THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE PT2

This was the cast American families fell in love with. Michael Landon and Mellisa Gilbert...stars and role models.  Many families would sit around on Saturday mornings on NBC and watch as the drama unfolded on "The Little House on the Prairie." I'm sure Wikipedia could explain it a little better.

Little House on the Prairie is an American Western dramatic television program, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota during 1870s and 1880s.

The show was a loose adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books. It aired on the NBC network in 1974 to May 10, 1982. During the 1982-83 television season, with the departure of Michael Landon and Karen Grassle, the series was broadcast with the new title Little House: A New Beginning.
 References: -Wikipedia

16 Bean soup was my selection for dinner. Here's what I needed.

INGREDIENTS:
2 C. 16 bean mix
12 cups water
Chunk of Ham cut up into bitesize pieces
ONION
Onion salt, salt, pepper, 1 garlic clove

PLACE IN CROCKPOT FOR 6 HOURS

SEASON TO TASTE.

Recap: Would I buy it? Yes. For the simple fact that it is cheep and filling. The flavor wasn't as bad as I thought. Today, I would incorporate it somehow in my meals. It's got to be somewhat healthy and it is very cheep. If I was starving? It really would be delicious.

Dinner Ideas for the next 2 weeks

Getting on a budget...a food budget has helped me to plan. After grocery shopping for specific items, I find how much easier it seems to make my life. Wow, I got a plan...and a menu...and I save money! Why didn't I do this before??

Ok, so I know I am not perfect, but I do know we have alot of meat in our freezer this year. This should make meal planning easier and my grocery shopping trips more focused. (I find myself venturing into the meat department because I get tired of game meat all the time)

A New Year might mean something to me after all. Maybe this is the year to focus on a budget. It might be good to even teach the kids about budgeting. Too bad my brother in laws arent a little closer, they could give me some good tips (since they are accountants). Anyways...

My menu, (for a family of 5). For the next two weeks under 120.00.
*Bought one and will use it for 2 meals. (A bargan)
DINNERS
taco soup
indian fried bread tacos
*ham (on sale right now at safeway for 1.49pp) and mashed potatoes
*ham and potatoe soup with rolls and salad
chicken and (rice&brocolli rice-a-roni), baby carrots
hamburgers and homemade fries (w/russet potatoes,olive oil, johnnies seasoning)
hamburger helper
lasagna hamburger helper
halibut and homemade fries w a veggie
fahitas
noodles w teriyaki chicken
moose roast with veggies/potatoes
green salad with grilled chicken

BREAKFAST
Scrambled eggs w/ ham
pancakes
oatmeal
2 bags of cereal (maybe...I probably won't make it 2 weeks :)
??
LUNCH
Sandwiches
mac-n-cheese
cup of noodles
grilled cheese sandwiches
salad
??

It isn't complete, but it's a start. Atleast I got the dinners out of the way.

Holiday Spice

The holidays are an exciting time of the year for me. One, I smell pine every time I vacuum and two-I drink holiday spice. The flavor is like a hot cinnamon roll.The traditional name is "Hot Buttered Rum Mix", however, it is not an alcoholic drink as the mix. Let me repeat...There is no alcohol or alcohol flavoring in the mix. (I have to repeat myself because I told my mom and she kinda cringed at me. I'm like, have I ever gave you a recipe and lied to you? anyways....) But if you prefer to spice it up at the end, that would be where you add the rum.

Here is the recipe.

FYI-It is a mix that you refreeze back into ice cream state and only use 1-2 tbsp per cup. It should last you a while.

HOLIDAY SPICE

Ingredients
1 tub of Vanilla Ice Cream (make sure it isn't frozen yogurt)
1 pound butter
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 cups powder sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

1.MELT. 1 pound of butter in your largest microwave safe mixing bowl. (about 2 minutes) Remove from microwave

2.ADD. brown sugar, powder sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until it is an even consistency.

3.SOFTEN AND ADD. Place your tub of ice cream in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to soften. Take it out and dump it into your mixture. Stir all the ingredients together until there are very little clumps.

4.TASTE TEST
5.REFREEZE. Get your empty ice cream tub and an extra Tupperware. (If you have a big empty ice cream bucket with a lid that will fit all of it, that would work the best.Any container will work) Pour into containers, place back in the freezer until it sets up.

