Usually sports bore the crap out of me, but for some reason I love watching the Olympics. Maybe it’s because I used to swim on a team (a long, loooonnngg time ago) and kind of relive that heart-stopping moment of hearing the starting buzzer every time I see it on TV. Maybe it’s watching girls who are more in shape than I will ever be in my entire life flip themselves around on a balance beam and land on their feet. Maybe it’s all those hot, sweaty guys. Who really knows. For whatever reason, I heart the Olympics big time.

Since nothing makes me hungrier than watching other people exert themselves, I’ve devised the perfect Olympics Dinner. It’s Team USA themed, scores a 10 in the taste factor, and is relatively easy to make. Join me in celebrating athleticism with decidedly non-heathly food, won’t you?

Go Team USA! Dinner:

All American Hamburgers:

2 stalks of celery
2-3 pads of butter
Ground meat (enough to serve 4)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 ounce package McCormick gravy mix (or some other kind)

Preheat your oven to 400F
In a skillet, saute your celery for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat
Take out a bowl and combine the celery, the breadcrumbs, the gravy mix, and the meat
With the rest of your butter, brown your 4 burgers on one side in the skillet (2-4 minutes ish)
Put your burgers in the oven for about 15 minutes
Take those babies out, put them on toasted buns, and fix ‘em up the way you like!

Freedom Fries

3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt / pepper / dried rosemary and thyme

Preheat your oven to 425F
Spread oil on a large baking pan
Wash your potatoes, peel them, and cut them into fry strips
Salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme your potatoes to taste
Put them in the baking pan, on the lower rack in your oven, for 40 minutes
Turn them over halfway through and cook until golden brown and delish

George Washington’s Favorite Individual Apple Pies
(this recipe is courtesy of Recipezaar)

Ingredients
1 (17 ounce) package puff pastry
12 ounces cut up red baking apples (approx. 2 medium sized apples)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 beaten egg

Directions
Thaw puff pastry according to directions on package
Peel, core and chop apples up coarsely
Combine apples with sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Flour surface lightly and cut pastry sheet into nine 3×3 squares.
Place approximately 1/4 cup apple mixture on each square and brush edge with beaten egg.
Place second pastry square on the top of the already filled pastry to form a pocket.
Press down border with fingers to seal and then press with fork to decorate the edges.
Make a 1-inch L shape incision into each pie and fold back the pastry flap.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet and give each one an egg wash.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden.

[This meal is best enjoyed while watching the shot put. Just kidding. Nothing is best enjoyed while watching shot put. Most boring summer Olympic sport EVER]