Jana: "Crumbled" Ranch Burgers

This isn't exactly rocket science, nor is it totally new to me, but you can't do a "Ground Beef Month" without a burger recipe. So Rob and I planned to have Ranch Bacon Burgers last night. Remembering a recipe from my old boss, I threw an egg, Worchester sauce, and a 1/4 cup of oats into the beef mixture before making patties.

Unfortunately though, as I flipped each patty over, it just crumbled all over the pan. Devastation and panic set in. Flashbacks to this awful meal (made just over a year ago!). Apparently dinner prep should not be required of teachers in May.

However, Rob was good-natured, suggesting that we make sloppy joes... that is until we realized we didn't have any ketchup. So "crumbled burgers" it was. Paired with a slice (or two!) of avocado and a couple of strips of bacon, I couldn't even really tell the difference. Rob even mixed and melted his cheese in with the crumbles to create a Hamburger-Helper like mixture. It must have been good... he ate two helpings, plus quite a pile of homemade baked potato chips.

I just wish the patties had turned out. Maybe I should have added another egg. Maybe I should have nixed the oats. Maybe I should have used my hands rather than the plastic patty maker. I don't know... I've made burgers just fine before. Made me glad that I used the grill pan on the stove, rather than pulling out the gas grill. Watching all of my crumbles fall through the bars would have caused me to have a major breakdown.

Well, here's the recipe... if you're brave enough to attempt it...