Day 33- Oh Deer!

*This is a Lucas-recipe, so if it's gross, it's all his fault.

Last night, I marinated some venison filets in half a cup of vinegar, half of cup of ketchup, a quarter cup of Worchestershire sauce, 1 T mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 4 garlic cloves (diced) and a quarter cup of vegetable oil all in a ziploc bag and left it in the fridge overnight.

Today, I chopped some broccoli and threw it in a casserole dish with an inch of water. Zap it in the microwave for 10 minutes on high, drain the water, sprinkle a tiny bit of cheddar and serve.

Then I boiled 2 C of water and added a pack of Knor Roasted Garlic and Broccoli Pasta and boiled it for 10 minutes, then served.

And lastly, I tossed the venison, marinade and all, in a large skillet and sauted on medium heat for about 3 minutes per side.

Day 32- Salmon Spread

Due to an unforseen medical mishap, I had to skip another post. Oh well. Also, I feel like I'm on a salmon-kick. Oh well for that too. It's good for you. Tonight, I made a yummy salmon spread. It's delicious on crackers and makes a bunch so you can eat the leftovers for lunch all week. We like to stock up on the dry packages of Smoked Salmon from World Market. They always carry them but they go on sale around holidays and keep very well. Also, they often have $10 off of $30 coupons. Anyway, get a whole pack and use your fingers to slide the skin off. Crumble the salmon in a large tupperware bowl. Add a whole slab of cream cheese (none of that fat-free nonsense, you will greatly sacrifice taste!) Dice up 1/2 a medium-sized red onion as finely as you can and add it. Then add a few spoonfuls of capers from a jar. Smush it all together with a large fork. Spread it on some crackers and enjoy!

Day 31- Eggs!

Great news! Clementine, our 1 1/2 year old Barred Rock Chicken, has started laying again! She had stopped for a few months while she was taking care of her sister chicken, Bettina, while Bettina was fighting a tumor and then when Bettina passed away, Clementine mourned her for quite a while. We finally decided to get her some more friends and added Mathilda, a Rhode Island Red, and Naomi, an Ameraucana, to the flock. They are a bit younger, only 5 months, so they won't quite start laying for another month or 2. But the GREAT news as that Clementine apparently gets along with them quite well now (not so much at first---there's a reason it's called "pecking order!") And now Clemmy has started laying again!! 7 eggs this week! Go Clemmy!! And they are just as delicious as ever! So for this entry, here's the secret to the perfect farm-fresh egg over easy: Put a small skillet on level 4 (slightly below medium heat) and spray just a tiny bit of olive oil. Once it's hot, crack your egg in, careful not to break the yolk. Then let it sit...and sit...and sit...about 3 minutes...When all the clearness/whiteness looks almost done. Then quickly flip it with a spatula to quickly sear the white part and seal the yolk. Again, be careful not to break the yolk! Count to 5 and slide it onto a plate! Done! *If you are using less than farm-fresh eggs, you are totally missing out! And as such, you should probably sprinkle a little salt and pepper on your egg when you first crack it in the pan. Clemmy's eggs are perfect and need absolutely no seasoning, but then again, she's quite a gal!

Day 30- Meatloaf with Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes

This is my mom's meatloaf recipe, and to be honest, I've never had any other meatloaf so I can't compare. I mix a pound of ground beef with a handful of panko, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, a few squirts of yellow mustard, a few dashes of worchestershire sauce, a few squirts of ketchup, and 1 beaten egg with a dash of water. Form it into a loaf and bake in a foil-lined casserole dish at 350 for 30 minutes, then drain the grease and up the temperature to 375 and squirt ketchup on the top and bake for 20 more minutes. I microwave-steamed some broccoli by steaming it in a half inch of water in a casserole dish for 10 minutes on high, drained the water, and sprinkled a bit of chedder cheese on top. For the potatoes, peel and dice some potatoes and boil until tender (about 20 minutes) then smush in a boil with a splash or 2 of milk, a dab of butter, salt, and pepper. You can also go all-out and add green onions, cheddar, sour cream, and bacon bits for more of baked potato-feel. Yum!

Day 29- Salmon with spinach and potatoes

Tonight, I diced up some small red potatoes, sprayed them with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, added some fresh chopped rosemary, sprayed again with olive oil, and roasted in a foil-lined casserole dish at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I also sauted some fresh spinach in a small pot with a dash of olive oil and a little garlic powder. And lastly, I pan sauted 2 salmon filets with a slurry of soy sauce, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and chopped garlic for about 2 minutes on each side. Easy peasy.

Day 28- Scallops

Tonight's dinner is Broiled Scallops with Kale Chips and Parmesan Noodles. I roasted the kale chips like on yesterday's blog entry. I followed the directions on a packet of Knorr Parmesan Noodles (Molly loves them)- 1 and a half cups of water boiled with 1/2 a cup of milk. I added some tiny torn pieces of kale. Then I added the packet of noodles and boiled for 8 minutes. Then I melted 2 T of butter in a casserole dish, added 2 T lemon juice and spread out the scallops in it, being sure to mix them all up. Then I liberally sprinkled garlic powder all over the scallops as well as some salt. I kicked the oven up to broil, put the scallops in and timed them for 8 minutes. I put everything on the plates and devoured!

Day 27- Kale!

I'm always trying to get more iron into our diets. I would eat spinach every dinner but it's not a good idea to eat it too often since it can cause kidney stones in men. So to change up our leafy greens and get lots of iron in, I love cooking with kale. It's in practically every supermarket, realatively cheap, super rich in iron and vitamins, and easy to prepare. It doesn't have a strong taste but does have a bit of a rougher texture than spinach. One of the best (and yummiest) ways to cook kale is to make kale chips. These are great as a side dish with dinner but are also a wonderful and nutricious snack. I've tried several times to make them to snack on throughout the week but I always end up eating the entire batch as soon as they are baked. Oh well!
First, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with olive oil spray. Then rinse an entire bunch of kale and pat it dry. Tear the kale into pieces (slightly larger than bite sized) and toss any hard stems. Spread out the pieces on the cookie sheet and spray olive oil over the whole batch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in the oven at 300 and bake 10-15 minutes. They are done with they are deliciously crispy.