Las Vegas!

This week’s NASCAR race is in Las Vegas, NV. When I think of Vegas cuisine, I think of buffets. I didn’t want to make a buffet for just JJ and I for dinner, so I had to keep thinking. Next thought - poker, you need one hand for the cards and one for the food, so I thought of sliders. I also think of the desert, and hot tex-mex flavor.
I love how burgers have become so gourmet, especially mini-burgers. I decided to combine the mini-burger with tex-mex flavor, and came up with cheddar chipotle sliders. They’re quite simple, so I decided to take advantage of a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do and make homemade whole wheat yeast rolls for the buns. I have always been weary of yeast, it seems that the directions always say it should double in volume twice, and mine rarely doubles. Directions also say to leave it in a warm area, so my new method with yeast is to turn the oven on to 200 degrees for about 10 minutes while I’m making the dough. Then I turn the oven off, leave the door open a minute and put the bowl with the dough in. I’ve had the best results with this method! (Or maybe it’s been good recipes lately). If you don’t have the time, you can buy yeast rolls, or try the mini burgers with Hawaiian sweet rolls. I serve these burgers with carrot and celery sticks.

Chipotle Cheddar Sliders on Whole Wheat Yeast Rolls

10 oz. 96% lean ground beef
¼ yellow onion, grated
1 tbsp. worstershire sauce
4 chipotles in adobo, minced
Salt and pepper
½ cup shredded or sliced cheddar
Sliced tomatoes
Lettuce
Pickle slices
Ketchup
6 whole wheat sesame rolls

Combine beef, worstershire, onion, chipotles, and salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Shape into 6 patties. Grill for 5 minutes on each side. After flipping the first side, put the cheese down and let it melt while second side cooks.

Top with lettuce and tomato.

Yeast Rolls recipe is found here. It's for clover rolls and made with regular flour, but I used King Arthur whole wheat flour and shaped each into one ball, not 3.

(The burger assembly line)