Bubble Burgers

And let's not even get started on the "Bubble" burgers. Ground meat mixed with croutons and fried in a skillet. She made the patties flat, and they naturally expand into an eliptical shape. Then Mom fried the buns in the grease of the pan. (For the record, when you form hamburger patties, make divits in the center so that when they expand you wind up with a flat burger.)

To add insult to injury, our standard side dish was frozen green peas. There is no math that would ever explain that combo. My dad STILL to this day is pondering that meal. And he's a Ph.D. And he doesn't get it.

In fact, he called me one Sunday night (which is our tradition, and since I am the youngest, I get called last) and I had been cooking homemade chicken and dumplings (from the stock to the dumplings) and he actually said, "Where did you ever learn to cook, because you certainly didn't learn it here!"

Hahaha!

There is no harnessing a passion that is driven by learning, testing, improving, and investigating.

Sooooo, is Food Network calling anytime soon? :)