First things first: if you did not just grunt at the photo above, sorry, you're not a true American. This past weekend the group got together and we cooked, ate, and took pictures (crazy Saturday night, what can I say). I had always heard how Thomas makes the best burgers, so I really wanted to try them out. These bad boys were heaven in a bun. I don't have a specific recipe for the burgers because Thomas is being a diva and refuses to disclose his secrets, but I did gather some tips for achieving burger perfection:
- Put some ketchup & BBQ sauce into the ground beef for extra juice (about 1/4 cup of each per lb. of ground beef)
- The burgers were about 4 inches wide and 1 inch thick
- ALWAYS toast the buns. Nothing ruins a party like a soggy, pathetic bun.
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| Oh man, look at that juice |
While Thomas was competing for America's Next Top Grill Master, I started baking. We had a ton of peanut butter in my house, A TON. I'm talking an industrial size vat of peanut butter. So, I was inspired to make one of my favorite candies, peanut butter buckeyes.
For those of you who do not know what a buckeye is, it is a peanut butter ball dipped in chocolate, made to resemble the buckeye nut from Ohio. I'm not from Ohio, nor do I know many people from Ohio, but I do love peanut butter. And peanut butter with chocolate? Get outta town. That's gold.
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| The peanut butter mixture should be firm enough to hold a shape |
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| Make sure that the chocolate is shiny and smooth and that there are no lumps. The chocolate should be a little on the liquid-y side, so it is easier to dip the peanut butter balls into. |
Peanut Butter Buckeyes
makes about 35 buckeyes
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 stick salted butter (softened)
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chips
- In a large mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla at a medium to high speed until combined
- Gradually add the sugar and blend until combined
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Shape the peanut butter mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon of mix per ball
- Put the balls in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to harden. The more time they have to harden, the easier they are to work with
- Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips until smooth and shiny
- Using a toothpick, dip each ball in the melted chocolate, making sure the sides are even
- Once all the balls have been dipped, place the balls back into the freezer for 15 minutes or into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until the chocolate has hardened
