Venison Stew

Sorry, no pictures from dinner, but it was eaten and enjoyed. Yes, I said I enjoyed venison. This is new. I've not been a fan until finding a few simple preparations that remove the wild game taste.

If you are not a fan of venison, you can replace it with beef.

1 lb Venison steak, cubed (or beef)
1 T Oil (Olive, Sunflower, or Safflower)
4 large Carrots, peeled and chopped
4-5 large Potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 Bay leaves
2 t Sea Salt
2 t Pepper
1 1/2 c Beef broth
2 T Corn or potato starch


In a hot skillet add the oil and venison. Sear (brown) the meat and add it to a crockpot. Mix in the potatoes, carrots and bay leaves. Add the broth to the pan and use it deglaze (pick up the tidbits off the pan), and pour over the meat/veggies. Season with salt & pepper (and a bit of Worcestershire if you'd like). On low, cook for 8 hours, or 3-4 hours on high. 

When meat and potatoes are tender, drain the juices off into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Make a slurry (mixture) of the starch and 3-4 T of water and wisk into the juices. Bring to a boil to thicken. Season to taste. Pour over meat and veggies and serve. Be sure to remove the bay leaves before eating. The are NOT edible.

With a nice crusty bread to dip in the sauce, you've got a hearty meal for those cold winter nights.

Homemade Chicken Broth

So if you are looking for exact measurements, this is not the post for you ;) but keep reading anyway. I greatly dislike paying large amounts of money for flavorless chicken stock in the store. And guaranteeing that it is gluten-free is another thing. So I've decided to make my own. I've frozen and canned it and find benefits to both methods. More on that later. Let's start at the beginning.

First I start with 1 onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, and 3 carrots (all roughly chopped) in a large stock pot with a bit of olive oil. Over medium heat, I soften the veggies and let the little bits of brown bits (caramelized goodness) collect on the bottom, stirring occasionally.

At that point I add 2 cups of water and use a wooden spoon to loosen any of those bits and color from the bottom of the pan. Then I add chicken bones (just the ones left over from dinner) and another 14-22 c of water to the pan. Season with 3 t of salt and 1 t of pepper.

Bring the pot to a rolling boil and then reduce to medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer 2-3 hours.

When it's finished you have a beautiful broth. Strain out the veggies and bones and allow to cool completely, and refrigerate. You can freeze it in jars (be sure the lid isn't closed tightly because the jar with break - not that I learned by experience or anything), 1/4 c portions in muffin tins (pop out and store in freezer bags), or can it.

For canning, reheat the broth and pour into a hot jar. You'll need to process it by using a pressure cooker. I learned the hard way that hot water baths don't kill the bacteria and you end up with nastiness in a jar.

This is any easy production following dinner. I through everything in the pot after dinner and let it simmer away for the evening. I stash it away in the fridge and then either can it or freeze it the next day. It costs almost nothing and is a great way to use up those wilting veggies left in your refrigerator door.

At this cost I use it to cook rice in and sometimes pasta. Bring on the soups now at half the cost.

** Note: Another great way to make broth is not only to use the bones, but a the chicken on the bone. That will give you the richest possible broth. In the winter I do this method. But while the weather allows, I would much rather eat grilled chicken.

Cheesy Tortilla Soup

This will warm up the coldest day and put a little kick in your step. This is my variation on my friend Elissa's soup. I managed to get a picture of my third bowl at MNF at her house. Missed the first two bowls because I ate them too fast.

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (blended if desired)
1 can (10 oz) tomatoes with green chilies (blended if desired)
1 sm can green chilies
2 can cream of chicken
2 handful of tortilla chips, crushed
5 c water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 1/2 T dried onion
1 c apple juice
1 c corn (optional)
1 lime – juice
2 T Fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine the ingredients and let simmer for at least an hour. Garnish with sour cream, tortilla chips, cilantro, cheese, etc.

Total Costs: $6.45
Chicken - $2.50 (Cashwise)
Canned Tomatoes - $1.10 (Cheep Foods)
Green chilies - $.45 (Cheep Foods)
Cream of chicken - $1.00 (Cashwise)
Chips - $.10 (Cashwise)
Apple juice - $.10 (Walmart)
Corn - $.50 (Sunmart)
Lime - $.50 (Cashwise)
Cilantro - $.20 (Cashwise)

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

This hearty meal is perfect for a chilly day. In fact, I think it's even better the second day.

1 lb Chicken or turkey, cooked
1 (10.75 oz) Can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (10.75 oz) Can condensed cream of chicken soup
3 c Chicken or turkey stock
1 c Carrots, diced
1 c Celery, diced
1/2 c Onion, diced
1 T Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (12 oz) Package refrigerated biscuit dough

1. In a large pot over high heat, saute vegetables in olive oil until softened.
2. Reduce heat to medium, and add the cans of condensed soup, stock, and chicken/turkey. Bring to a simmer. Add a bit of broth if consistency is thicker than desired.
3. Season with salt and pepper (you will want to use plenty of pepper). Pull the biscuit dough into small pieces, and add to the soup. Simmer over medium heat for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through. Can be made ahead of time (reheats well).

Makes 6 servings

Frugal Tip: Soup

I love a big pot of soup, but I don't love eating it for three straight days. Yes, I know that I could cut the recipe in half, but if I'm gonna spend the time to make a bunch of delicious, cold-day goodness - I might as well go big. My solution - the freezer.

Now I've tried different methods of freezing soups to make the most of freezer space. The disposable "gladware" stuff, specialized freezer containers, and freezer bags. I've finally found the best space saver, and ease in reheating.

