Cooking Venison for the First Time

Recently, we acquired some venison (deer meat) and I had to share this recipe. It was the best stew I've ever had. Here is the original recipe from the "I'm Hooked, I'm Game" cookbook:

Hunter's Venison Stew

2 lbs. cubed venison

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Salt and Pepper

********

6 carrots

2 large potatoes

3 medium onions

3 stalks celery

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

In a large deep saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the venison in butter. Season the venison with salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 cups of water and continue to heat until the venison is tender, about 20-30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut the carrots, potatoes, onions and celery into small chunks. Add the vegetables and crushed tomatoes with juice to the venison in the saucepan. Continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

The way I actually fixed it was a little different. I browned the venison as instructed then placed it in the crockpot with the water, 3 carrots, 5-6 potatoes (my men are meat and potato guys!), 1 large onion, 1-2 stalks of celery, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes. It still turned out GREAT! I cooked it on low for about 8 hours until everything was tender.

Feel free to post your favorite venison recipes in the comments! I'd love to know how other folks enjoy their game!

30 Days of Thankfulness all Rolled Into One

Many of my friends are posting on their Facebook wall daily what they're thankful for. Great idea but I missed the band wagon. So I decided to put my 30 days of Thankfulness in one blog post. Plus, I'm scatter brained so I'm sure it'd end up being more like 28 days of Thankfulness since I'd probably repeat one or two without realizing it. Here we go!

Day 1: God. Wouldn't have any of the following without Him.

Day 2: Ryan. Next year, I get to marry best friend and the most amazing man a girl could ask for.

Day 3: Jeremy. The most wonderful son a mother could ask for. The sweet boy who can't let you walk down to the mailbox without getting a hug.

Day 4: My Mother. She has been the biggest help to me and the best friend I could ever imagine.

Day 5: My brothers. It really is true that they become your friends when you get older! I would have totally disagreed with that statement when I was a kid but now I enjoy being around them!

Day 6: My Pop. I don't see him nearly enough and I hope he knows truly how much I care for him. Think I'll go call him.

Day 7: My precious nephew and niece, Joseph and Addie. A joy to be around and lot's of fun!

Day 8: A warm home especially with the snow last week!

Day 9: A vehicle. It may not be the nicest but it gets me where I need to be.

Day 10: Health. Even when we're sick with a cold or allergies, overall, we're still healthy. Those are just minor compared to what other folks have to deal with.

Day 11: My Mom-mom. I'm so blessed to still have my grandmother. She's a wonderful lady! Think I need to go make another phone call.

Day 12: Our sweet hen. And that she is still with us today after laying a double-yoker last week! Check this thing out!

Day 13: Jeremy's teacher. I'm thankful for all teachers, but especially Jeremy's teacher this year. He's connected with her and loves school now plus he's learning so much!

Day 14: People who enjoy my jewelry. It'd be awfully hard to sell anything if they didn't!

Day 15: Our gardens. We are still enjoying the abundance of potatoes, green beans, and corn from our garden this past summer.

Day 16: Daisy, the nanny goat. Our little weed eater who is full of personality.

Day 17: Max, the German Shepherd. Our fearless watch dog who will lick you to death if you get near! Unless you're a ground hog...then you better HIDE!

Day 18: A tractor. I can't imagine being able to farm without one. Unless we had a horse of course.

Day 19: Knowledge. Lot's of it useful, some of it not so much.

Day 20: Google. Yes, Google. Ever been in the middle of something and realize you have no clue what you're doing? Happens to me more than I'd like to admit. So for the knowledge that I lack, Google assists me in gaining it.

Day 21: Our roosters. They have given me a whole new appreciation for meat. There's something wonderful about knowing exactly where your food comes from. 

Day 22: Coffee. The world would like me much less without it. 

Day 23: The Blue Ridge Mountains. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in the US and I am fortunate enough to have grown up here. 

Day 24: Appliances. I imagine my life would be much tougher without a washer and dryer, microwave, stove, or a toaster. 

Day 25: Camera. So many memories and beautiful moments would be lost without one. 

Day 26: Shoes. Without them, the rose bushes we battle on our property would be 100 times worse than they already are.

Day 27: Trees. Shade, warmth, and most important, air. 

Day 28: Family. Not just immediate but all my awesome cousins, aunts, uncles, and soon-to-be in-laws.

Day 29: Military. I may not always agree with where our government sends them but I will ALWAYS support the men and women who serve our country. Thank you!

Day 30: My Life. My life in general. Everything I have is a blessing and I'm thankful for the way my life is. 

Have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

A Productive Year

You may be wondering how our little farm turned out this year and if your not, I'm going to tell you anyway.

