$24 Date Night

Leese-Fitch Zinfandel 2008: $12
Steakhouse Sliders with Kale Chips: $12
Easy, delicious Date Night without leaving the house: Priceless

Affordable wine seems to be all the rage these days. This is a good and a bad thing. Good because you can get more for you money. Bad because it’s hard to determine which of these “affordable” wines are actually a great tasting wine. Well we’ve found you a great Zinfandel, Leese-Fitch Zinfandel 2008 – only $12 and absolutely delicious!

Now onto the food – Steakhouse Sliders. All the flavors for your favorite steakhouse within a $12 budget. The key to keeping this meal in budget (and any meal for that matter) is to only buy what you need.  Don’t be afraid to ask the budget for exactly how many pounds of meat you need and don’t be afraid to visit the cheese counter and ask them to cut a large piece of gorgonzola in half.  That’s what they’re there for!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (80-20)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 small tomatoes, sliced 1 inch thick
1 small red onion (the smallest you can find), sliced 1 inch thick
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, softened
6 potato slider rolls
1 bunch kale, leaves removed from stem

Add beef to a large bowl. Season with Worcestershire sauce and combine. Form meat into one large mound in the bowl. Using your hands, first portion the meat into two equal parts. Then form each half into three equal rounds. Form each round into a flat patty.

Preheat a stove top grill over medium-high heat.  Add beef patties. Cook until caramelized on both sides and cooked to medium rare, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from grill pan and set aside to rest.

Meanwhile, add red onion slices to the grill. Turn off the heat. Cook on both sides until caramelized.

While the onions are cooking, get started on the kale chips. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the kale leaves across a baking sheet in one even layer. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake until darkened and crispy. Yum, Yum, Yum.  (The dipping sauce is an extra, just a little mayo, garlic, paprika and lemon juice – if you’re up for it).

Build that burger. First top bun bottom with tomato, then a few rings of red onion, then the burger and finally a small dollop of gorgonzola.

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