#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Recipe: Mini Double Onion Cheddar Patty Melts

October 16, 2012 · Narrative

Mini Double Onion Cheddar Patty Melts - Side Photo
One of my favorite places to eat, particularly during high school and the later years, is a good old-fashioned diner. Basic menu, something for everyone, reasonably priced … and comfort food to the nth degree. One of my favorite diners used to have jukeboxes at every booth and became one of our go-to spots when I was in my late teens and early twenties. We’d pile into a booth after a game. Or a school concert. Or Christmas play. Or to dissect a break-up. Or talk about our latest crush. We’d see and be seen. And our biggest cares would be our collection of rubber bracelets a la Madonna or the latest George Michael tune.

Sometimes that seems like so long ago. Sometimes I can visualize enough details that it could have been yesterday. Which is surprising because my memory sucks a lot of the times. Ask my kids.

The menu items I ordered rotated amongst a few favorites, depending on my mood. Grilled cheese with tomato and bacon. A juicy medium rare cheeseburger. Disco fries. As a young adult, my go-to dish was a gyro, with no lettuce, sauteed onions instead of raw, and extra tzatiki sauce on the side (for mixing with ketchup and dipping my fries into). My friend Allison and I would order our gyros nearly the same way, and the waiters quickly learned what we wanted as soon as we walked in the door.

I loved that.

And Patty Melts. Oh man, patty melts. Crispy bread. Perfectly caramelized onions. A juicy burger. And cheese. Oh yes.

When the folks at Pillsbury asked me to develop a recipe using their frozen biscuits, I knew exactly what I’d make. Something that reminded me of my diner days. But with a twist or two. How about a mini version Patty Melt? With double the onions? And adding mushrooms? And a different kind of cheese?

Mini Double Onion Cheddar Patty Melts-001
Well hello there.

The recipe is super simple to make, with the longest part going to caramelizing the onions, but even with that, you’re done lickety-split. Nick devoured his in nothing flat, so they’re kid-friendly in both size *and* taste, and he was looking for a second one when he came up for air. And I don’t blame him. Full-bodied burger flavor, a little sweetness from the onions, woodsiness from the mushrooms, and a slightly sharp bite from the Cheddar? You can’t go wrong. For realz.

The frozen biscuits, which I didn’t even know existed before this assignment, are a great thing to stash in your freezer, particularly if you want just a couple. Take out and bake what you need, and keep the rest in the freezer. I kind of love that. When I made this batch, I made extra burgers (but didn’t cook them), and wrapped them up individually and popped them into the freezer. Now with the biscuits on hand, and some pre-mixed, pre-formed burgers all ready, I’m more than halfway to another easy grab-and-go meal on a crazy weeknight.

And we all know how valuable THAT is.

Mini Double Onion Cheddar Patty Melt - Warm Shot-001

Tomorrow? We talk pink.

PS One more day left to enter the Subway gift card giveaway – hop to it!

Mini Double Onion Cheddar Patty Melts
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
10 oz package of Baby Bellas, rinsed, woody stems removed, and sliced
1.25 lb ground beef
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 package Pillsbury Frozen Honey Butter Biscuits
1/4 lb thinly sliced sharp Cheddar cheese
Honey Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 and bake 7 biscuits, following package instructions.

While the biscuits are baking, heat a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat and add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter starts to melt, add the sliced onions. As the onions start to turn golden brown and soften, approximately 10 minutes, add the mushrooms. Continue cooking, lowering temperature to medium, until the onions are fully caramelized and the mushrooms are cooked.

Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan, setting aside in a bowl, and wipe pan clean.

In a separate bowl, mix the ground beef and the dry onion soup mix until just combined. Using a large ice cream scoop, portion out the ground beef. Flatten the ground beef scoops and put in pan to cook. Brown on both sides and cook until desired temperature is reached (approximately four minutes each side for medium).

Once the mini burgers are cooked, add the Cheddar cheese on top of the burgers, while still in the pan. Turn off the heat. Put a lid on the pan, allowing the steam to melt the cheese.

Once the biscuits are done, split them in half and lightly spread with Honey Dijon mustard. Top with mushrooms and onions, then the burgers, and then more mushrooms and onions. Serve open-face with utensils. Devour.

Tips:

Swap out the Cheddar cheese for another favorite strong cheese – bleu cheese would be fabulous!

Go vegetarian and use giant roasted Portobello mushrooms in place of the beef burgers.

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: biscuits, comfort food, diner food, patty melts, Pillsbury

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    October 17, 2012 at 6:32 am

    Patty melts have somehow evaded me all these years…but I do love me some diner food. Pancakes for dinner? I’m always in.

    I think my favorite part of these would be the toppings!
    Joanne recently posted..Recipe: {Vegetarian} Bacon and Butternut Pasta with Caramelized Onions and Kale

    Reply
  2. paula says

    October 17, 2012 at 8:22 am

    LOL, in my 20s when I lived in Philly and we’d hit the South Street Diner after a night out, I ALWAYS ordered the gyro.

    Reply

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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