Right now Annie is stuck in my head. You know, how she’s always excited about tomorrow?

Well friends, I am BEYOND excited for tomorrow. Because tomorrow is my Christmas. That’s right – IT’S COLLEGE GAME DAY!

In order to celebrate this day accordingly, we’re going with a bit of a cheat meal. I know, I know – normally I give you delicacies that are cheating…without cheating. But I couldn’t resist. It was so delicious and I have been thinking about it since I made it. So let’s get down to it…

The burger itself is stuffed with blue cheese. I’ve thrown crumbles in the meat before, but this way there’s just a yummy, salty, cheesy center. Delicious by itself.

But then we add the whiskey glaze. I am not even a huge fan of whiskey, but it adds a ton of flavor – like a boozy, smoky barbecue sauce.

Then, you add the cheese. I just threw a slice on there because it just made life simpler and this burger was already rather ambitious for me. Because then you add the crispy onions. Yeah, I went there.

Oh, and I have an obsession with pretzel buns. I could definitely save a ton of WW points, and dare I say make this less of a cheat meal – but I was already committed. Something to share with my readers who really want to make a splash at their football watch party or Labor Day cookout this weekend! So, I give you the Whiskey-Glazed Cheeseburger – best paired with an ice cold beer…

Whiskey-Glazed Cheeseburger (Serves 4 – let’s not even discuss points right now)

Inspired by and adapted from HalfBakedHarvest – original recipe here.

For the Burger…

1 pound Laura’s Lean Ground Beef (I went 92% lean this time around)

4 Tbsp. reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. Seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4 slices Kraft singles (I used the 2% milk ones)

Mix together beef with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Divide into 4 equal portions and make a well in the center of each. Add 1 Tbsp. of blue cheese in the well and form the burger around it, enclosing the cheese in the center of the burger.

When you’re ready to cook – fire up the grill to medium-high and cook 7-10 minutes on each side until cooked through.

For the Crispy Onions…

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup skim milk

4 Tbsp. white whole-wheat flour

Pinch cayenne pepper, garlic salt and black pepper.

2 tsp. vegetable oil

Add onion slices to milk and soak 10-20 minutes. Add flour and seasonings to large ziploc bag. Remove onion slices, let excess milk drip off, and add to ziploc bag. Toss to coat onions.

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onions and saute 3-4 minutes, flip and cook another 3 minutes until both sides are crispy. Keep warm in oven if needed.

For the Whiskey Glaze

1/4 cup whiskey (I used Jack Daniels – representing Tennessee y’all!)

1/4 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. honey

1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Whisk ingredients together in a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce and let simmer 5-7 minutes until thickened. Keep warm.

Assembly

Get your burger bun – I found pretzel buns at our local grocery store and deem them winners!

Add your burgers to the center of the bun – which may be slightly larger than the burger (no complaints here!). Spoon glaze evenly over the top of each burger. It’s okay if it seems like there’s a lot – it will run down and start soaking into the bread.

Then add your cheese slices. Then top with the crispy onions. Add the top half of your bun and prepare to say “Mmmmm” a lot. The first 2 bites had me amazed that this creation just came from my kitchen.

And then I got to the center.

Goodness. I may be making this again this weekend to celebrate a hopeful victory for my team(s). If you give this a try – let me know what you think and if you modified it all, I love hearing how people make recipes their own!

Happy Labor Day weekend y’all – and happy beginning of COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON!