Picked Pea Pot Pie

by almost_rosey // 10Feb2015 // No Comments

Do you ever just have bad days? Of course you do. Everyone does. My fishing guide had one the other day. This year he is not really my fishing guide. He became a real fishing guide as he needed a job. The job options up here in Almost Canada are rather bleak so he was more or less forced to work on the ice. He now brings others to fish, thus we do not get to fish. Something that is none too thrilling for our hobby of ice fishing which we are both quite passionate about. But what can you do? He needed a job.

This job is different from his previous accounting desk type jobs. He likes this job well enough but like all jobs, things set you off. You get grumpy. He called me on his way home with a grumpy & annoyed tone the other day. Our conversation was brief. He had a long day.

All his days are long actually. He gets up at 4:30 and working 12 hour days (or longer) is the norm. Consequently, I make dinner. I always made dinner before but now it is more of a necessity. I don’t mind. I love making dinner.

When he called me I had planned on making individual pot pies with biscuits. A comforting, warming dish common in Minnesota this time of year. This one would be super easy and all my ingredients were readily available. I had leftover duck already shredded, I had biscuits for the crust, and I had cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, herbs, and a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer for the filling.

The veggies consisted of corn, green beans, carrots, and peas. And here lied my dilemma…peas. He hates peas with a passion. I love peas and I love them in my pot pie. Needless to say he does not enjoy them at all in food. I knew today was not the day to be serving him peas. I actually burst out laughing in the kitchen imagining his reaction if I were to serve them to him. Funny to me but not to him most likely. So I set about removing the peas from my filling. It wasn’t that difficult. I just tried to scoop portions for his that didn’t contain many peas and then removed any stray peas.

When he came home and saw mini pot pies for dinner he looked pleased. When I served him his plate and put mine before me he said, “mine looks different”. I responded, “That’s because I picked out all the peas from yours.” A smile appeared on his face. And then a smile appeared on mine. We then enjoyed what little time we had left before he went to bed.

While I know that picking out peas did not cure his grumpiness completely it did lighten the mood. It is a reminder of how much I care for him. A small thing that reminds me that things aren’t as bad as one might think if all you have to do is take the time to remove some peas.

Individual Pot Pies* (serves 4)

*Note that I do not know who came up with this recipe first. I know that biscuit companies have this almost exact recipe listed on their websites but I also know that I didn’t learn it from them. I’m not sure where I learned it. I think it is one of those recipes that everyone comes up with at some point.

pack of 8 refrigerated biscuits (or make your own)
1 1/2-2 cups shredded meat (I used duck but chicken works just fine)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp each oregano & thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use more if desired)
1 bag mixed vegetables or use what you have on hand (about 2- 2 1/2 cups veggies)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 8 muffin cups.

Cook veggies according to package directions. Place meat, veggies, soup, cheese, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix well. Take biscuit dough and stretch each biscuit until about 1/4 in thin. The circle should be about 5-6in diameter. Place biscuits in greased muffin cups. Fill with filling until about the top of the muffin cup. Fold sides of biscuit over filling. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Heat excess filling on the stove or in the microwave. Serve pot pies with the additonal filling.

(Picture is of my pies, the ones with peas. My fishing guide’s pot pies looked the same but contained only corn, carrots, and green beans in terms of veggies)

Baked Grouse, two ways

by almost_rosey // 9Dec2014 // No Comments

On the last day of My First Deer Hunt I ended up going grouse hunting and managed to come home with 4 grouse which was totally amazing! I had recently made Apricot Glazed Grouse which was delicious but was in the mood for more of a warming fall/winter type dish. I made a casserole the first night which is very easy & comforting. The next night I made an easy breaded grouse & served it with roasted carrots and creamy goat cheese rice. Neither are fancy but both are delicious.

Grouse Casserole (serves 2)

2 grouse, cleaned and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 cup rice
1 can cream mushroom soup
10 oz milk
1/2 bag frozen vegetables (I used a broccoli & cauliflower blend)
1/2 dry onion soup packet
water, as needed

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake for 75-90 minutes until rice is cooked through stirring every 15 minutes. Add water as necessary.

Crispy Onion Breaded Grouse (serves 2)

2 grouse, cleaned (keep breasts intact or cut into tender sized strips)
1 egg, beaten
frenchs onions
3 large carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 cup rice
1 cup chicken stock
1oz goat cheese

Line two baking sheets with foil. Lightly grease one with cooking spray and set aside. Drizzle 2-3 tsp olive oil over the other baking sheet and also add pinch or two salt & pepper. Add carrots to olive oil tray and gently toss. Place in 400F oven for 20-25minutes.

