Since I met Ray, he always talked about this meal, where everything on the table is from us...so, deer meat from hunting season, veggies from the garden, our homemade wine.
So here it is. Nothing all that fancy, but this is Ray's deer steak, roasted acorn squash and pan seared brussel sprouts from the garden. Add a glass of our blueberry melomel, and dinner is served !
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Lazy Sunday Part 1
I have to admit, it is hard to dedicate yourself to blogging when life is so busy ! So I have some catch up work to do !
Last Monday, we wanted to use up the last of the bounty from the garden, so I made a batch of my famous Steak Fajita Chili. I had some small sirloins in the freezer I had purchased on sale, about three pounds worth. I marinated them in store bought mojo sauce, and rubbed with fajita seasoning, and browned them to a medium rare in the bottom of the chili pot. I took them out to let them rest about 5 minutes. While they were resting, I added some olive oil to the pot, and sauteed 3 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 diced medium onions.
I cubed the steak into one inch pieces, and added back to the pot. I added 3 cups of V-8 juice, and then diced up about three pounds of roma tomatoes. I also had small small green peppers and jalapenos from the garden, so I added those as well. You can control the heat with more or less jalapeno, but I generally like my chili more on the spicy side. Then I seasoned with chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, all to taste. Again, I generally like my chili pretty intensely flavored, so I am generous with the spices. After that, I just cooked it down, and served with some sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
I usually make more than we can eat in one serving, so we have leftovers for lunch the next day, and some to freeze for dinners in a hurry.
Last Monday, we wanted to use up the last of the bounty from the garden, so I made a batch of my famous Steak Fajita Chili. I had some small sirloins in the freezer I had purchased on sale, about three pounds worth. I marinated them in store bought mojo sauce, and rubbed with fajita seasoning, and browned them to a medium rare in the bottom of the chili pot. I took them out to let them rest about 5 minutes. While they were resting, I added some olive oil to the pot, and sauteed 3 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 diced medium onions.
I cubed the steak into one inch pieces, and added back to the pot. I added 3 cups of V-8 juice, and then diced up about three pounds of roma tomatoes. I also had small small green peppers and jalapenos from the garden, so I added those as well. You can control the heat with more or less jalapeno, but I generally like my chili more on the spicy side. Then I seasoned with chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, all to taste. Again, I generally like my chili pretty intensely flavored, so I am generous with the spices. After that, I just cooked it down, and served with some sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
I usually make more than we can eat in one serving, so we have leftovers for lunch the next day, and some to freeze for dinners in a hurry.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Comfort Food
Fall is upon us ! And as the colder weather sets in, I start to crave comfort food. We spent most of the weekend clearing out all the remaining vegetation from the garden, so stocking up for the long winter was on our minds.
We planted tomatillos with the intent of making green enchilada sauce. Little did I know we would have 15 pints after it was all canned ! I found we like the taste of homemade much more than the store-bought kind. It is very simple. We roasted about 15 pounds of tomatillos, then pureed them with 10 jalapenos, 4 large anaheim peppers, 5 cloves of garlic, 4 chopped onions and about 1 cup of diced cilanto. I added cumin, dried oregano, canning salt and black pepper, and a little sugar to take some of the "bite" out. Now, we have quick enchiladas all winter long !
After all this work, I made tuna casserole for dinner on Sunday (Hot Dish if you are from Minnesota!). I made a simple white sauce, added about 1/4 pound each of diced Havarti and Farmer cheese. Then, I seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour the sauce over your favorite noodles, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and butter and bake. Ray ate half a pan before bed ! We only got one lunch out of the leftovers, and it is gone.
Next up are soups using the giant carrots and potatoes from the garden.
We planted tomatillos with the intent of making green enchilada sauce. Little did I know we would have 15 pints after it was all canned ! I found we like the taste of homemade much more than the store-bought kind. It is very simple. We roasted about 15 pounds of tomatillos, then pureed them with 10 jalapenos, 4 large anaheim peppers, 5 cloves of garlic, 4 chopped onions and about 1 cup of diced cilanto. I added cumin, dried oregano, canning salt and black pepper, and a little sugar to take some of the "bite" out. Now, we have quick enchiladas all winter long !
