eating Diner-style at home

Grilled sandwiches, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, open face brisket with gravy, reubens, chili cheese fries, pickles and cole slaw, blueberry pancakes, waffles, eggs benedict, french toast, corn beef hash with poached eggs.... mmmmmm it all sounds so good!  You know you can save a lot of money making this stuff at home, and most of these dishes come together pretty quick.  I mean, even going out for burgers gets to be expensive!  So let me hook you up with a true diner classic, the patty melt.  This sandwich is an all-time diner favorite, and they are truly delicious!!!

PATTY MELT:
burger patty (1/3 to 1/2 lb.)
rye bread (2 slices)
cheese (2 slices)
onions sliced thin (1/2 onion)
butter and olive oil
condiment of choice: thousand island dressing, mustard, ketchup etc.

You'll need 3 pans for this dish, or a flat top grill and a spatula.  Break up the sliced onions so you have strips of onion.  Put a little olive oil in one pan and add the onions.  Saute them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, allowing them to cook slowly so they don't get brown too fast.

In another pan, start cooking the burger patty which has been seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Don't forget to flip it!

When the onions are almost done, and the burger is about 1/2 done, put some butter in the third pan and melt it.  It should be enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan.  Put the 2 slices of rye bread on top of the melted butter, and the cheese slices on top of the bread.  Now you can add condiments on top of the cheese.  In a couple minutes, the bread will be grilled, the cheese will be melted, the burger and onions will be cooked.

Now put the cooked burger on one of the grilled bread, and put the grilled onions on top of the other grilled bread.  It should be a nice generous layer of grilled onions.  Now close up the sandwich and cut it in half.  Yummy yummy yummy!!!!!