Back in the Saddle...Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Hot Venison Meatballs

As the winter settles in, and things are less busy at the museum, I have more time to spend in the kitchen at home.  As many of you know I love to cook and bake, especially for my family.  Today I woke up and laid in bed trying to decide what our Sunday dinner was going to be, and my mouth began to water for some homemade spaghetti sauce.  So after completing my warm cup of carmel drizzle coffee and my breakfast, I set to work getting the sauce started in the crock pot. 

As I was dragging out all the ingredients I remembered that my boyfriend had pulled a 2lb. package of Hot Venizon Sausage of the freezer and placed in the refrigerator yesterday.  Then the light bulb went off in my head...why not make meatballs!!!  I had never made them... I know... hard to believe!  The reason...I had always used sliced Italian Sausage in my sauce, but I remembered my Grama Jones had always made meatballs so I decided it was time to make some myself. 

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Hot Venison Meatballs

 

 

For Sauce

1 Large Can of Whole Tomatoes

2 Large Cans of Crushed Tomatoes

2 Cans of Tomatoe Paste

1lb of Hamburger

4 Tablespoons Dried Oregano (or to taste)

3 Tablespoons Dried Basil (or to taste)

1.5 teaspoons Black Pepper

1 Heaping Tablespoon of Fresh Crushed Garlic

2 Medium Onions

1.5 Tablespoons Sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

For Meatballs

2lbs of Hot Venison Sausage (or just regular Venison Sausage)

1lb of Hamburger

1 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese ( the Kraft Shaker Type)

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh onion.

1  Tablespoon of Chopped Garlic

2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Worchestshire Sauce

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

 

Begin your sauce first.  Open the can of whole tomatoes, using a paring knife cut the tomatoes up in to smaller bite size pieces and place in large crock pot.  Now open both cans of crushed tomatoes and add them.  Add Oregano, Basil, Garlic, Sugar, Salt & Pepper and stir. 

 

Peel and quarter the onions and place in a food processor or chop finely and place all but 2 tablespoons of the onion  in a medium size frying pan.  You will set the extra two tablespoons of onion aside for your meatballs.  Now add your hamburger to the pan and begin to cook.  Make sure you break the hamburger up as you are cooking.  Continue to cook till the hamburger is no longer pink, it is nice crumbled, and the onions are soft and translucent. 

 

Drain the hamburger mixture and add to the sauce.  Stir the sauce well.  Plug the crockpot in and turn on high.  You will cook the sauce on high for two hours with out removing the lid (this helps bring the crockpot up to the correct cooking temperature).  

 

In the mean time begin working on the meatballs.  You will mix the 1lb of Hamburger and the 2 lbs of Hot Venison Sausage together well with your hands.  Wash and rinse your hands and dump the 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped onion, the chopped garlic, the italian seasoning, the parmesan cheeses, the pepper and salt, breadcrumbs, and the Worcheshire Sauce in to the meat mixture.  Take the egg and beat well and add to the mixture.  Now dig in... using your hands mix the meat very well.  Make sure to get all the bread crumbs mixed in well, lift the meat out of the bowl and check the bottom of the bowl.  Once everything is mixed well, form the meat in to 2-3 inch meatballs.  Cover and place the meatballs on a metal cookie sheet and place them in the refrigerator for a half hour to hour to set up. 

 

Once the sauce has cooked for two hours, lift the lid and stir well, it will be very watery, now is when you want to open both small cans of tomatoe paste and add it.  Stir it well and place the lid back on and let it continue to cook.

 

Once the meatballs have been in the refrigerator for a half hour to hour, remove them and set aside.  In a large non-stick frying pan add the olive oil and turn up to medium heat.  Once the oil starts to crackle, lower the heat to medium low and place the meatballs in the pan.  Slowly and very carefully turn them browning them on all sides.  Once they are brown on all sides, remove and place on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. 

 

Now remove the lid from the crock pot and and carefully add the browned meatballs.  Make sure they are covered with sauce, and replace the lid.  Now let them simmer away on high for at least one hour. 

 

In the mean time whip up your favorite toss salad and place it in th refrigerator. 

 

After the hour has gone by, remove one meatball and slide a meat thermometer in it and check to make sure it is done.  It should be the same temperature of Beef Well Done.  If you get this reading, place the meatball back in the crockpot and cover it with sauce and drop the crock pot temperature down to low. 

 

Now its time to put some water on to boil, place a pinch of salt in it, and once its boiling add 1lb of Angel Hair Pasta and cook 4-5minutes.  While the pasta is cooking place some Italian Bread that has been buttered and sprinkled with Garlic Powder in the oven at 350 for five minutes. 

 

Drain the pasta, rinse with hot water, and place in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking.  Remove the garlic bread from the oven, and the salad from the refrigerator.  Now its time to serve up your meal.  Dont forget to sprinkle a bit of fresh grated parmesan cheese on top! 

