Ever had a Western Burger?

If , at some point in your life, you ate in a WFISD cafeteria on a regular basis, odds are, you have. If you haven't, I recommend giving them a try. They are a simple little dish and fairly easy to make (I say fairly because the dough and I fought a little this time). It's essentially a dinner roll stuffed with a cheesy, mustardy, oniony, meat mixture. Trust me. It's good. Jackson loved it and Chad ate three. Wichita Falls even has an official "Western Burger Day". See? Good.

Just like the cafeteria ladies used to make.

You want the recipe don't you?

Here you go-

Yield: 8-10 servings

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Bread Dough:

2 Tbsp istant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup powdered milk

1 Tbsp salt

3-1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups water

Burger filling:

2-1/2 lbs ground beef

1-1/2 Tbsp prepared mustard

2-1/2 Tbsp dehydrated onion

1/2 tsp pepper

5 oz. grated cheese

Directions:

To prepare bread dough, add all dry ingredients to mixing bowl. Mix in shortening with dough beater (hook). Add water and knead 7 minutes or until dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Place in a greased bowl and let rise for approximately 35 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, cook meat, salt, pepper and onion until meat is done. Stir occasionally to break up chunks. Drain liquid from meat and add mustard and cheese.

Pinch off 2 oz. dough and roll each piece to about 1/4 inch thick and into a 5 inch circle. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in the middle of each dough circle and fold up edges and pinch. Place on a lightly greased pan with fold edges down. Let rise about 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

(I'll admit to all of you that mine took a lot longer than the directions say - it was the waiting for the rising part. Ugh!)

THE Pancakes. Seriously.

We are pancake people. We love pancakes. We eat a lot of pancakes. We thought we knew what we were doing when it came to pancakes. We were wrong. I came across this recipe a couple of days ago and knew they had to be tried as part of our weekend pancake feast. I understand why Orangette said she was crazy for them. They are melt in your mouth fantastic!

Make them. Eat them. Love them.

Here's how:

Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted from the Inn at Fordhook Farm

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
Vegetable oil or spray, for greasing the pan
Maple syrup, for serving

Blogger's note: I have since added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to the mix. We love it!!

The night before:
Combine the oats and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The morning of:
Take the bowl of buttermilk and oats out of the fridge. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir well. Add the flour mixture, and stir to blend. The batter will be very thick.

Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush (or spray) with vegetable oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers under the tap and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready. Scoop the batter, about a scant ¼ cup at a time, onto the pan, taking care not to crowd them. When the underside is nicely browned and the top looks set around the edges, flip the pancakes. Cook until the second side has browned.

Re-grease the skillet, and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve hot, with maple syrup.

Yield: about 15 pancakes

Lacey's note: If you like blueberries and want them in your pancakes, add them once you've got the pancakes on the griddle and after you've let the first side cook a little. They will get soft and gushy and oh so yummy. Try it. You could also try bananas. Yum!

Thank you, Orangette for making our mouths happy!