Month: January 2011

Sugar Free: Oatmeal(+) Cookies

Sugar Free: Oatmeal(+) Cookies

My custodian (yes – the same one who brought me a box of venison meat) is on a low/no sugar diet so I can never bake goodies for him without feeling guilty that I am giving him stuff thats bad for him. His birthday was 

Comfort on a Plate

Comfort on a Plate

After making French Onion Soup for the first time a few weeks ago, Rich told me that I HAD to make it more often. I wanted to make a nice comforting soup for dinner the other night but knew that a hardy bowl of soup 

Venison Meatballs

Venison Meatballs

When I found out that my custodian (who is wonderful and amazing) got a deer last month I so graciously offered to take some meat off of his hands if he ran out of room in his freezer. A few weeks later he walked into my classroom with a box that had some beautiful looking ground venison! I was like a kid in a candy store, visions of sugar plums danced in my head… well – you get the idea. I was thrilled BUT realized I had no idea what (or how) to make. I know that venison is so much leaner than beef so I knew that I needed some help. I stumbled across VenisonRecipes.net and figured they probably knew what they were talking about!

RECIPE

  • apprx 1 pound ground venison
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 T chopped [fresh] parsley
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • less than 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Your own or favorite tomato sauce

In a large bowl, combine venison, breadcrumbs, cheese, milk, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper; mix well. Form mixture into golf-sized meatballs. Heat (olive) oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add them to your sauce OR add marinara sauce directly to the pan that you cooked your meatballs in – lower heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Serve over cooked pasta.

Venison is a “game meat” and therefor more lean than other “ground” type meats and when not cooked correctly can get very tough. This recipe allowed the “gamey” taste to come through while allowing for a tender yet firm meatball. WOW did we enjoy this – now I just need to get creative with the rest of the venison in the freezer!

Jello shots – grown up

Jello shots – grown up

I found the Jelly Shot Kitchen & Food Librarian weeks ago and vowed that I wanted to figure out some fun ways to make “grown-up jello”. Now, we have all had Jell-o shots (unless you are one of my students OR friends under 21 who 

[Christmas] Stained-Glass Jello

[Christmas] Stained-Glass Jello

Cookies and Cakes and Pies and Mousse and JELLO… yes, especially during the holidays when we just eat and eat and eat Jello is the perfect addition, remember “There’s always room for Jello”! Also Jello won’t fill you up too much (or fill you out) 

New Years Black-Eyed-Peas

New Years Black-Eyed-Peas

Traditions mean a LOT to me – I think they help us hold on to our past and always remember where we came from and who helped shape us. There are some traditions that are family related, some that are regionally related, and some that no one really knows where they got their start! According to my research: eating Black-Eyed-Peas for a Prosperous (and lucky) New Year is one that most likely started during the Civil War in the South since the beans were not destroyed by the Northerners and therefor the Southerners had enough food to survive (the pork for luck and the beans for prosperity). This tradition also dates back as far as Rich can remember in his family (along with burning of bayberry candles).

So in order to give us a prosperous lucky year… I present to you: New Years Day dinner 2011 (keeping to Rich’s mother’s traditional recipe while spicing it up a little bit by own way with some online inspiration). We welcome 2011 with open arms and open stomaches…

Recipe (my version – stay tuned for 2012 for me to use Rich’s mom’s version)

  • 1 can black-eyed peas
  • 1/2 package bacon, cut into bite-size pieces before cooking
  • 1 medium chopped onion
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 2 slices left-over Christmas ham
  • 1 can (at least 14 oz – feel free to use 28 oz) chopped tomato
  • black pepper, to taste
  • few dash Tabasco sauce
  • 1 cup quick-cook white rice

Sauté bacon until cooked; add onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is tender. Add the ham and cook until that is lightly browned. To the same large pan: Add the peas and tomatoes. Mix well. Add about a cup of water and then mix in your rice. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, taste and season to your liking!

I hope that 2011 brings you much luck and prosperity. But remember, as Roman philosopher Seneca said “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”