Cheeseburgers, Though Certainly Not in Paradise

In a retro mood while planning dinner last night, I opted to make a menu staple from my childhood: Bunny's Burgers. In and of itself, the burgers are somewhat unremarkable--my companion called it an upscale version of a patty melt, perhaps since you saute the ground sirloin with some red wine, onions, and Worchestershire sauce before placing the slice of good ol' American cheese on top to melt. (Does comfort food get any better than this?)

The source of the recipe is interesting though: The Original Preppy Cookbook: Everything a Preppy Needs to Know about Cooking But Didn't Have Anyone to Ask. I remember when my parents were kind of into the preppy thing, and we had a couple of those preppy-related books on our family room bookshelves. As I grade schooler, I have to admit I was pretty intrigued by them, especially The Preppy Handbook, the tongue in cheek reference guide with the madras plaid cover. I even memorized the lists of Preppy Nicknames that included monikers like "Muffy," "Bif," "Chip," and, of course "Bunny," the name associated with the burgers.

I wanted to find an image of the cookbook cover to post here, but alas, even Powell's doesn't even have it. Thankfully, I know the cookbook is still sitting on the shelf in my parents' kitchen. It's an intriguing cultural artifact now! Perhaps I will feel the same way about my Rachael Ray and Giada DeLaurentiis cookbooks someday--better hang onto them after those two fizzle out.