat were perfectly paired with the smooth, milky flavor of the cheese and the heat from the jalapenos gave the burger a little bit of spicy flare. The added crunch from the tortilla strips made for a nice texture as well. All of the ingredients meshed well with one another, making for a well-rounded, delicious tasting burger.

What is a burger without a set of fries? Now I’m a sweet potato lover, so of course I selected the sweet potato fries. They were perfectly fried — a little crunch on the outside, but soft on the inside. Simple, yet satisfying.

Mercury Burger Bar also offers seasoned and garlic fries. They make specialty fries such as poutine (French fries with cheese curds and light brown gravy on top), chili cheese fries and bacon fries. One item that caught my eye and I’ll have to try the next time I visit is their Tater Tachos, which are tots covered with cheese sauce, crumbled bacon, jalapenos, salsa, and cilantro sour cream.

Another thing that I have to go back for is one of their shakes. They have classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, but they also have a Faygo Orange Creamsicle, Boston Coolers and their Hummer (kahlua, dark rum, and vanilla ice cream) round out the sweets portion of their menu.

If you’re ever craving the American classic combo of burger and fries, with a rich and sweet shake, make Mercury Burger Bar your number one destination. For unique, quality tasting burgers this is the place to go.

Mercury Burger Bar is located at 2136 Michigan Ave. in Corktown Detroit.

By Blythe Pelham   –   Mother Earth News

Tags: chili, recipes, peppers, seed saving, drying, Blythe Pelham, Ohio

While I’ve never tried that old foot-warmer recipe of adding hot chili powder to my shoes, I can attest to the heat some peppers can rub off on us. I found this out the hard way a couple of decades ago.

I grew some jalapenos next to my sweet bell peppers. I’d been improperly informed that they wouldn’t cross-pollinate. The truth hit my bare hands when I was chopping a tainted green bell for some fresh salsa and ended up with my hands burning until the next morning. Suffice it to say, I have not repeated that particular mistake. My sweet peppers are now always grown some distance from any containing heat.

I have friends and relatives who swear their appetite for hot peppers keeps them healthy. They insist no germ in its right mind will reside in the same body as one cleansed with heat. While I’m not sure there is science to back this up, I do vividly remember my dad downing a bowl of jalapenos every time we went out for Mexican food. I also remember him turning bright red with sweat beading up on his forehead every single time.

I remain unconvinced that I would enjoy such an experience. For me, eating is for pleasure and savoring taste sensations. I also believe our shared healthy constitutions are more due to strong genes, not necessarily his consumption of jalapenos.

Because I love to taste the textures and flavors of my food, I tend to walk away from the heat of peppers that obliterate everything else in the dish. This preference for steering clear of spicy heat is what made our youngest ask me throughout this past season why I grew several varieties of hot pepper that I refused to try. Laughingly, I explained that it was to see if I could. I also like the challenge of figuring out what to do with them once harvested.

I gave many away to friends and family who love hot peppers. I also dried them (see top photo, left side), and ground them into powders for future usage (bottom photo, middle row, jars). I roasted some for freezing, though those pictured (top right) are sweet, red cupid peppers. And I tried something new for me—I fermented them. By the way, you may notice blue painters tape in some of the photos. This is absolutely my go-to item for labeling because it can be moved from container to container during the fermenting process.

I served the fermented, super-hot Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce with our appetizer tamales at ThanksGaia (the name I use for Thanksgiving). There were a few brave souls who tested it — some deemed it too hot, others took some home. I didn’t touch the stuff.

Side note (yet more repurposing, covered in last week’s blog post): I also save my pepper seeds, drying them on old, expandable window screens (if you look carefully, you can see one as background of the right side of the bottom photo). I keep them carefully separated and labeled, then package them with labels until it’s time to start my seedlings—and the cycle begins again.

I wanted to work up a recipe to share that was quick, easy, and used some of my new pepper creations. When ending a busy and productive day, I love a recipe with healthy ingredients that can be thrown together and ready to eat in minutes.

I am definitely one who likes to use what I have on hand rather than having to find and ferret away some obscure, fancy ingredient that exists only in specialty stores in big cities or online. I urge you to substitute at will if you haven’t preserved your own hot peppers this past year.

30-Minute Chili Recipe

1. Brown and crumble in your pot:
• 3 sausage patties (optional)
• 1/2-1 lb lean ground beef

2. Add, saute, and stir in completely:
• 2 tsp garlic, chopped (a couple of cloves… more if you prefer)
• 2 tsp granulated onion (or ½ fresh chopped onion… more if you prefer)

3. Add and warm through on simmer (about ten minutes):
• 2-15oz cans of beans (I love using one can of organic black beans)
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 pint salsa (this was my homemade mild salsa… if you’re using store-bought, I suggest using a brand without added sugar)
• 1/4 cup fermented Numex pepper sauce (I used my own slightly hot sauce, a can of diced chiles or jalapenos could be substituted)

Salt, pepper, and chili pepper to taste

Serves 2

Optional:
1. Top with grated cheese, sour cream, dab of salsa, and sprig of cilantro or sliced avocado
2. Serve with cornbread—I make a gluten-free version, but that’s another story
3. Great paired with Oktoberfest beer

If you are so inclined, use this article as a reason to venture into an area of gardening or cooking that you haven’t yet tried. I know I’ll be fermenting peppers again. I also have a few new varieties to check out, thanks to participating in the seed exchange. Bring on the fun and adventure!

Photos by Blythe Pelham

Blythe Pelham is an artist that aims to enable others to find their grounding through energy work. She is in the midst of writing a cookbook and will occasionally share bits in her blogging here. She writes, gardens and cooks in Ohio. Find her online at Humings and Being Blythe, and read all of her MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.

By Gina Masilotti g.masilotti@hngn.com   –   HNGN

Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Devon Windsor stepped off the runway and took some time out of their busy schedules to go head-to-head during Monday night’s episode of “MasterChef Celebrity Showdown” to show off their kitchen skills for a charity of their choice.

Hadid, 20, competed for a charity very close to her heart, the Global Lyme Alliance for Lyme Disease. Hadid’s mother, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Yolanda Foster, was diagnosed with the disease back in 2012. Her sister Bella and brother Anwar both also battle Chronic Lyme Disease.

“My mom, sister and brother are all affected by Lyme disease,” she told judges Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi while fighting back tears, according to Entertainment Tonight. “Not enough people know what Lyme disease is and the dangers of being bitten by an insect. For that on its own is amazing, but with [the cash prize of] $25,000, we can help with finding a cure. It can help so much.”

Hadid went on to cook her heart out for her family, and in the end it paid off because “The Gigi Burger,” which was made up of a “very special” beef patty with pickled jalapenos, crispy onions, special sauce, a toasted bun and potato crisps on the side ended up winning the money for charity.

“The first year I lived in New York I tried a different burger every week to find my favorite,” she told the judges on why a burger was her signature dish, according to Page Six. “I always say, ‘Eat clean to stay fit, have a burger to stay sane.'”

“Gigi, your burger is f–king delicious,” raved Ramsey, who is typically a very tough critic. “That is beautiful.”

Tosi agreed and told her that the “juicy” burger was “perfect.” “All of your execution, your technique was done to a T,” she praised.

“CALL ME MASTER CHEF HADID!” she tweeted along with a photo of herself holding the check. “All the lymies out there @LymeAlliance this one’s for YOU! Thank you @MASTERCHEFonFOX”

Nothing like a bit of healthy competition!