This is a nice warm dinner on a cold day!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Lemon Poppy Seed Bread makes the Kitchen Smell Amazing

As many of you know, I manage a museum here in Upstate N.Y., so it is often hard to find time to post on my blog, but yesterday I made an amazing dinner and baked up a new bread recipe for my boys and wanted to share it with my friends.

On Tuesday morning I was thumbing through one of my new cook books, Taste of Home Book's "Best Church Supper Recipes" and all of a sudden I was in love.  Right smack dab in the middle of the cook book is a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Bread.  This recipe was submitted to Taste of Home Books by Karen Dougherty of Freeport, Illinois, and I have to tell you she is a genius.  However I did make a couple small adjustments to it and it is even more delicious then you can imagine. 

So if you want your kitchen to smell sweet and springy delicious, then try this recipe.  This is my rendition of her recipe.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

1 Pillsbury White Cake Mix (15.3oz)
1 Package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
1/4 cup of flour
1/8 cup sugar
4 Eggs
1 Lemon
Slightly less then 1 Cup Warm Water
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 teaspoons poppy seeds

In a mixing bowl, combine the mixes, flour, sugar, eggs, and oil.  Grate lemon zest off lemon and a then slice lemon in half and squeeze juice in to a bowl.  Filter out seeds, and place fresh lemon juice in 1 cup measuring cup and add warm water to make a full 1cup measurement.  Add lemon juice/water combination to the mixes, eggs, oil, and lemon zest.   Beat well until well mixed in.  Fold in poppy seeds. 

Pour into two greased 9in x 5in x 3in loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until bread tests done.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to completely cool. 
Yields: 2 loaves

 

 

Now my cooking wasn't done for the day, my honey had not seen me much as I had been away at a conference the week before, so I decided to make a nice dinner which included Pan Seared Boneless Pork Chops, Stir Fried Fresh Green Beans with Red Bell Peppers and Garlic, and Fried Potatoes with Jalapeno, Onion, and Garlic, and Cheddar Cheese. 

 

 

Pan Seared Pork Chops

 

3-4 Boneless Pork Chops

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic Powder

Fresh Cracked Pepper

 

Place olive oil in pan, place pork in pan, and sprinkle generously with garlic powder and cracked fresh pepper.  Flip, and do the same to the other side.  Cook on low - medium heat till done (no pink inside).  The key to having juicy tender pork chops is to cook low and slow.

 

Stir Fried Green Beans with Garlic & Red Bell Pepper

 

1 Large Handful of Fresh Green Beans for every person dining with you!

1 Large Red Bell Pepper

1 large heaping teaspoon of Fresh Chopped Garlic

Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Pepper

2 Teaspoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

 

Place large frying pan or stir fry pan on the stove and add Olive oil.  Snip ends off your green beans (and any bad spots) and discard snippits.  Then add prepared green beans to the frying pan. Split Red Bell Pepper in half, clean out seeds and etc and discard.  Slice cleaned pepper in to thin strips, and then cut in to one inch chunks and add to frying pan.  Add 1 heaping teaspoon of chopped fresh  Garlic to the frying pan, then sprinkle two pinches of sea salt, and add fresh cracked pepper to taste.  Stir fry on medium, stirring frequently till the peppers begin to soften. 

 

For an added touch, you can add a 1/8 cup of sliced almonds about a minute or two before removing from the heat. 

 

 

Country Fried Potatoes

8-12 Fresh Potatoes (White Potatoes work best)

1 Heaping Teaspoon Fresh Chopped Garlic

1 Medium Onion, peeled and diced in to small bits.

1 Large Chopped Jalapeno

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1-2 tsp Paprika

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Salt

2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cups Shredded Cheese of choice ( I use Cheddar, Monterey Jack and often toss in some Mozzarella if I have any). 

 

Clean and peel all potatoes, washing and drying (use paper towels) them off after.  Place frying pan on stove, and add Olive Oil.  Slice potatoes in to the frying pan.  Add Fresh Chopped Garlic, 1 medium onion diced in to small bits, 1 large jalapeno chopped up fine (we add the seeds for a bit more spice, but you can discard the seeds if you don't like really spicy food).  Add 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, 1-2 tsp Paprika, season with Fresh Cracked Pepper and Salt as you like.  Stir really well, and then begin cooking on medium heat, once the potatoes begin to brown reduce heat to low-medium, stirring often till potatoes are tender (fork goes through easily).  When potatoes are cooked, place shredded cheese on top and melt.  Serve with your favorite meat, and veggie. 

 

As you can see, garlic is a main staple in our house.  We only use vegetable oil for baking now, extra virgin oil is used if we are going to fry something.  And recently we have been adding more fresh vegetables to our menu.  

