Practice makes perfect.

Happy Tuesday!

Oh to live in a land where Tuesdays feel like Mondays and Monday is your Sunday and you're the only person you know that has days off when you do. Magic? Alas, no, it is apparently the life of a culinarian.

At least after two days of lounging on the couch, doing minimal cleaning and a little cooking, my muscles don't scream at me every time I move or try to stand up. It's just long enough to feel back at 100 percent and go back to work to get sore all over again. I have the feeling I'll be on pantry for a little while, which is totally fine with me. I would like to get to the point where I don't have any more questions there. At least not a handful of questions every day. When ever I think I might have learned mostly everything, I have to go and get something in some random cooler or make something that hasn't been done since I started and it's question-City all over again.

I'm always excited to learn and I'm glad that everyone at my job has been so great, I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm not going to learn everything there in a matter of days. While that would be nice, I can't expect it of myself and I know that they don't expect it of me.

I made burgers for the girls the other night and they are still one of my favorite things to cook. I have a recipe that I've been using for years, and even though Hidden Valley advertises it as a way to make burgers now, I'd still like to share it with you. It's one of the easiest, and most delicious, burger recipes I know and it's kind of my go-to when I'm looking for something fast and easy to make at home.

This time, I caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms for the top and melted Swiss cheese on each patty. It was delightful. Nothing like a good, gooey burger with fresh ingredients to make a Texas girl happy. I'll tell you how to make it with one pound of meat, but just double up if you add more.

What you need:
-1 pound ground beef (I like to use an 80/20% ratio for burgers. Fat is good in some cases, it gives you more flavor and makes the patties juicier.)
-1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
-1 egg
-1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs (If you don't have panko, crunch up four or five saltine crackers and use those instead.)
-1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Don't over mix, or your meat will be tough and kind of chewy. All meat and eggs are different, so if the mix seems kind of wet add more breadcrumbs. Just really use your best judgement. I usually let my meat sit out on the counter for about fifteen minutes. Putting ice cold meat on a really hot grill or in a hot saute pan just makes the meat seize up and nobody like that. When you form your burger patties, stick your thumb in the center to make a little indention. This way when the patty cooks, it will still be even on both sides (meat plumps when it cooks).

And I know what you're thinking, 'I don't have a grill, Lauren.' Yeah...I don't have one either. There is no shame in cooking burgers in a skillet on the stove. You don't get the smokey flavor that you'd get from the grill, but you would be surprised at how many Chefs recommend you cook burgers on a flat top. You get such a nice char on the outside...it really adds a wonderful texture to the burger.

If your patties are about an inch thick, you'll want to cook them for four to five minutes on each side. That will give you a nice medium well burger. I like mine a little less done, so mine are just three or four minutes on each side. About thirty seconds before they're done I toss a piece of cheese on top so it gets all wonderful and melty.

It's not the best picture....but yum! This was my dinner two nights ago...and last night. I can't resist leftovers.

So there's my super-secret burger recipe. It seems to be a big hit, I know that I sure love them.

I'm starting to feel a little homesick, but it's more missing my bed, my mom, my Willow and my friends. I don't know what I would do here if it weren't for Dijon and Alyssa and the girls. I definitely commend people that come here alone without knowing anyone. Having people from home makes it feel more like home, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to mom coming to visit.

I hope you all enjoy your day! I'll be getting ready for work in a little bit. Hopefully it's a busy day and goes by quickly and I get some more wonderful practice in.

"A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar, and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect."-Fernand Point

Happy eating,
Lauren