5.TO ENJOY-Place 1-2tbsp in each cup. Pour hot water over the top and stir.

WHAT IS A BRINE?

You might have heard of a brine but the challenge of creating one might be a little overwhelming. Why would you want to brine a turkey if you can just stick it in the oven until the red thing pops up, right?

Well, for starters, brine is basically salt water, or water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. Brine has historically been used to preserve vegetables, meats, fish, and cheese through a process called brining.

Brining is like marinating in that you soak your (in this case) turkey in the solution, but it's benefit in addition to flavoring is that it's supposed to help cooked meat stay moist. The explanation for why has to do with osmosis and denaturation.....boooring. Let's just say as long as it ain't dry, who cares why.

A simple brine can be made easily with sugar, salt, water, ice, and flavorings like herbs and spices. So now that you know what brining is, and why it might be worth a try, here are some recipes you can use to brine your own turkey this Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, or whenever.

FRIED BREAD

This weekend was quite enjoyable. This weather has inspired me to cook. Not just cook, I'm talking like canning and bread making. My kids really love to get involved. They love to cook. So this time, instead of making one batch of fried bread, each of the kids made their own. This was sooo much fun! I never thought it could be so much fun. In the end, we had a little mess to clean up, and tons of fried bread to enjoy.

Here is how making memories all began. With a recipe...

ALDEN'S FRY BREAD RECIPE
1 tbl yeast
1 C. warm water
Set the first 2 ingredients to brew-about 10 minutes

ADD in Order:
1/4 C. Oil
3/4 tbl salt
1 C. warm water
1/3 C. sugar
5 cups flour

Kneading. About 15 minutes. My take a little time, getting it to the consistency needed. You might need to add more water, or flour, but you want it so that it won't stick to your fingers.

It will shape into a ball.

rolling. Take a ball of dough and roll it on a floured surface. It will look like a flat pancake. Continue until all the dough is gone.

Frying. You want the oil hot, 375 in deep fryer. On the stove, hot enough that when you test it, it must immediately come to the top. To get even puffiness, flip when one side is golden brown.

Serving. When serving fried bread for dinner, I top it with chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

PS. Oh Yes, watch your flour bucket around a 2 year old.

Moose Steak Dinner

I love moose. If this makes you cringe, the sound of eating moose, you might be living in the city. Because, let me tell you, if you were eating moose, you wouldn't know the difference. Moose is what I would call a healthy cut of beef (even thou I would hate to call it beef). But really, I cooked up a pound of burger and it had no grease.

Eating moose is healthy! I think it is as close to organic as it gets. All natural, no game, and the best part is I have at least 350pds of it in my freezer. I feel blessed and lucky. What a land that we live in-to not have to go to the store for meat any longer.

MOOSE STEAK

Worcestershire Sauce

Olive Oil

Mc Cormicks Grill Mates -Garlic & Onion

Salt

1-Marinate. Place 2 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce and steaks in a bowl or vacuum seal bag. The Worcestershire sauce should go into the meat immediately.

2-Season. Brush steaks with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and Garlic & Onion Seasoning over the top. Put as much as you would like.

3-Grill or Broil.-Grill over medium, about 7 minutes. (The same way you would cook a beef steak) Flip, brush oil, and season the other side. Cook until it is done in the middle, the way you like it. 5-10 minutes (10 for well done).

Serve: Sides are potatoes cut into wedges and baked, and watermelon.

BANANA BREAD

The chill is floating in the air but not quite here yet. It puts me in the mood...what mood you ask? The mood to make warm, yummy soups and tasty breads. Plus I have had this bunch of bananas sitting there ageing as the day goes on. Here is what I did with those bananas. They are baking in the oven as I speak and they smell really good.
I am making banana bread..a recipe I found online that looked easy.
Fiddle's Banana Bread
3 large ripe bananas OR 1 1/2C. banana
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

1.BLEND the bananas. Set aside.
2.STIR the flour and sugar together.
3.ADD the bananas, oil, and eggs.
4.MIX until it looks like a batter. Fold in the nuts, if desired.

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325F, until golden brown.

