Burger and Waffles (yes, you read that right)

Val (and Jen's) Version 

(Roswell, GA)

As you can see, I made it safely to Georgia!!! Made the trip with all 3 kids in about 24 hours of driving, spread over 3 days. Very few hiccups, so there's consideration of more family vacations like this in the future. Maybe. (Worth noting, since Val didn't mention, she ran out of gas on the highway in the middle of nowhere with 3 kids. Just a minor "hiccup") 

We have decided to do one dish together and then take a little break for the summer. We have a lot planned in such a short amount of time, so we apologize for not updating weekly through these next couple of months. We will resume weekly posts mid-August. 

That being said, we are going out with a bang. Or … not. I'm going to honestly tell you that our initial plan was to do a southern treat and create a divine platter filled with chicken and waffles. Then Jen got this bright idea to add our own twist and use the waffles as hamburger buns. Epic. Fail.

(Jen) Let me clarify - we were trying to fit the theme of the USA-Belgium World Cup game. When you think all-American food, you think burgers. And when you think about Belgian food, which you never do, you think Belgian waffles. I don't care if you Wikipedia it and learn that Belgian waffles aren't even from Belgium. This was a creative risk. All great cooks take risks!!!!!!!!

The flavor was delicious. Individually. I'd definitely make the burgers again. And the waffles recipe is pretty simple and a safe bet to be a crowd pleaser. But put them together and you have a lot of crooked expressions and squinted eyes. Disapproval. Dissatisfaction. Yearning for more. Who knows?!? But, I'm glad we did it. All chefs have to learn and we learned not to do this pairing again. 

 I absolutely love experimenting with beef burgers. It has so much character. Beef. It can be transformed into just about anything. Or you can just keep it simple. 

And what's more simple than boxed waffle mix? With a dash of Vanilla, of course.

(Jen) At least we didn't use the "just add water" one, which is my usual preference :)

It seriously took us about an hour to locate a waffle maker. Ended up borrowing from the neighbor. So, make sure you actually have one on hand before preparing your meal. There was a lot of chaos and sweat during this step in the process.

Jen worked on the baked peaches while I put the apple pie egg rolls together. 

I'm still not a huge fan of hot oil (really, who is?), but these little delicasies were quite delish!

Plating looks really good :)

The sweet stuff came out flawless and again, the burgers and the waffles would've been great had they stood alone. A little too much going on. BUT, you shouldn't knock it till you try it! Or lose bravery points and just take our word for it. 

(Jen) I think everything would have been better if the US Soccer Team didn't lose while we were cooking. Those apple egg rolls made us a feel a little better...

And here's some adorableness … my pretty kitty (aka one-eyed Joe, fka Jasper)!!

Burger and Waffles
Prep Time: 20 Minutes (heat the grill while preparing pattys, if using)
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves as many people who are willing to try it!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. maple sausage
Salt and pepper to taste
Waffle mix (whatever is preferred)
Waffle iron (kind of an important piece to the culunary puzzle)

Directions:

Mix ground beef and sausage together and form patties. Sprinkle salt and pepper to both sides. Let rest to room temperature (about 20 min.). Get cast iron skillet heated to medium high and then place your patties on, one at a time. Let cook about 4 minutes a side, without pressing too much. Cook medium well.

Mix waffle mix per boxed instructions and prepare as normal. Use each quarter as bun.

Top with maple syrup, if you're feeling extra daring!