Diner Food

Diner food is comfort food. It's not health food. However, when you live your life in an "all things in moderation" way, diner food has its place. There's just something about the classic cheeseburger, fries, and a thick chocolate shake that soothes the soul.

Recently, my sister found a new diner in her area (Orlando) and decided to give it a try.

The diner couldn't make her a milkshake.

What kind of diner doesn't serve milkshakes? The waitress told her that they hadn't gotten their milkshake machine in yet.

Wait. What? Milkshake machine? You mean a blender, right?

Nope. They mean a milkshake machine, like those you see at fast food restaurants. C'mon now. Milkshakes are milk and ice cream. Period. Any diner worth it's Wait to be Seated sign can make a real milkshake.

Anyway, she planted the seed in my brain and I decided to serve up some real diner food last night, with a twist. I made patty melts, sweet potato fries, and chocolate shakes. A patty melt is basically a thick burger served with cheese and fried onions (sometimes mushrooms) on grilled bread. Basically, a grilled cheese burger. Very tasty.

Diner-Style Patty Melts

What You Need:

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup melted butter plus a couple Tbsp more for pan
• 1 large onion
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 10 slices of buttered bread (rye or sourdough is best)
• 10 slices of American cheese
• mayonnaise if desired

How it's Done:

1. Combine ground beef, melted butter, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Form into five patties.
2. Heat skillet over medium heat and add some butter to the pan. Fry burgers until cooked to taste.
3. Meanwhile, fry onions in oil and toast buttered bread on a hot skillet.
4. Prepare burgers: Slather on side of bread with mayo. Top with cheese, burger, onions, cheese, and then top slice of bread. Cut in halves and serve.

To make the sweet potato fries, peel sweet potatoes (1 for every 2 people) and cut into matchstick strips. Toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp melted butter per potato. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

It Always Feels Like Somebody's Watchin' Me...

Day 82.

I have 42 followers. :o) I like each and every one of you and am thankful for the support. I love that you've found something worthy of watching for on my blog. I wonder though: How did you find me? If you're reading this, and wouldn't mind, will you share with me how you came to read my blog? My curious nature would be so appreciative if you did. :)

Also, I'm open for suggestions. Is there anything you'd like to see here? Any favorite dishes you'd like to learn to make, that I could perhaps write about with step-by-step directions? Any ingredients you'd like to see featured? Let me know. I'm all ears. Or eyes. Both, really.

Meanwhile, how about something light and delicious?

Flavorful Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 3/4 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

How it's Done:

1. Heat a skillet (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) over medium heat.
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mash everything together, taking care to fully incorporate all the ingredients throughout the turkey.
3. Form into patties (this recipe makes about 6 large patties).
4. "Fry" each patty about 6 minutes per side, or until cooked all the way through. 
5. Serve on buns with your desired fixin's. 

Kids are Expensive!

Day 75.

Yesterday, my girls had their 6 month dental visit. $300 in crowns for one kid. The dreaded ORTHODONTIST referral for the other. Thank goodness for dental insurance, because the first kid's teeth would cost over $1,000 without it, and the orthodontist without insurance, well, who wants to think about that nightmare? Not I!

Today, they both brought home tee-shirt order forms for their school's annual field day event. This is not optional. It's the field day uniform. The shirts are $10.00 apiece. Not too expensive, but that's $20.00 for my family. Then, there's picture day. $10 each for class pictures, paid up front. Individual spring protraits will be sent home for our approval (read: sent home to guilt us into paying for them) prior to payment.

Popcorn and pickles are sold each Wednesday. A quarter and fifty cents, respectively. Not a big deal. One of each, once a week, for two kids will cost me $60.00 over the course of a 40-week school year.

My oldest has been invited to participate in the Cup Stacking Championships. It's by invitation only, and she needs a special tee shirt for the event. Six dollars.

This Thursday, the same kid is singing in chorus for some basic training graduates. She has to wear dark pants and a white shirt. She doesn't have any dark pants, so I have to go buy her some.

Both kids came home with literature for selling frozen cookie dough. One catch: you can only sell to family and friends. And all your friends attend the same school and are selling the same product. And your family is across the country, because your parent is in the military. So basically, you can only sell to your parents. The packs of cookie dough were $15 each. You had to sell two to get the smallest prize. The prize? A latex balloon. I didn't buy any cookie dough.

It's almost Earth Day. There will be a school-wide celebration. And they sold tee shirts for it. $7 each. That's fourteen dollars for my family.

Speaking of tee shirts (they seem to be quite popular at our elementary school), you must pay $10 each to have a school tee shirt to wear on spirit days, which are each Friday. That's $20 for my family.

Some Fridays, they sell candy. I could go on about why I disagree with the selling of candy to elementary school students. I'll just say that the candy was $1 each.

Oh, and there are the Smencils. These are scented pencils. One dollar each.