COLESLAW DRESSING

Homemade coleslaw is one of my favorite side dishes to go with salmon. Tonight we are going to BBQ and my job is to bring a salad and drinks....Ice cold stawberry lemonade and homemade coleslaw that is. The key in coleslaw is the dressing.

COLESLAW DRESSING

chopped cabbage.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste

STEP 1-Mix all ingredients together.
STEP 2- Add the chopped cabbage.
refrigerate for 1 hour.

Our ALASKAN Dinner

I know your all wondering what this cut of meat was. So I guess since someone guessed the right answer I should tell you. But before I tell you, I have a story.

About 5 years ago I married this man named Andy. Andy is a die hard hunter. Lets just say his battery for hunting...never runs out. He has hunted since he was 5 years old and it all started out with a bb gun and a dad with alot of patience.

4 years ago-- I decided to do the noble wife thing and take hunters safety. How was I going to know anything about my husbands interests if I didn't take a class?.. Right? I took a class, I passed, and I learned all the ways to carry a weapon safely. I also learned how to shoot all types of guns. In the fall/winter of 2005, I did hunt and filled 2 big game tags. I haven't hunted since then because of all the little children I now possess.

2 summers ago-

Andy went Moose hunting up in the interior of Alaska. He came back with a 57 inch bull moose. (That would be bigger than these) Along with the moose, came alot of meat! 680 pds to be exact. Now we are all out of moose but THIS was the last package!! You know what it was???

MOOSE HEART!!!! I know you are all covering your mouths right now and peaking through the cracks of your fingers. To top it off, it is Andy's favorite cut of meat. He loves the heart. Especially if you cut it really thin and fry it! This time I didn't do that I just poured stewed tomatoes,sliced onions, garlic, A-1 steak sauce, and a little Marsala wine(it takes the game flavor out)

Anyone want to come over for dinner?

ALASKA T-SHIRT GIVE AWAY

The question to be answered is...what did I have for dinner tonight? Go ahead, take your best shot at answering this one. I will give you a hint, it is wild game. But what animal and part? Who ever answers this correctly will win... AN ALASKAN T-SHIRT!

DOES IT LOOK GOOD? OR GROSS? YOU CAN BE HONEST. Just try. Who knows, you may be the lucky winner.

CILANTRO-LIME CHICKEN WITH AVOCADO SALSA

NEED A CHICKEN THAT SAYS SUMMER AND BBQ? This recipe is to die for and leaves your mouth wondering why you hadn't ever made this before. Try it out. Hope you like it as much as I did. Thanks Ashleigh for the recipe. It has a little mediteranian feel to it.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

CHICKEN:
2 T. minced fresh cilantro
21/2 T. fresh lime juice
11/2 T. olive oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breast
pinch salt

STEP 1-MARINADE. ADD cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil to your chicken. The lime juice and olive oil will absorb right into the meat. Most marinades leave some juice behind, but this one doesn't. Marinade for 3 min. There is no need to marinade it any longer .

STEP 2- GRILL IT. Set your grill to medium-high temperature and when it is preheated, place your chicken breasts on the grill. Grill your chicken until the top side of the chicken begins to turn an opaque color (as opposed to pink). Once the TOP of the chicken begins to change color, flip the meat. Once both sides of the chicken are nicely browned, press down on the chicken with your fingers, the meat should be firm but not hard, if it is hard you probably over cooked it and may have risked drying it out. If you have a meat thermometer handy, use it to see if the center of the chicken is done cooking. Chicken should be 165 deg. and should be cooked all the way through.

SALSA:
1 C. chopped tomato
2 T. finely chopped onion
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped


GARNISH your chicken with this salsa. MMMM..... ENJOY.

BROCCOLI SALAD

This is an excellent SUMMER SALAD. I first tried this at my friend Erin's house and then had to make it for myself. It has a little sweetness but with the brocolli and grapes, it makes a perfect combination.
Broccoli Salad

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sugar
4 teaspoon vinegar





Salad:
5 heads of Broccoli
½ cup chopped onion
2 cup grated cheese
½ lb. Bacon
sun flower seeds
grapes
CHOP. Only useing the heads.








POUR. Use a Large bowl.






CUT GRAPES IN HALF. ADD ABOUT 1 BUNDLE.