Place stock and rice into small pot. Bring to a boil & then cover and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is tender. Stir in goat cheese.

Meanwhile, coat grouse in egg and dip into onions. Bake on lightly greased foil lined sheet for 12-17minutes until cooked through.

My First Deer Hunt

by almost_rosey // 24Nov2014 // 2 Comments

“The movie Bambi used to make me cry and even still I get teary eyed when I watch it.”

“Do you even want to go hunting?”

I was never exposed to hunting growing up. It was not a right of passage for me. No one in my family was a serious hunter that I knew of or at least knew well. I guess my dad used to go duck hunting all the time but this was before I existed. Somehow I ended up with a hunter. I never thought I would go hunting in my life, but here I am, asking my guy to take me.

Let me state that I have no desire to kill animals. I have no antler obsession or need to fill my walls with mounts of “trophies.” I do have a desire to learn new skills & try new things. I only recently started avidly fishing & ice fishing in the last few years. I love it. I love pulling fish out of the water (mainly through the ice) and cooking with what I or my fishing guide caught. I love knowing where my food came from. Maybe hunting could be similar.

I wanted to learn and experience hunting from an academic and skill set standpoint. I wanted to be able to cook with what I harvested. I didn’t know if I could handle hunting. If I could handle taking a life even if it is to provide food for my household. My hunting guide said he didn’t know if I would like it either, “Maybe you will like sitting quietly in a tree for hours. Who knows?” He does not particularly like deer hunting. He is more of a waterfowl hunter. Regardless, I thought I should try. It could be something we do together. It could be something that I might really enjoy. Or maybe I will hate it but at least I would know. With this mindset I set out for my first deer hunt.

This was probably the worst year for me to start hunting. The deer population is, let’s just say, bleak. This could be the worst year in about 20 years for harvesting deer. Very few doe tags were given and with no preference points I set out with a buck only tag. Having also recently moved to Northern Minnesota (aka Almost Canada), we do not know this area very well in terms of hunting, so were at a slight disadvantage. We did find some spots but of course they were on public land. Insert sad faced emoticon here. The weather was also not going to be the best. With very high winds and blistering cold temperatures some of the sessions were bound to be downright miserable.

There were lots of negatives stacking up against me. I went with the mindset that I would most likely not get a deer this year, but I should try and learn as much as I could. I was just hoping to see some deer (obviously still hoping to harvest one).

I made it a point to go as often as I could. I mean I live in God’s Country. I can leave work early and go hunting or go in late, which I did a few times. I could go in the mornings on the weekends, go home for a bit, & go out again in the afternoon. I also wanted to make the most of my investments: rifle, scope, ammo, & gear. Another reason to go out as much as I could.

We actually went out 11 times which I think is awesome. My guy says he has never hunted that much during a season. I said that if I didn’t get a deer it wasn’t going to be because I didn’t try. We ended up seeing a lot of deer sign & a lot of deer including a giant buck. Of course none of the deer were close enough for me to shoot &/or were on private land. Apparently that is what the majority of deer hunting is. Sitting quietly and seeing nothing or seeing some deer but not being able to take shot.

I don’t mind sitting quietly for a few hours. When the weather wasn’t terrible it was actually nice. Sitting in nature is quite soothing. Being able to think or not think and just be. That part of hunting I can handle. My guy even said that those were the coldest sits he had ever done and I had done numerous ones without complaining or wanting to go back home.

In addition to the deer, we ended up seeing lots of grouse during the last few times we went out. The last day (there is an extra weekend up here) when we were pulling out stands, I said I wanted to come back in the afternoon and try to hunt the grouse. As he had just gotten a grouse recently I was anxious to get some more to cook with. If I couldn’t get a deer, maybe I could get some grouse. I did just that.

My first hunting season turned out to be a success depending on how you look at it. Yes, I am disappointed that I didn’t harvest a deer. I still don’t know if I truly like deer hunting. I know that for me there will be a big difference between killing a grouse versus killing a deer. Will I actually like all aspects of deer hunting? It could be another year or two or who knows how many years before I find out. Maybe I will never find out. My guide says, “Oh please dear…, ” in a tone that only couples have with each other. It still doesn’t mean I am any less disappointed with the lack of a deer. At the same time, I know that I am just lucky that I saw so many deer. I know many people who didn’t see anything.