 

 

 

 



 

 



Beautiful Day with an Amazing Dinner Tonight!

Today I got to spend time with my wonderful boyfriend in the morning, then I hopped on my  motorcycle and road to the mall and sold raffle tickets for our Kiwanis fundraiser hanging out with one of my Kiwanis sisters, Bonnie.  Then I met my honey for a movie date and we saw Expendables 2.  A fun movie, full of action and humor.  After the movie was over, we hopped on our motorcycles  and headed back to the house through the beautiful Champlain Valley farm lands. 

To top off the day we had leftovers from last night.  Dinner last night consisted of Pork Loin wrapped in Pepper Bacon with Herbs and Garlic and Cheese Baked Potato Casserole with Ritz Cracker Crumbs on top, and Fresh Cucumbers on the side. 

Pork Loin wrapped in Pepper Bacon with Herbs

 

 

     4 Tablespoons of chopped fresh garlic

     2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil

     2 pork tenderloins (about 1 to 1 1/2 pound each)

     Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

     1-2 tablespoons dried rosemary leaves crushed in tiny pieces

     1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning

     1 - 2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves crusted in tiny pieces

     8-10 (1/4-inch thick) slices Pepper encrusted bacon ( I get from butcher at Price Chopper)

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange tenderloins on cutting board. Rub the top each tenderloin with 1/2 of the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the herbs on top, then flip and repeat process.  Season both sides with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap 4-5strips of bacon around each tenderloin and tie bacon in place with kitchen twine.  If you don't have twine, I use turkey skewers to hold the bacon in place.

Heat oil in a large, skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the tenderloins until golden brown on both sides. Transfer  tenderloins to medium roasting pan that has been sprayed with a light coat of pan spray; place in the oven and cook to medium doneness about 20-25minutes.

Check with meat thermometer or cut in to the thickest portion to make sure it is not pink and running blood. 

Transfer tenderloins to cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Remove twine or skewers before carving. 

*Note: If you use fresh herbs, use half of what I have listed because they are much stronger then the dried herbs!


My family loves a nice cheesy dish with this meat so I made the following potatoes last night:

Cheesy Potato Casserole

 

1 Bag of Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes

1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Pint of Sour Cream

2 - 8 oz Bricks of Orange Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded.

1 Stick of Butter

Fresh Ground Pepper

1 1/2 Sleeves of Ritz Crackers

 

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Soften stick of butter, take two table spoons and spread all over the bottom and sides of glass 13 X 9 glass baking dish.  In a large bowl dump bag of hash browns, add can of soup, and pint of sour cream, pepper to taste, and half of the cheese.  Mix well and spread in to buttered baking dish. 

 

Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes.  In the mean time crush the crackers well and add a half a stick of butter and mix well.  I do this in a gallon size zip lock bag.  Once mixed well, pull the potatoes out of the oven about five minutes before they are done.  Add the crumbs to the top, return to the oven and finish baking for five minutes. 

 

 

 



Semi Homemade Tonight!

Well I have not posted in a few days because life has been so busy, but tonight I came home and was determined to make a delicious meal for my wonderful boyfriend and I, however I need to do some grocery shopping so I had to be creative and go the semi-homemade way.  I will admit that it wasn't the most healthy dinner, but hey it was delicious.  We will watch our diet tomorrow.

Tonight's dinner consisted of Potato Chip Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, and stir fried Fresh Green Beans with Red Pepper Strips and Sliced Almonds.  Recipes to follow:

Potato Chip Chicken

3 Boneless Chicken Breast
1 Bag of Potato Chips
Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
1 Stick of Butter
Pan Spray
Gallon Size Zip Lock Bag
1 Shallow Glass Bowl
8 X 8 Baking Pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse and pat dry uncooked chicken breast, set aside.  Spray baking pan and set aside. Place potato chips in zip lock bag, and crush. Don't crush to fine.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground back pepper and 1-2 tsps of garlic powder.  Shake and work through potato chips.  Melt butter in a glass bowl, then dip chicken pieces in butter and then in potato chip crumbs.  Don't worry if it doesn't totally coat the chicken. Place chicken pieces in Baking Pan then add the remaining potato chips in the bag to the top of the chicken.  Take remaining butter and pour over the top of chips and chicken and bake for 30-40 minutes till chicken is no longer pink in center.  (Or use a meat gauge). 

Note:  I often buy a bag of the kettle cooked Salt & Cracked Black Pepper Chips.  If I use these I omit the pepper and just add garlic powder.   And I do not serve this very often as it is a bit fattening.  It is a treat. 

