Curt had some patties at home, and we planned on using his George Foreman to make some burgers. We decided to dress them up a bit and hit the Publix market. While inside debating on what to get Curt had the greatest idea of his 25 year life:

We giggled our way through the aisles, picking up the elements to create our masterpiece.

1. Grated Romano Cheese
2. Super Fancy Pepperoni
3. Fancy Pizza Sauce
4. A bottle of wine
5. Mozzarella Cheese
6. Patties
7. Onions
8. Green Pepper
9. Buns

Our initial concerns were about the amount of each ingredient. Especially the pepperoni (Cantimpalo Brand Chorizo) and the sauce (L.E. Roselli's All Natural Pizza Sauce). The burger was made normally on the trusty lean-mean fat-reducing grilling-machine, which gave us about ten minutes to prepare the rest. We decided not to add pizza sauce to the bottom bun, and laid down a slice of the pepperoni, followed by a pile of mozzarella cheese.

Next came the fresh off the grill patty, so that the cheese would melt. We were worried that the thick beef patty would overwhelm the pepperoni flavor, so we added another slice, followed by fresh green pepper, onion, topped with some romano, and then applying pizza sauce to the top bun. We didn't toast the bun, as we wanted the pizza sauce to soak into the bun a bit. The finished product looked amazing, proudly displaying the colors of the Italian flag!

We cut the burger to better simulate the pizza slice, and I had the first bite. As I bit in I was really unsure how the flavors of this cross-cultural experiment would mesh. Curt's culinary creativity did not disappoint. The Pizza Burger was great!! I think stepping up to some quality ingredients and restraining from over application were key elements, but the end result is a very enjoyable pizza flavor with the satisfaction of a burger.

Want the Pizza Burger on your desktop? Check out Pizza Burger: The Director's Cut on Flickr.

Note from Freddy: My mom made this for me last time I visited, and it was SO delicious, SO fast, and SO cool. So I asked her to do a special Digest guest post with the recipe and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy. Thanks, mom!

Mix in food processor bowl:
2 C flour
1 pkg rapid rise yeast
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Pulse to evenly blend.

Add 3/4 C warm water (120 to 130 degrees) (Yes, you have to check it)

...and 3 Tbsp olive oil. (I didn't measure; just don't scrimp.)

Pulse dough with and on-off motion to "knead" for about 30 seconds. Dough should be together in a ball.

Lightly oil bowl and transfer dough, turning to coat. Set aside while preparing veggies.

Heat gas grill to medium-high, or charcoal to medium-hot coals.

Slice assorted appropriate vegetables, and toss in bowl with prepared balsamic viaigrette salad dressing.

Grill until tender and marked on both sides (note: if you don't have a veggie "grill pan," secure sliced mushrooms and onion slices with skewers.) Remove from grill and cool.

Pat dough to about 12" x 18" on floured board.

Brush top liberally with olive oil and transfer, oil-side down, to grill.

Grill until lightly browned on bottom; oil top and flip.

Immediately smear lightly with desired sauce (I just reduced a can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes with some herbs), spread veggies, and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Close lid, cook about 2 minutes until cheese is melted and bottom crust is crisp.

Serve immediately! Bask in applause and kudos from guests! Kvell!

Since I'm not getting paid, I'm going to write a shamelessly incomplete, unprofessional review, and without doing my homework to see what other urban honkers may have already said.

So, this place Wax, it's pretty cool. It's on Interstate. It's open till 2 p.m. for breakfast and stuff. I was skeptical at first because it seemed like a bunch of hipsters trying to be "down" and consequently aiding gentrification. Then I started gentrifying North Portland myself and stopped caring about that, then I learned that the place serves milkshakes and has free wifi, but I still just rode my bike past every day without going in. Then one day I was like, "I'm hungry and I need to use the internet!"

Wax has good pancakes. Wax has a big, cool interior with some modern elements and some old, funky elements and some hip hop elements and some warehouse elements, and it reminds me of Oakland. Wax reminds me alot of Yo Mama's Cafe which used to be in Rockridge but not anymore. The really great thing about Wax is there are hardly any people there so it isn't an annoying place to eat. Elisabeth says they have really good milkshakes. I will go there someday and have a milkshake. I really like milkshakes.

1. Peanut butter. Don’t listen to what everyone says about hydrogenated oils – sweet, creamy, supermarket-brand skippy is the way to go. I spent my first winter in Portland sitting on the basement stairs above the furnace, eating Fred Meyer peanut butter with a spoon. Wait, nobody was supposed to know that.
2. 7-Up Plus. I was so anti at first, just because trying to market a soda as healthy – it has calcium and vitamin C! – is so totally dumb and absurd. But, you guys, it’s really good. It’s berry-licious. I am always kind of embarrassed to be caught drinking diet soda. That, and the hype about how it supposedly kills you, is what keeps me from buying it by the case at Safeway.
3. Reser frozen burritos. The list of ingredients is as big as the burrito. It looks so pathetic all alone slapped on a plate. But it’s yummy and it does the job.
4. Ice cream out of the carton. Especially if it’s a really big carton, like the Moosetracks ice cream my friend Elisabeth brought to dinner a couple weekends ago. When you’re alone, you can dig out all the peanut butter cups, and eat them.
5. Hard-boiled eggs over the sink. It’s like the classy bachelor food (classy bachelorette version: deviled eggs over the sink). Yeah, with salt. Mmm. I could totally eat one right now.
6. Cereal. When you’re a grownup, you can eat cereal five meals a day and no one cares. Even marshmallow treasures.

