Guest Dishes

I love these posts for two reasons: 1. We get to feature someone else 2. We get a new recipe. What could be better? Today’s recipe comes to you courtesy of my friend, Rachel. She and I taught across the hall from each other when I lived in Little Rock, and she was a friend from day one. Rachel and I first met via Skype because that’s how I had my interview at our school. I vividly remember walking into her classroom when I was there in person for the first time and she didn’t realize she did this, but she looked a little bit surprised and let her gaze go from my feet all the way to my noggin. She then told me it was because she had no idea I would be so short. I guess I give off a very tall vibe online.

Before I share her recipe, here are some Rachel Fun Facts.

1. Her voice is the best Arkansas has to offer. I talk very southern, but I feel she does even more, and it’s got a razorback twang to it or something. Let’s just say, you’d never mistake her for a Bostonian.
2. It’s a wonder she isn’t 300 pounds because she has a major candy tooth. She always had multiple kinds of candy in her classroom, and I felt like anytime I walked in there she was eating some. I texted her a few weeks ago because I saw the Laffy Taffy jelly beans in stores, and they only come out at Easter. She informed me she had already purchased several bags and even had some in the freezer. I don’t think something made purely of sugar and Yellow #5 warrants being in the freezer for fear of spoiling, but she likes to play it safe.
3. She is happiest playing golf, and if she’s not playing, she enjoys watching it on TV. How are we friends??? I can’t think of anything worse. Watch golf or have a root canal? I’d probably say, “pass the lidocaine.”
4. We first bonded over our love of Food Network and being in the kitchen. That’s her redeeming quality. If she can’t watch golf, she will watch Trisha whip up a casserole.
5. Everyone needs a Rachel. She never hesitates to say, “yes” if you ask for help. Even if you don’t ask, she will help anyways. She’s not a “let me know if you need anything” friend. She is someone who just does. I could type out all the ways she has done something for me over the past 6 years that I’ve known her, but that would take an eternity. Here’s an example though along with a picture. Mark was gone for two months for airline training, I was enormous and pregnant with the twins, and it was May, which is the time of year when all teachers want to collapse. Since Claire and I were alone for a long time, she just popped in one night to bring us dinner. She didn’t ask if I needed it; she just came over because that’s what she does.

I asked her for a favorite recipe and told her there are no rules at Dramatic in the Best Way :), and it could be a breakfast, appetizer, dinner, whatever she wanted recipe. She told me she was giving me one that wasn’t actually hers, but it had become a dinner favorite in their house lately, and she thought others might enjoy it. And who doesn’t need a new dinner idea? Her husband would usually rather eat a sleeve of Oreos over anything green loves these too.

Burger Bowls

She said don’t leave out the pickles, fried onions, or the sauce. They are a trifecta of delicious.

Now you have a new dinner recipe to try this week that is approved by everyone in the Berryhill household.

Go find you a friend like Rachel….or better yet, be a Rachel. 🙂