Cooking for 2

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

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.

 

Breaded & Baked Walleye

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My guy likes to joke that all we eat is walleye and venison. This is far from the truth but for a good portion of the year we eat them roughly once a week but for sure every other week. I don’t mind. I love them both. They are nice to rotate with your standard chicken, pork, beef, etc. It’s also a nice feeling to be able to say that you caught your own dinner or harvested it during hunting season. To make it even better it’s a great feeling to add in fresh veggies from the garden. Roasted green beans & tomatoes are one of my favorite side dishes and they go perfectly with baked walleye. We might not be living off the grid but I’d say we are fairly self-sufficient and that makes cooking dinner extra enjoyable and satisfying.

 

Breaded & Baked Walleye (serves 2)

  • 2-4 fillets walleye
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 1-2 tsp Blackened Seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • cooking spray, olive oil, or melted butter

Mix mayonnaise & mustard on a plate. Mix breadcrumbs & seasonings on a plate. Coat the walleye on both sides with the mayo/mustard mixture. Dip in the seasoned breadcrumbs to coat & shake to get rid of excess crumbs.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet & spray with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil or melted butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes. Serve with sides of choice (I chose creamy rice and roasted green beans & tomatoes fresh from the garden).

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Crispy Walleye Sandwich

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Yesterday was the official start to Baking Sunday. I do tend to bake year round on Sundays but since football season started yesterday my true Baking Sunday began as well. I don’t just bake on these “Baking Sundays.” I use them for various activities. I try to blog, make new recipes in general, meal plan, do canning, etc.

I did actually bake something yesterday. I made an apple quick bread. I was going to make pepper jelly as well but didn’t get around to it. I also made lunch for my guy who happened to have the day off which was a nice surprise.

He rarely has weekend days off as he is a fishing guide. Sounds awesome in theory but as a consequence we don’t get many weekends together in the summer. We do get to eat walleye on a fairly regular basis though. Normally I make cajun walleye which is baked in the oven so it’s very light. He eats a lot of fried fish while working so we tend to stay away from beer battered walleye as delicious as it is.

I decided to make a crispy walleye sandwich. I thought it would be the perfect Football Sunday lunch. I have to say I was very pleased with how it turned out. The walleye was perfectly crispy & the garden fresh lettuce & tomatoes gave it just the right touch. Of course the tartar sauce is absolutely necessary as well. I make mine to be a smidge spicy but of course the sweetness of the relish shines through and pairs amazingly well with the pan fried fish.

 

Crispy Walleye Sandwich (serves 2)

  • 2 walleye fillets
  • Blackened Seasoning
  • all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • panko breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil (for frying)
  • brat buns (or hoagie buns)
  • lettuce & tomato
  • tartar sauce
    • You can use store bought but homemade is so much better. Mix 2 tbsp mayo, a few splashes lemon juice, 1 tbsp relish, onion powder, garlic powder & dill to taste, 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used asian chili sauce). Adjust seasonings as needed.

Season the fillets liberally with blackened seasoning (if using salt free seasoning add salt as well). Dredge the fillets in flour, followed by the egg, and finally the panko breadcrumbs.

Place enough oil in a large frypan to be about 1/2 inch deep. Heat oil over medium heat. Place fillets in hot oil and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low & cook for an additional 3 minutes. Flip fillets over and cook for about 5 minutes (you may need to turn the heat back up for a minute or so to get a nice crisp & golden color).

Bake or broil buns until warmed through & slightly crispy. Slather with tartar sauce. Top with lettuce, tomato & crispy walleye.

Venison Fajitas

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Last year we counted 13 deer in our front yard. We both had a feeling that our garden was going to be in trouble. Surprisingly it wasn’t really in trouble from the deer too badly. It wasn’t doing as well as we hoped but the deer seemed to leave it alone.

