Destination Relaxation

I’ll be the first to admit that traveling with Jake makes me, well, nervous.  The farthest we’ve ever gone away from home is Cleveland and that was when he was just a few months old.  I wish I could tell you I was all gung ho about taking him away on a trip this summer, but that’d only be partly true.

You see, I’m not worried about him being away from home because I’m pretty sure we can get on a similar schedule he has here and be just fine.  It’s the getting there part that makes me cringe.  How will he do flying, driving, on a boat?

Deciding where to go has gone through several phases.  First, I wanted to try South Carolina.  Get a beach house somewhere and just chill.

Then, I asked around and got Destin as the consensus for places to take your kids.  I looked at the pictures and it was just lovely.  Hurricane season limited us a bit on when to take a trip, though, so it was quietly marked off the list.

Chicago was mentioned a few times, but I’m a beach person at heart plus I wanted a quiet, relaxing trip, not a go, go, go sightseeing trip, so it too was nixed.

Of course Hawaii was mentioned, but…no.  No funds, long flight, just no.  Not quite yet, my dear Jacob.  In time.

Finally, we settled on Texas.  My mom lives near San Antonio, so we talked about coming to visit her and then Jeff and I bumming around SA for a few days.  Then she asked me “What about South Padre Island?”  She went there a few years ago and loved it.  I’d always heard people talk about it when I was in college as a fun Spring Break place.  It’s just a couple hours from her home, so I said, “Sure!”

We are planning to rent a condo for a few days and just chill.  Maybe take in a sight or two, but the main purpose of the trip is to recharge our batteries.  I strongly believe that I need a vacation to really get back to where I need to be.  I haven’t been myself 100% in the last year and a half and I miss me.  Plus I’m unspeakably excited to get to share the beach with Jake!

Good thing I get a discount on sunblock.

What tips do you have for traveling (especially flying) with kids?  Jake will be 21 months at the time of the trip.

Swiss Burgers

I love burgers.  In fact, if you gave me a choice between steak and a cheeseburger, it would be a very tough decision for me.  I’m not quite sure what it is about the burger.  Maybe it’s the juicy, well seasoned beef.  Maybe it’s the melty cheese.  Maybe it’s just because I like dipping things in ketchup.

It could be all three.

No matter what the reason, I made a killer burger the other night.  I recently purchased Balsamic Glaze from Trader Joe’s.  After I had it on some grilled pizza, my brain started churning.  I immediately thought of putting it on a burger of some sort.

After a few minutes of brainstorming, I came up with what I believe to be a truly great burger.  Brace yourself.  Swiss burgers topped with caramelized onions and balsamic glaze on a toasted brioche bun.  *DROOL*

I just gave you an idea for dinner this weekend, right?  You’re welcome.

Swiss Burger with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic Glaze

2 white onions, thin sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound 80/20 ground beef*
salt
pepper
1 tbsp Worchestershire
Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze
4 Brioche rolls

The onions take about 45 minutes to caramelize fully, so plan ahead and start them in enough time to eat them with your burgers.  In a small pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and onions.  Toss to combine.  Once the onions start sizzling, you can turn down the head to low and let cook, stirring occasionally.  Do not salt them at this point.  Salt will bring out the water in the onions and they will take longer to caramelize.  Once your onions are golden brown and very soft, they are done.

Preheat your grill.  In a small bowl, season your ground beef with salt, pepper, and worchestershire.  Mix to incorporate but don’t over mix or your beef will get tough.

Level out your meat in the bowl and divide it into quadrants.  Now, make each quadrant into a burger.  This ensures even sized burgers.  Grill your burgers over medium heat for a few minutes on each side or until your burgers are cooked to your desired doneness.

A minute or so before your burgers are cooked, throw your buns, cut side down, onto the grill so they toast up.  Now’s the time you can put slices of Swiss cheese on your burgers so they melt.

To assemble the burger, top your roll with the burger, then the caramelized onion.  To finish it off, drizzle the balsamic glaze over the onions.

I had some Alexis Sweet Potato fries in my freezer I cooked to serve alongside.  It was one of the best dinners I’d made in a long time.

*Every chef on Food Network suggests using 80/20 ground beef for the correct ratio of meat to fat.  This yields the juiciest, most flavorful burgers.