gourmet (gore-met) homemade meal

i had a horrible headache today. i need new glasses because now i stare at a computer all day and try to get farmers to return my emails. it was so bad that on the bus home i thought i was going to lose it and i barely made it home without crying. at home i laid on the couch with my eyes closed listening to 'la story' on tv. i love that movie. 

all that is to show how, even with a headache, you can make a great dinner for your family. 

a little while ago i bought some beautiful ground beef from the vendor two tents down from me. an adorable lady told me all about how the cows are grassfed and lived with their babies etc. it was $6 per pound. ($1 discount for me!) that said, it was delicious and worth worth worth it. 

**here's a side note about farmers market prices. farmers that don't grow corn and don't raise corn fed cows rarely or simply don't get government subsidies which means that they're at the mercy of their customers. farmers that do grow corn and raise corn fed cows do get government subsidies so even if they lose money on their crop they still get supported by the government. the reason? the government supports cheap, quick food and it's basically a supply and demand thing. we demand fast food and the farmers have to supply it if they want to make money. it's true that most of the farmers that supply this crap food, know they're supplying crap food, but they have families and mortgages so they grow it.  

farmers that choose not to grow this way are taking a huge risk and that's why their prices seem high but reality that's what food should cost. the cheap stuff we're buying is not good for you, the farmers, or in the long run, the government. if we support our local small farmers and say that we'll pay a little more for real food then there will be no money in growing corn and corn fed beef and everyone will be healthier. 

go watch king corn to learn more. i'll put my soapbox away for now. 

now back to our burgers. 

this whole process took about an hour. and thanks to excedrin from alisa it wasn't so bad. 

leave your beef on the counter, in case it's not completely defrosted like mine. and start making your bun dough... hahaha. bun dough. 

this recipe is for 25 buns so i scaled it down since i don't even know 25 people. 

1/4 cup and 1 tbs warm milk (this is for yeast so not too hot)

2 tsp butter, melted (i threw this in the pot while the milk heated up)

2 tsp warm water

2 tsp white sugar

1/3 package of dry active yeast (i guessed. 1 pkg is 1 tbs so, yeah, just guess)

1/4 tsp salt (i actually forgot this part)

3/4 cup and 3 tbs + 1 tsp all purpose flour

preheat oven to 375.

mix milk, butter, water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minu

tes. 

add flour and salt (unless you don't want to, mine turn out great without

 it). mix up with a spoon until it forms a kind of ball. turn out onto a floured surface. knead for a hot minute. split into three balls, put parchment paper down (or grease it up) on a sheet pan, put the balls on (haha balls) and cover. let them rest for 20 minutes. 

while they're resting form up your patties. and chop up your fixins. 

when they're done resting put them in the oven and watch them. i think they took about 15 minutes to bake. when they're done, let them cool. 

now cook the burgers how you want. i don't have a grill so i made them on the stove, but if you have a grill, do your thing. 

cut the buns in half and add your burgers. 

alisa made a great salad too. 

the rest of the night i spent singing kelly clarkson and of montreal to my room mates so, yeah, it was a great day. 

don't count on the rain, just water the garden, chicago.

love,

keighty

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