There is always at least one fundraiser active at this elementary school. Surely I can't be the only parent experiencing burnout. Why not just ask each parent to write a monthly check?

At least I know I can save on groceries ($2.00 for a tiny school lunch, by the way, and it doesn't fill my first grader's belly). Here's a recipe that will give you a reprieve from all those "free public education" expenses. :)

Sloppy Cheeseburgers

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 Tbsp dill relish
• 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
• buns or sliced bread for serving

How it's Done:

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain and return to skillet.
2. Add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook and stir until cheese is melted and bubbly.
3. Serve on buns or bread.

Have You Ever Seen a Lassie Dance This Way and That Way...

Day 68.

~**~My 100th Post!~**~

and only since December 13, 2009!

Reminder: Bring your friends! To celebrate the 100th Day of my blog, I will be hosting a little giveaway. But today is Day 68. So back to the business of eating.

Do you remember the song:

Have you ever seen a lassie, a lassie, a lassie,

 

Ever seen a lassie dance this way and that?

 

Ever seen a lassie, a lassie, a lassie,

 

Ever seen a lassie dance this way and that?

 

'Cause her dance is his dance and his dance is her dance,

 

Ever seen a lassie dance quite like that?

 
...Well, here's a burger that will make you sing. It made me sing.
 

Have you ever had a burger, a burger, a burger,

 

Have you ever had a burger that melts in your mouth?

 

It's yummy for tummies

 

And tasty, so tasty!

 

Have you ever have a burger that melts in your mouth?

 
What? You haven't? Fear not, gentle reader. For that is about to change.
 
Just don't let your doctor read this post.
 
Butter Burgers (Yes, Butter Burgers)
 
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/4 cup melted butter plus 2 Tbsp additional butter for pan AND 1 tsp butter for each bun
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• sturdy hamburger buns

How it's Done:

1. Combine melted butter, ground beef, bread crumbs, and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl. Form into patties. 
2. Fry in 2 Tbsp butter  until burger raches desired doneness.

3. Butter buns. Top with desired condiments. Serve.

...and then have some hand-sized chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Sliders!

Day 30.

Sliders are so much fun. If you're unfamiliar with them, sliders are just small burgers. They're fun to serve and fun to eat. Tonight, I made a trio of Sliders and it took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I didn't make the buns from scratch this time.

Trio of Sliders

serves 6

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Ingredients:

• 6 Slider buns
• 12 chicken nuggets, cooked
• 1/4 cup buffalo sauce

*Cook nuggets. Toss with buffalo sauce. Place 2 nuggets on each bun.

Sirloin Blue Cheese Sliders

Ingredients:

• 6 Slider buns
• 3/4 lb ground sirloin
• a bit of blue cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

*Crumble blue cheese. Put a chunk of cheese in the middle of a small ball of sirloin. Enclose and flatten to form a small patty. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook on a medium-high skillet until desired doneness is attained. Place on bun. Top with additional blue cheese.

Chicken Avocado Sliders

Ingredients:

• 6 Wheat Slider buns
• 3/4 lb ground chicken breast
• squirt of lime juice
• salt & pepper to taste
• avocado, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp lime juice

*Form chicken breast into 6 small patties and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squirt with lime juice. Cook on griddle until no longer pink. Meanwhile, combine mayo, garlic, and lime juice. Spread on buns. Place chicken on mayo, then top with avocado.

Black Bean Burgers

There's been a lot of indulgent recipes featured here lately. It's time to lighten things up a bit. For lunch today: Black Bean Burgers on homemade buns. These burgers are easy to put together and impressive enough for the most devout carnivores in your life.

Black Bean Burgers

serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 heaping cups cooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 beaten egg
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 6 slices of jalapeno peppers
• 3 Tbsp salsa, as hot as you like it
• 1/4 cup almonds, ground finely
• salt & pepper to taste
• buns, lettuce, and sour cream or mayo to serve

How it's Done:

1. In the bowl of your food processor, combine all ingredients except buns, lettuce, and sour cream. Process until thoroughly combined but still a little lumpy.
2. Shape into patties. Drop onto a skillet (preheated to medium-high and sprayed with non-stick spray) and cook five minutes on the first side, and three or four on the reverse side.
3. Serve on buns with lettuce and sour cream.

***Recipe note: As you are processing your ingredients, remember not to over-process. You want some chunkiness left in the burger. Your mash should be pretty thick. Remember paste in elementary school? It should be that thick. If it feels like cooked oatmeal, you'll want to thicken it up a bit. You can achieve this by adding more flour, or some bread crumbs, or some rolled oats. Be sure to cook your rice until dry. I've made this with freshly cooked rice as well as leftover rice, and I don't recall there being much difference. Just keep it thick, using whatever ingredient you have on hand. The finished burgers have the mouth feel of a traditional meatless burger. If they're too wet, you'll have some tasty "sloppy joe" -- fine if you want a sloppy joe, but not if you're looking for the burger pictured above. :)