ADD SUNFLOWER SEEDS, BACON, CHEESE, AND ONION.

POUR THE DRESSING OVER THE TOP. STIR AND ENJOY.

DELICIOUS PRIME RIB

PRIME RIB

ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER CUTS OF BEEF. THE PRICE SAYS GOURMET ALL OVER IT, BUT AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR, YOU CAN GET IT AT A REASONABLE PRICE. HERE ARE SOME TIPS/INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO COOK A DELICIOUS PRIME RIB.

INGREDIENTS
PRIME RIB
GARLIC SALT
TONY CHACHERE'S INJECTABLE KIT

Step 1- PREP

Always rinse your cut of meat off first.

Step 2- INVESTIGATE-

Does your meat have a bone or no bone? With the bone, it will have more flavor but either way, it will still be good. Set your prime rib with the bones down.

STEP 3-INJECTION

PURCHASE "TONY CHACHERE'S Famous Creole Cuisine Injectables" Creole Style butter Marinade. It is very SIMPLE--FILL THE SYRINGE,-- STICK IT IN THE MEAT,-- AND PUSH DOWN. Do this as many times as you can.

(Note-It will start to squirt out of the meat at times. Keep going! It won't hurt anything and you are doing everything right. This is going to marinade your meat on the inside. AHHAAAH.)

STEP 4- RUB

For this, just use a simple rub of garlic salt. You can use any rub, but you don't really need it. The flavor is in the meat already. COAT the outside of the prime rib with garlic salt. Your done.

REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST 30MINUTES. Refrigerating will give the flavors a chance to penetrate.

COOKING- Turn your oven/smoker on to 250. For every pound, it will take 1 hour. TO BE EXACT, PLACE A HEAT RESISTANT THERMOMETER in the meat and look at it every hour or so. It needs to reach the internal temperature of 160 for a medium-rare cut.

ITS DONE. THIS RECIPE IS A BEGINNER RECIPE BUT ALWAYS TURNS OUT. ENJOY.

SMOKED PORKLOIN DRAPED IN BACON

We LOVE to cook good food and especially meat. Over the years I have become a smoker.. why? The smoker leaves the meat with a rustic,woodsy flavor. If you don't have a smoker, you can do everything the same right in your own kitchen oven.

HERE IS HOW TO MAKE/PREPARE THE BEST PORK TENDERLOIN YOU HAVE EVER HAD.

STEP 1- 3 pound pork loin roast. Clean and dry your meat.

Step 2- The INJECTION.

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup regular beer (1 beer)
1 Tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 Tsp. garlic powder
1 Tsp. paprika
1 Tsp. salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the beer and spices and whisk together. Heat just to simmering, then remove from heat and let cool before injection. Using a flavor-injection syringe, inject the Beer and Butter sauce into the pork loin all over. I must have injected it in nearly 50 places. This is going to make your meat TENDER AND JUICY. Step 2-completeSTEP 3- INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1/3 Cup Dijon mustard
Mix and spread over the meat.
STEP 4-The SWEET AND SPICY BBQ RUB
Ingredients
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 TBSP chili powder
2 Tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 Tsp ground cumin
Mix all ingredients well. This rub is universal and can be used on ribs, brisket, and pork roasts.The mixture should look uniform in color and texture.Coat the loin with the rub, using all of it.
Step 5- Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate. This will give the flavors a chance to penetrate.

READY TO COOK? Remove the loin from the fridge and let rest for 30 minutes. Prepare your smoker for smoking with your choice of smoking wood. I used mesquite.If using an oven, follow the same instructions with out the wood.
Place the loin in the smoker/oven and drape with the bacon. This will help keep the loin moist and flavorful. Smoke/cook the loin for about 4 hours at around 200 degrees. Baste every half-hour with the apple juice.
Remove from the smoker/oven when the interior temperature of the loin reaches 145 degrees. Wrap tightly in foil and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing and serving.

ENJOY. IT IS THE BEST

TIP 1-Buy a pork tenderloin and have the butcher in the store fold it/tie it. They will gladly do this for you.

Tip 2- If you see a tenderloin on sale but it looks extremely large (the size scared me away at first), the butcher will cut it down into 3rds and package it. This CAN give you 2/3 separate pork tenderloin for future use.