I fill the freezer bag and squeeze the extra air out. Then I lay the bag flat in the freezer until it's solidly frozen. Then I can store the bags stacked upright in a small box or plastic shoe tote.

Now this shape also comes in handy when it's time to reheat. Instead of having a large block of soup, I have a thin plank of soup. Simply cut open the bag and microwave until heated through. You can also stove heat and add just a bit of water, broth, or milk to help get it started and not burn - while stirring.

If you have the time you can pull the frozen soup out and thaw, but I rarely end up doing this. Soup is more of my go to comfort food or last minute meal solution. Add a bit of bread or a sandwich and you are good to go.

Note: when freezing soups with a pasta or noodle, be careful that the pasta is still pretty firm. The recooking can make it mushy if it's already soft to begin with.

Cheesy Chicken (or Turkey) & Rice Soup

My sister-in-law Stacey got us all hooked on this wonderful soup. Works great to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving or weekday meals. It also freezes well. It makes a big batch, so we eat on it for a couple of days or freeze half of it. If it thickens too much upon standing (rice absorbs liquid), just add a little chicken stock or milk to get the desired consistency.

1 c Diced celery
1 c Diced carrots
1/2 c Diced onion
2 T Oil
5 c Water
6.2 oz Quick cooking Long Grain Wild Rice w/season packet
2 c Chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
8 oz Velveta, cubed
10 oz Chopped broccoli
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

Sautee celery and carrots for 5 minutes in oil. Add water and seasoning packet. Bring to a boil.
Add rice, cover and cook for 5 – 10 minutes.
Add broccoli and chicken. Bring to a boil.
Add cheese and soup, stir constantly for 5 minutes.

Zuppa Toscanno

There is no trick to this soup. It's all a treat to eat this copy of Olive Garden's tasty soup. I made this great pot of soup to bring to Grandma's 90th birthday party today. She's a wonderful lady and it's a pleasure to celebrate this milestone. Here's to many more and great health this year.

1 lb Spicey Sausage, browned and drained
2 med Potatoes, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4" slices
3/4 c Onions, diced
6 Slices bacon, chopped
2 t Garlic, minced
2 c Kale leaves, chopped
2 T Chicken base
1 qt Water
1/3 c Heavy whipping cream

1. Chop up bacon in small pieces and cook in a large soup pot. When crisp, remove the bacon and sauté the onion in 1 T bacon drippings until clear.
2. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add chicken base, water and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add bacon, sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 – 10 minutes and serve.
4. Soup can be made ahead of time and cooled to remove fat from the top for a healthier version of the soup. Actually is better reheated or simmered longer.
5. Freezes well. Put in freezer bag and freeze flat. When frozen, stack upright in small tote/box in freezer with other soups/sauces to save space.
   

TOTAL COST:$5.55
Sausage $2.00(Aldi's)
Potatoes $.30 (Meijer)
Onions $.25 (Aldi's)
Bacon $1.00 (Aldi's)
Kale leaves $1.50 (Meijer)
Cream $.50 (Costco)

Beef Barley Soup

This is one of those family recipes passed down that feel like home. Grandma Cora is famous for this one. A big pot of this feeds an army or can be frozen and saved for a quick fix. So glad she introduced me to barley... my favorite for soups now.

3 lb Beef chuck stew meat, trimmed and cut into small pieces
2 T Vegetable Oil
1/2 c Onion, chopped
4 Beef bouillon cubes
6 c Water
2 c V8 Juice
1 Can chopped tomatoes
2 T Sugar
2 T Worchestshire sauce
1/4 t Chili powder
1/3 c Barley
1 c Celery, finely chopped
1 c Carrots, chopped

In dutch oven or large kettle, brown stew meat n oil over medium heat. While meat is browning add chopped onion. Add the chopped tomatoes and V8 juice and bouillon after meat is browned and let it cook for about 1/2 hour.

Add vinegar, sugar, Worchestshire sauce, chili powder, and barley. Add 6 c of water. During last hour of cooking, add celery, carrots and simmer until veggies are tender.

TOTAL COSTS: $9.75
Meat $7.50 (Meijer)
Barley $.50 (D & W)
Celery $.25 (Aldi's)
Carrots $.25 (Aldi's)
Onion $.25 (Aldi's)
Juice $1.00 (Meijer)
Spices from stock

VARIATIONS:
Can use chuck roast instead of stew meat

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Fall means lots of soup in our house. It's not only total comfort food, but you can use your leftovers or odds and ends in the refrigerator to make a quick and delicious dinner. A bit of crusty bread and you're good to go.

6-8 med Potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 T Chicken soup base
1/2 c Chopped onion
1 T Oil (I use sunflower or safflower)
4 oz Velveta cheese (or shredded cheddar)
2 T Dried Parsley
6 Bacon slices, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chives (optional, I omit)

1. Cook bacon slices until crisp. Drain and cop into small pieces.
2. Boil potatoes in water and soup base until soft but still firm. Drain.
3. Saute onions in oil until lightly browned.
4. Add cheese and potatoes to onions and stir in.
5. Add milk until desired consistency is reached. Simmer 10 minutes.
6. Add parsley and bacon. Salt, pepper, & chives to taste.
   
7. Put into a freezer bag and lay flat. When frozen stack in a small tote/box with other soups or sauces in the freezer Saves lots of room.

TOTAL COST: $3.50
Potatoes $1 (Meijer or Aldi's)
Soup Base (from stock)
Bacon $1 (Aldi's)
Milk $.50 (Aldi's)
Cheese $.75 (Aldi's)
Onion $.25 (Aldi's)