Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

One of the very first times I had my mother in law prepare something for me to eat, it was at their home in Oklahoma, and she presented us with Onion Burgers.

I loved hamburgers, I loved onion and quite frankly, there was nothing about that combination that wouldn't have made me a very happy girl.

I loved the burgers so much that I asked her to show me how to make them.  Surprisingly, so easy but oh so delicious.

I've made them over the last 20 years, but it had been a while now since we enjoyed these, I don't think I had yet made them since moving to Texas.

As I was preparing my menu plan last week, I came across a picture of a fried onion burger and immediately jotted down the Onion burgers on the meal plan.

Then I realized that I hadn't yet shared it here on the blog, and that of course had to be remedied too.

My mother in law cooks all the onion on one side of the griddle, and the burgers on the other.  I do that sometimes too, but the past few times I've been doing it slightly different, and I'll explain that in the recipe below.

By the way, as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm back to cooking and sharing recipes, and I really do hope you're enjoying my return.  If you are, let me know down below and also let me know how long you've followed Full Bellies :)

Right, now onto the delicious Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger.

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper to season burgers
Butter

Swiss or American cheese (truly your choice of cheese, really)
Hamburger Buns
Mayo, Mustard or Ketchup
Pickles

If you want a thick huge burger, then divide the ground beef into 4 patties.  I usually get 8 burgers out of mine because I don't make them as thick, and also flatten them out quite a bit.

In a griddle, place a few pats of butter.  Take the onion slices and make a mound for each burger patty, on the griddle.  So if you're having 8 burgers, divide the onion slices into eight equal parts and place them down on the griddle.

Take the burger patties and place them on each of the onion mounds, then press down so that the onions stick to the burger.

 
Cook until the onions turn a nice gold brown, about 8 minutes or so.  Flip them over, and cook on the other side until the patty is brown and cooked all the way through.
 

Place a slice of cheese on each patty and let it melt, then transfer to the hamburger buns.  Add desired condiments and toppings and serve.

We like ours just plain with either some mayo or ketchup, and a few slices of pickle, nothing more.  Truly they don't need anything else on, they are divine just like this.

Sheet Pan Crunchwrap

A few years ago I put up a recipe for Homemade Crunchwrap, and it's been one of the most pinned and shared recipes.

If you're a fan of Taco Bell and like Crunchwraps, you may want to give it a try.

So think about a crunchwrap but in a sheet pan, where you can just cut it up into small individual pieces.  What could be better than that?  I'm actually thinking this would be a great dish to serve at get togethers and potlucks.

The recipe comes from Tasty and I adapted it to our taste.

Sheet Pan Crunchwrap

Servings: 14

2 pounds ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
8 Large Flour tortillas
5 Corn tostadas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I didn't measure, just eyeballed and added as much as I liked)
Shredded Mozzarella
Nacho Cheese
Diced tomatoes and lettuce

Preheat oven to 375.

Generously spray a sheet tray with non stick spray.

Brown the ground beef over medium heat, when done, drain excess oil and add the taco seasoning packet.  I added in a tiny amount of water just so it wasn't so dry.

Place the tortillas so half of the tortilla is hanging over the edge of the pan. Place 6 tortillas around the border of the sheet tray and one tortilla in the middle, covering the exposed sheet tray.

Sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese over the tortillas.

Spread the ground beef over the cheese, then scoop on some nacho cheese over the beef.  Place the corn tostadas on top and lastly, sprinkle on some diced tomatoes and lettuce. 

Sprinkle more cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top, place the last flour tortilla on top of the cheese, in the center of the crunchwrap, then fold over the flour tortillas so they cover the filling and touch the center tortilla.

Place another baking tray on top of the crunchwrap and then weigh it down with a cast iron skillet, or something else that is heavy.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the skillet and the baking tray, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the tortillas are nice and brown.

Let sit for about 5 minutes, and slice into smaller rectangles.  Enjoy :)

Biscoitos (Portuguese Cookies)

I grew up in Portugal, and always with my greatgrandmother in the house.  She was the matriarch, the one that oversaw the cooking and pretty much kept a close eye on everyone and everything that was going on.

While my parents had to work, it was my greatgrandma that watched us during the day, cooked our meals, waited for us at the door when we returned from school and then made dinner for everyone.

I learned a lot with her.

One of the fondest memories I have, are of these cookies sitting in a big glass jar.  There would be tons of these always available, and as we walked by the counter, my brothers and I would snatch a few to enjoy.

I will say that they are not very sweet at all, which to me is perfect as I much prefer simple cookies that I can have with a cup of coffee or tea. 

When I first made them, I was worried my husband and kids would not enjoy them, because they're not really the type of cookie they're used to, but they all love them just as much as I, and now I make sure to always have a batch on hand :)

I have my greatgrandma's recipe written down somewhere, just need to fish it out, but this recipe comes from Easy Portuguese Recipes.  It's pretty much the exact recipe that I have written down :)

Biscoitos

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg for brushing on the cookie (or you can use milk if you prefer)


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Beat together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Add the eggs and the melted butter.  Pinch off small balls of dough, about an inch in size, then roll into a log and overlap the ends, making a bow.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. 

 
Brush the cookies with some beaten egg, or a little bit of milk if you prefer.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cookies are brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Keep either in a glass container, or in a ziploc bag.  They will keep for quite a few weeks, but they don't usually last very long in my house.