Fall Harvest and a Few Recipes

No, I’m not talking corn or wheat here. I’m talking deer! My mighty hunters bagged three more during the opening weekend. 2 really nice bucks and a doe. Today is processing day – lots of work, but definitely worth it! My freezer will be full tonight! Thank the Lord for providing the meat, Thank the Lord for my men for bringing it in!




Venison Recipes

So, what do I do with all that meat? My family really does love it! I’ve had a few ask for some recipes. I don’t know that I actually follow any recipes, per se…..but here are our some of our family favorites. These are all very forgiving dishes - I use up what I have on hand, and make do with what I have, making substitutions as needed.

Smothered Venison
Lay out your favorite cuts of meat (tenderloin is best, steak works great, roasts do ok) and pour a 15 oz can of tomato sauce all over the top. Sprinkle with a little seasoned salt and pepper and basil, lay slices of onion, green pepper on top. Add a can of sliced mushrooms (drained). Bake in a 300 oven for 2-3 hours (or in crockpot on low all day). Serve over rice.


Venison w/ Gravy
Pour one can of Cream of Mushroom soup into greased 9x13 baking pan. Lay out venison steaks (or tenderloin or roast) on top. Sprinkle with a packet of dry onion soup mix. Bake in 300 oven 3-4 hours. Meat is tender and make its own gravy! Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes.
You can also do this in the crockpot – put meat in first, then seasoning, then soup. Cook on low all day.

Pan Fried Venison Tenderloin
Pour a thin coat of oil (I use olive oil) in fry pan, med to med/hi heat.
In a shallow bowl, beat a couple eggs and 3 tablespoon milk.
In another shallow bowl, mix ¼ cup flour and ¼ cup corn meal. Add favorite seasonings (like seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, etc)

Dip each piece of meat in egg mixture, then coat with flour mixture and place in heated oil in fry pan. Cook 5 minutes and turn, cook 5 more minutes.

Venison Stew
I cut steak into bite size pieces and layer in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle favorite seasonings over meat (seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, onion soup mix, basil, bay leaf are some ideas) – Add a layer of diced potatoes, sliced carrots, sliced celery, frozen peas. Pour 15 oz can of diced tomatoes over all. Spread can of Cream of Tomato soup and add water just to cover. You can add a can of cream of mushroom soup for added flavor and to thicken if you like. Or add a little flour dissolved in milk or water to thicken.


Most of our venison we process into burger. Generally, I use 1 part ground beef to 3 parts ground venison. We also make jerkey from our ground venison, using a gun-type thing-a-ma-jig that squirts out the cured ground meat onto the dehydrator.

OK – now I’m hungry! Let me know if you try any of these ideas and how they work for you, or how you have improved on them.

A Funny Little Incident . . .

. . . at least I thought it as humorous. Here is a little snippet I wrote up while on vacation, right after we crossed over the Canadian Border, back into the U.S.:


Oct 17:

We’ve just crossed the border, back into the US. M pulled up to the border station, rolled down his window and said ‘Hello!’ The young man in the booth looks at his co-worker standing behind him and says, “Wanna check this one?” With a yawn and and a shake of the head he says ‘nope’. I think he saw the camper, the kids, and didn't want any part of us.

Our border guard then asked us how long we’d been in Canada, was it a pleasure trip, how many in the vehicle?
‘8’
‘8?’
‘8’
‘8?’
chuckle, chuckle, ‘yes, 8’

The fellow asks, are they all children? Are they all our children? The same family? Maybe he didn't believe us, or maybe he pitied us, or maybe he was just glad it was us and not him?

When you travel in a pack, I suppose no one wants to mess with ya (hee, hee, hee). I could see in his face he was not in the mood to check everyone’s papers, he waved us on through – have a nice day!

We were treated very well at the borders, coming and going - no hassles, though the Canadians don’t seem to be as concerned about who comes through their borders as the Americans do. We definitely had more questions when entering the US.

" In my own little corner. . ."

". . . in my own little chair. . ." "It's possible, for a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage. It's possible!"

Ok, I have these songs stuck in my head. E woke up this morning with a low grade fever. It has been a long standing tradition that when my little girls are sick, we snuggle up together and watch Cinderella. The l970's made for television Rogers and Hammerstein version. That's the only time we watch it. When they are feverish or when they need to keep 'the bowl' on their lap. This is a long-standing tradition, started when A was about 4 years old.

E and I curled up in my bed and watched it, bringing back memories. Funny how I can remember A or C so clearly doing the same things E or R do now. The years are flying by! But yet, my precious memories help them stand still, in my mind at least.

The boys? Not much into Cinderella -- Andy Griffith, the Lone Ranger, Lassie, Ol' Yeller. That's more their speed.

There you have my few rambling thoughts this afternoon. I must admit it is very fun having a large family - I get to revisit those special traditions over and over -- once one grows out of it, another steps in to take their place!

Bringing Home the Bacon….

Er, I mean, the Venison! L got a nice doe during the Youth Hunt this past weekend, and M brought in a young one with his bow last week. My mighty hunters are coming through once again! Just in time, too. I was seeing the bottom of my freezer! I am so thankful they are willing to get out there and provide for the family. It sure helps the grocery budget, helps me put healthy and nutritious meals on the table. What a blessing!

My Thoughts This Post-Election Day

It has been decided, we have a new President-elect. But my hope is not in this man, my faith is not in this man, my trust is not is this man. He is merely a man, flawed and imperfect. My hope, faith and trust lie in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Anne (Ann with an ‘e’)

A big highlight of the trip (for Mom anyway) was Green Gables and Prince Edward Island. The house and grounds were just like I imagined (though not just like you see in the movies).

I could almost see and hear Anne and Marilla working together in the kitchen, Matthew and Anne visiting in the barn, Anne and Diana laughing by the pond, Anne hurrying breathlessly through the ‘Haunted Wood’.

We listened to Anne of Green Gables on CD while traveling through New Brunswick, it made the actual site come alive for even our little ones, once we got there. E is now a fan, through and through.

She looks a little like Anne with those braids, eh?