Until they found it. I’m not sure where they were all season but they destroyed our garden once it was getting close to harvest. They dug up the beets. We got 2 beets! 2! That’s it.

They dug up the carrots. We had about 10 total. They ate all my grape tomatoes, early girls, and romas. It’s super frustrating. I love fresh produce and we had a minuscule harvest. Next year we will have to beef up our garden protection. Until then I will keep practicing with my bow and hopefully harvest one of them this year.

I’ve been fortunate enough to harvest a deer the last 2 years of hunting. This year with a bow opportunity and rifle season being hunter’s choice I am hoping the streak will continue. If it does I will enjoy all the benefits that come from hunting which includes putting meat on the table.

One of my new favorite ways to cook venison is venison fajitas. It is so easy & of course you don’t get that gamey flavor. The venison steak is also way more tender than breakfast steak which is what I normally use for fajitas. Give this a try & it  might convert you to actually loving venison.

Venison Fajitas

  • 8oz venison steak
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • worcestshire sauce
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • taco seasoning, salt free (note I just add roughly these amounts in a dish & keep on hand. Amounts are estimates. Sometimes more or less of each depending on my mood)
    • 2-3 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/4 tsp onion powder
    • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper or cayenne
    • 1/4 tsp oregano

 

  • Brine 8 oz venison steak in 3 cups of water & 1 tbsp table salt for about 6 hrs
  • Rinse off the brine & cut into thin strips
  • Marinade the venison for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hrs in oil, lime juice, worcestershire, taco seasoning, salt, & pepper (note I am not sure how much of everything I added. I drizzled the steak with oil, gave a few splashes of worcestshire sauce, smidge salt & pepper, and 2-3 tsp salt free taco seasoning
  • Cook over medium high heat for about 30 seconds per side

  • Serve with tortillas, sautéed peppers & onions, lettuce, cheese, salsa, & sour cream

 

 

Bear Kielbasa, White Bean, & Spinach Skillet

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Summer is here even if the season hasn’t technically started on the calendar. While it might not get as hot as some places most of the time here in Almost Canada, we do not have air conditioning. Once the weather heats up I try to make mainly skillet dishes or those which can strictly be made on the stove so I can avoid running the oven for long periods of time.

Seeing as how my guy provided us with a bear this year from his last hunting season, we have lots of kielbasa to work with. This dish is super yummy. It’s so quick & easy but unbelievably flavorful. This could serve 2 if you both a very hungry but otherwise I’d say it serves 2 for dinner and one lucky person gets left-overs for lunch the next day!

Bear Kielbasa, White Bean, & Spinach Skillet (serves 2-3)

  • 2 bear kielbasa (or regular if you aren’t a hunter) about 6in long fully cooked & cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • small amount olive oil
  • 5 oz spinach
  • 1 can white beans (cannellini, navy, etc) drained & rinsed
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 tsp each basil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder
  • pepper & crushed red pepper to taste
  • grated parmesan
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until nicely browned. Add beef broth, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, seasonings, and pepper/crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let it simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes to allow broth to reduce a little.
  2. Stir in spinach until wilted. Garnish with Parmesan. Ladle into bowls and serve with garlic bread.

Korean Venison & Broccoli

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I’m embarrassed to say that my guy has done the majority of cooking with our venison. He has made chicken fried venison, various steaks, and every roast we have had in the past two years. It’s not that I can’t try cooking the roasts, that’s just how it has worked out. He perfected the roast recipe so I have just let him cook all of them. I have made a few dishes with the venison. Most of which I have yet to post.

One of the very first meals I made with my first deer was Asian Venison & Broccoli (which I did actually blog about). That deer is long gone but I was fortunate enough to harvest another deer last season. When I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner I figured I would try something similar. One of the only vegetables I can easily get in my grocery store is broccoli.

I also always have the other ingredients for the marinade in my pantry so figured it would be quick and easy.

