Last weekend my parents were over again for another fish fry.  If you missed the first fish fry, you can read about it here.  As in the first post, Mark was frying the fish and my parents were busy cooking the hushpuppies and fries.  I was ….

But prior to that I was BAKING….Yes, you heard me correctly.  I baked a Blackberry Cobbler.  This recipe is quick, easy and delicious.  Don’t forget the vanilla icecream to go on top.

Blackberry Cobbler:

• 1 stick of melted butter
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of sugar for mixture
• 1 cup of sugar for topping
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 bag of frozen blackberries

Heat oven 350 degrees.  Melt the stick of butter in a 9 x 12 dish. (Many size pans will do depending on how thick or thin you want your cobbler.)  Mix together self-rising flour, milk, sugar, and vanilla.  Pour over melted butter.  Do not stir.  Pour blackberries over mixture.  Do not stir.  Pour 1 cup of sugar on top.  Bake for about 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!  My hunter actually did! 

This winter has been long, cold, snowy, rainy, and the hours I’ve been spending on the computer has added much more junk in this trunk.  I am in desperate need of some fresh vegetables from our very own garden.  

I’ve been craving a burger on the grill with nothing on it but a couple of fresh sliced banana peppers and the zucchini bread my neighbor makes for us every year. 

This is our list of the vegetables we plant:

• Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Green Peppers
• Banana Peppers
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Green Onions
• Green Beans

We’ve never grown herbs but I think I might give it a try this year. 

Coming in May, I plan to post our step by step garden process.

Do you grow your own vegetables and herbs?  What’s in your garden?  The Hunter’s Wife would like to know.

Here are some great recipes I found from a few other bloggers;

Hunting Sense - Hunters’ Hot Tamale Pie

Marions Hunting Stories - Venison Breakfast Pizza

Hunter Angler Gardner Cook - Belgian Venison Medallions

My Wild Outdoor Kitchen - Venison Peach Salad

Seeing that this weekend is New Years and some of you will be hosting a party I thought I would throw some ideas out your way for venison appetizers.

• Venison Meatballs  - make up your favorite venison meatballs and spread on a nice platter.
• Venison Steak Medallions - marinate in your favorite marinade and chop up in bite size pieces.  Add to a platter with cheeses.
• Venison Sausage - slice sausage and add to a tray with cheeses and crackers.
• Venison Beef Rolls - fry up venison beef with some seasonings and lay a spoon full in crescent rolls and bake.
• Venison Bacon Wrap - cut up meat in bite size pieces, wrap in a slice of bacon and place toothpick in center. Broil till bacon is a bit crispy.  If you like it hot, add a slice of jalapeno pepper inside the wrap.

And to drink … Champagne Punch - from Emeril  (If only I could cook like him.)

• 1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 bottles of chilled dry Champagne or sparkling wine
• Orange or lemon slices
• Fresh strawberries, optional

Combine the lemon juice, sugar, orange liqueur, Triple Sec, cognac, and orange juice in a non-reactive (non-metal) bowl and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Add the Champagne and stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Pour into a decorative bowl or pitcher.  Garnish with orange or lemon slices and fresh strawberries.

Please Please Please…Don’t drink and drive…call a relative…friend…hunter…taxi!!!  Be safe everyone!!!

Out of all of our venison meat, Mark enjoys making beef jerky the most.  And who doesn’t love beef jerky.  Even those that don’t enjoy venison, enjoy these tasty beef jerky snacks. 

He was up at 4:30 a.m. this morning making up a couple of batches.   

Here is what you need: 

4 lbs venison meat

1 Package of seasoning for jerky.  We used what is pictured below.

Dehydrating tray.

Jerky gun.

In a large bowl, mix venison meat and seasoning according to package directions.  Mash together.  Take a handful of meat and roll up to fit in tube of jerky gun.  Put in jerky gun and shoot out onto dehydrating tray as shown below.  Dry at your dehydrators setting for meats, which is probably about 150 degrees and cook for approximately 5-6 hours. 

Everyone has their favorite recipes for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.  I am going to post a quick and easy recipe for the Hunter to throw in the crock pot while out hunting.

