Pie.....Yummy!!

 

I know this isn't a good photo but it's all I took before the family pouched on it. This is a "frig" pie that I found on the Internet here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/12181/no-bake-peanut-butter-pie/

It's very easy to make and goes quickly once it sets up so be warned.

Saturday Dinner

I woke up thinking about today's dinner because yesterday a friend and I visited a natural foods market and decided to purchase an exotic meat, Elk. A friendly stocker-guy  told us how he prepares it and encouraged us to try it. So when I got home the first thing I did was make a marinate and tossed the Elk meat in over night.
Marinate Recipe (this is one I love and there's really not any measuring but I'll try to simplify)

I know you can't really see the Elk but it is ready to grill.

• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3 to 5 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
• salt/pepper to your liking - at this point I substitute my special mixture of fajita, pepper, Accent, garlic salt and onion salt.
• mix well then pour into a zip-loc bag and add the Elk or any game meat. This marinate also works great on flank steak, pork roast and even a roasting type hen. Marinate overnight or at least a few hours.
• Broil (500 degrees) or place on the grill (medium heat) 10 to 13 minutes each side or to your liking.
• After removed from head, allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.

 

The morning is was still young. Looking in the frig, I stumbled upon one of my favorite veggies, so an idea struck.  I'll make an Eggplant casserole (my way, of course).

• 1 Eggplant, sliced
• 2 goose-neck squash, sliced (optional0
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup grated cheese (I use Colby/Monterey Jack but you can use whatever type that you prefer)
• 1 can spaghetti sauce

Layer Eggplant, squash, onion, cheese and sauce in baking dish sprinkling salt/pepper as you go.

Side view.

This is what it looks like before covering with foil and baking in 325 degree oven for one and a half hours.

All finished and ready to eat.....

YUMMY!!

 

Cooking All Day

I've been cooking all day preparing for the weekend.......company is coming and I don't want to miss visiting with them.
First up on the menu is "Leftover Pot Roast Stew"

I used the last canned tomatoes from my garden from last year and added the following ingredients:

6 cups beef stock or just plane tap water 

diced leftover pot roast

4 diced large potatoes

2 cans whole kernel corn

2 cans green beans

1/2 shredded cabbage (I used red cabbage)

2 cans English peas

2 cans stewed tomatoes (or canned tomatoes from your garden)

2 onions, diced

1/2 chopped clove of garlic

1 cup of uncooked spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces

1 can tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

 

All of these goes into a very large pot to simmer for 3 hours. The smells are out of this world.

I'll cook a pan of cornbread to eat with the stew or just serve the stew with my favorite crackers and a salad.

Here's a peek at the process. See all that steam.......oh I wish we had smell-o-blog right now.

 

Next, I've baked a hen.

 

Notice the apple poking out of the cavity of the bird? Someone mentioned that placing and baking an apple inside the hen gives it a different flavor...sorry I couldn't remember where I heard about it but wanted to give credit anyway.

I cooked the hen with peach juice that I saved from a peach cobbler recipe I made last week. No use in allowing that excess juice from the can to go to waste. I also added some whole cranberries to the mix and baked for about 2 hours. Again, the smell is delicious.  I'll probably cook some rice and steam squash, broccoli and cauliflower for a great meal.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!



"Rules"

Christmas Cookie Rules

1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test and thus calorie free.
2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.
3. If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend.  Because your friend's first cookie is calories free, (rule #1) yours is also.  It would be rude to let your friend sample alone, and being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie calorie free.
4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move.  This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.
5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.
6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories.  Red ones have three and the green ones have five..... one calorie for each letter.  Make more red ones!
7. Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street" have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.
8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.
9.  Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate.  We all know ho calories like to CLING!
10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed out have no calories because cookies used for "medicinal" purposes never have calories.  

It's a rule!  So, go out and enjoy those Christmas Cookies.... we only get them once a year.

Merry Christmas everyone!