Week in Review: Well, here they are - the books I've read in the last five weeks. The good news is that this is the last week of class and all we have to do is present our reader's theatre program and take the final. I also did a little catering this week and spent all day Saturday being the schoolmarm in my hot schoolmarm garb in our 1885 classroom set up in the merchant's building at the fairgrounds for Kid City.

What did I tell you last week about paper school? I was not right about assumption #4, however. Bob said he does not take people out to eat, the mill does that. But, he does go out to eat with them. Here's a picture from the event. Bob, of course, is in the front row on the far right, crouched, poised, and ready to leap back onto the bus and drive the paper school students to, oh, I don't know, the next vat of boiling paper juice?

And speaking of Bob, on Thursday we were sitting at our computers down in our office/exercise/poolroom where we conduct business and think deep thoughts and play pool and sometimes do some obso-pondering (see earlier post) and I asked Bob to think of his top five favorite songs that have the word summer in the title.

"Oh, I know," he said, "Summer of '69 by Brian Adams."

"Ooh, yeah, I like that one too," I agreed.

"Well, that one's mine."
"But, I really like that one."

"Sorry, it's taken."

Sheesh, well whatever. Later, I asked him if he had thought of any more songs, but he said he hadn't. On Friday, I catered a retirement luncheon for a local insurance agency and Bob was helping me schlep the food to their office. We were backing down the driveway:

Bob: "Here's a song I like that has summer in the title."

Big Lou: "No, it doesn't. "That's 'End of the Innocence."

Bob: nothing - silence. He turns up the volume on the radio and listens carefully to the lyrics, because apparently he thinks I don't know of what I speaketh.

We drive down the boulevard:

Big Lou repeats: "It's End of the Innocence."

(to prove my point I start to sing along with Don Henley)

Let your hair fall all around me

Offer up your best defense

But this is the end,

This is the eeennnnnd of the innocence.

Big Lou: "I know what song you're thinking about. It's Boys of Summer also by Don Henley. Is that one of your favorite summer songs?"

Bob: makes a noise - something like a hmmph or a grunt

So here are our lists of favorite songs that have the word summer in the title:

Bob's List

2. Boys of Summer by Don Henley (maybe, but not sure)

1. Summer of '69 by Brian Adams

Big Lou's List

5. Roll out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer - Nat King Cole
4. Summer Breeze - Seals and Croft
3. Summertime - Gershwin
2. Summer Rain - Johnny Rivers
1. Summer in the City - The Lovin' Spoonful

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Cool cat looking for a kitty

Gonna look in every corner of the city

From the Archives: I hope the children don't mind if I post this one. I just can't resist. 1990. We've entitled it "Lettuce Heads."

Recipe of the Week: In the August issue of Cook's Illustrated there is an article called "Reviving the Original Drive-In Burger." Well, who wouldn't like to do that, right? If you are familiar with this magazine you know that much research and experimenting is done to perfect each recipe. The Drive-in burger calls for flank steak or sirloin steak tips and boneless beef short ribs, however, I could not find any beef short ribs and the meat man at Kroger's told me that they didn't often carry them - maybe in the winter months, but he found a cut he thought suitable for my needs. What I needed was something with some fat in it. I promised him I would report back about my burgers. So I ground the meat ( which, I think is fun) and very carefully formed the burgers, without lifting or compressing the meat ( I KNOW!) I toasted the buns and made the sauce, which we loved, and carefully cooked the burgers for three minutes on each side. After supper, I asked Bob what he thought about the burger and he said it was a great burger, but he hated to see me go to so much trouble, but if I really liked using the meat grinder, then, okay, I should carry on.

Best Old Fashioned Burgers

10 ounces sirloin steak tips, cut into 1-inch chunks

6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, also cut into chunks

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 soft hamburger buns

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

4 slices American cheese

thinly sliced onion

If you are using a food processor to grind your meat, first, place meat chunks on baking sheet and place in the freezer leaving space in between each chunk. Freeze for 15 to 25 minutes. Put half of the meat in the processor and pulse 10 to 15 times (one second each) turn the meat out onto a tray ( they don't want you touching it too much) Repeat the process. Gently separate meat into four equal mounds. Season top of each burger with salt and pepper. With a spatula turn them over and season the other side.

Melt the butter in a heavy skilled . Grill the buns until toasted lightly-brown. Wipe out the skillet. Return it to the stove and add the oil. Cook the burgers three minutes on each side. Top with American cheese. Serve immediately and top with classic burger sauce.

Classic Burger Sauce:

2 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 teaspoon sweet pickle relish

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

"If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let 'em go, because, man, they're gone." Jack Handey