Pot Roast

The Mission:
Make Pot Roast.... 1 - because we have a ton of venison pot roast in the freezer.... 2 - because I love it.... And sometimes I just need to make what I want and not care too much what the husband says ;) I know he's not a fan of Pot Roast, but I'm pretty sure he can deal with eating it once or twice a year! It can't possibly be that bad.

The Ingredients:

• 3 lb pot roast (beef, venison, whatever)
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp instant beef bullion granules
• 1 tsp dried basil, crushed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 small onions, cut into wedges
• 2 stalks celery, cut into bite sized pieces (optional)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• Black pepper (optional)
  

The Instructions:
Trim fat from meat. In a 4-6 quart pot brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Combine the 3/4 cup water, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon granules, basil and salt in a small bowl. Pour over the roast and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour. Add potatoes, carrots, onions and celery to the pot, return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 45 - 60 more minutes or until everything is tender. Transfer the meat and veggies to a warmed platter and cover with foil, reserving juices in the pot. For the gravy - whisk the 1/3 cup of flour into 1/2 cup of cold water until no lumps remain. Stir into the juices is the pot. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Add black pepper if desired. Serve the gravy with the meat and veggies.

The Results:
I think it turned out fantastic. Of course, I forgot to photo document how fantastic it turned out.... so you'll just have to take my word for it. The roast was perfectly tender, and the veggies turned out superb! I did add a bit of extra flour than the recipe called for in order to get my gravy to the desired consistency, but sometimes it happens.

The Reviews:
The husband ate it, and admitted that it tasted fine.... but did remind me that it's not his favorite and he really didn't want it again any time soon. Boo. It's always disappointing to me that he doesn't fawn over everything I make, though it's to be expected. My coworkers who saw my leftovers thought it looked and smelled fantastic, though. That's always a nice ego boost :)

Mom's Meat Loaf

The Mission:
Make meat loaf for dinner because I've been craving it lately. I use my Mom's recipe, which I've been eating since childhood, though I omit the celery and substitute onion powder for the diced onions. My husband prefers it that way, and if he's going to eat it, he has to like it. I love to top mine with Piquant sauce (recipe at bottom), but the husband prefers his with boring old ketchup.

The Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground lean ground beef (or venison)
  
• 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 2 slightly beaten eggs
  
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (optional if you have a picky eater)
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
  
• 1/4 tsp dry ground mustard
  
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning 1
  
• Tbsp Worchestshire sauce
  
• 2 Tbsp chopped celery (also optional)

The Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients with your hands until combined. If the mixture doesn't seem firm enough to form a loaf, add 1/2 to 1 cup of Quaker Oats. Place the meat into a loaf pan and pack down tightly. Form the meat into a loaf shape (higher in the middle and lower on the edges) and place in a preheated 350*F oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the meat is done. Serve with Piquant Sauce, ketchup, or mustard if desired.

Piquant Sauce:
Combine together the following ingredients: 3 Tbsp brown sugar 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp dry ground mustard Then heat in the microwave for 30 second increments, stirring inbetween, until warm.

The Results:
I left out the chopped onions and substituted onion powder for my picky eater. It's important to use lean ground beef or else the meatloaf will be very greasy. I've also tried this recipe using ground venison with fantastic results. My husband shared some of his leftovers with a coworker, who just raved about how good it was :)

The Reviews:
Though my husband griped about the meatloaf a bit before hand, he dug right in and cleared his plate. Then he had seconds. Then he ate all of the leftovers. Apparently leaving out the celery and diced onions really made this meatloaf tasty to him. I'm thrilled. Unfortunately, he hid the camera so I couldn't take any more pictures :(

Venison BBQ

The Mission:
To use some of our ample supply of venison to create a hearty meal on a cold, cold Monday. I wanted to make something especially comforting since this particular Monday happened to follow a four-day weekend :) Pulled venison barbeque happens to be a favorite of my husbands, and it was his Dad that told me how to make it. My father-in-law has some very yummy ideas for wild fish and game.

The Ingredients:

• 1 venison roast water
• 1 or 2 tsps of salt
• liquid smoke - optional
• your favorite barbeque sauce

The Instructions:

This is extremely simple to make. I place the roast into my crockpot. I cover the roast with water and add about a tsp or two of salt. If the mood strikes me, I'll add some liquid smoke to the water as well... just a few dashes. (I skipped that step this time.) I'll set the crockpot on low for about 20 hours, since I usually put the roast in the night before. 8 hours on low is just fine if you prefer to assemble the goods in the morning. 30 minutes prior to dinner time, remove the roast from the crockpot, placing it in a glass baking dish. Discard any bones or fatty things from the meat, then use two forks to pull the meat apart until it is in bite-sized pieces. It will look kind of shredded. Serve immediately with your favorite BBQ sauce and side dishes.

