Meat in the Freezer

This fall my husband shot a deer, which is great, because we don't buy a lot of red meat.  Venison is the best meat you can eat if you are worrying about your health.  Or your weight.

Today I made a stew in the crockpot:

6-1 cup servings

1.5 lbs of venison stew meat, or venison roast

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 package of dry lipton onion soup mix

1 bottle beer, preferably dark

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths

1 lb of baby carrots, cut the carrots in half or leave them whole for a rustic look

1 large yellow onion, cut it into eighths.

8 ounces of trimmed brussel sprouts

1 tsp corn starch

In a skillet, heat the olive oil on high, and then add the meat.  Sear it.  Add a bit of the beer to scrape up the good bits.

In the crockpot, mix the onion soup mix and the beer, add the vegetables, and then set the meat on top of it.  Cook on low for six hours.  The meat should be falling apart and the vegetables should be fork tender.  

Strain off the liquid, put it back in the skillet with the good bits, and on high heat, add the 1 tsp of corn starch mixed with 2 tbs. of the broth from the crockpot.  

Bring it to a boil, and then return it to the crockpot, heat the vegetables and meat through one last time, and then serve with crusty baguette.

So good, and so easy.  

How I Won My Husband!

Years ago, I had to fix a dinner for my boyfriend (now husband), his mother, and my parents.  What to fix that would please everybody was a dilemna.  Hence, my chicken enchiladas.

I still make these today, and will make them tonight to take to a Mexican potluck.  Here goes.

Serves 4, 2 each 

Preheat Oven to 375

In a large saute pan, cook 4 medium sized chicken breasts in 1/2 bottle of a Mexican beer of your choice. When they are cooked through, (no pink), take them out of the pan and let them cool.  Shred them, or cut them into small dice.  

Ingredients:

4 medium sized chicken breasts

5 medium tomatoes diced with the skin and seeds 

1 yellow onion diced finely

2 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tbs. cumin

1 lime

1 bunch of cilantro

1 small container sour cream or plain yogurt

1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese

8 - 8 inch flour tortillas

1 can of el pato red enchilada sauce, that has been heated on the stove.  

Heat the olive oil in the saute pan and add the onions, cook until they are translucent, then add the tomato and cook until they have broken down and it looks saucy.  Add the chili powder and the cumin, the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Add the chopped up chicken and 1/4 cup cilantro.  Cook just until the chicken is heated and take off the stove.

To assemble the enchiladas, take a tortilla, spread 1 tbs of the sour cream on it, add 1/8th of the filling to the tortilla, 1 tbs of cheese, and roll it up.  Place in a square casserole dish and then repeat with the rest of the tortillas.  

Cover with the heated red sauce, and the rest of the cheddar cheese and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown, and the sauce is bubbling.

Variation:  I use this filling to make a great appetizer.  Use puff pastry squares in place of the tortillas.  Place the sour cream on one corner of the pastry square add the chicken filling, sprinkle it with cheese, and fold the square to make a triangle.  Dip a fork in an egg and water mixture, and press around the edges to seal them.  Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash and then put into the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until they are golden brown and have puffed up.  

Leftovers!

My husband is an attorney, which makes for lots of long nights at the office.  Tonight was no exception.  We had leftovers.  Last Monday we drove back in from Reno and we had a roast chicken from the grocery store.  There is nothing better than roast chicken, Brussel sprouts with sauteed onion, Peruvian purple potatoes, and garlic.  It was so tasty.  

Brussels' Saute

1 lb of Brussel sprouts, trimmed and washed, and cut into quarters

3/4 lb of Peruvian purple potatoes (We got these from our friend Shannon.  She and her husband Rob, grow them out on their property.) Peeled, and quartered and then sliced.  

1 yellow onion, quartered and then sliced

3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

2 tbs. olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Never heat olive oil at a high temperature, it burns too quickly.  Add the potatoes and start them cooking, when they become slightly tender, add the onion, brussel sprouts.  Cook for eight to ten minutes until the brussel sprouts are tender and then add the garlic.  Cook for an additional two or three minutes, and then use a seasoning mix like Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute to add a dash of flavor.  

We had our friend Shannon over for dinner on Tuesday and I made pizza.  I love to make a good vegetarian pizza.  

When I make pizza, it's usually whatever we have in the refrigerator.

Crust:

1 cup hot water

2 tsp. yeast 

2 tbs. olive oil

1.5 tsps of kosher salt

2-2/3 cup of flour

MIx the yeast and hot water together and let the yeast get foamy on top of the water.  This usually takes about 5 minutes or so, then add the salt and olive oil.  Blend with a wisk and then add the flour.  Knead for 5 minutes, put in an oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let sit for 30 minutes until it rises.  

Sauce:

1 can of garlic and onion tomatoes, 14.5 ounces

1 can of Italian style stewed tomatoes

1 tsp of sugar

1.5 tsp of italian seasoning.

Using a hand blender, puree the two cans of tomatoes.  Put them in a sauce pan on medium heat and let them reduce.  When there isn't a lot of liquid left, add the sugar and the Italian seasoning.  Let it cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Toppings for the Pizza:

2 cups mozarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

1 can of artichoke hearts marinated in water

15 pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half 

1 lemon sliced very very thinly

8 ounces of sliced mushrooms

1/2 purple onion, sliced very thinly

4 cloves of garlic sliced very thinly

Saute the onion and garlic, add the mushrooms and saute them until the mushrooms lose their water.  Add the artichokes, the olives until they just are warm.  

Roll out the dough, place it on a pizza stone or a pizza pan.

Cover with the sauce, top with all the veggies, the mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and then the parmesan cheese.

Bake at 450 for 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the crust is crispy.  

Wednesday was left over roast chicken and Brussels saute.

Save those chicken carcasses and put them in the freezer.  When you have enough, you can make a great chicken stock for the freezer.  

Thursday, Rob worked until almost 10:30 so we had a great Pad Thai from Costco.  What an easy meal.  Add a little bit of chopped cashews and some lime juice and you are set.  

Dinner out on Friday.  Rob brought home part of the huge prime rib that he  had for dinner.  

Saturday we had our friend Jeri over.  Her dad passed away on Monday and we wanted to see her to make sure she was doing all right.  

I made chicken pot pie.  I don't mess with chicken pot pie.  Ree Drummond's pot pie recipe is the best and that's what we had for dinner with a salad. I made an apple galette for dessert.  Pie crust dough laid flat, covered with two apples, unpeeled and sliced thinly.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger and sugar.  Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. 

So, that leaves us with leftovers on Sunday!  A great meal with my sweet husband.  Nothing could be better.