Day Four: Far from Light

I thought today would be a "lighter" day, but I was wrong.  I was hungry, and it's Friday, and the Pioneer Woman inspired me. 

Breakfast was Greek yogurt with a Kashi bar crumbled inside.  The protein in the Greek yogurt definitely helps me stay full longer!

I also had a grande coffee from Starbucks.  Told you it was Friday. :)

Lunch was supposed to be this.  But, our principal ordered Chick-fil-A in honor of the holiday weekend.  I enjoyed a chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, kettle chips, and a brownie.  This lovely lean cuisine will have to wait until Monday.

Back to the Pioneer Woman.  My dad's cousin, Sissy, turned us on to the Pioneer Woman one weekend at Land's End.  My mom bought her cookbook for me for Christmas.  She is wonderful!  All of her recipes give step-by-step instructions with pictures.  Perfect for trying new dishes.  On top of her insane skills in the kitchen, which she didn't always have by the way, she has a beautiful love story with her "cowboy."  That's all I need to know.  I'm hooked. 

Appetizers were an assortment of cheese for William and hummus and Taboule for me.

Dinner tonight, thanks to the Pioneer Woman, was Mushroom Swiss Sliders.

I started with the ground sirloin.  The pioneer woman called for ground beef, but this was what I had.  I added sea salt, Worcestershire, ground pepper, and the secret ingredient: 2 Tablespoons of half and half.  I was nervous.  But the pioneer woman said to trust her on this one.  I did what she said.

Her special "fry" sauce is nothing more than mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne pepper.  I knew William would love this.

I chopped the mushrooms and the onion.

I sauteed the onion in two Tablespoons of butter.

Then added the mushrooms.

I put those to the side and began cooking the meat.  I put it in the skillet and let it cook on the first side for 4 minutes, or so.  William had to help me with this part. 

I flipped them over and cooked for another minute or so.  Then, I added the onion and mushroom mixture to the top of each little burger.

Topped with Swiss cheese for the final touch.

I toasted potato rolls for about 3 minutes on 400 degrees.

Topped them with the special sauce. 

And enjoyed two of these with a handful of baked sweet potato fries.  I bought the frozen version of sweet potato fries tonight, but usually I make my own.  I only wanted to have to concentrate on one part of the meal.  :)

This was actually William's plate.  His sliders were prettier than mine.  I had mushrooms and onions escaping all over the plate. 

I have to admit, I impressed myself a little tonight.  These were really good.  Of course, simplified, they are just burgers, but I'd like to think they're much more.  And besides, honestly, I've never been the one cooking the burgers.  Ever. 

The pioneer woman is a great teacher!  I think William was impressed, too.  He said this was the "best first time meal you've ever made."  Whatever that means.  I think he was implying that, typically, my first shot at a new recipe is just mediocre.  It takes practice.  And sometimes, he never wants me to practice it, again.  But, this time was different.  These "left no room for improvement," he said. 

So much for a "lighter" day.  But, I feel great about tonight's accomplishment.  I think I'll stick with it!  One point for Team Moondream!