The marinade I found was from bon appetite. It’s called bulgogi which is Korean. I’ve used in on chicken and am absolutely in love with the flavors (I do cut out a few of the ingredients for convenience but I like the way it turns out my way). Normally when you cook it you grill it or pan fry it without adding additional sauce to it so that it has a nice char on the outside. I wanted a sauce for the rice & broccoli though.

Korean Venison & Broccoli (serves 2)

  • small amount of sesame & olive oil
  • 8 oz venison steak*sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 to 3/4 head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched or lightly steamed.
  • 1/2 cup white rice, cook according to package directions

*I did also brine my steaks (before slicing them) in 4 cups water and 2 tsp salt which is a very mild brine but so much salt is being added in the marinade & sauce I didn’t want the salt to be over powering. Rinse the brine off and pat dry before slicing.

Marinade

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1-2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • few dashes ground ginger
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • few dashes salt

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp each hoisin, oyster, soy sauce, and water
  • 1-2 tsp rice vinegar
  • dash or two ground ginger & garlic powder

 

Add marinade to venison (except for corn starch & salt) and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.

Heat a small amount of sesame oil or sesame & olive oil in a skillet (I find too much sesame oil is overwhelming so usually do a blend for stir-fries). Add the corn starch & salt to the venison and stir. Add the marinaded venison and cook briefly over medium to medium high heat (about 30 seconds per side). Add the broccoli and the sauce and allow to come to a boil. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. Add a smidge more corn starch if needed to thicken sauce. Serve over rice.

 

Walleye Cakes for Lunch

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Since moving to Almost Canada my guy and I have not travelled down to the cities for Christmas. With the winter weather neither of us are too keen on driving the 325 miles back to our families. I’ve offered to host Christmas up here but no one has taken me up on it – go figure.

The past two years we have gone fishing on Christmas weekend. This year we decided to make it more of an event, an adventure if you will, and go up north. Well, further north. We took  out the snowmobiles and drove across the lake up to the islands. We figured it was early enough with the fishing still being good on the south shore that no one would be up there. We were right. We had the entire place to ourselves.

The ride up was spectacular. It was a beautiful day outside & the trail was so smooth. It was very peaceful fishing with no one around & the fishing was great. We came home with 2 fish shy of our limit of good eaters.

At the end of the day when my guy was getting stuff ready to head back home I thought I had a monster of a walleye. It turned out to be an eel pout but it sure was fun pulling that guy up through the ice.

 

One of the things I love about fishing is being able to put dinner on the table with ridiculously fresh fish. I think we actually did a fish fry that evening with some of the fish but obviously we had more fish than we could eat in a single sitting. A few days later I made walleye cakes for lunch & served them with coleslaw.

 

Walleye Cakes (serves 2)

  • 4 fillets (2 fish that were 12-15inches) previously cooked* with cajun/blackened seasoning
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • splash or two lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2-1 tsp additional cajun seasoning or old bay seasoning
  • 1/4-1/3 cup fine bread crumbs (guesstimate…I don’t actually know how much I added. Enough so that the mixture holds well)
  • oil (for cooking walleye cakes)

*To cook the walleye, place the walleye on a baking sheet lined with foil & spray with cooking spray or lightly coat it in olive oil. Lightly season the fillets on both sides with blackened seasoning or cajun seasoning. Spray fillets with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 400F depending on the size of the fillets until cooked through. Once cooked, place them in a medium mixing bowl in the fridge covered with plastic wrap to be used the next day or shred into chunks to be used immediately.

Cooking the Walleye Cakes: Shred the fillets if needed. Add all the ingredients except for the oil.

Mix the ingredients & form into patties (makes roughly 4-6 patties, 2-3 patties for each person).

Place a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat & cook the walleye cakes for about 3 minutes per side until golden brown & heated through. Place on a paper towel to drain off excess oil.

Serve with coleslaw or side of your choice. (I also like to drizzle my walleye cakes with asian chili sauce).