I also know that one really has to be positive, patient, and persistent not only in hunting but anything else in life. I will have as many opportunities for different types of hunts and more deer hunting in the future. As many as I am willing to do or make happen.

For this deer season I hoped for the best but expected the worst. I think I ended up somewhere in between which is just fine with me.

Apricot Glazed Grouse

by almost_rosey // 18Nov2014 // 1 Comment

I have lived in Minnesota my whole life but recently moved to northern Minnesota, or as I like to say, Almost Canada. The house I bought is on 1.5 acres which isn’t much land but is enough to shoot small critters or birds. Which is exactly what my guy did.

He was eating cereal and looking out the window. He saw a bird in a tree, went & grabbed my .22, and shot it. It was a grouse. It was going to be dinner. I was going to cook it.

I have eaten grouse once before and if I hadn’t known it was grouse I would have thought it was chicken. There is no wild game flavor in this bird. I decided to make an apricot glazed grouse since I didn’t have to worry about masking a game flavor. I served it with sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli. It was delicious. There are no photos of the dinner, but it looked like glazed chicken with the mentioned sides.

Apricot Glazed Grouse (serves 2)

1-2 grouse, cleaned & cut into bite sized pieces or strips
apricot/peach jelly or preserves (I used jalapeno apricot jelly)
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 tsp olive oil
sides of your choice

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place 2-3 tbsp. jelly in a small bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add 1-2 tsp olive oil. Place the grouse on the baking sheet and coat with jelly mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Glaze the grouse with more of the jelly mixture & broil for 3-5 minutes until grouse is cooked through and glaze is slightly caramelized. Serve with sides of your choice.

Squirrel Chili

by almost_rosey // 5Nov2014 // No Comments

Who doesn’t love chili this time of year? It is the perfect food to come home to from October to March. At least in the mid-west this is true. Not many people want to eat a hot, steaming bowl of chili in July or August, but once the temperature changes, the menu changes. Chili is one of those items on the menu in my household this time of year. My guy, who happens to be a hunter, shot a squirrel in our yard with his bow. Since it was only one squirrel, I decided to make a squirrel & chicken chili. Simple, but delicious.

Squirrel Chili (serves 2)

1 squirrel, skinned, cleaned, & cut into bite-size pieces ( brined for 2-4 hrs)
- Brine Ingredients (4 cups water, 1/4 cup salt, 1-2 tbsp sugar, dash or two each chili flakes, oregano, & pepper)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (if you have 2 squirrels you can omit the chicken)
2 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
2-3 tomatoes diced
1 onion, chopped
1 can chili beans, undrained
1/2 cup chunky salsa
chili seasoning (1-2 tsp store bought or your favorite blend. I used a combo of chile powder, paprika, cumin, garlic & onion powder, salt & pepper, oregano, & cayenne).
olive oil (to coat two skillets)

Combine the brining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the squirrel & keep in the fridge for 2-4 hrs. Once brined, drain the squirrel but do not rinse. In a small skillet heat a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat. Brown the squirrel and place in a crockpot

Saute a chopped onion in another skillet for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add this to the crockpot with all the other ingredients. Stir to combine. Heat on low for 6-8 hrs (this can also be made on the stove in a heavy duty pot or dutch oven on simmer for 2-4hrs). Serve with cheddar cheese & sour cream if desired.

The 12 Soups of Christmas

by almost_rosey // 9Jan2014 // 3 Comments

I worked briefly at a company in Plymouth, MN and met a wonderful person who helped me see the light & believe in my skills as a chemist. Prior to working there I had a position as a chemist for a different company. Towards the end I dreaded going to work. I would wake up feeling sick every morning and there was nothing to be done to help my career at this company. The company was great, but without going into details, let us just say that it was not a good fit. I started to actually believe I could not do chemistry and that I had made a grave mistake going into this line of work. The lady with the magic wand at my temporary position made that change. She made me realize that I did love my field of work and that I was good at what I do. Although I ended up leaving that position to go to a different company in a dream location – Almost Canada. I won’t ever forget her inspiration. This lady also told me about the 12 Soups of Christmas. I remember thinking that it was a cool idea. I had to ask again what it was…

About seven years ago I had the idea to make soup for 12 days in a row. I was really into soup and I had just gotten a really good soup cookbook from half price books. I did not succeed my first year, or any year after that. But, every year, I make an effort to make twelve soups between black friday and epiphany. I usually peter out around new years. I think I average about 7-8 soups.