Animals:

We started out with the opportunity to get one free chicken from my kid's school. When we went to buy feed for it, we got 6 free chicks with our purchase. Turns out only one out the seven was a hen. We wanted multi-purpose chickens (meat and laying hens) anyway but we were hoping for at least half of them to be hens. Looks like we won't have to buy chicken for a few months now. In case you haven't been around chickens, having 6 roosters is a BAD thing. They will brutally kill your hen...not on purpose of course but they all want in on the action and it is a constant battle. All of them were getting along fine until a few weeks ago when the roosters must have sensed it was about time for little miss hen to start laying eggs. She is now comfortably in the garage until we can thin out our roosters. Not pleasant but a must unless you like to watch your flock hurt one another.

A few weeks ago, we acquired a goat. Sweet Ms. Daisy joined our farm. We are looking forward to the future when we can add in a few more goats. My parent's used to have some as pets which always seemed kind of strange to me. Now I understand.

Gardening:

This was my first year raising a garden and I think we did pretty good! We definitely learned a lot but had a considerably productive year. There was a fierce battle with tater bugs, then some major destruction from the crows, and finally whatever bug it was that likes beans. Even with these issues, we still managed to freeze almost 20 quarts of corn and 5-6 quarts of green beans. We should have enough potatoes to get us and our family through the winter. I'm already missing the fresh squash and cucumbers but we'll have more of that next year. The tomatoes did the best of any I've ever grown, not enough to can but we had just the right amount for sandwiches and salads throughout the summer. We still have a few green ones that are slowly ripening as we speak! I'm going to miss the fresh tomatoes this winter. 

Future:

Next year, we're doubling the size of both of our gardens which will make it a total of  around 9000 square feet of garden! Whew, that's going to be a lot of work but it's the best work I've ever done. Nothing feels better than to come in and be tired from working your land. We're also hoping to start fencing in our property so we can add animals to the herd at any time. This is a daunting task that may or may not happen next year. Maybe 3 years from now we will have it complete. Also, in the spring, we are ordering hens instead of playing Russian Roulette at the feed store.

Thanks for keeping up with our little farm this year! I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from the year...

Our Goat Has a Name!

So actually she's had a name, I've just been slack. Meet Ms. Daisy, the briar eating, loves to be petted sweet goat.

Her head's really not that big

And, her bodies really not that big. Hmm. Let's see if we can get something a little more accurate.

Still makes my head look big. At least that's my good side.

Much better!

Photos: Fall Views From the Farm

Our Sunday afternoon project. Time for a fire!

The mountain across the road...either Paddy Mountain or part of Phoenix Mountain

Hawk circling

Beautiful red tree on Paddy Mountain

My favorite Maple

Looking up from under my favorite Maple

 

 

Same Maple.

Our New Addition! Welcome Nameless Goat

We have a new addition to our farm! A super sweet goat named...still to be decided. 

We introduced her to Max and our chickens last night. Max isn't too fond of her yet and she seems to feel the same way. A few more headbutts and I think he'll keep his distance. 

The chickens are getting to share their home with her. This seems to be her comfort zone as she had several chicken pen mates at her previous home.

She's a very sweet girl. Just look at that sweet face!

The chickens don't seem to mind sharing their home. They actually didn't seem to notice she was even their.

Investing in All Kennebec's Next Year!

I was absolutely amazed when I dug of some of our Kennebec potatoes today! We're not quite ready to plow them all up but I walk through every few days as some of them over grow their space in the ground, some the rain washes the dirt off, and our chickens have dug around and revealed a few. Recently, we've been digging up the Yukon Gold's since the plants died off well over a month ago, thanks in part to those nasty Colorado Potato Bugs (see a previous post about those little night mares). The Yukon Gold's died out a good 3 weeks before the Kennebec's even showed signs of distress. Being our first year of gardening, I started digging a few of the Yukon Gold's up every few days not knowing how long they could be left after the plant died. Most of them have been smaller than a child's fist. Even now, when I dig some up, they haven't grown anymore. Well, not those Kennebec's. Let me show you what I dug up today!

Left: Yukon Gold     Right: Kennebecs!

Those were all dug up today. That Tweetsie card is the same size as a credit card! I was so impressed! That's bigger than most baking potatoes you buy at the store...which are probably sprayed with who knows what! Am I impressed with the way our garden's have turned out? Absolutely!

Frugal Living: Monthly Grocery Planning

Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite tasks. It stresses me out trying to stay on budget while finding healthy food options. In the past, I would follow coupon blogs weekly and hit up several stores each week. At the bottom of my receipt, I was saving half of what I spent! Exciting, huh? Well, there was a problem: matching up coupons and store sales was great but I was purchasing items that weren’t absolute necessities. Most of the coupons are for foods we don’t normally eat so how was that helping us? We were using what I was buying but I still had to purchase some of our regular products as well. I ended up spending about $40-$50 per store which would push us well over $500 per month in groceries (with coupons and store sales!). I decided that HAD to change, especially since we have reduced our income this year. I thought if I could stay out of the stores except for when we actually NEEDED groceries, I was bound to save money. That’s when my friend told me about Save-a-lot and how she shops once per month plus trips as needed only for milk, bread and fresh fruits. Is it name brand? Most of it is not, however, we typically were purchasing store brand products anyway but the store brand products at Save-a-lot are, for the most part, substantially cheaper. Plug for Save-a-lot? Yes, because I’m hooked. Be sure to sign up at their website for a $5 off $25 coupon!

