(Photo by Leonid Mamchenkov) Today is National Fast Food Day. If you're any kind of a foodie, or subscribe to the Slow Food movement's belief in "counteracting fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions, and people's dwindling interest in the food they eat...," you'll wrinkle your nose in disgust at the idea of celebrating fast food. But as much as we shake our fists at fast food, there's something nostalgic -- even downright pleasurable -- about salty fried chicken, hot potato wedges topped with cheese and bacon bits, or a burger stacked between onion rings and drenched in smoky barbeque sauce. And don't even get me started on McDonald's French Fries -- oh, how I can wax poetic about those thin, salty, matchsticks of heaven! My foodie conscience won't let me go near fast food joints too often, but I figured I could satisfy my cravings by making fast food at home -- the slow food way. If the meat is free-range, the buns organic, and the cheese from happy, freely-grazing cows, how bad could it be? I set out to create my favorite treat: the Sausage McMuffin. From Whole Foods, I procured fresh, loose breakfast sausage meat and lovingly formed it into small patties. While they sizzled in my cast iron pan, I toasted organic English muffins and sliced some local Cheddar cheese. I covered the gloriously-browned patties with the cheese, gave it a minute to melt, and sandwiched it between the muffin slices. It was a perfectly good sandwich, but something was missing. Perhaps I should have wrapped it in paper before eating it -- a study actually showed that kids say food in a McDonald's wrapper tastes better. A little Internet search showed that I'm not the only one trying to make these guilty pleasures at home. Readers on RecipeZaar have replicated the Sausage McMuffin, even using a muffin tin to create that perfectly round poached egg. So celebrate National Fast Food Day by exploring the many copycat recipe sites in the Yahoo! Directory. They offer ways to replicate your favorite fast foods (even an approximation of the Colonel's secret spices!) in guilt-free -- if not calorie-free -- ways. Suggested Sites... Chow.com on the "Umami of McDonald’s Cheeseburger" - one fearless reviewer considers the cheeseburger. Peanut Buttah Cups - want to make your peanut butter cups organic and fancy? Here's how. Fast Food Calorie Counter - Washington Post's calorie counter for the health-conscious. Slow Food USA - supporting good, clean, and fair food.

Directory categories: Copycat Recipes, Fast Food Calorie Counters, Organic Farming Organizations, Slow Food, Cooking

Archived under: Cooking, Eating, Events, Fast Food, Food and Drink, Homemade, In Character, Junk Food, Recipes, Sandwiches, Slow Food, Yahoo! Directory

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