There are times when my celery and carrots start to languish in the veggie drawer.  At this point in time I chop up the celery and slice up the carrots and put them into the dehydrator. When they are all dried up I put them into the food processor to grind up into bits and pieces.  Into a jar they go with dehydrated tomato skins and some dehydrated leeks where it will get added into soup broth when the time comes.  I have to thank Pinterest for the idea and this food post.

Another favorite thing I like to make and use for soups is this yummy food post.  

Fruit Dip

Today I was in the mood for something sweet and while I was surfing Pinterest I came across this tasty treat.

For some strange reason I did not have any sour cream in my house but, I always have fresh home made yogurt so I used that instead.  

I cut up some grapes and bananas cause that is what I had in my kitchen.

Hubby is putting blueberries in his bowl and the rest of the fruit.  He is making happy noises.


Happy Eating.

Sunday Scones Raspberry and chocolate chips

Sunday was a nice day for me even waiting until 11:00 am to eat.  Blood draw at 10:30 am and that is forever in my world.

I put in a lettuce bed and covered that and the big garden with straw can not wait to have fresh veggies again.

Since we cooked large yesterday we are having leftovers of sorts.  The smoked mole chicken served with Mexican rice made by hubby and he own recipe.

I was feeling in the mood for something a bit sweet so I made scones with raspberries and chocolate chips.  The raspberries were picked from my yard and therefore are even better tasting.  This is my 'go-to' recipe for scones, I just add whatever flavor I am craving at the moment to the batter/dough and really how many scones recipes does a person need?? :)

                                           

          

I know it has been a long, long time since I have posted here.  Since we are getting close to summer, I tried out a new burger recipe.

I did add mushrooms into the mix, some bleu cheese and I did not have any marjoram in the house, which is rather strange so I added tarragon.

My lovely dear husband shaped the burgers and put them on the smoker for an hour.  Just enough time to make potato salad.  
We also butterflied a chicken and made some Mole sauce then put the partly cooked chicken into the sauce and finished cooking/smoking it.

Hubby agreed this is a do again, so this makes it a keeper!!!!


Happy Cooking!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crock Pot Venison Roast

As you know, I do not write the original recipes, I find them and change them up a bit and make them my own.

We are hunters and we are Venison eaters over beef.  Most people say they have no idea what to do with Venison and I tell them to treat it like beef.  Just be mindful of your heat and all should be good.  But, I also should add, that a Venison steak on the grill will cook up quicker & dry out if the heat is too high and you cook it too long.  Low & slow is the best way to treat Venison on the grill/BBQ.

Today's dish cooking method is done with a crock pot.  I love my crock pots.  I have two and some days feel the need for three. I know, serious cooking on those days and then that means freezing and canning is involved but that is another blog post.

I used Buckthorn honey in my dish.  I love the rich flavor of Buckthorn honey.  Mmmmmmm.

I added a bit of powdered ginger, bay leaves, dehydrated leeks (makes your own during the summer), dehydrated mushrooms, a few juniper berry's and whole black pepper.

For the Balsamic Vinegar, I blended 25 year old, 18 year old, and Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar.  The 25 year old BSV was a holiday gift from the Oilerie in Maple Grove. the other two I purchased at the Olive Grove in Mendota Heights.

After the meat cooked I made a gravy with the liquid. What you need for this is two table spoons of butter and two table spoons of flour and liquid from the crock pot.  Melt the butter completely, then slowly add a bit of flour, stir into melted butter, add a bit more stir into melted butter and make sure flour in completely cooked.  It will be a huge thick lump.  Now slowly add the liquid about an 1/8 of cup at a time. Stir, stir, stir do not let it become a clotted mess.
I used about 2 1/2 cups of the liquid.
Turn your heat down so you do not scorch the bottom of the pan.

I served the meat over polenta.  4 cups of water, 1 cup of cornmeal, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
For the vegetable, peas.

I will add photos on Monday.  I forgot to take photos tonight.

Warm Yummy Soup

Beet Greens, Bulgur Wheat and Poached eggs made my belly happy tonight and hopefully yours in the near future.

I found this tasty treat in a Fine Cooking magazine.  This current issue has tons of good recipes to try.

I added broccoli, corn and some chili paste to my batch of soup also Veggie broth instead of chicken.

So, let me know what you add to it to change it up and make it your own.  I might add some green onions

Snow & Spice

Sunday came around to a bit of snow storm.  Nothing as bad as the forecast called for, a bit relieved and a bit sad cause I was really hoping for a snow day.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it sounded yummy. Cheesy Corn Cakes and Spicy Avocado Salsa

I did add more spice to the mixture because 1/2tps of smoked paprika was not enough for me and my hubby.  This will be a make again for us.  I can see this going great with BBQ chicken, maybe pork chops too.

So, let me know if you make it and what you change to make it your own.

Happy Eating!!!