The Results:

Delicious as always. Someday I plan on making barbeque sauce from scratch and seeing how it turns out. I served this particular meal with green beans - frozen for me and canned for him, and his favorite biscuits. As an added bonus, I use the leftover 'broth' from the crockpot to moisten up the dog's food. They adore it, and it's pretty healthy once you drain off the little bit of fat. We usually add water to their food anyway, so I consider this to be a special treat for them and a way to recycle for me. This roast yielded about 2 quarts or so of broth.

The Reviews:

I thought it tasted fantastic, my husband was really happy, and I believe the dogs were just thrilled :)

Mom's Beef Stew

The Mission:

Make beef stew. Because it's tasty and I like it. Also, beef was on sale a few weeks ago, and I have a lovely amount of stew beef all cut up and ready to go in the freezer. Mom's been using this recipe my whole life, so I find it to be extremely comforting. It can be made on the stove, or in a crockpot - which is nice! It makes a fabulous addition to my winter menus, since it's such a warm and invitingly aromatic comfort food. It's also great using venison.
The Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stew beef
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• few dashes allspice or cloves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 medium onion - roughly chopped
• 3 medium potatoes - chopped into bite sized pieces
• 5-6 carrot sticks - chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 bag of frozen green beans

The Instructions:

Stovetop directions: Brown meat in batches in hot oil. Add boiling water, seasonings, and onion (if you like your onion less mushy, add onion when you add other veggies). Simmer for 2 hours. Add sliced carrots and potatoes, then stir in the frozen green beans. Cook for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are done. Thicken stew gravy by adding flour to cold water and whisking until all lumps are gone, stir flour mixture into stew and cook at least five minutes more. Crockpot directions: brown meat and then assemble all ingredients except beans into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Microwave green beans until they're done and add to stew in crockpot. Add flour mixture and cook on high for 20 minutes.

The Result: Let's see. Next time I will add more carrots. It just wasn't quite enough for me. My husband liked the stew and ate it happily. I served it with pillsbury crescent rolls this time. Not exactly the most healthy side dish, but yummy nonetheless. I obviously assembled this one in the crock pot. I actually prefer the stew on the stove, but for week-night meals, it's just easier to put it in the crockpot so it's ready when you get home.

The Reviews: Not much to say here. Obviously I love this recipe. My whole family likes it and looks forward to eating it whenever the weather turns colder. I've made it for a few friends before and they all go back for seconds :)

Venison (or Beef) Chili

The Mission: Make delicious crockpot chili using Mom's recipe only substitute ground venison, since the husband's friend shared his poor Bambi's Daddy with us.

The Recipe: I love my Mom's chili. This is the recipe that she's been using ever since I was a small child. I'm not quite sure where she got it from, I think she said she adapted it from a couple of different recipes she found in the red-checkered Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. Oh how I love those red-checkered bibles of goodness.

The Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (substitue venison or turkey if you wish)
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
15 1/2 oz. can of dark red kidney beans, drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
16 oz can of diced tomatoes
10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
8 oz tomato juice (I use canned sauce instead)
6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 tsp. salt

The Instructions: In a large pot, brown the ground meat with onion and garlic. Drain any fat and add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for 2 hours. Enjoy.

The Result: Delicious as always. This time we shared the dinner with my parents, so I doubled the recipe. I also put it in the crockpot so it would be ready to eat. This is easily accomplished by browning the meat on the stove, and then assembling all of the ingredients in the crockpot. You'll want to cook it on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4. I usually assemble everything the night before, so the chili has time to meld all the flavors in the fridge overnight, then I leave it on Low alllll day long! It's great to have yummy food waiting for you when you get home at night :) I love to eat my chili with cottage cheese. Mom likes to add sour cream. Dad and the husband enjoy adding shredded cheddar cheese. And everyone loves it with cornbread on the side.

The Reviews: Though the husband isn't a big fan of the chopped onions, peppers, or celery, I chop them really small using my food processor. They cook down so much that he doesn't really notice. Apparently if he can't see them, he doesn't know they're there! I've never had any complaints about this recipe. The whole family loves it! I've taken it to quite a few potlucks and have never had to worry about leftovers. I've been asked for the recipe several times as well.