Tried and True

Has anyone been trying the recipes? What did you think of them? We had the Chicken Pecan last night and the Fruit Medley. We were the guinea pig family last night. They were both great. For the chicken recipe, I left out the celery and peppers so it was a little more kid friendly. It was total comfort food, a definite to add to my keeper box. The fruit recipe too. I thought at first I wasn't going to like it because the sour cream/honey mixture smelled pretty strong, but it was great. The only thing I did differently was to mix everything together instead of spooning the sauce over it. The sauce was fairly runny and it just seemed simpler to combine it all. It gave the fruit the chance to absorb some of the flavor of the sauce and I really liked the outcome.

Tonight we're moving on to try another new recipe, Chili Soup, that I gave you the recipe for yesterday. Here's the recipe for tomorrow. It requires marinating time. It says 4-6 hours and that should be fine if you are substituting beef, but I've always found when cooking venison it is always better to marinate it for an entire day. So, mine is going to start marinating today.

Elk Tenderloin
I cut this recipe out of my Paula Deen magazine. I am going to substitute venison for the elk and cut the recipe in half because my tenderloin is smaller.

1 c. soy sauce 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 c. olive oil 1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. rubbed sage 6 lb. elk tenderloin

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oil, and spices until well combined. In a large zip-top plastic bag, place tenderloin. Add soy sauce mixture; seal bag and place in a large bowl. Marinate for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Grill or bake in oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.


Twice-Baked Potatoes
Not sure about this recipe, I think it came from my mother-in-law. I just know it's yummy. I substitute onion powder for the chopped onions.

6 baking potatoes 1 Tbsp. snipped chives
1/2 c. butter, softened 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk (or 1/2 & 1/2) dash of pepper
3 Tbsp. crumbled, cooked bacon 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, divided
3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion paprika

Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until soft. Allow to cool. Cut a thin slice off the top. Scoop out pulp into a bowl; add butter and mash. Add milk, bacon, onion, chives, salt, pepper, and 1 c. of cheese. Spoon into potato shells. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Yields 6 servings.


Here is the little creative project I made myself do. To be honest, I was really hating it. I was in there ironing it and asking myself why I'd promised to show y'all, and what in the world I was going to do with it, when inspiration struck. The verses in Philippians popped into my mind as I ironed, and a bookmark was born. I ran and got some spare cardboard (I keep those thin pieces that come in packages, they're great for projects) and inserted it for backing. I'm going to go back and stamp in the verse location near the bottom, Philippians 2:14-15.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." Philippians 2:14-15

This experience just proves to me that I need to be more willing to throw things out there and it will work out, I don't have to be pre-perfect. And, how good it is to be accountable to others in order to force me to follow through. Thank you all for pushing me forward.