Author: almost_rosey

Venison Cheesesteak

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It’s rare for us to eat steak in our house. I certainly would never buy it to make cheesesteaks. Not that we cannot afford it (although the price has gone up),  but I honestly find it’s so tender and delicious with venison steak instead.  We are fortunate enough to have harvested deer and to be able to go outside to our freezer and pull out some venison steaks to make dishes such as this.

Venison Cheesesteak (serves 2)

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 bell pepper thinly sliced (color of your choice)
  • 2 venison steaks
  • worcestershire sauce
  • jalapeno salsa
  • Mrs Dash Table Blend seasoning
  • salt
  • 1/2 cup plus more to taste shredded gouda cheese (or cheddar) (I used a combo of both)
  • choice of bread (I used hotdog buns in my pantry), toasted
  • whole grain mustard
  • horseradish sauce
  • horseradish (optional on the side for extra zing)

Directions

  • Thinly slice the steak into thin strips. Place in a medium bowl and sprinkle generously with salt and seasoning. Add the oil, numerous dashes of worcestershire sauce, and 1-2 tbsp on salsa and mix well. Let sit for 60 minutes.
  • Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the onions and bell pepper until soft and caramelized. Remove from pan. Add the meat and cook over medium high to high heat for 1-2 minutes each side. Add the peppers and cheese on top and cover to allow cheese to melt
  • Coat the toasted bread with mustard and horseradish sauce. Place meat over bread and serve with side of your choice

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Cheesecake

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I used to eat cheesecake every summer. I’d have it as my birthday cake and then I’d get one more later on in the summer and eat it all week. They are so creamy & decadent. I prefer my cheesecakes to be dense. None of the fluffy b*llsh$t. I also tend to eat them plain or perhaps turtle style once in awhile.

With needing to use up an excess of freshly harvested rhubarb I thought making a cheesecake would be a great way to use it. I debated making the cheesecake plain and the rhubarb sauce on the side but decided to place it inside of the cheesecake which goes against my purist cheesecake values. It also isn’t as dense as I normally prefer. I decided to make it a bit less dense so it would be slightly creamier/softer so that it would mesh better with the rhubarb sauce.

It turned out to be delicious though. I don’t imagine wanting too many fruit cheesecakes in the future but I will definitely make this one again. Also, this recipe does not require a water bath so it’s super easy to make.

Rhubarb Cheesecake

For the crust…

  • 1/3 box (1 wrapped package graham crackers) smashed into crumbs (roughly 1.25 cups crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar

For the rhubarb sauce…

  • 4 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the cheesecake…

  • 2 blocks cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup cup sour cream ( I’ve made it with both, just depends on what you have in the fridge)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp flour

Heat oven to 325 degree F. Place graham cracker crumbs & sugar in a bowl, mix well. Melt butter and stir into crumbs. Press mixture into bottom of an 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn starch, rhubarb, and lemon juice. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring, an additional 6 to 7 minutes until rhubarb sauce is thickened and all the pieces have disintegrated.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sour cream,  and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended, then beat in flour. Stir in lemon juice.

Place the rhubarb sauce over the crust. Top with the cheesecake filling. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly golden around edges. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Run a thin knife around edge of cheesecake in pan. Remove pan and place into fridge to chill at least 2 hrs.

Enjoy with your friends or by yourself.

This entry was posted in Baking.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Custard Pie

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Rhubarb Custard Pie (Recipe & Photo from Food Network Kitchen)

Rhubarb Custard Pie
As previously discussed I am not a huge cake fan. For most of my life I either had dairy queen ice cream cakes or cheesecake as my birthday cakes. It should come as no surprise that I decided to not bake a cake for my birthday. Instead I decided to bake a pie.
Specifically a rhubarb custard pie since I had exactly 4.5 cups of rhubarb left in my fridge to use up from my first harvest. I find that using rhubarb fresh is much easier than previously frozen as you don’t have to deal with draining excess fluid or adding more flour or corn starch to thicken it.
This pie is delish and super easy to make. I ended up eating 1/4 of the pie for my birthday.
 Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Fit the pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate, fluting the edges, and chill until set, about 15 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork, and then line the crust with aluminum foil.
  • Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until the edges of the crust are just golden, 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil with the pie weights and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is dry and lightly browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
  • Toss the rhubarb with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the lemon juice until well combined. Transfer to the crust and spread to form an even layer. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Whisk the eggs with the evaporated milk, flour and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until smooth, and then pour over the rhubarb.
  • Line with edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
  • Bake until the pie is lightly browned, puffed and no longer wet in the center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Before serving, lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Pudding Cake

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I am very picky about cake. I will almost always pass on a store bought cake or even a cake baked by someone and brought into work. You’d think I would bake a lot of cakes but I don’t do that either. Most cakes are only good for a day or two (at most 4 days), so then I am stuck with a large amount of cake not eaten or I have to bring it to work.

