Thursday, August 9, 2007

It's an idea I stole....


...from my days at Girl Scout camp. You get your individual cereal box, cut an "I" shape into it with your pocket knife making sure not to pierce the bottom of the wax paper bag, and then you just add milk to the box and eat with a spoon! Fewer dishes to wash -- fewer dishes to carry too.

When I picked up my hamburger from the grocery store, I noticed that the container was a rigid plastic. Typically, to mix up burgers, habit would cause me to pop the meat into a bowl, and then start adding...but not this time! Mixing the burgers up in the container saved me a bowl and the splatter that sometimes happens too.

Simple, but Delicious Hamburgers

1 lb. extra lean ground beef (93% lean or leaner. Trader Joes has a great 96% lean)
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. minced fresh garlic (you can see, I'm not beyond buying the jar, even though fresh does taste best!)
2 t. minced dried onion or 1/4 small onion, chopped finely.
Salt and pepper

Remove the plastic cover from the meat. Check the underside of meat for a plastic/foam pad and remove if necessary. Add remaining ingredients and incorporate thoroughly. Pat into 4 or 5 patties. Grill or cook on stovetop till juices run clear. You can make 5 patties pretty easily out of an even pound. The reduced fat means that less cooks away.

It's generally not a good idea to eat rare burgers, and I particularly recommend cooking to at least medium if you do mix it in its packaging.

If you're trying to watch your waistline at summer barbecues, many stores offer a "light" bun option. It really is a good choice. I promise that you won't be able to detect a difference between the light white buns, and the regular white buns. In the process, you'll save about 30 calories per bun, too! And if you're like me and have a husband who won't necessarily stop at one burger, that's 60 calories saved for him.... Try it and let me know what you think!

2 comments:

littlebeemama said...

Great idea about mixing the meat in its container!

The Grammarian said...

Wicked smahht, gurl.