First Burger

Compared to the other blog, I don't update this nearly enough. Apologies to our encouraging (though few) readers! I actually have a decent amount of pics/recipes piled up, but sometimes find no motivation to make these long posts. However, I shall continue to try.

Now, did I mention I like burgers? Well, if you didn't know, I do. A LOT.
At home, my dad makes all the burgers, I just watch and occasionally toast the buns. Earlier this summer, my friend Isaac and I made my first burgers together! It turned out amazingly (relatively, it's, of course, no Dundee).

Ingredients:
Essentials:
- 1 pound package of ground beef
- buns
Toppings:
- 1 tomatoe, sliced
- 1 package of mushrooms
- 1 red onion
- american cheese
- lettuce
- mayo of choice (we used horseradish sauce)
Stuffing
- cheese of choice (american and parmesan for me)
- red onion, diced
- smoke sauce
- spices of choice (chilli powder for me)
- pepper/salt
The amount of stuffing is really up to you and your tastes, I like to just eyeball the amount and change my recipe next time if it doesn't work. Cooking is a process!

For my burger, I packed it with diced red onions and hand-ripped pieces of american cheese (1 slice). After mixing those with the meat, I added the smoke sauce (about 2 teaspoon), chilli powder (three pinches, need more next time, probably 2-3 teaspoons), grated parmesan (I used a lot). Combine all ingredients together, make sure everything is mixed well, I then added just tad of salt and pepper for good measure.

The good thing about burgers is how easy and convenient they are. You can make the burger patties ahead of time, freeze it, and throw it on the grill later (not longer than maybe two days, otherwise, won't taste as good). I actually recommending chilling the stuffed meat for a while (>30 min), it makes it much easier to form patties.

So we shaped them into five patties, so a little smaller than quarter-pounders. Since we don't have a grill (hey, we are in college!), we just pan cooked them. Isaac did the honors, mostly because I have no idea how to tell when burgers are cooked. He actually probably overcooked the first patch, but the second was pretty excellent, especially for a guy with no experience.

For the toppings, I sauteed onions and mushrooms (I prefer shitakes). Isaac thinks sauteed things all look disgusting and brown, but I think sauteed things taste pretty good. Also sliced up fresh red onions and tomatoes. For sauces, we used horseradish and some kind of weird mayo. Obvs, you can add ketchup, mustard, whateves, but we just didn't feel like it.

We tried toasting our buns ghettoly, on the stove top, not a good idea. Burn issues. So we just went to the toaster, which is less exciting but much safer. Though I am now getting rather good at stovetop s'mores, but that's for another post.

Assemble you burger! Which is the fun part. Then eat! Which is the best part.

Featured below: Isaac's lettuce bowl burger (my idea). It prevents all the toppings from falling out; yes, we are some bright college kids.

My next burger creations plans to be much more adventurous. Stay tuned (does that apply to blogs?)!

The Best Eats in IC: According to A

This shall be an on going series, in which I post about my favorite foods and eateries.

First up: #4 at SHORTS BURGER AND SHINE

For those who do not know me - I LOVE Burgers. Any burger. Any time. Any day. But burgers do not usually leave a lasting impression and I rarely crave burgers over other "finer" foods. At least that was the way it used to be, until one fateful sunday second semester (2009), when I walked into Shorts for the time with Justine around 3 in the afternoon, and my life was forever divided into BC (Burger Casual) and AD (After Dundee).Yes, it was THAT epic. Simply put, the #4 (Dundee) is simply the best burger I've ever had (and I've had some good burgers).

What is it:
(See also- heaven on a bun. orgasm on a plate. meat of the gods. the answer. perfection.)

A burger unlike any other. It comprises layers of mouth-watering goodness. Not sure exactly everything that is in it, as I don't have a menu in front of me. But the memorable ingredients are (in order):
- Garlic flavored mayo that makes my knees weak
- Overeasy egg that oozes out over the entire burger, enveloping it in melty, dreamy perfection
- Slice of American cheese
- A tinge of salty in the form of a slice of Canadian bacon.
- Thick, fresh, grain-fed, local (Iowan) beef
- Fresh veggies

What makes it the best?

What makes the dundee truly great is not all the great stuff in it. It is the COMBINATION of everything in it and the amazing balance of flavors and aromas that never overwhelm but always compliment each other, thus creating a paradisiac mélange that makes your taste buds dance in ecstasy.

What you should know:

- Due to the sheer size of this burger, many/most people do not finish (ridiculous).
- Also, I can never seem to finish with my hands. It always become soo messy that I just end up using forks.
- For vegetarians/non-beefers, Shorts also makes blackbean burgers. Doubt it's equally delicious (wouldn't be possible), but I hear it's quite good.

Criticisms:

They occasionally overtoast the buns.

Last thoughts:

While the other burgers at Shorts are no doubt delicious, whenever I get something else, no matter how good it tastes, I'm always disappointed I didn't get the # 4, nothing can live up to it's glory. It's like this: The dundee is the best. While the others are great, they are not the best, in comparison, they can only be called good. Why would you order good when you can have the best. It just doesn't make sense. And apparently a lot of people agree with me, because the number 4 is the most popular burger there (according to one of the waitress).

I always tip well at shorts. I can't help it. I'm just soo happy. (Supposedly, eating burgers release the same endorphins that is released during sex and some illicit feel good drugs.)

I've recommended this to 11 people, 8 of whom have enthusiastically agreed with me on the amazingness of this burger. If you doubt my taste (why would you?), the stats do not lie.

Their fries are also very satisfying. Some think it's not crispy enough though. I happen to love both the taste and texture. It taste even better if the egg from the dundee leaks onto the fries.
Soo sooo sooooo good.