Fancy Burger

Hey you guys!!! (Make sure you read that in the Goonies voice) So I just got back Sunday from an 11-day transatlantic cruise, 2 days in Barcelona and 2 days in Berlin with the bf. The last part was a total whirlwind but the cruise was SO relaxing. It was totally different than the other round-trip-type cruises I've been on where I always feel like I'm racing against time to do everything and see everything on the boat. We had 10 days at sea and it was AMAZING!

Look how much fun we're having!!

But, while I LOVE traveling, it is nice to be home. My mom is actually also in Europe, just off a Rhine river cruise and spending a few days in Amsterdam so I've been eating whatever frozen meats she has in the fridge. (She always goes to Sams and gets a bunch and then freezes individual portions--super helpful and easy for us since we're either always one or two for dinner.) Last night I had a pork chop, and today I made a delish burger!

For the burger part, I used ground kobe beef (I know, Jane B is FANCY!) with some seasoned salt and pepper. I bought a ciabatta roll at Publix this morning and toasted it in the oven. I was just going to use regular ketchup, but we didn't have any, so I mixed some balsamic sauce with mayo to make a yummy aioli. I sauteed up some mushrooms and onions, and then topped the burger with swiss. I also baked a corn on the cob (350 for 30 minutes in the oven with the husk on). It turned out SO good! I even impressed myself with this quick dinner :)

Hope yall are ready for summer and more grilling and burgers and fun in the sun!
xoxo,
Janie from Scratch

French Onion Dip from Jane B

So, I haven't actually made this, but my aunt did and my mom tried it and said it was AMAZING. So I will share with yall :) It's supposed to be similar to the onion dip you make from the little packet from the supermarket. Hope you like! 

French Onion Dip

• 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

• 2 pounds onions, chopped fine

• Salt & Pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne Pepper

• 1/4 cup water

• 2-1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup mayo

Melt butter in 12-in. skillet over medium heat. Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper & cayenne & cook stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent ~ 10 min. Reduce heat to med-low & cook until onions are golden ~ 10 min.

Add 2 Tbl water to skillet & cook, scraping up any browned bits, until water is evaporated ~ 5 min. Add last 2 Tbl H2o & cook until onions are caramelized ~ 5 min. longer. Remove from heat & add Balsamic vinegar. Put onions in med. bowl & let cool 10 min.
Add sour cream & mayo; stir to mix. Season w/salt & pepper to taste. Refrig. at least 30 min to allow flavors to blend.

Here's Jane B and my dad's sister, Aunt Marion and me!

Breakfast Burritos

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. I got laid off two Fridays ago. I've spent the majority of the past week drinking by the pool. But now it's time to focus, really get serious... and move my afternoons to the beach. HA! Anyways, last week I kept waking up super hungry, and I usually eat breakfast at work, but wanted to make something easy I could grab on my way out the door (TO THE BEACH!). I've been craving a breakfast burrito for awhile and have been wanting to make some so I ran to the store, grabbed some ingredients and whipped a few up! So easy (as always), so fast.

Janie's Breakfast Burritos

• breakfast sausage 
• eggs
• grated cheese
• frozen hashbrowns
• sauce -- you could use salsa, hot sauce, spicy mayo, anything!
• large tortillas

First, brown the sausage. I used half a roll of spicy breakfast sausage, but I think you could probably use the pre-formed sausage links. Then, scramble the eggs (of course I scrambled them in the sausage fat!). I used 5 eggs. Then assemble your burritos!

Put a spoonful of sausage, eggs, cheese and a few hashbrowns in the tortilla. I forgot to put the sauce, but some taco sauce or hot sauce would be super yummy! Save your mayo-based or non-microwave friendly for after you zap these. 

Roll up tight.

Then, roll up in a piece of plastic wrap.

And store in a big plastic zip lock bag in the fridge.

This made SO MANY -- 8 burritos in total! I microwave one for 45 seconds IN the plastic wrap so the tortillas don't dry out. Then, since I forgot sauce, I add a little sauce at every bite. (I actually had some leftover bloomin' onion sauce from a dinner party -- mayo-based -- and put that on as I ate, YUM!) Voila.. easy, quick and tasty breakfast. You could even make these healthier using egg whites, whole wheat tortillas, turkey sausage, and sauteed veggies instead of hashbrowns. 

Potato Salad

Paula Deen once said that there is no excuse for bringing store-bought potato salad to a party.

I totally agree. The store-bought junk doesn't taste fresh. And making potato salad at home is a lot easier and quicker than you think. I love the stuff, so I've perfected the art of making potato salad from scratch in a jiff!

First, start by boiling eggs. I use 1 egg per large potato. (A large potato will make about 2 servings). There's all sorts of ways to hard boil eggs, but I find the easiest way is to start them in cold water.

Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low, and let simmer/boil for 10 minutes covered. After the 10 minutes are up, drain the hot water (just crack the lid of the pot, no need to use a strainer or anything). Then, fill the pot with ice cubes and cold water. Doing this will help you get the shells off easier. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for 5-10 minutes, then peel.

While the eggs are boiling, peel the potatoes. I don't think red potatoes work very well for potato salad, so stick with the regular kind. After peeling, cube the potatoes. You want to make sure the cubes are about the same size, so they cook evenly.

Start the potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water. You want to be generous with the salt, since this is the only chance you get to salt the potatoes (like cooking pasta). You can cook the potatoes covered or uncovered, depending on how fast you want them to cook. But keep a close eye, because they will cook fast. Once the water starts boiling, they'll be ready within a few minutes. I like the potatoes in my potato salad a little more undercooked, than overcooked, so I always take them out early. But if you let them cook too long, they'll turn mushy, and won't hold up when you start the mixing. After the potatoes are done, drain them, then turn them out onto a paper towel or clean dish towel. Put them in a single layer, this helps them cool down faster.

Now cut up the eggs. Of course, there's a few different ways to do this. You can simply chop them up with a slap chop or knife. I've seen Paula use a potato masher to get them in small pieces. And I've also seen her squeeze the eggs through her fingers. Usually I just smush them up with a fork against the sides of my bowl.

After the potatoes have cooled down a bit (I like to mix this up when they are still slightly warm), put them in the bowl with the egg. At this time you can add in anything else you want, like onions, pickles, olives, whatever. I like my potato salad plain, so I just use potatoes and eggs (this may be why I don't like the store-bought kind... it's always loaded with stuff I don't like!). Add in a little mayonnaise and mix. For a large potato, you should probably start with maybe 1/4 cup. Remember, you can always add more mayo in if it isn't creamy enough for you, but once you put too much mayo, you can't take it out. You can also add some mustard at this time if you want too, just make it your own!

Sadly, I got a little overzealous and ate all my potato salad before taking a picture. (I told you I love the stuff!!) But here's a picture of what it should resemble. There's a ton of different ways to make potato salad, so get googling if you want something different than what I've described... just get in the kitchen and get cooking!