Lately I have been cooking mostly wild game and the odds and ends of past beeves and porkers, dug out of the back of the freezer and turned into unexpected things, which are (amazingly) pretty darned good. Those gristly shank bones...a little vinegar, some spices and some time in the oven and they become the basis for soup or chili that is hard to beat.
And I never made turkey soup before. Turns out I'm not too bad at it.
Applesauce from the Winesap tree that Grandma Peggy kept. The apples have always been terrible, mealy, harsh, bitter, blah. This year I left them on the tree until this week. Who knew that they are a variety that needs some good hard frosts to flavor up? They are fantastic! And not a worm in the bunch. I am going to get out the shepherd's crook and shake down the few that are still hanging on.....before the chickens get them
One pound of sausage that was hidden behind the ice cubes, sauteed with onion, garlic and lovage, topped with a can of green beans and a big bunch of instant mashed potatoes, whipped up with an egg, some grated Parmesan and garlic powder....bake for an hour and a half and get out of the way, they will be back for seconds.
Just around the corner is deer season. The hunter in chief is also the guy who cuts up the deer with me. He took meat cutting class in college last semester. That should help us turn any that he gets into a better product for better dining. Now I just hope that he is successful.
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15 comments:
oh boy, you had me until you mentioned "instant" mashed potatoes....YUCK..they are terrible, or they were when i had to try them in school,many yrs ago! I never had them again and NEVER will!..we grow our own or just plain buy them..no fake ones here thank you! sorry about this rant, but that really is an absolute dislike for me. yuck,yuck,yuck! betty crocker's not making money off me in that category!
...isn't the next line..."are closer than they appear"
nice job and a nice picture too!
Shepherd's Pie, yummy!
Instant potatoes are ok with me. As my father once said; "it's food, isn't it"?
Oh...instant anything has its place in my world. Instant potatoes are kind of like canned ravioli, a guilty pleasure. Not real but tasty and best of all, quick!
But never mind all that.
I LOVE that table. I have one like that, different color top. :-P
Every once in a while the freezer needs to be emptied in the hopes that it will be filled. SOunds like you've been having a little creative fun in you kitchen as you do your part. Now, if the hunter-in-chief can do his.... Best of luck to the HIC. [And watch out for those slippery rocks in the woods!]
Good luck to the hunter/cutter guy!
Sounds like good eats at your house. That sausage meal sounds delicious!
Neat pic! ..my apples did the same thing! I'd like to hear of some of your deer/recipes/ ideas. My SIL shares his deer now that his wifey got an elk. he! he!
Butternut squash looks awful good.
I can only eat KFC's instant mashed potato's. And they are good for doing sourdough. OH MY GOODNESS!!! my mom makes the most amazing sourdough bread out of an instant potato starter.
OH to have an oven again. :)
Anon, if you prepare them per instructions they do taste pretty much like the box they come in. However, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parsley all will add considerable taste, as will some kinds of powdered salad dressing. We have gotten creative with them, because you can throw a box in the cupboard and instantly have the makings for shepherd's pie crust or any number of other things
Anon, Exactly, thank you
Lee, it sure didn't last long. lol
And that is pretty much our philosophy...if it doesn't bite back...
June, around here things either have to take a long time to cook or be really really quick, because I am ALWAYS out milking at the time one would normally be cooking dinner. Instant mashed with some doctoring up fit that scenario quite nicely. lol
I got the table at a church garage sale store kind of place. I do just love it too.
Joated, he is off after geese today, with some friends. I have never cooked wild goose but I am game. thanks
FC, thanks, just a few more days...
ScMomma, thanks, we are pretty lucky that way
Faithful, thanks, we use venison in stews, chili and such a lot...I tenderize it with a bit of vinegar in cooking sometimes. Also we saute steaks with butter and garlic, really good. A couple of years ago the kid got a buck that had been gorging on wild garlic. The whole kitchen smelled like garlic when we were processing it, and what fantastic meat!
LIsa, thanks I lucked out with that...it just kind of grew...
Sara, wow, that sounds fantastic! Do you have a recipe you could share? We love homemade breads
I hope you soon get your oven back...my washer is down right now and I am realizing every day just how much laundry I do. lol
neat picture.
i *may* be able to hook you up with a washer - pm me if you still need one.
i'll take your word on the instant potatoes.
in a hurry, i make chicken pot pie - mix canned chicken, canned peas and carrots, cream of chicken soup, and milk. drop it in a cassarole dish and then mix bisquick bisquits and drop globs on top of chicken mixture. easy, quick and actually surprisingly good.
Ericka, yeah, we are still without alas, although I am watching Craig's list like a hawk. Thanks for the kind though.
The chicken pie recipe sounds good. Everybody needs shortcuts now and then and there is nothing like chicken pot pie!
I grew up on an 180 acres orchard. The last apples to pick were Rome and Winesap...you are so right they have to freeze first. They are also good keepers, lasting well into spring in a nice cellar.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/
LInda, thanks so much for that information. Alan is going to have a go at pruning that wildly overgrown old tree and maybe we will get some serious apples off it!
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