Hi Everyone! August is fast approaching. August is the month for our annual Goode family reunion. I’m sure that I have mentioned before that I come from a very large family. This is especially true on my dad’s side. Every August many, many of us get together at a small community hall near where we all live for a potluck. It is called Union Hall and it way out in the country. There are several family members, including my Grandma and Grandpa Goode, that are buried in the little cemetery that lies just across the gravel road from the hall. As years pass and some younger members of the family move away, and some older ones leave us, there is talk of discontinuing the reunion. My Uncle Richard has made it clear that we will continue to have it for as long as he is around. He promised my Grandma that we would carry on the tradition. I am sincerely glad that he made that promise. I realize that it is a hassle to make food to carry there and we must give up most of a Sunday, but it is so important to keep contact with family members, near and far. We always have a good time, eating wonderful food, talking, laughing and playing bingo. The kids can play ball out in the yard with cousins that they only see once a year. The adults can catch up on what has happened in their immediate families and reconnect.
There is also a lot of recipe swapping that occurs because of this reunion. There are some recipes that are perennial favorites and expected to make an appearance on those long countertops. If they do not, there are good-natured complaints. My family are country folk and as such, they have hunted and farmed for years. Some of the dishes that are shared contain garden-raised produce or wild game. Yes, we do eat squirrel. It is a common dish in these parts. Most of the time it is fried and that does show up at the Goode reunion on occasion if the squirrel hunting has been good. Another is squirrel and noodles. That dish never lasts long. By the time the poor people that are at the end of the food line reach that pan, it is gone. Fried chicken, taco salad, green beans and ham, fresh yeast rolls all grace the countertop. I, myself, have a group of dishes that are standards for the family reunion. If I don’t walk through that screen door with Ladybug Cookies I hear grumbles. That recipe is coming your way soon.
Another main dish that I have shared several times is a large platter of Mini Onion Burger Bundles. These luscious little sliders are super easy and reminiscent of White Castle Burgers, but better. They are meaty with a definite onion flavor served on soft rolls. The burgers can be easily personalized with the addition of toppings. These are very good when they are piping hot but are just as good at room temperature, making them an ideal candidate for a potluck. I close mine up in a plastic container with a tight lid and they stay warm for quite a while anyway. The burgers are also really good as leftovers. They can be easily reheated in the microwave or in the oven.
I normally use my usual pork and beef mixture for these, but they may be even better with a good quality ground beef. You will also need a package of onion soup mix (one envelope), eggs, water, plain bread crumbs, pepper, savory dinner rolls and American cheese slices.
Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Crumble the raw ground beef into a large bowl and mix in the dry onion soup mix, eggs, water, bread crumbs, and pepper. I take off my rings and use my hands for this. You don’t want pockets of the onion soup mix in your burgers. Blech.
Pour this mixture out onto your greased baking sheet and use your hands to flatten and press it until all the surface is covered. Cover this entirely with plastic wrap. Take a rolling pin and flatten and press the mixture until it is pretty smooth and compact. If you don’t have a rolling pin you can use something else that has a flat surface. A cookbook will work. Since the meat is covered with plastic wrap you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination. Place this, still covered, in the frig for at least an hour. I have done this the night before and it works just as well. Don’t skip this step! I have, and the burgers were still tasty but not as easy to handle. The refrigeration not only helps the flavors blend together but makes the meat stay together while baking. You don’t want your burgers to be all loose and fall apart on you.
When you are ready to bake these babies, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the plastic wrap from the pan and bake the burger for 12 minutes. Mine are always perfect at 12 minutes but your oven temperature may cause the baking time to vary. The size of your baking pan will also be a factor. If you use a smaller cookie sheet the burgers will be thicker. This is totally ok. Just make sure that your burger is cooked all the way through before removing them from the oven. Make a little incision in the center of your giant meat patty to see if there is any pink left. If not, you are good to go.
While the meat is baking, prepare the buns and cheese. If you are using the savory Hawaiian rolls like I do you will need to slice them horizontally. This is really easy with a bread knife. I usually break the rolls as they come from the package into 2 large rectangles and then stand each of those on its side to slice downward. After they are sliced, I put the tops back on the bottoms and tear each individual bun away from the rest. That way, I don’t have to match up tops and bottoms while building the sliders. Set these aside.
You will also need to cut the cheese slices in fourths and set those aside.
Remove the pan from the oven and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the meat into at least 24 squares. I usually end up with a few extra to munch on while building the actual sliders. I find it easier to start cutting in the middle and move my way out. That way, the extra pieces are only partial squares and might look a little rough around the edges. The squares that you come up with should be about the size of your bun. Use your best judgement. It won’t be the end of the world if they are not perfect.
Now comes the fun part! Build the sliders by placing one square of burger and one square of cheese on each bun bottom. Replace the top and you have yourself a mini onion burger bundle. Personalize these with your family’s favorite toppings. The possibilities are pretty well endless. Consider mini slices of bacon, mayo, pickles, BBQ sauce, thousand island dressing, pizza sauce, flavorful cheeses, French fried onions….someone stop me please! My tummy is growling just thinking about it. Place your burgers on a large platter and serve immediately. Or, box them up in an airtight container and take them along to your next potluck. They are great as leftovers and reheat well.
Mini Onion Burger Bundles
These luscious little sliders are super easy and reminiscent of White Castle Burgers, but better. They are meaty with a definite onion flavor served on soft rolls.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of ground beef (can also use beef/pork blend)
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup dry, plain breadcrumbs
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 24 dinner rolls or slider rolls
- 6 slices American Cheese, quartered
- Other toppings as desired
Directions
- Step 1 Crumble the raw ground beef into a large bowl and thoroughly mix in the dry onion soup mix, eggs, water, bread crumbs, and pepper.
- Step 2 Pour this mixture out onto the greased baking sheet and use your hands to flatten and press it until all the surface is covered. Cover this entirely with plastic wrap. Take a rolling pin and flatten and press the mixture until it is pretty smooth and compact. Place this, still covered, in the frig for at least an hour.
- Step 3 When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 4 Remove the plastic wrap from the pan and bake the burger for 12 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.
- Step 5 While the meat is baking, prepare the buns and cheese. Slice the rolls horizontally if not pre-cut. Quarter the cheese slices.
- Step 6 Remove the meat from the oven and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into at least 24 squares. The squares should be roughly the same size as your buns.
- Step 7 Assemble the sliders by placing one square of meat and a square of cheese on each roll bottom and then add the roll top.