Well, she made a group called the 12 Soups of Christmas (which later changed to the 12 Soups, Stews, & Chilies of Christmas) and invited me. I love soup. I love soup in the winter. To have a reason to make more soup just makes plain sense. So I embarked on a soup journey.

My 1st Soup was a Leftover Veggie Soup. I just used what I had in my pantry/fridge to make it (veggie stock, kidney beans, cabbage, carrots, onion, green pepper, & crushed tomatoes). It was simple, yummy, and no food got wasted.

My 2nd Soup was a Light Broccoli Cheese Soup. I have never made broccoli cheese but didn’t want to deal with the calories & fat so I looked for a lightened up version. My Recipes/Cooking Light helped me out. It was yummy (not the same as the original version) but one I could make anytime without guilt. Broccoli Cheese Soup

My 3rd Soup was a Light Potato Soup. I had the same line of thought as I did for the broccoli. Cooking light came to the rescue again with a recipe that uses cauliflower with the potatoes. No one will be able to tell this is a light soup. The cauliflower blends in so well. Creamy Light Potato Soup

My 4th Soup was French Onion. Again, a soup I had never made. For the recipe I looked to my friend who resides in France and of course she had one for me. Everyone, MAKE THIS SOUP. I will not order French onion again – at least from a restaurant in the U.S. French Onion Soup

My 5th Soup was a Chicken & Summer Squash Corn Chowder. I had a few issues due to the fact that the food processor I was using did not have all the attachments so I will write it with how it should be made but with notes for how I made it.

Sautee 1 chopped summer squash in small amt of olive oil in pot until tender.
Add 1/2 C chopped green onions with salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.
Puree one can corn with 1 C milk (this is where I failed and it would not puree cause I didn’t have appropriate blades). Add another 1C milk & blend till combined. Pour onto veggies in pot.
Add 1.5-2C chopped cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken).
Add another can corn if your puree worked. If it didn’t…Skip this step and add potato flakes until soup reaches desired consistency. Serves 3

For my 6th Soup I thought about making a tomato soup but then thought of an old soup recipe which I love. It is from my pumpkin & squash cookbook and is roasted squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, red pepper, and various seasonings. So I decided that I would make Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup to stick closer to the tomato soup aspect but so that it would be embellished a bit for grilled cheese as I had leftover baguette to be used as well. Soup 6: Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

2.5lbs tomatoes
2 red peppers
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
2C chicken stock
bay leaf
salt & pepper & basil to taste

Preheat oven to 400 & Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Cut off tops off tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half. Cut red pepper into 4 pieces. Slice onions into rings. Peel garlic cloves.
Place all onto a lightly oiled baking sheet & drizzle liberally with more olive oil. Roast for 20-25minutes.

Place vegetables into a pot and add 2C chicken stock, a bay leaf, & salt, pepper, & basil to taste.
Bring to a boil & then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Puree with an immersion blender or a food processor. Enjoy with grilled cheese or with baguette slices with melty gouda.

Since it is winter I decided to make a squash soup. Soup 7: Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash
1C chicken stock
3/4can evaporated milk
2-3 sprigs thyme

Cut butternut in quarters, remove seeds, and coat all surfaces with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 45-60minutes at 375.
Remove pulp from skins and place in food processor with chicken stock & evaporated milk. Blend till combined.
Place mixture into pot and heat until desired temperature with thyme. Remove thyme and enjoy. Serves 1 hearty portion or 2 lunch/starter portions.

For Soup number 8 I made a soup I recently posted about, Carrot Soup, as I had just received some more garden carrots from a co-worker. Serve with an over-easy fried egg on top and try it for breakfast. It is a great way to get vegetables into your diet right away in the morning.

For Soup 9 I made Cream of Chicken with Wild Rice. I have never made this soup & was not even going to try to make it healthy. I did use a slow cooker to help me out as I went fishing on this day, so all I had to do was come home and add some rice & cream and let cook a bit longer. In a crockpot add…

1 chopped onion
3-4 chopped carrots
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 C water
1 lb chicken cubed
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp each thyme, basil, & pepper
1/8 tsp each garlic powder & onion powder.

Cook on low for 7 hrs and add 1-2C cooked wild rice (use amount you prefer). Add 1C half & half with 1-2 tbsp flour and cook on high for 30 minutes to thicken.

