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Simple Pleasures - Dinner At Home

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." - George Bernard Shaw

I hadn't really eaten all day and had no intentions of going out this evening, so I knew I had to make dinner.   I didn't have many options, but had defrosted some ground beef, so a burger was in order.  The original plan was a simple burger with lettuce and tomato.  It turned into a little more and a burger that was so messy, I couldn't actually put it down.  This was a small price to pay for a burger that was one of the best I've ever made at home.

I opened the fridge and took a quick inventory of what was available and quickly realized the standard American classic was going to take on a different angle.  I cut two slices in half and laid the four strips into a pan and turned the heat on.  As they cooked, I gently separated about eight ounces of 80/20% ground beef, sprinkling salt, pepper, garlic and cumin liberally onto it.  I then splashed a little Worcestershire sauce over it.  I gently formed it into a patty, making sure not to over work it.  I took the bacon out of the pan and placed it onto paper towels, then placed the burger into the pan, which was sizzling with the bacon grease.  I gently pressed the burger down to make sure I had a nice uniform char.  As the burger cooked, I wiped down my cutting board and grabbed the veggies.  I julienned some red onion and threw it into the pan.  I then ripped some lettuce and sliced a tomato.  I flipped the burger and gave it an even more gentle press, as not to lose any of the juices.  I then put an English muffin into the toaster  As the burger got close edge reached what I assumed was medium rare, I grabbed an egg and cracked it gently into the pan, dabbing the middle to slightly break the yolk.  I then quickly turned the heat off, flipping the egg 20 seconds later. As I quickly grabbed the bottom of the English muffin and slathered about a tablespoon of mayo on it.  Then I placed the lettuce, followed by the tomato.  I then placed the sauteed onions onto the tomato, followed by the burger.  I topped the burger with Sriracha, then the bacon and finally the egg, whose yolk was still almost liquid, but not runny.  A dab of mayo on the other half of the muffin and it was ready to eat.

An glass of ice water was the only thing to accompany the meal.  I realized quickly the would not be an easy burger to eat, as it stood about six to eight inches high.  I grabbed a hand towel, seeing that napkins would only create more of a mess.  I slowly pressed down to meld all the elements of my concoction and watch as the juices from the burger ran down and combined with all those beneath it all while the yolk spread out over the bacon and burger itself.  I grabbed it with two hands and took the first bite, revealing the perfectly cooked pink center surrounded by an almost crispy outer surface.  This combination of breakfast and lunch was a perfect mesh for dinner, but there was an instant realization.  I was not going to be able to put the burger down for fear of the entire thing falling apart.  So that was it, I knew this dinner would be enjoyable, but short lived.  Minutes later it was gone, with nothing left on the plate but a small piece of bacon. The perfect palate cleanser.  The icy water washed it all down and I was done.  So simple in it's building, but so complex in its taste.

About half an hour later, I melted some butter in a pan, threw in slices of banana and at the very end, covered with some maple syrup.   Poured them all onto a plate and dug in with a nice hot cup of coffee.  Simple things that make us happy are so much more rewarding than those things that take so much time and effort.  At least this person believe this theory.

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