There is something about food that you know that just makes you feel like you got a big hug. I love finding recipes for traditional foods but with a healthier or new age kick to it. Yes Mom I used the phrase new age in my blog. So when I found this recipe for oven baked onion rings I knew instantly that was going on the "I must make it" list. Does anyone else cut out recipes and carry them in their purse? Or is that just a neurotic obsession that only I have? I figure if I have a recipe in my purse I can always stop at a grocery store for ingredients on my way home, always have a recipe to recommend to people and always have some type of food inspiration at all times.



This week it has been cold at night so warm food for dinner is exactly what I needed. I decided to make Baked Onion Rings and Old Fashioned Cheeseburgers courtesy of Martha Stewart. She has definitely gotten better over the years because I remember when she first came out I think it was truly her goal to make the longest most convoluted recipes possible and then sit back and laugh at the home Chefs as we jacked it up. Just saying.

So the onion rings were super easy. As you know I have a slight fear of deep frying anything so being able to bake them just put me right at ease. You take a sweet onion like a Vidalia and slice it into quarters and then separate the onion into rings. In a food processor combine the cornflakes and breadcrumbs and pulse into fine crumbs form. In another bowl combine egg, buttermilk, flour, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Then you take the onion rings and dip them in the egg mixture and the cornflake mixture and place them on a cookie sheet. The recipe does have you bake them for 16 minutes at 450 degrees but I didnt think they were crispy enough so I put them in the broiler for probably 5 minutes after that just to get them to crisp up.

The cheeseburgers were also extremely easy. Take the 1 lb beef and divide it into 4 pieces. The recipe actually has you put the meat between plastic wrap and flatten it with a rolling pin but before I read that I had shaped them into patties with my hands and that worked just fine. The cool thing about this recipe is you cook the burgers in a cast iron skillet which truly keeps the juices in and doesn't dry them out which can sometimes happen on a bbq. When the burgers are almost done you put the cheese on them and let me just say I don't eat American cheese very often so having it on my burger just made my day...the plastic texture and fake cheese taste seriously just can't be beat once in awhile. I toasted the buns in the broiler and served the burgers with lettuce, tomato, pickles and an assortment of mustards, ketchup and random sauces I found in the fridge. I am kind of a sauce hoarder I will admit and I tend to buy random sauces all of the time.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Presidents Day weekend! I just love the fact that we get to celebrate the founders of our country by having Monday off. If it was up to me everyone would have my birthday off as well so we could celebrate that day as a country. And one more random thought for the day, is anyone else watching Top Chef? I love Paul!!!