Venison Meatloaf

Venison Meatloaf

We all love meatloaf, especially with venison, but sometimes I just don't have the time to make it during the week.  This Saturday I took my regular meatloaf recipe and jumped on the muffin tin bandwagon.  Let me tell you, this is the way to go when cooking meatloaf!  They are the perfect size and they're easily put away to reheat (fridge or freezer).  Give it a whirl, you won't be sorry!

2 cans tomato sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons barbeque sauce

1 pound ground venison (I have also used turkey and beef)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp onion powder

salt 

pepper

6 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small sauce pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons barbeque sauce, and 1 can tomato sauce until the sugar is melted.  Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl mix meat, garlic powder, onion powder, flour, salt, pepper, and the tomato sauce mixture.  I find it best just to use my hands to mix it up.  Lightly spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Divide the meat between the wells.  

Cook for approximately 30 minutes.  Toward the end, mix the rest of the sugar, barbeque sauce, and tomato sauce again on the stove.  Remove the muffin tin from the oven and put a spoon of the sauce on top. (If you have any noticeable fat, dab off with a paper towel.  I don't seem to have this problem with venison but some ground meat may.)   Put back in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. You will have leftover sauce.  We like ours this way.  If you don't, feel free to cut the sauce ingredients in half.

Brown Mustard Coated Venison Tenderloin

Brown Mustard Coated Venison Tenderloin

So this is my spring break from school and I've had a little more time to think up different ways to cook some of that venison we have in the freezer.  Last night I came up with this idea for a brown mustard coating (my family loves all things mustard, especially my husband) and it turned out delicious!  I will be making this again for sure!

1 Venison Tenderloin (mine was about 2 pounds)

3 tablespoons brown mustard 

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika

3 tablespoons barbeque sauce (I used hickory smoke flavored)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 cloves minced garlic

The tenderloin I took out was a bit too big so I cut it in half first.

Main part of the coating.

Ready to go in the oven.

All done and ready to eat :))

Preheat the oven to 325.  Mix all the ingredients together except the tenderloin.  Dry the tenderloin well with a paper towel and put it in a baking dish (I used a 9x13 pan).  The mixture is a little thick so use a spoon and put 1/2 of it on top of the tenderloin.  Cover with foil and bake for approximately 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven, uncover, turn the meat over, and put the rest of the mixture on top of the meat.  Cover again with the foil and return it to the oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and let cook for approximately 15 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven, place the meat on a plate or cutting board and cover with foil.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.  (Note:  I took the remaining drippings and put them in a sauce pan.  I then added a little corn starch and water to thicken it to make a gravy.  That cinched the deal for my husband and youngest daughter - they loved the sauce!)

** Please note the times are really approximate.  It's going to depend on how much the tenderloin you're cooking weights.  Just keep an eye on it.  Also, I am betting this would be awesome grilled.  I'll be trying that next! **

Egg Brunch Pie

Egg Brunch Pie

Not only does my husband hunt, he also has chickens that we use just for eggs.  Well, right now we are in an avalanche of eggs...I mean there's a LOT!!  So, since I don't have much room left for another carton in my refrigerator, I had to do something.  Living in the country, you don't just run to the store when you're out of something and with the price of gas, we definitely consolidate our trips.  Knowing that, I scoured the pantry and the fridge for anything useful to put into an egg dish trying to use some of these eggs up.  This is what I came up with.  I'm betting you can do the same with whatever you have too!

2 potatoes, sliced thin (I used a mandolin)

1/2 cup chopped onions

7 eggs

1/4 cup milk

sliced mushrooms

fresh spinach

chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil

5 or 6 slices of lunch meat ham (chopped)

shredded or chopped Swiss cheese

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper 

**Note:  You may want to spray some non-stick cooking spray or use parchment paper.  I use stone bake-ware from Pampered Chef so I don't think about that too much.**

Heat oven to 350.  Put sliced potatoes in the bottom and on the sides of a deep-dish pie plate and cover with the onions.  Place in the oven for about 12 minutes to soften the potatoes a little (this is going to act as your "crust").  In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, flour, and Parmesan cheese.  After you remove the crust from the oven, layer the spinach, mushrooms, meat, Swiss cheese, and sun dried tomatoes.  Pour the egg mixture on top and bake until set.  Depending on the thickness of your potatoes in the "crust", you may have to cook it a little longer to get the right texture.  Mine took about 30 minutes to cook, just keep an eye on it.  It's done when you insert a knife in the middle and it comes out clean.