Hamburger Meat Tips and Tricks

Who loves cheeseburgers? Tacos? Spaghetti? Yes, we do too. I include hamburger meat in our weekly meals regularly. Not every meal, but some. I wanted to share with you a few things I have learned over my time cooking with hamburger meat. I go for 80/20 most of the time. We rarely buy 70/30~ too many fillers and grease for us. 

o If you add a bit of water to your hamburger meat, the fat will separate from the meat and when you scoop the meat up, the grease stays in the pan. You can also run your hamburger meat under hot water to remove the rest of the grease.

o Flatten and poke a small hole through the center of the burger to help keep the juices in when you are making a burger. It also insures that your burger is cooked in the center.

o If you flatten your meat in the baggie, it will defrost in a cinch when you are ready to prepare your meal. Oh, and it avoids the flip, scrape some cooked meat off and flip again while still being frozen in the middle. Not fun and such a time waster.

This is the answer.

o Prep your meat before you put it in the freezer. If you are wanting a portioned meal, flatten it and seal your ziploc; take a wooden spatula or plastic/meta to divide your meat into sections.

o You can skip your seasoning step on the meal of by seasoning beforehand and pop it in the freezer for whenever you are ready.

Cook your hamburger meat for the week and separate it into different baggies or containers. You can split the portion between the freezer  for later and the fridge for the ones you plan on making sooner. Then all you have to do is heat it up and you are good to go with putting your quick meal together.

Do you have any other tips for hamburger meat you have found to be helpful? 

Celery Stalks that Keep Growing

Will celery keep growing after you cut the stalk?

YES!

So crazy, I really didn't believe it.  I am a believer of things when I see them not just from hearing it.  I started checking into different things regarding gardening, because I wanted to start a garden.  I have never attempted a garden, because if all my flowers have died how would actual food stand up?  It wouldn't have a chance.  I am happy to say I AM growing a garden and it is getting bigger and just starting to bud a few things.  I figured the only way I could start a garden is by buy plants that had been nurtured and started already for me.  You know, so they would have a fighting chance.  I have practically killed everything that I have tried to grow.  Sad really.

I am not sure if there is a science to the whole celery stalk thing, but I did try it.  I put a little bit of water at the bottom of my container and put my celery stalks bottom in it and left it alone. I did cut straight across and removed all of the stalk at the same time so it would be even.   After a few days the middle started to grow up.  After a few days around the stalk started rotting.  I then cut off the outside, put it in a small cup in the window sill to get sunlight and nothing....everything started rotting.  Not sure what I did wrong, BUT the point is that it works.  Now, I don't know how apt I would be to actually eat the celery growing from the old celery....just because of that rot factor.  If it didn't rot then yeah.

Have you tried this?  Is there a better way to keep it growing without rotting?