pasta

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.

 

Thai Turkey Noodles

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I went turkey hunting for the first time this year and ended up with a turkey! Now the fun of getting to cook with it begins. I had two bags of breast meat and one of dark meat.

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My plan is to turn the dark meat into sausage or jerky. The breast meat was very pink so I decided to actually make a dish with it as I didn’t think it would be too gamey. I came up with Thai Turkey Noodles. It is delicious and if you didn’t know it was made with wild game you would think it was chicken.

 

Thai Turkey Noodles (serves 2)

  • 4 oz spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
  • sesame oil
  • 1  turkey breast, cubed
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 cup water chestnuts, sliced
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • pinch each ginger & red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1.5-2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • green onions, optional

Heat a small amount of sesame oil in a large skillet. Add turkey and cook & stir until just cooked through. Remove from turkey from skillet & set aside.

Add onion, red bell pepper, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, & red pepper flakes. Sauté for about five minutes until slightly softened. Stir in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce. Add turkey back to skillet.

Heat to boiling and then cover & reduce heat to simmer. Stir occasionally until mixture is thick and bubbly (add more chicken stock if needed to thin sauce or more  seasonings if desired). Stir in noodles.

Garnish with chopped green onions if desired. Feel proud that you provided this meal.

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Multiple Meals: Ground Beef & Pork

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I was hoping to make one more giant grocery shop before the snow hit in Northern Minnesota (aka Almost Canada) but it seems I was too late. The snow & cold weather has infringed upon my ability to go get groceries this last weekend. Yes I can get food in town but it is drastically overpriced. I usually make a giant trip every 1-2 months and stock up on pantry items & frozen goods. I also buy meat in bulk and then portion it into 2-4 servings (enough for me & my fishing guide for dinner with leftovers if desired) and freeze it. Since I was not going shopping for a week or two I decided to work with what I had on hand. I made 4 meals using the same meat source. Meatloaf and casseroles are big in this state/climate so I included those in my food prep. Nothing fancy but all meals are different (an important concept in many households as people get sick of the same foods being served over & over). Most importantly, you can do all the prep in one day.

Before any of the meals can be made you must combine 1 lb of ground beef with 1 lb of ground pork. Divide the meat into two 1 lb portions. Take one portion and split in half again. Set both of these 1/2 lb portions aside (one will be for meatloaf and one will be for noodle casserole). Take the other 1 lb portion & add to a skillet and brown. Add taco seasoning to your liking with a small amount of water. Let cook off for a few minutes. Take this mixture and split into two portions. Use one immediately for tacos. Set one aside for stuffed poblanos.

Tacos (serves 2)

I will not put any information here for taco prep cause everyone knows what to do. Use your favorite fixings and sides of your preference. I made a spicy pepper creamed corn but refried beans or mexican rice are great as well.

Stuffed Chile Poblanos (serves 2)

  • half of the taco seasoned meat previously prepared
  • 2 poblano chiles
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup white rice
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • taco seasoning
  • salsa
  • sour cream
  1. Place poblano peppers on a cooking sheet & place under broiler. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side until skins are blistered. Place peppers into a bowl & cover with pastic wrap or place in a gallon sized plastic bag. Let sit for 10 minutes & remove skins. Slice open on one side & remove seeds.  Place ground meat and 1/4 cup cheese in each pepper. Close peppers.
  2. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Stir in diced tomatoes and 1-2 tsp taco seasoning & salsa to your liking (I only use a few tsp of very hot salsa at this stage).
  3. Pour rice into a 8×8 casserole dish. Top with peppers. Cover with foil & bake within 1 day. Bake covered in a 400F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Serve with additional salsa & sour cream if desired.

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Muffin Tin Meatloaf (serves 2 with 3 muffins each)

  • 1/2 lb portion ground meat
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp chopped onion
  • 2 slices bread, torn into pieces
  • pinch each oregano, basil, sage
  • sprinkle salt & pepper
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp worcestshire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  1.  Take a 1/2 lb portion meat & add to a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredredients through the salt & pepper. Stir to combine.
  2. Stir together the ketchup, sugar, worcestshiire sauce, and ground mustard. Set aside.
  3. Lightly grease half of a muffin tin (this makes 6 meatloaf muffins). Add the meat to the tin with a scoop or spoon. Cover with foil. Place in the fridge or freezer.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes if refrigerated. If frozen, take out the night before you want to bake it and place it in the fridge to thaw. Bake as previously mentioned.
  5. Once cooked, top with the sauce mixture. Bake for 5-10 moire minutes. Serve with sides of your choice. I served baked potatoes and salad.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I forgot.