With it being summer and my rhubarb in full swing, I decided to try a rhubarb pudding cake. I actually enjoyed it although I preferred the rhubarb blondies I made previously. I did end up bringing 1/2 the cake to work and it disappeared. Everyone loved it so give this recipe a try.

 

Rhubarb Pudding Cake (recipe from common sense home)

Ingredients
  • 2 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated milk)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup boiling water

Instructions

  1. Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with fruit. (I used a glass pie plate.)
  2. Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together (add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour); pour over fruit. Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water over the top.
  3. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes

 

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Blondies

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One thing you can always count on is your rhubarb coming to life in the summer. It’s a short window when everyone in Minnesota bakes their hearts out with this beloved vegetable. Most people call it a fruit due to the way it is used in desserts but it’s actually a vegetable.

It is one of my favorites in the summer season. I love being able to bake or cook with what is fresh during the seasons so harvesting and baking up my rhubarb is no exception. I try to make new dishes every year (as well as the classic ones we love), so I decided to give a blondie recipe a try. These bars are delicious. So buttery and caramel-like in flavor from all the brown sugar. I’ve already made two batches of these bars this year so it’s quickly become a new favorite rhubarb recipe of mine.

Rhubarb & White Chocolate Blondies (recipe from goodness gracious)

INGREDIENTS
  • 8 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray or grease with butter.
  2. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl.
  3. Whisk in brown sugar until smooth.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla extract, whisk again until combined.
  5. Add the flour and mix until no lumps are visible.
  6. Fold in the diced rhubarb and chocolate chips.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it out to make even.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
  9. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Walleye Cakes

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This ice fishing season my guy hasn’t had a full weekend off of work. A few weeks ago he actually had 5 days off in a row and two of those days happened to be a Saturday & Sunday. We decided to take the sleds up to the reefs to go fishing. We are planning a trip up to Flag Island which is a 55mile snowmobile trip so it was also a good way to get ready for that trip as well.

This year the lake did not freeze the best. It’s very jagged. The trail snakes around all over the place due to the jacked up ice. Fortunately it means that not many people are going to these reefs to go fishing. The resorts can’t get up there so it is limited to basically snowmobiles which means it hasn’t been (and most likely won’t be) fished out.

We ended up having one of the best fishing days of our lives. They weren’t giant fish but they were all perfect sized for eating. Actually, a few were too big for our eating preferences. We ended up catching out limit (16 for two people) in 2 hours and threw a ton back as well. It was a great day of  fishing and a great reminder of why we love where we live.

I ended up making fish tacos that first night from our catch but forgot to take photos so will have to make it again in the future. I also made walleye cakes the next day for dinner. It’s one of my many fave ways to eat walleye.

 

Walleye Cakes (serves 2)

  • 2 large walleye fillets (or use 4 small fillets) I used the fillets from an 18 inch walleye.
  • salt, pepper, and seasoning of your choice (I used Mrs. Dash table blend which is a great generic seasoning with great flavor)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • chopped onion (2-4tbsp)
  • 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (plain or Italian seasoned)
  • vegetable oil

Salt & pepper & season the walleyes to taste (I just sprinkle each over both sides of the fish). Bake in a 400F oven for 12 minutes or until walleye is cooked through. Let cool slightly.

Flake the walleye in a medium sized bowl & add the egg, mustard, onion, and breadcrumbs. Add a bit more salt & pepper & seasoning (if using Italian seasoned you can just add salt & pepper). Mix until combined. Form into patties.

Place enough oil in a medium skillet to coat the bottom about 1/4 to 1/2 inch high. Heat over medium heat. Place walleye cakes in skillet and cook for a few minutes each side until golden brown. Flip and repeat. Serve with side of your choice.

Poached Walleye with White Wine Sauce

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Here in Almost Canada we live in the walleye capitol of the world. Needless to say that is one of the only fish we have easy access to. It is very hard to get other fish even at the grocery store as we live so far away from any ocean (unless you want to spend a small fortune).

With a surplus of walleye I often try to find new recipes. Recipes that might be done on a “fancier” white fish if you will. I thought of what might be served in a restaurant and one of the first things that popped in my head was serving it with a white wine sauce.

It turned out to be very easy to make & super delicious. While I still would like to have more variety in the fish I eat, trying new recipes like this definitely help keep us satisfied on different flavors.

Poached Walleye with White Wine Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup diced shallot or onion
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  •  dried thyme (sprinkle over sauté pan)
  • 2 walleye fillets,  skin removed, seasoned with salt & pepper and dried thyme
  •  salt to taste
  • lemon juice to taste

Directions

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the flour to a small bowl, and knead together until the flour is completely incorporated.

Add the remaining butter to a large sauté pan set over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the minced shallot or onion and cook until translucent. Add the wine, 1/4 cup of water, and the thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, and then lay the fillets in the pan. Cover the pan, and adjust the temperature to keep liquid at a simmer. Continue to simmer until the fillets are cooked, three to four minutes. Remove the fish and set aside on a platter.