For Christmas I had duck for dinner. I decided to use the leftovers to make duck noodle soup. Soup 10: Duck Noodle Soup

Boil a duck carcass from leftover duck dinner for 45-60 minutes to make a duck stock and loosen all the leftover meat. Remove carcass and let cool slightly to pull meat off. Set meat aside.
Sautee 1 chopped onion, 1 stick chopped celery, & 3-4 chopped carrots for 10-20 minutes until slightly softened.
Add veggies to stock with 1 bay leaf, 1tsp oregano, basil & thyme to taste, 1/4 tsp each black pepper & salt.
Bring to a boil and then let simmer until vegetables are tender. Add the meat back to the pot while you cook 3-4C wide egg noodles. Add the noodles to the pot and enjoy a very flavorful soup

As I approached the end of my soups to make, I had no idea what to choose. I had been choosing soups I had never made before so wanted to keep along that theme. There are so many soups to choose from! I decided to make Stracciatella Soup. I had never made it and loved. It is like Italian egg drop soup. The plus side, it takes about 10 minutes to make!

Soup 11: Stracciatella Soup (Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentiis)

For my last soup I decided to make one of my favorite soups which is lentil soup. I had plenty of dried lentils and bacon that needed to be used as well so it was a win for my pantry & fridge. Soup 12: Bacon Lentil Soup In a large pot…

Cook 4 slices of bacon until very crispy. Remove and set aside.
Sautee 2 chopped carrots, 1 large chopped onion, 2 chopped cloves of garlic in bacon grease until slightly tender (5-10minutes).
Add 1/2lb dried lentils, 3-4C chicken stock, and 1C water.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender & soup is thick (about 90minutes).
Top with bacon. Serves 4

I did accomplish the 12 Soups of Christmas (I stayed pure to the original – No stews or chilies) before January 6th which was the deadline. It was a simple yet fun cooking challenge. I find that cooking or baking challenges give me an extra boost of motivation. I also tried making many new soups which is a win as well. There are many more soups to be conquered out there so I will continue to do this every year and hopefully come up with a list of favorite soups.

And if you are wondering, the lady who invented this group also accomplished the 12 soups.

Wild Duck Stew

by almost_rosey // 18Oct2013 // No Comments

It is rare that I cook the protein or meat for meals. I have always been the vegetable or side dish girl. Sure I can cook chicken breasts, roast a whole chicken, make meatloaf, hamburgers, etc, but I never cook anything of substance. I make casseroles & I use my slow cooker a lot. I live in the mid-west, I have a long commute, enough said. Needless to say, I have also never cooked wild game. Yes I grew up in the mid-west, but until recently I never was exposed to it. As fate would have it, I ended up with a hunter.

He brought home some wild duck and I decided that I would try to cook it. I love duck, but I have never had wild duck. My hunter does not even like it very much. He says it is too gamey and bloody, which is what many people say. I decided that I would look to various recipes for wild duck and thought of a blog I follow (Food for Hunters) as surely they would have some recipes for this wild game. They had a few recipes and I decided to adapt one of them to my own needs.

Wild Duck Stew (Adapted from: Apricot Wild Duck with Swiss Chard & Goat Cheese Polenta )

2 to 3 wild duck breasts (depending on the size of the duck), skinned & cubed
salt and pepper
1/2 C of all-purpose flour
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/4 C whiskey (or water)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 C red wine (make sure it is drinkable so you can it enjoy with dinner)
3 C vegetable stock
1/3 C good honey
2 tsp dried thyme
2 sweet potatoes

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Salt and pepper the wild duck and coat in flour. Shake off excess flour and cook in the dutch oven until browned on all sides. Remove duck and set aside.

Reduce heat down to medium and add the carrots. Cook until slightly tender, about 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the whiskey, or water, and turn heat back on. Allow liquid to evaporate with slight stirring.

Add the duck back to the pan, the adobo pepper, the wine, the vegetable stock and slightly stir. Add the honey while stirring so it does not settle to the bottom of the pan. Add the dried thyme and additional pepper to taste. Allow the mixture to come to a boil for 3-5 minutes.

Place cover on and put into a preheated 350F oven and bake for 2.5 hours or until tender. Remove from oven and place on stovetop. Remove cover and reduce liquid to desired consistency (about 10-15minutes).

Approximately 45 minutes before stew is finished, start to boil water for the sweet potatoes. Boil potatoes for 30 minutes. Remove skin and mash. Serve duck stew over potatoes and enjoy wild duck.

Feeling Almost Rosey

Put Those Glasses On

Wild Game