After all this work, I made tuna casserole for dinner on Sunday (Hot Dish if you are from Minnesota!). I made a simple white sauce, added about 1/4 pound each of diced Havarti and Farmer cheese. Then, I seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour the sauce over your favorite noodles, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and butter and bake. Ray ate half a pan before bed ! We only got one lunch out of the leftovers, and it is gone.
Next up are soups using the giant carrots and potatoes from the garden.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Parent's Dinner...YUMM !
Since my parents were the original inspiration for this blog, I felt it was appropriate to make an entry about the latest dinner we hosted for them.
Sunday was a busy day, with church in the morning, football in the afternoon. After the big Vikings win, we started on dinner.
Ray loves to make homemade pasta, so I take advantage of his contribution when I can. I had some acorn squash from the garden, so I made a filling:
Squash filled raviolo and white wine sauce
2 small acorn squash, seeded, then baked, and filling scooped out
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup asiago cheese, grated
We make 4 large "raviolo" as an appetizer for the meal, and about 2 dozen small ravioli with this filling. I made a very simple reduction of white wine, with thyme and garlic for the sauce, and finished it with about a tablespoon of butter. Each person had one, and it was nice, light appetizer. Then, the big show stopper was Opah en Pappilot (fish wrapped in paper for the less exotic among us)
4 6-8 ounce portions of a firm, white fish (swordfish, blue marlin would work well here)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
4 cloves of garlic
Salt and garlic pepper to taste.
For this process, you need 4 sheets of parchment paper, or you can use foil. Divide the sliced onion, fennel and garlic on each sheet. Season both sides of the fish and lay on top of the vegetables. Top with the lemon, and seal each paper packet by twisting the edges shut. Bake in a 400* oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your fish fillets.
I will attempt to start posting photos of more of these items !
Sunday was a busy day, with church in the morning, football in the afternoon. After the big Vikings win, we started on dinner.
Ray loves to make homemade pasta, so I take advantage of his contribution when I can. I had some acorn squash from the garden, so I made a filling:
Squash filled raviolo and white wine sauce
2 small acorn squash, seeded, then baked, and filling scooped out
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup asiago cheese, grated
We make 4 large "raviolo" as an appetizer for the meal, and about 2 dozen small ravioli with this filling. I made a very simple reduction of white wine, with thyme and garlic for the sauce, and finished it with about a tablespoon of butter. Each person had one, and it was nice, light appetizer. Then, the big show stopper was Opah en Pappilot (fish wrapped in paper for the less exotic among us)
4 6-8 ounce portions of a firm, white fish (swordfish, blue marlin would work well here)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
4 cloves of garlic
Salt and garlic pepper to taste.
For this process, you need 4 sheets of parchment paper, or you can use foil. Divide the sliced onion, fennel and garlic on each sheet. Season both sides of the fish and lay on top of the vegetables. Top with the lemon, and seal each paper packet by twisting the edges shut. Bake in a 400* oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your fish fillets.
I will attempt to start posting photos of more of these items !
Friday, August 27, 2010
Canned meat and more !
We have been so busy with the garden, camping and, well, just life ! But I wanted to brag about our dinner last night!
We can meat ! Back in the day, this was used because there was not sufficient storage or refrigeration when farmers butchered. We, however, like the convenience of the canned meat for a nice dinner on the fly.
The canning does take a little time. We usually watch for roasts (pork or beef) on sale, and then can. It is so simple, just cut the meat into small pieces (or sometimes the butcher will do it for you). Sutff them into a jar as tightly as you can, add a little salt, and pressure can them. I have to admit, the meat does not look very pretty in the jar, but it does taste good !
