Demand real food!

Ravings: Have you heard the news about the “test tube beef?” Does this terrify everyone else as much as it does me? I’m not a scientist, but from what I understand it’s grown from cow stem cells in a laboratory. That can’t sound appetizing to anyone, right. But what if they decide not to tell us? There is so much going on in the food industry that we are not aware of because the government has decided it’s “not in our best interest” to know the truth. Scary in and of itself, but we’re only talking about food labeling right now. We already have genetically modified corn taking over the food industry, genetically modified soy is not far behind, and now we will have lab created beef. Where will it end?

As a result I am buying more and more organic products, and doing a ton of research about what’s not on the label. I would encourage everyone to get informed about what they are eating and feeding to their families. Just because it's not on the label doesn't mean it isn't in the food.


Cravings: I have 2 meals to share today. There wasn’t much cooking going on this weekend because we were so busy.

Grilled pork chops with peach blueberry sauce and Roasted beets and parsnips

Grilled pork chops (or pan fried to be more precise)

2 center cut pork chops (any cut will work though)
1 Tbsp Jason’s spice mix (recipe to follow)

Rub pork chops with the spice mix and grill or pan fry. We pan fried them.

Peach blueberry sauce

½ cup red wine
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 cup frozen peaches (or fresh if in season)
½ cup frozen blueberries (or fresh)
1 Tbsp cherry balsamic vinegar (regular will work just as well)

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and warm, mashing fruit when it gets soft.

Roasted beets and parsnips

4 beets, peeled and chopped (I had gotten yellow beets, but any will work)
4 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp Jason’s spice mix
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients in broiler safe casserole dish. Stir to coat and then broil for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are done but not mushy.

Jason’s Spice Mix

1 Tbsp dried sage
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together. He was so proud of this spice mix that I just had to name it after him. He was going to come up with a name like Emeril’s Bam mix, but I think he got distracted by the yummy food smells!

Then last night was dig for something to eat because I didn’t make it to the grocery store. What did I do this weekend? I feel like I was so busy but nothing got done!

Taco Bake... 2 ways!

Venison Taco Bake

1 lb ground venison meat (or ground beef)
2 Tbsp dried onion (mostly because I didn’t have any onions)
2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix (recipe to follow)
½ can diced green chilis
¼ cup water
2 cups frozen corn
1 heaping Tbsp Sante Fe cooking cream (I had this because I had a coupon, I’m sure you could omit this 
          and just use more taco seasoning mix and sour cream or greek yogurt)
½ can enchilada sauce (which I will figure out how to make one of these days)
3-4 corn tortillas (depending on the size of the casserole)
1-2, chopped tomatoes
Sour cream or Greek yogurt to garnish

Brown the venison or ground beef, then add the dried onion, taco seasoning, green chilis, and water. In a separate pan, sauté the corn in a bit of olive oil until warmed, and then add the cooking cream and stir until it’s incorporated.

To assemble the casserole, put a bit of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, then lay down a tortilla and top with the ground meat, another tortilla, more enchilada sauce, the corn and half the tomatoes, another tortilla, the rest of the enchilada sauce and tomatoes. You can do as many layers as your pan will allow. I had plenty of meat left over, which went into the freezer. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Two bean taco bake

This is exactly the same recipe, except that I substituted 2 cups of black beans and 2 cups of kidney beans for the ground meat. CJ loved it and Jason even loved both versions!

Taco Seasoning Mix

½ cup chili powder
¼ cup onion powder
1/8 cup cumin
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp paprika

I know I’ve shared this before, but because I haven’t cataloged the recipes yet, even I couldn’t go back and find it. I promise I will work on that soon!