Cheeseburgers and Ice Cube Trays
When I asked my dad what he wanted for his birthday, he responded, “Ice cube trays. The big cube ones, for whiskey. Maybe the spherical ones, too.”
...sure, Dad. You got it. I think it's kind of cool actually, to turn 66 and not really want anything more than ice cube trays. G status.
When I asked him what he wanted to have for his birthday dinner, if he wanted to go out or stay in, he requested cheeseburgers and hotdogs. I took care of the cheeseburgers (nothing fancy, recipe to follow), Pa & John brought hotdogs (some kind of veal situation with a great snap), baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and we had potato chips, fries, and a Boston creme pie. Dad spilled root beer all over himself (and the floor) and Mom put horseradish sauce on her burger. Pa and John bought him fancy crocs (*sigh) and, knee-deep in a food coma, we watched the Dimitri v. Murray match at the U.S. Open.
Happy 66th birthday, Daddy. I can only aspire to your level of cool.
(the ten second concept drawing of Dad and his birthday burgers)
A simple recipe for simple (but delicious) cheeseburgers
Thank you to my sister, aka my reluctant hand model
Ingredients
- ground beef chuck (20% fat)
- salt and pepper
- American cheese or sharp cheddar
- lettuce, tomato, red onion
- Duke's mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard
- potato buns
Directions
- Make burgers: salt & pepper the chuck. Form into balls (you can food scale it up, though we generally just eyed it), flatten into patties, and use your thumb to make an indentation in the center so they cook flat.
- Cook over grill or med/high heat in a cast iron skillet on stovetop until desired doneness.
- Assemble: Bun, burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, bun.
- Make your family pose for photos before they eat. Oh, maybe that's just me.
Behind the burger scene at Casa de Sananikone
We made sliders too, because the slider buns were too cute not to bring home.