Getting back on track...

The holidays are finally over and I'm starting to put the pieces of my routine back together. I've done some re-arranging of the storage space in my kitchen and I think that it's going to be a nice change. But I want to get back into the habit of posting my weekly menus.  And because it hasn't been that long into the year I'm posting last week as a bonus!

Jan 8th - Jan 14th
Sunday - Ham & Bean Soup
Monday - Salmon and Couscous Cakes with Tomato, Olive, and Caper Relish
Tuesday - I hit a deer. So we had Chinese.
Wednesday - My friend Anya made Bigos!
Thursday - Pizza Night (home-made of course)
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - White Beans with Chorizo and Mustard Greens

Jan 15th - Jan 21st
Sunday - Venison Stroganoff
Monday - Broccoli & Mushroom Stir-fry
Tuesday - Whiskey/Marmalade Glazed Salmon with Tatties N' Neeps
Wednesday - Venison, Bacon, White Bean Chili
Thursday - Chickpea & Tomato Stew
Friday - Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce
Saturday - Burn's Night Dinner hosted by friends

If you were paying attention to the item above you will note, I hit a deer. In the greater scheme of things it was a little traumatic (I kind of had a 14 hour long panic attack/adrenaline rush that day), but there was minimal damage to the car I was driving, I am alright, and the deer was killed on impact and found pretty quickly by my husband. Donald and I spent most of the afternoon on Wednesday hosting the Amateur Butcher Hour as we broke my deer down into it's edible pieces. All said and done we got about 25 lbs of ground meat, two back loins around 3 lbs total that we cut into medallions and wrapped in bacon, and another 2 lbs of meat that was reserved for this week's menu in the stroganoff and the chili. So between that and the venison that I got as a gift for Christmas (btw, best Christmas gift I get every year!) my freezer is re-stocked for the year!

Also got to catch up with one of my very old and fabulous friends, Lana over the weekend! She drove down and we went to lunch at one of my favorite places in Ann Arbor - Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery. They had one of my longtime favorites on tap, the La Roja. It's a Flanders-style amber ale that has never disappointed me in it's slightly sour drinkability. It was so great to see Lana as we haven't been in the same place for the last three years or so and if there was any worry about it being a bit awkward those notions were gone in the first few minutes as we fell right back in where we left off. She summed up the day pretty well (and said some really lovely things about me as well) at her newly minted blog over at Martinis And Muscles. You should go visit because she's pretty awesome!

Until next week....

Seeing Green

It's one of my favorite weeks. It's the week of St. Patrick's Day and I get to break out some of my most loved foods. Plus I got the Feb/Mar issue of Fine Cooking the other day and after drooling a little bit I picked out a couple of things to add to the menu this week.

Monday: Stout & Cheese Meatloaf
Tuesday: no one will be home
Wednesday: Corned Beef with all the fixin's
Thursday: Quinoa Salad
Friday: Potato Leek soup
Saturday: Moroccan Lentil Soup
Sunday: Leftovers

We'll see if Friday's meal plan actually happens. We now have a funeral to attend that morning so I might not get a chance to get everything put together. Something will happen, I'm just not guaranteeing that it will be what I said will happen! So with that I leave you with some lovely pictures of the meat loaf that was dinner tonight before I cooked it and after it came out of the oven. Enjoy!

A Weird One

The weather is supposed to get better this week. I hope. But we won't be home much to enjoy dinners together this week so I guess I better make the ones I am home for count!

Monday: Sweet Potato & Chickpea Stew
Tuesday: No One Home
Wednesday: Venison Stew with Dessert Custards
Thursday: No One Home
Friday: Moroccan Glazed Lamb with Green Beans & Mashed Potatoes
Saturday: Pancakes & Bacon for Breakfast
Sunday: Leftovers

The Weather Lies

So after a couple of days of above 40 degree days with sunshine Mother Nature decided that was enough of spring for the moment. Over a foot of snow later we are digging out again, but that was a really cruel trick. But other then that this should be a good week. Ash got us tickets to see the Kodo Drummers at Hill Auditorium this Wednesday and I am super excited. When I was in Osaka in 2002 I had a chance to see a traditional drumming performance as part of the musical culture exchange trip that I was on and this should be just as awesome.

Monday: Pasta with Tomato Sauce
Tuesday: Spanish Braised Lentils with Sausage and Chard
Wednesday: Venison Burgers and Oven Fries
Thursday: Polenta with Taleggio Cheese
Friday: Chickpea and Tomato Stew
Saturday: Corned Beef Hash with Backyard Eggs
Sunday: Leftovers

The Sun Came Out!

If you do or ever have lived in Michigan you know how precious the sun can be in the months of January and February. And in a winter where the sun has not been much in evidence two whole days where the sun came out and the air outside wasn't quite as frigid might just mean that winter will end eventually. Not that this cook is holding her breath. So with a shred of hope I am starting to incorporate more veg and greens into the menu. Just a little bit here and there, but it may be time to come out of the brown food days.

Monday: White Beans with Sausage and Kale
Tuesday: Beer Braised Venison Chops with Smashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Maple/Ginger Squash
Thursday: Carrot & Fennel Rice Pilaf
Friday: Slumgullion
Saturday: Homemade Corned Beef Hash with Backyard Eggs
Sunday: Leftovers

Saturday has become a bit of a non-day around here. Donald and I usually work closes that night and Ash has game nights out usually so I've been planning bigger brunches for us at home and we all eat packed dinners or eat out that night.

Sloppy Jalopy

Everyone should have an easy dinner now and then to fall back on. I actually tend to use the easy ones on my days off of work, so that I have more time to get things done around the house or out in the world. I can't unfortunately take all the credit, but the original recipe is posted in a private forum, and I've heavily modified to make use of ingredients I generally have on hand. If you don't like things really spicy, cut the paprika by half, an omit the jalapenos all together. You could also replace the jalapenos with sweet bell peppers (I'm not a fan of the sweet, so I don't use them almost ever). Pair this with a great onion roll or kaiser roll from a local bakery if you can get them (I used the New Yorker rolls from Zingerman's Deli). I also pulled a package of corn on the cob that I froze last summer from our CSA and heated that up for along side. Expect around 15 minutes for prep (including browning the meat).

Venison Joe:

3 lb ground venison, cooked
2 c. onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 1/2 c. ketchup (about 16-18 oz)
1/2 c. water
3 med. jalapenos, minced
1/2 T. horseradish
4 T. brown sugar
4 T. mustard
4 T. cider vinegar
4 T. worcestershire
4 T. spicy paprika (if you can't find spicy, use chili powder instead, but don't just use the bland red powder most grocery stores stock as "paprika")

Put all ingredients in crock pot, stir and forget about it (6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high).

A few final notes: the sauce is rather liquid when it first goes in, but cooks down to a great thick consistency. If you are pressed for time or don't want to use the crockpot, omit the water in the recipe to achieve similar results and mix together in a regular sauce pot on the stove. Add the venison, and cook for 10 minutes or so until everything is heated through.
Alternately if you are going to be gone longer then 8 hours, add more water to the sauce so that it does not burn. Another 1/4 cup should give you about 2 to 3 more hours.