Paul Bunyan Burgers -- The Ground Beef Classic That Holds the Week Together

Cold snap by SD standards — fifty-two overnight. Caleb had baseball practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove.

Caleb, 8, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 4, chaos incarnate. Put a peanut butter sandwich in the DVD player Wednesday. Showed zero remorse.

Meatloaf Tuesday. The classic. Glazed. Mashed potatoes underneath.

Ryan came home from work. Dinner was on the stove. The basics held.

I read the blog comments at the kitchen table with my coffee. A young spouse in Lejeune emailed me about deployment cooking. I wrote her back at length. I told her about the freezer. I told her about Donna. I told her she would survive. I sent her three of Donna's recipes.

I went to the commissary Saturday morning. Got the grocery haul under sixty bucks for the week, which is a small victory. The cashier knows me. We talked about her grandkids while she scanned the chicken thighs and the family-size box of pasta. Small-town energy on a Marine base in California.

Wednesday morning meal prep — Sunday afternoon, hours of containers. The freezer is full. The future-me thanks present-me. Donna taught me this routine. Donna's freezer was always full. Donna saved her sanity with quart bags labeled in Sharpie.

Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.

Base housing is base housing. Beige walls, beige carpet, beige expectations. The dryer venting is in a stupid place. The kitchen has no dishwasher. We make it work.

The Friday before-school morning was chaos. Three kids, two backpacks, one missing shoe. We all made it to the bus. I drank cold coffee at nine AM because that's when I sat down. Standard.

My therapy session was Tuesday. We talked about the deployment cycle and the way the body holds dread and the ways the body holds it. The hour passed. The work continues. I have been doing this work for years. The work pays.

Hazel and I had a hard moment Tuesday at homework time. She is in a season of testing limits. We worked through it. We always do. She is mine.

The PCS rumors are starting again. The official orders will come in a few months. We could move. We could stay. The waiting is the worst part. Three years here and I have learned to not put down deep roots in any military town. Nineteen-year-old me would not have believed how good I have gotten at packing.

Ryan went to his counselor Wednesday. He always comes home calmer. I am calm too, just from him being calm. The man Torres was killed with — Ryan calls his wife twice a year on Torres's birthday and the anniversary. The military widows are their own community.

I made a casserole for a neighbor whose husband is deployed. I dropped it off. She cried. I told her, eat the casserole, baby. The food is the saying. The casserole was a mostly-frozen tater-tot situation that took fifteen minutes of effort and six months of practice to perfect.

I unpacked another box from storage Tuesday afternoon. Three years on this base and I am still finding things I packed in Twentynine Palms. Military-wife archeology — every box is a layer of geological history. I found a ceramic dish from Lejeune still wrapped in newspaper from 2020.

The kitchen counter has a chip in it from someone before us. Some military housing thing. I have stopped asking what. The chip is fine. The whole kitchen is provisional. We are renting from Uncle Sam.

Meatloaf Tuesday is sacred in this house — but the truth is, it’s all the same love in a different shape. Ground beef, seasoned simply, cooked until it smells like someone cares. When I sent Donna’s recipes to that young spouse in Lejeune this week, I thought about the recipes I keep returning to myself, the ones that require almost nothing and give back everything. Paul Bunyan Burgers are in that category. Big enough to matter, simple enough to make after a hard Tuesday, and the kind of thing you can feel proud of setting on the table when the basics need to hold.

Paul Bunyan Burgers

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 large sturdy burger buns, toasted
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• Toppings as desired: lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, pickles, mustard, ketchup

Instructions

1. Mix the beef. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the meat or the patties will be tough.
2. Form the patties. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions (about 8 oz each). Shape into thick patties roughly 3/4 inch tall. Press a shallow indent in the center of each with your thumb to prevent doming during cooking.
3. Heat the pan or grill. Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill over medium-high heat until very hot. No oil needed for an 80/20 blend — the fat does the work.
4. Cook the patties. Cook patties without pressing down, 5—6 minutes per side for medium doneness. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, lay a slice of cheese on each patty and cover loosely with a lid or foil to melt.
5. Rest, then serve. Transfer patties to a plate and let rest 2—3 minutes. Set up buns with your preferred toppings and serve immediately while hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 34g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 680mg