So, dinner last night was a quick stroganoff. I just sauteed 2 cloves of garlic, one small chopped onion, about a cup of mushrooms, and a cup of red wine together. Stirred in a quart of canned beef, salt and pepper, and let it simmer until the sauce had thickened. Then, just stir in about a cup of sour cream at the end, and serve over buttered noodles. Dinner in half an hour !
So, camping last week, we discovered the joy of grilled pizza, and what a great way to use up some left overs! Our "leftovers" usually have a decidedly Italian slant anyway, so pizza isn't a big stretch. We had some left over spaghetti sauce, pesto, goat cheese, mushrooms, bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms. This all made for some excellent pizza. And it was so easy, we are going to do it again with some friends this weekend. Well, we won't make them eat leftovers :).
Chocolate chip cookies tonite. And peeling more tomatoes in preparation for the great salsa run in September !
We can meat ! Back in the day, this was used because there was not sufficient storage or refrigeration when farmers butchered. We, however, like the convenience of the canned meat for a nice dinner on the fly.
The canning does take a little time. We usually watch for roasts (pork or beef) on sale, and then can. It is so simple, just cut the meat into small pieces (or sometimes the butcher will do it for you). Sutff them into a jar as tightly as you can, add a little salt, and pressure can them. I have to admit, the meat does not look very pretty in the jar, but it does taste good !
So, dinner last night was a quick stroganoff. I just sauteed 2 cloves of garlic, one small chopped onion, about a cup of mushrooms, and a cup of red wine together. Stirred in a quart of canned beef, salt and pepper, and let it simmer until the sauce had thickened. Then, just stir in about a cup of sour cream at the end, and serve over buttered noodles. Dinner in half an hour !
So, camping last week, we discovered the joy of grilled pizza, and what a great way to use up some left overs! Our "leftovers" usually have a decidedly Italian slant anyway, so pizza isn't a big stretch. We had some left over spaghetti sauce, pesto, goat cheese, mushrooms, bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms. This all made for some excellent pizza. And it was so easy, we are going to do it again with some friends this weekend. Well, we won't make them eat leftovers :).
Chocolate chip cookies tonite. And peeling more tomatoes in preparation for the great salsa run in September !
Monday, August 16, 2010
Yummy Garden Stuff
So now is the time when the garden is exploding with yummy goodness. Yesterday, I pulled out 10 hot thai chilis, 6 jalapenos (some of which turned red and will be REALLY hot), 2 red peppers, a couple dozen brussel sprouts, a big bowl of Swiss chard and about a pound of green beans. We know we can't eat all of this before it spoils, so freezing and canning are in progress ! And that doesn't include the approximately 10 pounds of tomatoes we picked Saturday.
I will freeze the hot peppers for when I make salsa later. Since we cook and can the salsa, it won't hurt the peppers to be frozen. Tomatoes we either blanch, peel and freeze (for salsa) or process through the food mill (for sauce). We can then do the canning all at once, instead of doing small batches several times.
But, the chard we ate. You really do need to boil it, it cannot just be sauteed like spinach. But, with a little salt, pepper and butter, it's still fresh and good. I just grilled some lemon pepper tilapia with it, and some corn we received from a friend. It was a nice, light summer dinner.
Tonight we will have BLT's, green bean salad and tomato salad. Ray's favorite way to eat green beans is really very simple. You boil the green beans for just a couple minutes, until they are bright green, but still crispy. In a big bowl, mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, and add some extra virgin olive oil, and butter. Toss the hot beans in this mixture, add salt and pepper, and pop into the fridge. They are really good.
The tomato salad is equally easy. I made a quick homemade balsamic vinaigrette, which was just balsamic vinegar, olive oil (about equal parts), salt, pepper and minced garlic. I halved a bunch of cherry tomatoes, and diced a small onion very fine. We just keep it in the fridge and snack on it !