I now shop once per month. It takes me a few mornings to get all of my meals planned out plus a few extra quick ones in case the week ends up hectic. I found some amazing planners at http://moneysavingmom.com/downloads where you can also find some great household organization planners.  Even if you decide to shop on a weekly basis, there are planners for that. There are 2 that I typically use: the monthly planner and the weekly planner. I scratch out my suppers on the monthly planner plus fill in events such as parent nights at school, birthdays, meetings, etc. so I’ll know how detailed of a meal I can fit in. Then add specifics for each day onto the weekly planner.

Once I have my monthly meals planned, I go to Excel and type in every ingredient I need, unless I’m positive I’m fully stocked on the item, and the amount needed. This was a lot of work the first month but now it goes much faster! The first time is a little overwhelming since you’re planning an entire month. It’s hard to know exactly how much flour or cereal you go through until you actually put this plan into action. The second month is much easier so don’t get discouraged.

Don’t forget to list your paper products, pet foods, hygiene items, and other miscellaneous things you’ll need. Once you have your list together (I sort mine into alphabetical order since I’m a nerd) it’s time to hit the store! I always take a pen and write in the price next to the item as I shop. This will help you keep track of what you’re spending and help if the register doesn’t ring the item up correctly. Also, it’s a great idea to use cash since you CANNOT go over your budget.

My final nerd tip, is to fill in the prices into you database when you get home. Next month, revise the quantity needed and you’ll be able to see if the price has changed from the previous month. Plus most of what  you need to restock on is already on your list so planning is much easier.

Here is a small part of my database:

The “W” means I had to go to Wal-Mart to purchase these items. This past month, it was “LF” for Lowes Foods. If I purchased a different quantity, I made a note of that in parentheses. The list on the right is foods that I was fully stocked with already. I left them in my database so I could see everything that was on the planner and could quickly add them to my list for the next month. If you do have certain foods that you only like one particular brand, then you may have to make a separate trip for those items. For example, we only eat Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter which is by far the cheapest at Wal-Mart.

Bottom line, we're around $250 per month now!

I hope this helps you save your family money! Feel free to ask me any questions about my system and also, if you have suggestions, PLEASE share!

Cooking: Whole-wheat Pancakes: And They Liked Them!

Every mom tries to find wholesome foods that their kids like. It can be a struggle. My mom used to serve us orange mashed potatoes, us kid's not knowing that they were orange from carrots! We just thought they were fun!

My youngest boy loves pancakes. I think he could eat them for every meal. However, a traditional pancake recipe just doesn't stack up to what I think he should be having for breakfast. So, I used trusty Allrecipes.com and found a wonderful whole-wheat pancake recipe! It is still a pancake that they cover in syrup and it has quite a bit of butter, so it's not winning any nutrition awards but it does replace most of the white flour with whole-wheat flour and it adds in some wheat germ.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour 

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. In a food processor or in a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, white flour, wheat germ or oats, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife, and add the butter to the flour-mixture. Mix until the mixture has a sand-like consistency. (I used a pastry cutter for this step)               
3. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, and add the buttermilk and eggs. Stir until the liquids are fully incorporated.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and grease the surface with 1 tablespoon of butter or oil. Ladle the batter onto the surface to form 4 inch pancakes. Once bubbles form on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 2 minutes.               

Cooking spray is a good option instead of butter to grease your pan. Obviously, butter tastes better.

The batter will be fairly lumpy but don't over mix, you won't like the results! Unless you like rubber pancakes.

Golden! And yes, that is butter in the pan.

You can find this recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whole-wheat-pancakes/detail.aspx

Photos: See How Our Garden Grows

We have a tiny squash!

Surprised it's already producing squash! Thought the plant was usually much larger before it flowered.



Lot's of corn!




Our small garden



The corn in our large garden is as tall as Jeremy!

Potato plants: These look like they have survived the Colorado Potato Bug (look for an entire blog post on those little monsters)

Photos: Tomatoes!

Want to know what excites me the most about gardening? These little beauties. We are just weeks (maybe days) away from fresh mater sandwiches! You can guarantee that I'll be making homemade bread when the first ones fully ripe!!

My ideal mater sandwich has mayonnaise, fresh tomato (lots of it), salt, pepper, and preferably, homemade bread. YUM!

Yellow Roma Tomatoes

Mountain Pride Tomatoes

What do you put on your tomato sandwich?

Gardening: We have tomatoes!!

We have 5 tiny green tomatoes! Our Mountain Pride plants have been flowering for a couple of weeks and today I spotted these small green tomatoes!

I cannot wait to go pick a fresh tomato and have a good ole mater sandwich!