Crock Pot Chili Con Carne

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites – allrecipes.com – and modified it a bit. This is one of those Sandra Lee style meals, you know…semi-homemade. Chili con carne is typically made with meat and peppers. This particular recipe has no tomatoes. NO TOMATOES? WHAT? My first thought was “how is it chili without tomatoes?”. But this recipe is tasty. There is more liquid than any chili I have ever made, but it was still pretty delish. And in my family, chili is served over rice with cheese on top. That is the only way, I’m telling ya. I used venison because it’s what I had and we like to cook with it, but I think you could substitute beef and it would be quite good.

What you need:
3 pieces bacon - cut up
2.5 lbs of venison - cubed
1 large onion - diced
2 cans kidney beans - drained (15 oz each)
2 cans beef broth (10.5 oz each)
1 can green chili peppers (4 oz)
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons paprika

What you do:
Over medium-low heat, cook the bacon. Once its almost done, add the meat, onions, and garlic and cook until meat is browned. Add browned meat to crockpot along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high 2 hours and then switch to low for the last 2 – or cook on medium for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

-hayden

Sweet and Savory Venison Meatloaf

I have so many recipes to share with everyone. Many are my tried and trues , my favorites, the go-to’s, the family recipes and the like. But this one…this one I made tonight for the first time and it is too good not to share. This is going to shock some of you… I made meatloaf. Willingly. And it was AWESOME. We love to hunt, most of our meat comes from it, and I am always looking for more/new venison recipes. This one delivered. It was so good, not dry - as venison can be if you don't cook it right. I can't wait to try it in between two pieces of bread for lunch tomorrow!

Here’s what you need:
1.5 lbs ground venison
8 oz tomato sauce (doesn’t have to be canned, I used leftover spaghetti sauce from last night)
1 medium onion – chopped finely
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons spicy mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Here’s what you do:
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl slightly beat egg, add tomato, onion, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper and mix. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Spread into a loaf pan making sure it is even. In a small bowl combine mustard, vinegar and brown sugar and pour over the top of the loaf. Bake for 70 minutes (you may want to check with a meat thermometer and make sure the meat is done 180°- for us this was ample time). Enjoy.


This is seriously so delish. I was very skeptical. I am not a meatloaf gal. I can count on one finger the number of times I’ve eaten meatloaf in the last 20 years. It’s sweet and savory. Shockingly it has no garlic, certainly not the norm in this house, although I bet it would be great with some mixed in. I would be willing to bet that it is ‘good for ya’ too… venison is very lean. The onion gives it’s a nice texture and the kids will be screaming for more!

I promise I will try and improve my photography, not a strong point. Any suggestions out there for photographing food?? My camera doesnt seem to have the capabilities for the close up that I want to get, I guess I could always crop it. Anyhow- enjoy!

To come: Ziti - Grandpa Flash Style and Cooey's Mac and Cheese

-hayden