OK so I had no intention of writing so quickly except for 2 things.
1. I am super excited to get back to writing now that I started.
2. It is Labor Day weekend and we all know it is all about college football (Yes Mike) and the food!
I have been making Challah bread for the Sabbath for a while now and it has taken a looooooooong time but I feel like I finally have a good recipe and the bread comes out nice every time. We will go back to this in another blog. I mention this because I have new found appreciation for yeast. So Sunday morning even though we try to eat relatively lo-cal I decided to make sticky buns. Everyone loves sticky buns or cinammon rolls first thing in the morning all warm and gooey! However, by the time they were ready it was 11:00 am, and other than my 14 year old Jessica, everyone was awake and thinking about lunch. I put some plastic wrap on and set it aside for Monday morning. I really enjoyed making it though. The house smelled so good!
As I mentioned earlier I have a newfound obsession with yeast and my Samantha asked for Hamburgers for dinner (Labor Day BBQ Food), so I decided to find a recipe for hamburger buns. I have never baked them before, and I certainly would not say it is fast, but being that I work with dough regularly it was pretty easy. The buns came out nice, but certainly, if I was making Hamburgers during the week, I would hit the market and buy the Whole Wheat buns we normally purchase.
Let's talk about burgers. A burger is one of the easiest things you can make from scratch for dinner during the week. They are simple and they are fast!!! All you need on hand are the toppings that your family likes. I have seen everything from a dry bun and burger to cheese stuffed burgers with avacado and peppercorn mayo. All you need are taste buds and imagination. The burger is a blank canvas its what you put on top that makes the burger, and allows everyone in the family to enjoy just as they like.
Cooking your burgers, and this my hubby may attest to as well as add his opinion, is actually tastier when done on a griddle or a plain old frying pan. The heat from the pan carmelizes the outside of the meat and creates a crust that a grill does not, as well as keeps cooking the meat in its own juices. So those of you up north that cannot grill in the winter, no worries, these are the perfect burgers for you.
The Meat: Once you decide on the meat you want to cook with you only season with salt and pepper. Now my father likes to add all kinds of flavor into the meat and since this is your meal feel free to add the seasonings you like. Sometimes I will add some garlic powder, sometimes I will add carmelized onions, but many will tell you that simeple salt and pepper gets the job done. Remember..The flavor is going to be in how you dress it up.
Lets Roll: If you have one pound of meat seperate the meat into Golf Ball-to- Tennis Ball size depending on how big you want the bugers. The key here is not to handle the meat too much as it makes it tough later on. Roll into a ball and flatten with your hand. Adding a dimple to the middle of your patty will keep the burger from turning into a football that rolls off your bun! If you have small kids you can consider making them tiny and now they are sliders!
Place in the pan without oil since your meat has some fat in it. Note: If you are using turkey meat you will need to add some oil to the pan since turkey is very lean. Place the burger in the pan and leave it alone. Once it is ready to be flipped it will release from the pan and you will be able to turn it over to cook the other side. If you try and flip it too early it will stick to the pan. For a medium rare burger you will want to cook it about 5-6 minutes on both sides. Longer for well done and shorter for rare.
Serve with a salad or any side you enjoy. My family likes the frozen sweet potato fries. Start those in the oven before you begin the burgers so it all finishes at the same time.
Now the fun part. Depending on your and your families taste you can place ketchup, mayo, mustard, onions, grilled onions, avacado, salsa, tomoato, cheese, and any other yummy toppings on the table. Now you and any other adults can tuck into whatever type of burger warms your soul and the kids get to choose how they want to eat theirs. Everyone is happy!
All in all this should take no more than 45 minutes start to finish. One more thing, if this is new to you it may take longer, but not much. I liken it to driving someplace you have never been, it always takes longer to get there when you don't know where you are going. The next time is always faster.
Since this was a holiday weekend and I have mentioned how we love to cook. Alex realized a few months back when I was showing them my pasta maker, (the hand crank) which has been in storage for at least 15 years, that she has a real hand at making ravioli. The first attempt was wicked good. So today she decided to give it another go. I have to say it was impressive. Forget the fact that she filled the pasta sheets and boiled them, as well as made from scratch sauce, she made the pasta from scratch and I did not realize it until I walked into the kitchen and asked her when she would be ready to get cracking. Her exact response was, "what are you talking about, its already done." Anyone tht has teenagers can insert their own attitude here. Dinner was great and we once again had Good Food in Good Time.
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