National Ohio Day and More

The Buckeye State, Ohio, was the 17th state to join the Union. Today is National Ohio Day. Last year, I gave you Slow-Cooker Cincinnati Chili and all that goes with it. This year I think we’ll go in another direction.

Like most “National” Days, there’s a whole lot more to November 2 than just the Great State of Ohio. We’ve got Deviled Egg Day and Color the World Orange Day on the secular calendar. On the Christian-Catholic Calendar, it’s also All Souls Day. Okay then, let’s see what we can do to bring all four together.

Deviled Eggs – that’s easy and a great start. Deviled Eggs are a potluck favorite and almost always manage to find their way to my Appetizer Table. Check one.

Since we’ve already done the whole Slow-Cooker Cincinnati Chili and the Cincinnati Reds’ Chili-Cheese Dog, we needed to come up with something new for Ohio. That’s when I discovered the Thurmanator Burger. We are talking not one but two 12-oz hamburger patties topped with so much stuff you can’t even imagine. Now try as I might to find the recipe online for these amazingly insane burgers, all I could find were pictures and descriptions. Having never had the pleasure of meeting the Thurmanator first hand, I’ve done my best to recreate it. Check two. Oh, and one more word about Ohio. The cover picture of a giant picnic basket, that’s a real thing. You’ll find the world’s largest basket in Newark along State Route 16. It’s home to Longaberger Company. Guess what they make? So Ohio Day is covered.

On to Color the world Orange. I’ll admit that took a little more creativity. My first instinct was carrots, but carrots don’t really go well with burgers. However, milkshakes and burgers go hand in hand. So why not serve an enormous burger with an Orange Shake? Check three.

That just leaves us with All Souls. All Souls Day, while not a Holy Day of Obligation, is a day set aside for those who have departed that through prayer their souls might enter heaven. This year All Souls Day was particularly hard, having lost my daughter to cancer in August. I needed a dessert that was “soulful” as well as something Becca would appreciate. Soulful makes me think southern, and southern makes me think Banana Pudding. So for All Souls Day, I’m serving up one of Becca’s favorites as a child, Banana Trifle. That’s check four. We did it!

Yeah, this menu is wild but oh so delicious. We’ve got an appetizer, the main event complete with beverage and dessert. I don’t know about you, but it might just take us all day to get through this much food!

Ohio Day and More
National Deviled Egg Day – Seasoned Deviled Eggs

National Ohio Day – The Thurmanator Burger
National Color the World Orange – Orange Sherbet Milkshake

All Souls Day – Banana Trifle

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Before we get to the recipes, here are a few tips that will help make the menu preparation go more smoothly. First, make the Deviled Eggs and the Banana Trifle earlier in the day. These will keep well in the refrigerator and are served chilled anyway. Next, make all four Sherbert Milkshakes. Hold in the freezer, then place in the refrigerator while the burgers cook. Serve the Deviled Eggs to your guests while you make the burgers. Relax and digest a while before tackling the dessert. Have fun!

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Seasoned Deviled Eggs
6 Eggs
1/4 teaspoon Chives, minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1/4 teaspoon Dill Weed
1/4 teaspoon Ground Mustard
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
Pinch Garlic Powder
Pinch Black Pepper
Minced fresh Parsley, garnish
Paprika, garnish

Place eggs in a small pot. Add enough water to cover eggs by about 1/2-inch. Place over high-heat and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and let steep for 14 minutes. Tap eggs to crack shell, plunge into cold water. Set steep for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince chives and place in a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, vinegar and all the seasonings. Mix well to create a dressing for the deviled eggs. Let chill.

Carefully peel eggs under cold running water. Cut eggs lengthwise in half; remove yolks and set whites aside. In another bowl, mash yolks; add to mayonnaise mixture, mixing well. Spoon or pipe filling into egg whites.

Mince fresh parsley. Sprinkle parsley and additional paprika over the eggs. Refrigerate until serving.

