(A note about “Spotlight Ingredients”… Sunday is my favorite day of the week to cook. I’ll grill, broil, saute or bake the entire spotlight ingredient. That means that I could have a pork roast in the slow cooker or I could be frying a large quantity of pork chops. Whatever it may be, I will cook it all at once and then immediately reserve portions for the next two nights. To some people it may sound like leftovers, but it really is not when you consider you’ve just cooked the base for making three entirely different recipes in the following days.)
Ground beef is something I always buy when I see it on sale. Because I’m cooking for a large family, I get 3 or more pounds packaged together in bulk. It may seem like a lot to cook at once, (and you can certainly pull aside some burger patties to cook tomorrow), but don’t be afraid to brown it all in a skillet with a chopped onion, salt and pepper. Use one pound for a recipe today and portion the remaining meat to store in the refrigerator for the next few days.
Helpful hints about buying ground beef:
Lean ground beef sounds like the healthy choice, and it is, but know this… the flavor is in the fat. If you like your burgers juicy, go for the ground chuck. Here’s a helpful chart that shows the fat content in each type:
| Lean | Fat | |
| Ground Beef | 73% | 27% |
| Ground Chuck | 80% | 20% |
| Ground Sirloin | 85% | 15% |
| Ground Round | 90% | 10% |