Beef & Pork Noodle Casserole

  • 1/2 lb portion ground meat
  • 1 small red & yellow pepper, diced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
  • 4 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups pasta

Brown meat with peppers and tomatoes. Do not drain. Add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and cook & stir over medium-low to medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

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Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Add the pasta to the beef mixture and stir in parmesan cheese. Place in an appropriate sized container (I used a loaf pan). Cover with foil & place in the fridge or freezer.

If refrigerated, bake within 1 day. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Remove foil, stir, and bake for 10-15 more minutes. Top with more cheese if desired. If frozen, bake for 50-60 minutes covered. Remove foil, stir, & bake for 15-20 more minutes.

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Pumpkin Bacon Mac & Cheese

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The season of pumpkin has arrived!! The changing & falling of leaves, brisk fresh air, the list goes on. I am one of those people that loves pumpkin. Pumpkin everything. I cannot help it & nor do I want to. It is delicious. I do eat it year round thanks to the canned goods but I really go crazy in the fall & early winter.

I love it in sweets but do enjoy the savory side of it as well. This is a savory dish & it’s also a souped up Mac & Cheese dish. Mac & Cheese has never been a favorite of mine. I ate the blue box stuff as a kid but didn’t love it. I didn’t realize I liked mac & cheese until I had homemade versions.

This one is the perfect way to start the pumpkin season. The combination of pumpkin, bacon, & cheese is delicious, satisfying, & comforting. Which are all the things I want on a brisk fall day. With the extra canned pumpkin I made Pumpkin Cookies

 

Pumpkin Bacon Mac & Cheese (serves 2)

  • 1 cup elbow macaroni
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp each sage & thyme
  • few dashes garlic powder & cayenne
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  1. Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain & set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook the bacon until crisp. Remove & crumble. Set aside.
  3. Drain off the bacon grease. Add the butter & stir until melted. Add the flour & stir until dissolved. Whisk in the milk & cook until thick & bubbly. Add the pumpkin, spices, and cheddar cheese. Stir until pumpkin is incorporated & the cheese is melted.
  4. Stir in the bacon crumbles and macaroni. Pour into two individual casserole dishes.
  5. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs & parmesan. Sprinkle over the macaroni. Bake in a 400F oven for 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden & sauce is bubbly.

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White Chicken Lasagna

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When I was younger I never cared for lasagna. I attribute this to a few things. I did not care for lots of red sauce at that time. I always thought lasagnas had too much sauce. It was unappealing to look at & I ended up scraping excess away. I also thought they were too cheesy. I love cheese. I have always loved cheese. I eat way too much cheese I am sure, but when it comes to pizzas & lasagnas I believe that less is more. I also don’t know if I ever had a homemade lasagna. They were always frozen aisle lasagnas.

Once I started cooking for myself, I realized I love lasagna. I just like it the way I make it with less sauce & cheese. I also never used to use loaf pans. I would use a normal 8×8 or 9×13 pan. Since I am cooking for 2 almost always, I like using the loaf pans. That way it is always fresh when you pop it in the oven. I also like being able to prep meals ahead of time & lasagna is one of the perfect make ahead meals. With the loaf pans you get one right away and another within a week. As the guy I am cooking for likes red lasagnas I have always made those. I decided to make a white lasagna this time. It is creamy, savory, & a nice change from a traditional red sauced lasagna. It even has his approval.

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White Chicken Lasagna

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • 8 lasagna noodles, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1tsp each basil, oregano, pepper
  • few dashes each onion powder & garlic powder
  • 1 diced onion, red pepper, & yellow pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 3 tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 3 cups milk
  • pinch sage, basil, oregano, pepper & salt
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella
  • 1/2-3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • parmesan cheese (optional)
  1. Lightly coat a large skillet with olive oil. Sauté the onion & peppers until almost caramelized. Add one tbsp. butter & stir until melted. Add 3 tbsp. flour & stir until dissolved. Add 1 cup chicken stock, 3 cups milk, & pinch each basil, oregano, pepper & salt. Stir often until thickened & bubbly. Add 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
  2. Meanwhile, mix egg, cottage cheese, shredded chicken, tsp each basil, oregano, & pepper, few dashes each onion & garlic powder, & 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl.
  3. Take two loaf pans & place 1/4 cup sauce on the bottoms of each. Place approx. 1.5 noodles (cutting & overlapping as necessary) on sauce. Top each with 1/4 the chicken mixture. Sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella cheese over the chicken. Top with sauce. Repeat layers once ending with last layer of noodles on top. Finally, over the last set of noodles place some more mozzarella & top with remainder of sauce. If desired, top with parmesan cheese. Cover both with foil. Bake immediately, place in the fridge overnight, or place in the freezer for up to a week (if placing in freezer cover with foil, wrap it completely in plastic wrap, & wrap again completely with foil. Remove outer wrap of foil & plastic before baking).
  4. Bake in a 375F oven for 40-45min covered & 15-20 minutes without foil (if frozen add 10-15 minutes to each portion of baking).