Turn the heat to high, add the flour and butter mixture, and cook until the sauce thickens. Season the sauce to taste with salt and lemon.

Transfer each fish fillet to a plate, coat with the sauce, and serve with sides of choice.

Venison Helper

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One of the many benefits of deer hunting is getting to eat your harvested animal until the next deer hunting season. We always process our deer so that we have steaks & roasts on hand. We’ve learned through trial and error though that we are not fans of certain cuts of meat. I turn my front quarters into jerky and this year my guy turned his deer’s front quarters into brats. He got jalapeño cheddar brats as well as kielbasa brats. The kielbasa ones are fine but the jalapeño cheddar brats are amazing!! There was some extra filling that wasn’t enough to make a pack of brats so the guys at the meat market just wrapped it up for us. I figured it would be good for some skillet dishes.

Many of us grew up eating hamburger helper but it is so easy & much better for you to just make it on your own. You can use any ground meat you like or even make it meatless if that’s your thing. I’ve made this dish before with regular ground venison as well as a ground venison/ground bacon blend and it is delicious. The jalapeño cheddar gives it a nice depth of flavor though so I imagine I’ll be making this again in the future. Bonus…it’s super quick & easy to make with ingredients you already have in your pantry and you can doctor it up any way you desire.

Venison Helper (serves 2)

  • 1/2 lb ground venison (I used the filling from jalapeño cheddar brats)
  • 1.5 cups dry shell pasta
  • 1.25 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder, paprika to taste (I just sprinkle a bit of each over the skillet)
  • 1/2 cup drained whole kernel canned corn
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tbsp flour mixed with small amount of water.

Brown the ground venison until cooked through in a large skillet. Add the pasta, broth, milk, seasonings, and corn. Stir gently. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 10-20 minutes depending on size of noodles until most of the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are al dente. Depending on how much liquid is left in skillet add small amount of flour mixed with water to the skillet and stir until sauce is thickened. Stir in cheese and serve immediately.

 

50 States, 50 Cookies: South Dakota

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I love pastries and custard filled desserts. This is the perfect combination. It is surprisingly easy to make as well. Next time I might use a little less dough for each cup but other than that I am in love with these. They don’t keep very well though so they are best eaten in the first day or two.

Kuchen Cups from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • For the Dough:
  • 1-1/4 cups Whole Milk
  • 1 envelope Active Dry Yeast (7g)
  • 1 large Egg
  • 4 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
  • 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 6 oz unsalted butter softened
  • For the Filling:
  • 1/4 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 21 oz Apple Topping canned or homemade
Instructions
For the Dough:
  1. Heat the milk to 110° in a small bowl. Stir in the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes, until dissolved.
  2. Whip in the egg. Then fold in four cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, sugar, and salt. Knead the dough until it stiffens.
  3. Knead in the softened butter, cover, and let the dough sit in refrigerator overnight.
  4. The next day remove the dough, knead, and press into cupcake molds. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to use silicone molds so that the cookie is easily removed and to use a floured spoon to shape the cookie. You can also make these in a more traditional cookie form, but it will get messy. At this point preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the Filling:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour with 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of milk, vanilla, eggs and whisk.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of sugar over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture, and cook the mixture in the saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. This will take about 4 minutes.
  3. Fill the bottom of your cookie cups 3/4ths full with apple filling or fruit of your choice. If you choose to use fresh fruit sprinkle cinnamon over your fruit slices.
  4. Add a spoonful of the pastry cream to the top of each cookie. Gently spread it evenly across the top of the entire cookie. Optional: Sprinkle each cookie with brown sugar.
  5. Bake for 15-25 minutes. Allow for cooling time before serving.

50 States, 50 Cookies: West Virginia

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These are an excellent sugar cookie recipe! I’m so picky when it comes to sugar cookies. None of them ever compare to my mom’s cookies. These are perfectly sweet & not to crispy and not too soft. Love!! Decorate them with regular christmas frosting and sprinkles and your friends & family will thank you

Candy Apple Sugar Cookie Cut Outs from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • 3 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 cup softened Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Caramel Frosting
  • melted White Chocolate
  • Caramel Sauce
  • Chopped Walnuts
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl combine the butter and sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Mix in the egg and vanilla until mixed well.
  4. Slowly add in the flour mixture until your dough is mixed but still crumbles. Turn the cookie mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
  5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Divide the dough into fourths. Working with one section at a time, roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper that has been lightly dusted with Bob’s Red Mill Flour to ¼ inch thick.
  8. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the shapes you desire. Place the cut outs onto your parchment lined baking sheet, ½ an inch apart.
  9. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown.
  10. Remove to a wire rack for cooling. Once they are cool you can decorate them any way you like.