The CHEESEBURGER!

We watch a lot of the Food Network (my personal fave is Guy Fieri...) One day last month I watched Sunny Anderson's "Cooking For Real". She made her take on a bacon cheeseburger and I was hooked! I made them last week and Russ is already begging me to make them again. I had my brother and mom drooling over the description of them... and you know me, the photographer... I even took a picture. So, here it is, and I'm even going to share how to make them... let me know if you try!

I started with 2 lbs of 85% ground beef, which I seasoned with garlic salt, ground pepper and a dash of worcestershire sauce. I mixed it up and formed 8 large, but thin, patties and set them aside.

I diced up 8 slices of bacon and sauteed them. Russ said he would have prefered the bacon to be crispier, but I prefer mine soft. After removing the bacon from the pan (put on a plate lined with paper towel), I sauteed 1/2 small yellow onion in the bacon fat.

The cooked onions joined the bacon on the plate and cooled for a few minutes. I then mixed in 1 cup shredded cheddar and put a little mound of the mixture on 4 of the hamburger patties. The 4 remaining patties were used to top the loaded patty. I pinched the sides so everything wouldn't ooze out and threw them on the grill!!!

They were AMAZING. Very tasty! And unlike a regular bacon cheeseburger, where the bacon all falls out after the first bite, each bite had a bit of bacon, onion and cheese! YUM. My mouth is watering just typing this!!!

Here's the finished product!!! (Excuse the poor picture quality... I was more interested in quickly documenting - then eating - the burger!)

Major Milestones: First Dental Appointments and NO MORE PACIFIER!!!

I know Abbi should have been to the dentist some time in the last 30 months. I KNOW that... but its one of the things that keeps getting pushed to the back burner. I asked for recommendations, but no one LIKES their dentist...well, except for our family doctor... but that dentist doesn't take our insurance. Anyway, excuses, excuses...

So, today they went for the first time. I talked it up big time... how exciting it would be! how great their teeth would look and feel! The new toothbrushes they'd get! (plus, I bought them each a new brush and new paste) Surprisingly, they were both pumped up for it! Not nervous at all... Well, Abbi was a *little* nervous, but not so much that Lexi caught on.

Abbi was the first in the chair. Sat in there alone for x-rays like a pro. Let the dentist poke and prod her teeth and enjoyed the cleaning. Even did okay for the flouride treatment! I was so proud... Then, it was Lexi's turn. She almost JUMPED into the chair. She tried to cooperate for x-rays, but we know Lou... she's TINY. And she has a tiny mouth, too! The x-ray slides wouldn't stay in her mouth! Then the dentist came in to look at her teeth and she said to him, "I see the dentist! He looks at my teeth." The dentist chuckled... probably not the reaction he's used to from a 2 year old. She even sat through the full 60 seconds of flouride, despite the hygenist telling me she probably wouldn't be able to. SO PROUD!

Afterwards, they picked out their presents from the gift chest and talked about how FUN the dentist was. I was amazed.

In related news... Lexi has kicked her paci habit. On a whim, I asked her on Monday to give me her pacifier to give to Millie... and I told her, if she gave it to me, I'd buy her a present. She said she wanted a toy and a snack. Okay! Since then, she's asked for her pacifier 3 times - twice when she fell and one day when she was really sleepy. But, each time, I've reminded her that she gave it to me and that we'll be buying a toy for her. Once, she said, "I want it back," and I replied, "I don't know where it is." She listed some usual places, "Ummmmm...how about the table? how about your hand? how about the diaper bag?" And when I said I couldn't get it, she dropped the subject. This was actually MUCH easier than I'd expected and we'll be buying her a new Princess Presto doll tomorrow (from a current fave, "Super Why").

So, here are pictures from today's dentist visit.... Unfortunately, I won't be able to document Russ' visit tomorrow... his first in years. My visit is a week from tomorrow, and I'm hoping to go into it with the same enthusiasm as the girls!