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Multiple Meals: Pizza, Lasagna, & Gravy

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There is no story behind this post. I simply had too much food that needed to be eaten so it wouldn’t go to waste. Seeing as how I only like to eat the same thing a handful of times, I decided to split it into 3 meals (this also took care of a lot of meal planning for me for the week). Each can serve 2 & you get spare lasagna as well!

Prep for all 3:

  • Brown 1lb ground beef & 1lb hot Italian sausage together. Set aside 1 cup browned meat for gravy.
  • Sauté 2 yellow squash, 2 zucchini & 2 onions together
  • Prepare pizza sauce (mix all together)
    • (1) 6oz can tomato paste
    • 1/3-2/3 cup water (depends on consistency you want for pizza sauce)
    • ¼ olive oil
    • Dash Salt & pepper
    • 2tsp each Basil & oregano
  • Prepare pizza dough (makes 2 – 1 for pizza & 1 for another use within 1 week in the fridge covered loosely):
    • Mix in a large bowl: 1.5 cups warm water, 2 ¼ tsp yeast, 1tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, ¼ cup olive oil
    • Add 3 cups bread flour using wet hands if needed to incorporate all the flour
    • Cover loosely and let rise for 2-2.5 hrs

 

Pizza

  • Browned meat
  • Sautéed veggies
  • Pizza sauce
  • Half the dough
  • Mozzarella cheese
    • Preheat oven with pizza stone lightly coated with cornmeal at 450F for 30minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured pizza peel to be 1/8in thick.
    • Spoon half the sauce on the dough. Top with light sprinkling of cheese. You should still see the sauce through the cheese
    • Top with browned meat & veggies. Again, be light with toppings.
    • Slide onto stone & bake for 20-25minutes until crust is cooked through.

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Lasagna (Makes 2 lasagnas. Each lasagna serves 2)

  • Browned meat
  • Sautéed veggies
  • Pizza sauce & 15oz can tomato sauce
  • 6-12 cooked lasagna noodles (depending on preference)
  • 1 container part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Basil & oregano
    • Mix pizza sauce & tomato sauce together. Add more basil & oregano to taste.
    • Mix egg & ricotta cheese. Add ¼ cup mozzarella cheese to this mixture.
    • Put ~1/4 cup sauce on bottoms of two loaf pans.
    • Cut noodles as necessary to fit pan (about 1-2 noodles per layer & 3 layers total).
    • Add a few tbsp ricotta mixture & spread over noodles. Top with browned meat & veggies. Top with more sauce. Repeat layer again & add some mozzarella cheese over the ricotta blend. For the final layer, use ricotta, mozzarella & sauce only. Cover with foil. Repeat for second lasagna. Bake immediately, after 24hrs in fridge, or within a week in the freezer.
    • If baking immediately, bake for 30 minutes with foil & 15-20 without foil. If baking after storing in the fridge for a day, bake for 40minutes with foil & 15-20 without. If baking from the freezer, bake for 60 minutes with the foil, & 15-20 without.

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Gravy

  • 1 cup Browned meat
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 tbsp Flour
  • Pepper to taste
    • Put browned meat in skillet or pot. Reheat for a few minutes.
    • Add 1 tbsp flour to meat & sauté for 1-2minutes.
    • Add 1 cup milk & cook over medium heat until thickened & bubbly. Add pepper to taste.
    • Serve over biscuits or toasted baguette slices (if all else fails, serve over a slice of toast like I did)

 

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Bacon & Spaghetti Squash Pasta

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I’m not sure when it happened, but I now make dinner regularly without a recipe. To those of you who have done this for awhile or forever – congrats. I, however, have always followed recipes. Sure I might have changed the seasonings here or switched out some of the ingredients for items I had on hand, but in general, I followed the recipe.

I remember when I came up with my very first recipe on my own for baking, Random Cookie Recipe, I was so pleased. Now it happens without me even realizing it. I throw together quick breads like Peach Bread where I only whipped it up to use leftover items from the peach muffins I made. It turned out the bread was a million times better than the muffins anyhow. I now look into my fridge & pantry to see what needs to be eaten & make up dishes without even thinking about it.