I will freeze the hot peppers for when I make salsa later. Since we cook and can the salsa, it won't hurt the peppers to be frozen. Tomatoes we either blanch, peel and freeze (for salsa) or process through the food mill (for sauce). We can then do the canning all at once, instead of doing small batches several times.
But, the chard we ate. You really do need to boil it, it cannot just be sauteed like spinach. But, with a little salt, pepper and butter, it's still fresh and good. I just grilled some lemon pepper tilapia with it, and some corn we received from a friend. It was a nice, light summer dinner.
Tonight we will have BLT's, green bean salad and tomato salad. Ray's favorite way to eat green beans is really very simple. You boil the green beans for just a couple minutes, until they are bright green, but still crispy. In a big bowl, mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, and add some extra virgin olive oil, and butter. Toss the hot beans in this mixture, add salt and pepper, and pop into the fridge. They are really good.
The tomato salad is equally easy. I made a quick homemade balsamic vinaigrette, which was just balsamic vinegar, olive oil (about equal parts), salt, pepper and minced garlic. I halved a bunch of cherry tomatoes, and diced a small onion very fine. We just keep it in the fridge and snack on it !
Monday, August 9, 2010
Leeky Potatoes and CHICKEN CHICKEN CHICKEN
Boy, does our house smell like chicken !
We tend to get involved in these complex endeavors on the weekend, which makes the weekend seem not much like a weekend, with all the work involved !
A friend had given us some big chicken backs from his "harvest" last year, along with a GIANT chicken. In an attempt to clear some space in the freezer, we decided to make some homemade chicken stock this weekend. This is one of Ray's favorite things to do. His phrase is "Let's make a vat of (fill in the blank here)". So far, we have venison stock and italian sauce in many containers in the freezer. But, since we are clearing space, we are canning the stock rather than freezing it, which adds another layer of complexity to the process.
Stock starts with the chicken backs, water, carrots, celery, onions, herbs and spices. And a LONG day of cooking, which was probably not the smartest way for us to do this, in the middle of summer on an extremely hot day. We also baked the giant chicken. So the house was filled with the wonderful smell of slow cooked chicken all day long. I think maybe neighborhood dogs were crowding the driveway, as you could smell this all the way down the block !
To go with the chicken, I had originally planned creamed leeks and bacon. Then I started thinking about champ, which is an Irish potato dish with leeks and lots of cream. I didn't have cream, but I had sour cream, so I boiled potatoes, then sauteed the leeks in bacon fat and butter, and whipped them all together. I think Ray ate a pound of it !
Canning the chicken stock tonight, so dinner will be chicken salad sandwiches and marinated tomato salad. Perfect for a warm day in a warm kitchen !
We tend to get involved in these complex endeavors on the weekend, which makes the weekend seem not much like a weekend, with all the work involved !
A friend had given us some big chicken backs from his "harvest" last year, along with a GIANT chicken. In an attempt to clear some space in the freezer, we decided to make some homemade chicken stock this weekend. This is one of Ray's favorite things to do. His phrase is "Let's make a vat of (fill in the blank here)". So far, we have venison stock and italian sauce in many containers in the freezer. But, since we are clearing space, we are canning the stock rather than freezing it, which adds another layer of complexity to the process.
Stock starts with the chicken backs, water, carrots, celery, onions, herbs and spices. And a LONG day of cooking, which was probably not the smartest way for us to do this, in the middle of summer on an extremely hot day. We also baked the giant chicken. So the house was filled with the wonderful smell of slow cooked chicken all day long. I think maybe neighborhood dogs were crowding the driveway, as you could smell this all the way down the block !
To go with the chicken, I had originally planned creamed leeks and bacon. Then I started thinking about champ, which is an Irish potato dish with leeks and lots of cream. I didn't have cream, but I had sour cream, so I boiled potatoes, then sauteed the leeks in bacon fat and butter, and whipped them all together. I think Ray ate a pound of it !
Canning the chicken stock tonight, so dinner will be chicken salad sandwiches and marinated tomato salad. Perfect for a warm day in a warm kitchen !
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