Okay, that was only six. Feel free to recommend suggestions.

Welcome to the kitchen of John and Mike, current chefs-in-residence at the esteemed Hott Denn. Since 2002 the Hott Denn has been a center of creative food for the bachelor. You might remember the first installment of "Make Your Own" where John re-created the Chocolate Hazelnut Milkshake. The milkshake was inspired by the seasonal offerings of Burgerville, which also inspired the Hott Denn Burger.

We'll start off with a list of ingredients and tools. You will need:

• Eggs
• Cheese, Swiss, Sliced
• Chili, Veggie
• Buffalo Patty
• Whole Wheat Bun
• George Foreman Grill
• Toaster Oven
• Stovetop and Pot
• Various Utensils

The creation of the Hott Denn Burger is all about timing. Since the buffalo patties are frozen, you need to start with them. I don't really know how to use a George Foreman Grill, but it only has two buttons, and one of them doesn't really seem to do anything. So I just put the timer all the way up to 10 or 12 and put the patties on. Turns out, that worked great. So we have 10 to 12 minutes to get everything else ready!! We made some french fries, so we threw those in the oven, and then I turned the pot on low heat and started heating the chili.

I really like the Smart Chili, mostly because it's easy, and there is no scary mystery meat in it. This doesn't need to be on the heat that long, but since it's going to be next to the cheese, we want it pretty hot. Also, this stuff isn't really spicy, so feel free to add some Tapatio (wink!) to it.

So now we have the meat grillin', the fats rollin' off into a pan (note: you need something to catch the fat that will come off the patties! Even though buffalo is 70% leaner than beef, the Foreman isn't called a "lean mean fat reducing machine" for nothing. Also, remember that you don't want to overcook the buffalo, as that leanness also means it will be real dried out if you overcook it), and he chili warming up. Next thing we need is to start toasting the buns.

All jokes aside, you want to keep an eye on these. Toasters are weird, and you can easily burn a bun. I prefer to err on the side of under-toasted, especially as we're going to put the buns back in with the cheese on them to ensure it gets all melted. At this point you're probably feeling a little stress. You've got patties cooking, chili heating, (maybe fries in the oven) and buns toasting, and we're about to fry up some eggs. This is normal, don't freak out. You need to have faith in your George Foreman Grill, your General Electric Toaster Oven, and other various appliances. Plus, it helps to use the buddy system. The Hott Denn kitchen has been a two person operation since it was founded in 2002. A cool headed cooking buddy is as essential as a non-stick pan in an environment like this.

The fried egg is the trickiest part of the whole operation, but it's also where you get to show off and use some real kitchen flair. Nothing impresses the crowds like a smooth one-handed egg-cracking into a sizzling pan! Get a nice flat spatula for flipping these, because we're making them over easy, so the warm runny yolk breaks open on that first bite and runs down your hands into the bed of fries. (yeah, you'll need some napkins)

So the pressure is on! Things start dinging and buzzing and everything is finishing up all at once. Here we go: 1) remove the buns and separate them (the cheese will be slightly melted, sticking them together) so they are face up on a plate. 2) Take the egg off the pan and slide it onto the cheese, then 3) spoon on a little too much chili. 4) on the other bun (the top) add any needed condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, ranch, etc) and then place the buffalo patty on it. Finally, 5) just flip the top onto the base and you are looking at your very own Hott Denn Burger!

The chili and runny yolk will run off the burger, which is why we advise a bed of fries to sop it all up with. The milkshake offers a meal of American Perfection, but you easily substitute a beer or cola. Salads are forbidden with this meal, but dessert is recommended. In the end you'll be looking at empty plates and dirty napkins. Bon Appetit!

At the annual July 4th Nathan's Hotdog Contest (the superbowl of eating competitions) Takeru Kobayashi won for the fifth straight year! The black widow took second.

CNN: Champ a top dog again with 49 wieners

Nathan's Press Release: A New Dynasty?.

Kobayashi is RIPPED in the CNN video. Huge arms! And Sonya seems like the nicest Burger King manager ever!

Here's a good article about the legendary 1976 article that rocked the wine and food world in which French judges agreed to a blind wine tasting and chose two California wines as superior to French wines. "Before the Paris tasting, France was on a pedestal and everybody else was making plonk," [the original reporter] Taber says. Taber was only able to write the story because he spoke fluent French; the judges never released their comments. And as one California vintner says, "even at this late date, the French still find it too painful to write about."

Then here's a useful MetaFilter thread about how to learn to like to cook if you currently hate it. And a complementary article on inspiring, instructive cookbooks for beginners (you'll have to ignore the annoying "husband-proof" focus, though).

Finally, can you take on the challenge to only eat food grown, harvested and raised within 100 miles of your house? The people issuing the challenge say that eating locally is the best thing you can do to support the environment. " 'Our food now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up on our tables,' says one of the Locavores, Sage Van Wing, of Point Reyes. The process imperils 'our environment, our health, our communities and our taste buds.' " This article focuses on the San Francisco bay area, but we're lucky enough to live in another great microclimate for food.