The Thurmanator Burger
6 lbs Lean Ground Beef
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
8 oz White Mushrooms
1 White Onion
1/2 head Iceberg Lettuce
1 large Beefsteak Tomato
16 Dill Pickle Chips
16 slices Bacon
4 large Hamburger Buns
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 lb slices Deli Ham
4 sliced Cheddar Cheese
4 slices Smoked Provolone Cheese
4 slices American Cheese

Divide ground beef into eight 12-oz patties. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Clean and slice mushrooms, set aside. Peel and slice onion into thin rings. Break apart rings and set aside.

Cut lettuce head in half, reserve half the head for another use. Shred remaining half and set aside.

Slice tomato into four round slices, set aside. Drain Banana Peppers and Pickles, set aside.

Fry bacon in a skillet until almost crisp. Drain on paper towels, set aside.

Remove all but a thin layer of bacon drippings from the skillet. Add sliced mushrooms and onions, sauté until tender. Remove and keep warm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking pan, set aside.

Head a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear burgers about 3 minutes per side, transfer to the wire rack. If necessary, sear burgers in batches.

Cover seared burgers with foil, place in the oven and finish cooking to desired doneness, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast hamburger buns on a flat griddle. Spread about a tablespoon of mayonnaise on each bottom bun. Top bottom bun with shredded lettuce, then slices of tomato, pickle chips and Banana Peppers.

Remove burger patties from oven. Pat with a paper towel to remove any excess grease from the tops. Remove four of the patties from the rack, top with sautéed mushrooms and onions, wrap in foil and keep warm. Top the remaining four patties with bacon and cheddar cheese. Divide the ham into four stacks and place on the rack. Top ham with smoked Provolone and American cheeses. Place in the oven just long enough for the cheese to begin to melt.

Place the bacon-Cheddar Burger on the bottom bun. Top with the Mushroom Patties, then the ham with melted cheese. Top each burger with the top bun.

You are now ready to attempt to eat. Good Luck. And if you are really crazy, serve these killer burgers with some French Fries and Pickle Spears to really appreciate the King of Ohio Burgers.

Orange Sherbet Creamsicle Shake
8 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream, divided
8 scoops Orange Sherbet, divided
3 cups Orange Soda, divided
Whipped Cream for top, optional
1 Orange, sliced for garnish

In two large bowls, place 4 scoops each of Vanilla Ice Cream and Orange Sherbert. Let sit a few minutes to soften. Each bowl will hold both flavors.

Pour 1-1/2 cups of orange soda into blender. Add the softened ice cream scoops of one bowl into the blender (4 of each flavor). Blend ingredients until smooth and creamy Pour into two glass. Place in the freezer.

Repeat with remaining 1-1/2 cups of orange soda and ice creams. Pour into two more glasses.

Remove glasses from the freezer. Top each glass with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Garnish with an orange slice and serve with a straw.

Banana Pudding Trifle
1 large (5 oz) box Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding (not Instant)
3 cups Milk
1 box Nilla Wafers
16 oz Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Sugar
7 Bananas

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Following the pudding package instructions, add the milk and pudding mix to the pan. Stir constantly until the mixture boils.

Pour the pudding into a mixing bowl and allow the pudding to chill for 1 hour.

Place mixing bowl and whip attachment of electric mixer into the freezer to chill well.

In a mixing bowl, whip cream with sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Peel and slice bananas. Set slices aside.

Begin the trifle with a layer of Nilla Wafers at the bottom of the trifle dish. Next spread a layer of pudding. Tuck wafers upright around the rim of the pudding, with some as a wafer layer. Follow with a layer of whipped cream. Place some banana slices over the whipped cream, with some banana slices upright around the rim on top of the wafers. Repeat layering in this fashion until all the pudding, whipped cream and banana slices have been used, with the final layer whipped cream. Top final layer with a layer of wafers.

Chill until serving.