Sliders and Strings

I'm always curious about trying new and interesting burgers, but find myself reverting back to the standard ground beef, yellow cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and red onion. I always want more from my standard burger and every time I go to try a new flavor I get scared that Husband won't like it. But, this time he actually recommended trying ground turkey burgers! I was so thrilled that he actually suggested it that I immediately knew I'd use the ground turkey for a recipe I'd printed off of PioneerWoman a few weeks back. The original recipe called for ground beef so I was worried about the substitution. Wow! I am glad I tried this variation on an incredible recipe! We are looking forward to eating these again in regular burger size!

Turkey Mushroom and Swiss Sliders
Source: adapted from PioneerWoman
Serves: 2-3 hungry adults

Ingredients:
Burger Sauce:
1/3 cups mayo
2 T ketchup
1 tsp Cayenne pepper (less if you want to cool it down)
Burger Topping:
2 T butter
1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
4 ounces fresh white mushrooms, chopped finely
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
Burger:
1 T butter
1 lb ground turkey (or beef, or chicken)
2 T heavy whipping cream
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
4 slices swiss cheese, cut into 4 for a total of 16 squares
8 slider buns, split in half, buttered, and toasted

Directions:
-Mix ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
-Toast the buns under the broiler.
-Melt the 2 T butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, mushrooms, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Transfer to a separate bowl.
-Mix ground turkey, heavy cream, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to form 8 small patties; make an indentation in the middle of each patty with your thumb (to keep them from plumping up too much when they cook). In the same skillet used for the onion mixture, melt the 1 T butter over medium-high heat. Add 4 patties at a time, indented side up. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portions of the onion mixture on top of the patty, then top with 1-2 slices of swiss cheese, depending on how cheesy you want your burger. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you finish up with the rest of the meat.
-Spread the spicy sauce on both halves of each bun. Place patties between the buns and serve with the following onion strings.

Onion Strings, or Manna from Heaven
Source: PioneerWoman
Serves: 2-3 hungry adults

Ingredients:
1 huge yellow onion
2 cups buttermilk (I goofed and used heavy whipping cream instead and they were still amazing, but use buttermilk)
2 cups flour
scant tablespoon salt
pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1-2 qts cooking oil (veg or canola)

Directions:
-Heat oil to 375.
-Slice onion into super thin rings and transfer to a large, rectangular dish. Cover with the buttermilk and allow to sit for at least an hour.
-In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
-After the onions have had a nice long bath in the buttermilk, transfer a couple of tong-fuls of onions to the flour mixture and toss to coat well. Shake off excess flour and put them in the hot oil. Fry for just a couple of minutes until they're golden brown--they brown quickly so watch them like a hawk!

Mini Sliders

As the school year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on my performance as a teacher during the year; if I had to give myself a report card, what grade would I receive? I guess I'd say a B, which is annoying because I really prefer A's. But, I know I have room to grow and there are always opportunities to become a better teacher. As a student, I'd probably give myself an A which is nice because I worked my butt off to get the grades I did this semester. What grade would I give myself as a blogger? Definitely a D...+...maybe a C-...no, definitely a D+. I haven't been faithful to the cause and I've allowed myself to go weeks on end without updating. It's not like I don't cook! I guess it's the accumulation of everything piled on top of me and the immense pressure I put on myself to be darn near perfect at everything I do. I blame my dad, really. We're perfectionists who stress about stressing too much. It's a vicious cycle and I'm aware of it!

These mini sliders were a bit [cue drum: bah-dump-sh] of celebratory dinner. I finished evening classes this week after what felt like the world's longest semester. I had about zero ounces of energy in me, but I knew I wanted to spend some time in the kitchen after a few consecutive nights of finals. I had picked these up at Fresh & Easy a little while ago and knew that after finals they'd make a fun meal.

I seasoned the patties with onion powder, powdered beef bouillon (that's not brown sugar on the patties; it's the bouillon), and salt and pepper. Then, I melted the butter on my flat frying pan and put the seasoned side down to cook first. While the first side was cooking, I seasoned the side facing up. The burgers cooked for about 8 minutes on the first side and another 6 minutes on the other (but I like mine well done).

When they were done, I put them on a plate and placed 2 quarter pieces of American cheese on each and tented the burgers with foil to melt the cheese. We enjoyed our burgers with the traditional ketchup, mustard, and mayo, but the topping choices are totally endless!

Happy End-of-the-School-Year!

Mini Sliders

Source: Me

mini burger patties (you can also form these yourself from a pound of hamburger; I bought a total of 12 patties which fed us for days)

mini burger buns

American cheese (or Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Jalapeño Jack, Bleu, etc.)

onion powder

powdered beef bouillon

salt

pepper

a couple tablespoons of butter

Season burgers. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a hot frying pan. Put seasoned side of burgers down on melted butter; season the top side. Fry on each side until desired doneness. Top with cheese and tent with tin foil to melt the cheese. Put on the buns and dress with whatever toppings you'd like!

Avocado Burger

It's always nice to return to a comforting dish, something that reminds you of the good old days. I got a hankering for a pan-fried hamburger, but didn't feel like dealing with the mess. Luckily, my mom and dad got me a George Foreman grill when I went off to college, and it's been a life-saver many times. In fact, I used to go to my grandma's house every Sunday afternoon for lunch, to do my laundry, and then head off to wait tables in the evening. It was great because we'd get to spend the afternoon together reading Women's Day or watching Lifetime movies. She always made something delicious for lunch; Grandma is known for her amazing cooking. Things like Chicken Pot Pie, Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, Pot Roast, and Fried Chicken made regular appearances on our Sunday lunch table. And sometimes, she would get out a couple of hamburger patties and throw them on the George Foreman. A simple slice of American cheese would melt across the top on its way to being smashed between two warmed burger buns. So, one night I got out my George Foreman and put together a couple of delicious burgers for Computer Man and me. In an effort to make things a bit more interesting, I toasted some extra sourdough bread and sliced up an avocado. This made a quick and easy weeknight meal!

Avocado Burger
Source: Me (and Grandma)

1 lb. ground beef
Lawry's Season Salt
1 ripe avocado
4 leafs romaine lettuce
1 large tomato sliced into rings
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
mayo
mustard
ketchup
red onion, sliced into rings
4 slices extra sourdough bread
butter

Separate the burger into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round burger patty, about 1/4-inch thick. Season one side with the season salt. Place the seasoned side down on a hot George Foreman grill (or in a frying pan on medium-high heat). Season the other side with the season salt. Meanwhile, cut the sourdough bread in half. Butter one side of each of the halves and put under the broiler for just a few moments--watch it because they'll burn quickly! If you're using a frying pan, flip the burgers. Slice the tomato, wash the lettuce, slice the avocado and set aside. Once your burgers are cooked to the desired doneness, pull off the grill and put a slice of cheese on each burger. Put some mayo on one of the toasted halves of sourdough bread. Put the burger on top, squirt some ketchup and mustard on, and layer with the avocado, red onion, tomato, and lettuce. Top with another half of the sourdough bread. Serve alongside your favorite french fries! Enjoy!