Ahhhh, stinky memories. The town I grew up in had this dive called Power’s Hamburgers. Let me set the scene. The place could uncomfortably hold about 30 people. Most of those people talked to themselves and the others were drunken college students. They had sliders, but they weren’t like White Castle or Krystals – these were so much better. They had a huge metal container in the fridge with tiny balls of meat and a vat of sliced onions. The meat and the onions go on the griddle at the same time. Then the teeny tiny buns go on top of the onions to infuse the stinky goodness. They had chips, no fries, but who gets meaningless side dishes with the meaty gastronomic tasties steaming away on the griddle. No cheese, please and add ketchup and mustard. I could easily put 4 of these away on a good night. Boy oh boy, do I miss those nasty little burgers.

What does this have to do with marriage, you ask? Well, my husband went to college in my hometown and the drug that is Powers grew on him over his collegiate years. When he and I were lucky enough to meet and begin a romance, we would share a sack of these babies late at night from time to time. Last weekend, we started talking about the $.85 delicacies. We simply had to have them.

So yesterday I set out to make them. And here is my recipe, if you dare to try them. I hear they have to grow on you. But because I was born and raised in Fort Wayne Indiana, I carry the Power’s gene. I can’t call this a recipe because I don’t really measure anything, but here’s how I made ‘em :

Hot Dog Buns cut in half

Ground Sirloin rolled into balls roughly ½ - 1 ounce in weight (we used less than a half pound meat for the whole meal)

2 big WHITE onions, thinly sliced (the stronger the better)

½ package of Onion Soup Mix

½ cup water

In a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, add about 1 T. of oil. Add the onions, stirring as they sweat. As the onions soften, add the onion soup mix to the water. Add that mixture to the onions. Continue to stir until the onions are completely soft and the water has evaporated. I actually had to add more water to all the onions to steam without caramelizing too much (that will come later). Remove the onions when they are soft.

Now, put a scoop of the onions back in the pan. Put 4 balls of meat on top of the onions. Flatten with a spatula – you want them thin, probably about ¼ inch thick. Now is when the onions should start to caramelize. Season with a little salt and pepper. When the burger is almost all the way cooked, it’s time to flip. Flip the meat along with the onions. Place the bun tops on the onion and cook for a few seconds more to make sure the meat is cooked all the way. Remove the burger – placing it on the other part of the bun. Add ketchup and mustard to taste (and cheese if you must). Voila!

Now, you’re STILL probably wondering what this has to do with marriage. Well, last night as we both tried these, the memories came flooding back. I looked over at my husband, a little older, more mature. No longer were we sitting in a stinky frat house surrounded by text books and ashtrays. We look forward to quiet nights at home. And I can’t remember the last time I saw 5 am as an acceptable bedtime.

But he still makes my heart jump and my skin tingle. I’m sorry that it had to take some greasy little sandwiches to remind me who we were 8 years ago.

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