guest photo: Micah’s Paula Deen-inspired burger

Okay, so Paula Deen makes a burger topped with bacon and a fried egg, then sandwiched between Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Except for meatloaf, I tend to avoid Paula Deen’s recipes since they’re often outrageously unhealthy (aforementioned burger included).

But my best friend Jessica got married over the weekend, and instead of hiring caterers for a traditional reception, she got her brand new hubby Brent to grill us all burgers and hot dogs. Besides the usual ketchup, mustard, and pickles, we also had a batch of my pimiento cheese to slather on our burgers (Jessica’s special request). Once you throw in beer, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookie cake…well, it was a delicious and fun post-wedding feast!

Here’s where it get’s weird.

See, we’d gotten a few dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast (also the bride’s request!), and there were a few left over.

So my ever-experimenting husband decided he wanted to use one as a hamburger bun. Micah sliced that doughnut in half (rather than using two whole doughnuts–probably a good call), and Brent obligingly added it to his stack of stuff to char.

But since we had no bacon and eggs in the cabin, Micah topped his burger patty with pimiento cheese (gooey), slivers of cut-up grilled hot dog (smoky), and dill pickle chips (crunchy).

And then he snapped this photo:

creepy mutant burger....

You’re probably thinking, “Hmm….not sure that’s the best idea…?”

Or, if you’re a parent who’s used to your kids putting together weird stuff and then turning up their little noses, you might be thinking, “You made it, now you gotta eat it.”

Or, if you’re a frequent viewer of Man Vs. Food, you might be thinking, “Food won.”

You’re probably not thinking, “Damn! That looks tasty!”

With good reason.

Micah ate the whole thing. Not because he liked it, but because he didn’t want to waste it. He said he wouldn’t make a burger like this again.

I tried a bite, and honestly, although the hot dog and pimiento cheese were strange additions, it was definitely the Krispy Kreme doughnut that transformed this strange concoction into a kind of gross one.

Experiment complete. Lesson learned.

(At least until the next time Micah’s confronted with burgers and a buffet of unlikely toppings. )

supper tonight – 3.14.12 – Paula Deen married Alton Brown and they made a meatloaf baby

A few months back, Micah and I got a craving for meatloaf. We had ground beef, an egg, breadcrumbs, and ketchup–all the stuff I remember grownups putting in and on their meatloaves when I was a kid–but no idea how long or how hot it needed to bake, no idea what proportions to use. So, we decided to consult some experts for their opinions.

Google meatloaf and you’ll come up with lots of hits: “I Would Do Anything for Love,” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad“…

…

…and plenty of recipes, too.

(Sorry. My love for meatloaf is rivaled only by my penchant for cheese and corn. )

Anyway, we probably read a couple dozen recipes that afternoon, some really basic, some a little strange (breakfast sausage and clams? so weird I might just have to try it one day!). But since we were both craving that classic, homey, comfort-food meatloaf flavor, we ignored some variations like the Pioneer Woman’s that sounded really good in favor of the recipes that were a little more traditional. (Plus, we were out of bacon.)

The only problem was, instead of finding “the one,” we narrowed it down to two, and we weren’t going to do that whole one-for-the-wedding-and-one-for-the-reception thing.

First, Paula Deen’s recipe. It’s pretty standard, but it called for quick-cooking oats. We only had steel cuts, and I thought those might make for a too-chewy substitution. We did like the addition of canned tomatoes (which seemed like they would add moisture and flavor), and the recipe had heaps of good reviews. (Plus, Paula’s the self-proclaimed goddess of Southern cooking, and this meatloaf called for zero sticks of butter and no deep frying.)

The other contender? Alton Brown’s recipe from Good Eats (which was one of our favorite Food Network shows before we cancelled our cable). Also fairly classic, also well reviewed. Pros: carrots, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and the ease of chopping lots of yummy veggies in the food processor. Cons: Cumin is one of my favorite spices, but I wasn’t sure I wanted it in my sauce (and some of the reviewers were a bit iffy on it as well).

So, we lovingly welcomed into this world Alton and Paula’s meatloaf love child, a sweet little guy with just a bit of a fiery temper. While we did improvise a little (hey, it’s what we do!), this baby’s got Paula’s tomatoes, Alton’s carrots, and hopefully a good shot at inheriting both celebrichefs’ fortunes one day.

This is now our go-to meatloaf recipe, which we spiced up for supper tonight with pork sausage in place of some of the ground beef and a little more hot sauce in the glaze. We enjoyed this yummy stuff with the last of those leftover butterbeans and some collards:

What’s in it (the loaf):

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork or mild pork sausage
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup canned tomatoes
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

What’s in it (the ketchupy glaze):

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (or less, if you want a not-so-spicy loaf)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Step-by-step:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Put the ground beef and pork sausage in a big bowl.
• Finely chop the carrot, onion, and garlic (or let your food processor do it for you like I do–thanks, Alton!). Add these to the bowl.
• Add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, tomatoes, and egg.
• Roll up your sleeves and get to mixin’! Combine everything thoroughly, but don’t smoosh the meat too much.
• Transfer the meat to a 9″x13″ baking dish and mold it into a loaf-shaped mound.
• Wash your hands!
• Mix together the sauce ingredients and spread that out on top of your loaf.
• Bake for about an hour, cool for a few minutes, slice, and enjoy! (It’s even better if you drizzle some of those yummy pan drippings over the top.)

We were meatloaf-challenged a few months ago, but now we’ve got a recipe we can count on. (Tonight’s was the best batch yet!)

What’s your favorite way to make meat(or meatless)loaf?