1 Cooked Rotissere Chicken - Most grocery stores have them.  Cut off bone in bit size pieces.

2 Lg cans of Chicken Broth.  I like to use the box kind or chicken stock.

3 Stalks celery diced

1 Onion diced

1/2 bag baby carrots sliced

1 Bag of extra wide egg noodles

In a crock pot, mix chicken broth, chicken, celery, onion, carrots.  Turn on low.  GO HUNT!

After you’ve gotten that BIG BUCK, cook egg noodles in a separate pot as instructed on back of package.  Drain and add to crock pot.  Add salt and pepper to taste and you have yourself a big pot of warm Chicken Noodle Soup.

For a snack, slice deer sausage and put on a cracker with mozzarella cheese.

Today’s recipe is quick and easy.  We all love that kind of cooking, especially the hunter who is out hunting while his meal is in the crock pot cooking.

• 4 lbs venison roast
• 1 can of your favorite beer (Yum!)
• 1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce   

Place venison in crock pot.  Pour can of beer and barbeque sauce over venison.  Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.  Then turn on low for 6 hours.  Roast should be nice and tender.  Remove venison from crock pot and set aside.  Pour excess broth from crock pot into a separate bowl.  Put venison back in crock pot and shred.  Spoon in desired about of broth with the venison and mix well.  Let cook long enough to warm of the juices you added.

Put on vienna buns or rolls of your choice.

I use vienna buns and lay on a cookie sheet, spread a little butter on each side and cook in oven for about 5 minutes.  Just long enough to toast and melt the butter. 

Place your barbeque inside buns and ENJOY! 

Seeing that it is still early in the season for some who have not yet taken a deer, I thought I would add some tips to cooking venison.

• Your wild game needs to be quickly field dressed and cooled to keep the meat safe.
• Try to trim all the fat prior to cooking.  Fat will contribute to the gamey flavor.
• To make venison moist and tender, marinate using one of your favorite flavors prior to cooking.
• Venison recipes should include another form of fat.  Such as butter, oil or bacon.  This will enhance the flavor.  Let’s say you are cooking in a crockpot or slow cooker, you could add a layer of bacon strips on top. 
• You shouldn’t salt your venison prior to cooking because it inhibits browning and removes juices.
• Be sure not to overcook the meat.   Overcooking will dry out lean meats.
• If you love using your crockpot, venison is great when slow cooked.  Make sure to turn the heat to high for 1 hour prior to cooking, then set to low for the remainder.  This will keep the meat safe from bacteria.
• It is recommended that you should freeze venison jerkey for 30 days to prevent parasites in the meat.  Freezing will kill any present parasites. 

You have a great tip?  Leave us a comment! 

Enjoy your venison!

Here is a great recipe I received this week from Marian over at Marians Hunting Stories.  Go take a trip over and say Hello!

Breakfast Pizza

• 1 pound venison sausage
• 1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup frozen loose-pack hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Pimiento (optional)
• Fresh oregano (optional)

Cook venison sausage in medium skillet until brown; drain and set aside.  Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles.  Place with elongated points toward center of greased 12-inch pizza pan or dish.  Press bottom and sides to form crust; seal perforation.  Spoon sausage over dough.

Sprinkle with hash brown potatoes and Cheddar cheese.  Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over sausage mixture.  Bake 375 for 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Garnish with pimiento and fresh oregano, if desired.  Yield about 6-8 servings.  The oregano really sets this pizza. 

Thanks Marian it sounds so so good!

Also, check out the Idaho Salad recipe over at Rex’s Deer Camp Blog.

Now that hunting season is underway, every Friday I will be posting a Venison recipe to try for the weekend.  If you have any favorites send them to me and I will post. 

Here is a quick and easy recipe.

Venison Grilled Steaks

1/2″ to 3/4″ thick venison ham or loin steaks

Marinate steaks in:

• 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup of Italian Salad Dressing
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of A1 Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of hickory liquid smoke
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder

Mariante steaks for 2 hours then grill.  Steaks are best if they are slightly pink in the middle.

Hope you enjoy!