Let's Make the 2021 Derby Winning Burger!

Y’all love recipes so I am here to DELIVER! The Kentucky Derby is SATURDAY, hello!!? That is amazing and it is one of my very favorite times of the year. If you’ve been here long enough you probably remember that I moved to Kentucky FROM Michigan at the age of eighteen in hopes of becoming a jockey. What!?? Sure did. I worked at Churchill Downs my Freshman year of college at U of L and what an experience it was. Obviously I’m not a jockey…and now owning my own off the track Thoroughbred I kinda have a love/hate relationship with the sport?? But still! This time of year is SO FUN, especially when you live here!

So let’s chat about the running for the 2021 Derby Burger Challenge. Judges selected the top 8 burgers and voting happened online—guidelines included judging for creativity, burger descriptions (photos + videos that would make the judges crave a TASTE), and ease of preparation.

DING DING DING!!! Want to know which burger WON???

A burger made by Brian Capps of Louisville, KY!!! His burger, made with 100% Kentucky Cattlemen’s ground beef is packed with FLAVOR. The patty is topped with brie, thick-cut bacon, a blueberry bourbon sauce and arugula - all on a brioche bun. So leave it to Asa, to completely re-create this dish, and to do it to a TEE. I am not typically a cheeseburger gal, I’m going to be 100000% honest. I have preferred veggie burgers the past five years (if not more) when Asa makes burgers in our household. But when he made this one, I literally could NOT resist. I firmly believe it was the Kentucky Cattlemen’s ground beef that made the biggest difference. On top of that, the blueberry bourbon sauce is to die for, not to mention the brie (I’m definitely a cheese gal…) and the delicious crispy bacon.

We think YOU should make it! And I want to hear all about it when you do. Who is up for the challenge? I knowwww I have a lot of women following/reading here whose men love to grill and whip up some burgers; so why not try this one in honor of our 147th Kentucky Derby!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef or 1 package Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef Patties 
4 slices cooked thick cut bacon, halved 
1  wheel of brie cheese, rind removed, sliced ¼ inch thick 
1  pint fresh blueberries 
1 lemon, halved 
1/8 cup white sugar 
2 tsp. cornstarch 
1 1/2 tsp. bourbon 
2 - brioche buns 
2 Tbsp. salted butter 
Arugula
¼ tsp. course kosher salt 
¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

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HOW TO MAKE IT
1. Form ground beef into two patties that are slightly larger than your buns, set aside. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add butter and sliced buns, cook until golden brown, set aside. 

2. Salt & pepper both sides of burger patty, cook over medium heat in cast iron skillet. Cook until internal temperature reaches 160°F degrees, turn off heat add cheese and cover with lid until melted. Remove to a plate to rest. 

3. Add blueberries to small pot, add sugar, and juice from half of a lemon, cook on med/low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch with just enough water to become a slurry. Slowly add just enough slurry to thicken blueberry mixture slightly. Remove mixture from the heat and stir in the Bourbon. 

4. Build burger: Place bottom bun down, add burger patty with brie cheese, bacon and pour some blueberry sauce over bacon until it runs off, add arugula and top bun.

That recipe is straight from Kentucky Cattlemen’s Beef website, who we were privileged to partner with when making this divine burger, and one thing I want to add, is that the QUALITY of your beef MATTERS. Both Asa and I have noticed a huge difference when we use Kentucky Cattlemen’s ground beef, as opposed to when we don’t, and this is completely authentic on my behalf (they haven’t sponsored this particular blog post!) We paired the burger with a side of curly fries, and while it’s pretty rare for me to completely clear my dinner plate? I definitely cleared this one.

Fun fact if ya wanna be lazy and NOT make this? This exact burger will be served at 80/20 @ Kaelin’s as a featured menu item from 4/21 – 5/2!

So what do you think?? Are you making this? Share in the comments if you’re game or if you’re gonna go grab it at a local restaurant :)

Fall Traditions and How We are Still Keeping Them

How do you feel about Fall? Because by far, this is my absolute favorite season. It’s not TOO cold, it’s not too hot, and there’s no SNOW. The colors are beautiful (especially this year) and this is when we do ALL the festivities with our local family. We joke that we see each more than ever before in the Fall but come January, we’re all hunkered down in our homes ready to be recluses.

I think more than ever, keeping traditions alive is SO crucial to and for us. Especially with our KIDS. I mean sincerely, how sad a season has been the season of Covid?! They can’t go to school, they haven’t seen their classmates in over 250 days, and their life has been radically rocked—whether they can fully grasp it or not. Enter: all of this. Doing LIFE with some of our favorite people. Running and jumping and playing and being silly. Oh and indulging in ALL the apple cider donuts…And just to be safe, yes, all our kids (and us) wore masks, especially when around other people) and during all the activities. And there was plenty of hand washing afterwards ;)

This is the month we watched Hocus Pocus on a projector in our backyard, we all went to Boo at the Zoo together, we walked St. James Court in honor of the Art Fair that DIDN’T get to happen this year, and then obviously Gallrein’s Farm. It’s FALL, Y’all, and we are HERE for it. You know Asa is Buddy the Elf (except for all holidays, not just Christmas) so planning moments like this is his jam. Have you been to a pumpkin patch this season? What’s your favorite part? For me it’s the hay ride and just walking around the field admiring all the cute gourds. We go, we walk around, we snap some orchard photos, and then we buy all the donuts and enjoy every single bite. (I keep mentioning donuts but sadly I didn’t take a single picture of one this year?! Darn. It’s okay though, you know they’re freakishly delicious even if not photographed, right?)

“I am SO glad I live in a world where there are Octobers-” I mean, WHO cannot relate to Anne of Green Gables with this?!? SO much has been cancelled in our world. I am incredibly grateful the pumpkin patch DID NOT, and we were still able to enjoy these memories. We believe traditions are important. And we also believe being outdoors is a HUGE part of that. Kids need to breathe fresh air, they need to explore, and they need time with family. So what about you?? What things have YOU done this fall? Is there anything we need to add to our list of fun? Jot a comment and let us know! :) Oh and if you like looking back on memories like I do, you can see one of our previous Gallrein visits here! The kids have all grown SO much!!