Stir Fried Fresh Green Beans with Red Pepper Strips and Sliced Almonds

4-5 Large Hand Full of Fresh Green Beans ( I purchase mine at our local farmers market - Prays Farmers Market)
1 Large Red Pepper
2 Heaping Teaspoons of Fresh Chopped Garlic
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Sliced Almonds
2-3 teaspoons of Olive Oil
Large Non Stick Skillet

Rinse and pat dry green beans, snip ends off and remove any bad spots.  Remove stem and seeds from Red Pepper and slice in to THIN strips.  Place skillet on stove and add olive oil.  Regulate burner heat - low to medium.   Add prepared green beans, red pepper strips, garlic, black pepper to taste, and a few pinches of sea salt.  Stir fry beans and pepper strips till the pepper strips become soft and pliable.  Just before removing from pan, add a handful or two of the almond slices and stir in and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat, and serve.

Note:  This is one of my families favorite vegetable dishes.  The green beans are so fresh its like eating them right out of the garden.

Macaroni and Cheese

Prepare one or two boxes of your favorite boxed macaroni and cheese as described on the box!

Set up my Pampered Chef Website today!

For those of you that love to cook and bake and love Pampered Chef or havnet had a Pampered Chef consultant in some time please check out my website to learn more about earning free products. My website is now up and running and I would love to book as many parties as possible for the next few months! 

www.pamperedchef.biz/adkcook

Take a look and give me a shoot.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips and Fries for Supper Tonight!

Today was a good day! I returned to Pampered Chef as an Independent Consultant and when I got home I was excited to find that Bob had replaced my heating element in our oven. But the best part of the day was seeing my step son Ryan who had just returned from a two week vacation in Arizona.  So to celebrate, I decide to make the boys their favorite dinner-Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips and Fries!  The guys love these chicken strips and they are so simple to make. My recipe makes enough so you can have left overs for Buffalo Chicken Wraps or a great salad the next day. 

Here is the recipe:

Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips

Ingredients
24-30 Chicken Tenders
2-3 cups of flour
2 tsps of cayenne pepper
5 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
2-3 cups of plain bread crumbs
2-3 tsps of garlic powder
1 tsp of black pepper
Dash of Salt
1 1/4 cups of Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/2 cup of butter melted (1 stick)
Non Stick Pan Spray

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a large cookie sheet with Non Stick Pan Spray well.  Set aside.  Take three shallow bowls or trays and set in a row.  In the first bowl/tray place flour and cayenne pepper and mix well.  In the second bowl/tray crack open the 5 eggs and drop them in, add milk and wisk well.  In the third bowl/tray add bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt & pepper, and mix well.  Now dip each chicken tender one at a time in the flour, coating well.  Then dip in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Now roll in the bread crumb mixture till completely coated.  Once each piece is coated with the bread crumb mixture, place on cookie sheet.  After completing all the pieces, and placing them on the cookie sheet, place the cookie sheet in the oven and set your timer for 6-8 minutes.  When your timer goes off, remove the chicken from the oven and flip each piece on the tray. Return the tray to the oven and continue cooking for 6 additional minutes (dont forget to set your timer)! 

Remove the chicken. If your pieces are very thick you can test them for doneness by slicing the thickest piece in half and making sure there is no pink in the center or you can use a meat thermometer for a more accurate accessment.

In the mean time, as your chicken is baking the last few minutes, melt one stick of butter in the microwave, and add 1 1/4 cups of Franks Hot Sauce and stir well.  When your chicken is done dip each piece in the hot sauce till completely coated and place back on cookie sheet. 

These are healthier then deep friend chicken wings and they make enough so that you can use them for Buffalo Chicken Wraps the next day or chop it up for a delicious salad. 

I personally like to dip my strips in blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing, however the guys like their's plain. 

 

Light Cooking The Last Two Weeks...

So between the combination of the flu, hot and humid weather, and the heating element going in my oven, I have not cooked much the last couple of weeks. However, I did make some amazing fried potatoes three nights ago.

I took approximately 8-10 fresh white California potatoes I purchased our local Pray's Farmers Market and sliced them by hand in to a non stick frying pan with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Once the potatoes where in the frying pan, I chopped up one onion in to medium size pieces and added them. After adding the onion, I chopped up two small jalapeno peppers from my garden and added them.  Then I added two heaping teaspoons of fresh chopped garlic.  A small amount of salt, and a good amount of pepper, and two pinches of cayenne pepper, and a considerable amount of  paprika.  I cooked the potatoes on medium till they were browned, and then turned them down on low to let them finish cooking.   Once the potatoes are cooked through, I added a combination of shredded Colby Jack Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese to the top of the potatoes like a pizza, and removed the pan from the heating element and let the cheese melt over the top.  They were warm, tasty, and had just the right amount of heat from the Jalapenos.  For those of you that do not normally like fried potatoes, my boyfriend Bob usually doesn't like fried potatoes either, but he thought these were delicious!!!