Last night I wanted to use the last of my bacon. I had 4 slices & thought I would add it to pasta. I decided I would use the bacon grease to make a sauce so that there would be bacon tidbits & flavor throughout the whole thing. I also had a spaghetti squash that had been sitting in the pantry for a bit as well. This is how Bacon & Spaghetti Squash Pasta was created. So good on so many levels.

Bacon & Spaghetti Squash Pasta

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 spaghetti Squash
  • 4oz spaghetti noodles
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • few dashes nutmeg
  • few dashes cayenne
  • 2 tsp. brown sugar
  • oil for coating squash
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  2. Cut the squash in half & coat all sides with olive oil. Bake for 1-1.25hrs cut side down until softened & tender. Shred the spaghetti squash into strands & set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, pan fry bacon over medium to medium-high heat & remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain when crispy. Reserve grease.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta & cook according to directions. Drain pasta & return to pot. Reserve some of the cooking water.
  5. To the bacon grease, add the butter & then the garlic cloves. Sauté for 2minutes. Add the flour & stir until combined. Add the milk while whisking. Add the seasonings. Whisk continuously over medium-low to medium heat until thickened & bubbly.
  6. To the pot of drained pasta, add the squash & the sauce. Add the cooking water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
  7. Serve on two plates. Crumble the bacon & sprinkle on top. Sadly there are no pictures as it was eaten right away.

 

Multiple Meals: Ground Beef & Italian Sausage

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To continue the theme of Meal Planning, I shall share some things I do to make multiple meals. I am usually cooking for 2 while many recipes are for 4 people. I either make the recipe as is and we have leftovers or I decide to make two separate dishes. In this first installment of Multiple Meals, I use a pound of ground beef & a pound of Italian sausage and make 2 different dinners but each can be eaten twice.

The first thing that needs to be done is to combine both meats together & then divide the meat mixture in half (now you have two separate pounds of combined meat). Brown one of the halves of meat with an onion and set aside for prepping two lasagnas. To the other half, we will be making meatballs. One for spaghetti & the other for sandwiches.

Meatballs

Take the half of meat that is for the meatballs (1lb) and add the following:

  • 1 slice milk soaked bread (place a piece of bread on a plate and pour milk over it so that it is saturated all the way through. Squeeze out the excess).
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp each salt & pepper
  • ½ tsp each basil & oregano
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 2-3tbsp parmesan cheese

Take half of this mixture & place in the fridge for the next night’s dinner*

To the other half, form the meatballs by hand (roughly the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 450F oven for 5-8 minutes until browned. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, chop an onion & a green pepper and sauté in a large skillet in a small amount of olive oil over medium low heat for about 20-30 minutes until caramelized to your liking. Add a minced clove of garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add 8oz canned tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. basil, and salt & pepper to taste. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook over low heat while covered for 20-30 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese if desired & serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.

The next night you can prepare exactly the same way and serve in a hoagie bun for meatball sandwiches.

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* If desired you can prep all the meatballs and sauce at once if you are having the sandwiches for lunch or if you know you are crunched for time the next day. Just reheat when ready to eat.

 

Loaf Pan Lasagna

For the lasagna, we will be making two lasagnas (in loaf pans) that serve two each.

  • 1lb meat previously browned with an onion
  • 8 cooked lasagna noodles
  • 16oz ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp each oregano & basil
  • 1.5-2 cups mozzarella
  • 1 26oz jar spaghetti sauce or make your own
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (& more for sprinkling if desired)

Either the day you brown the meat with the onion or the next day after it has been browned prep the lasagnas as follows:

Mix ricotta, egg, seasonings, & 1/4 cup parmesan cheese in a bowl for the filling.

Place approximately 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce on the bottom of each loaf pan. Place two noodles on top of the sauce. Cut or overlap as necessary. Place 1/6 of the ricotta filling on the noodles and spread into a thin layer (approximately 1/3 cup). Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place 1/4 of the browned meat on the filling. Top with more spaghetti sauce. Next place one noodle over the sauce cutting as necessary. Repeat filling, cheese, meat, & sauce layers once. Finally, place one noodle over the sauce and top with the rest of the ricotta filling, mozzarella, and sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

Put one in the fridge for night 3 (night 1=spaghetti & meatballs, night 2=meatball sandwiches, night 3=lasagna) and one in the freezer. Cover the one in the fridge with aluminum foil. To the one placed in the freezer make sure to cover with aluminum foil, wrap all the way around in plastic wrap, & wrap again all the way around but with foil. Use within 1-2weeks for ideal flavor.

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Fridge lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake with the foil covering for 40minutes. Remove the cover & continue to bake for 20minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Freezer lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375F. Remove extra foil & the plastic. Bake with the foil covering for 1 hour. Remove the cover & continue to bake for 20minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.