Ah, the weekend of love has arrived.
Well, commercialized and hyped love. Revenue-generating love. Go buy those cards, flowers, nasty red-box ribboned candies, the card, flowers that may die in six days and don’t forget the card!
By Alan Clemons, Managing Editor
Did we mention the card? Very, very important. You may be able to skirt the rest of that list, but don’t forget the card. Scrawl some heartfelt sentiments to your bestie on a deer processing slip if need be, but don’t forget the card.
Here’s a suggestion:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Deer Hunting is incredibly spectacularly awesome
And I love you.
See, that works just fine. It rhymes and everything. Just don’t be stupid when she says, “Oh, deer hunting is awesome but I’m not.” Because you’re on thin ice there, brother. Thin ice. Think before answering.
Certainly, St. Valentine’s Day has turned into a monstrous holiday for the love industry. Cards, candy, flowers … we’re hammered with commercials and ads for those for weeks. But it’s also huge for the dining and entertainment industries, of course. Dinner and a movie or music … the recipe for cupids flitting around later in the evening as Barry White croons in the background.
Stop! Where’s the venison?
You definitely can score points with your honey by whipping up a Valentine’s Day dinner of your own, especially with venison. Some of the best venison recipes you could imagine would stoke the fires of appreciation and love, including the world’s best chili recipes along with great backstrap recipes.
We’d suggest branching out and offering your heart, but a venison heart recipe might not exactly get her motor running. Telling your sweetie that she makes your liver quiver could make her giggle, and laughter always is a good thing.
Backstraps are primo for the plate, and adding some easy items such as mushrooms and blueberry could definitely make a great evening meal.
While all these are great, and highly recommended, recipes for anytime, one of my favorites is this great, easy venison vegetable soup recipe from Stacy Harris. She’s a great cook, mother, wife and loves creating quick, easy meals.
1 lb. venison, stew meat
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, minced
1 celery stalk, finely sliced
2 carrots, finely diced
1½ cups butter beans
1½ cups corn
2 small potatoes
2 small zucchini, finely diced
6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1 cup shelled or frozen peas
2 quarts water, or just above vegetables
A handful of spinach leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs of fresh basil, to garnish
1 lemon
Pesto Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (packed) basil leaves
8 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons pine nuts
Hint: If you need dinner in a hurry and have a pressure cooker, cover the stew meat about 1½ inch with beef stock, onions and ½ tablespoon of salt. Once the pressure cooker reaches a boil, turn it down to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Release the pressure and add the contents to the soup. This dish serves eight.
1. Place garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides once. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube.
2. In a stew pot, brown venison stew meat. Remove from pot.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are beginning to soften.
4. Add butter beans, corn, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, and meat to the pot with two quarts of water. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for one hour or until the vegetables and meat are tender.
5. Add the spinach leaves and cook five more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice of one lemon. Serve with pesto and Rustic Bread. Garnish with a sprig of basil.
Great Cookbooks For Your Kitchen Library
The whole family will enjoy the fantastic dishes and preparation tips found in Stacy Harris’ great cookbooks and DVDs:
— Gourmet Venison with Stacy Harris DVD is packed with tips and 15 recipes, and enjoyable to watch as she describes in detail what she is using, preparing and serving.
— Happy Healthy Family: Tracking the Outdoors In is her first book and has recipes that use nutritious wild game, fish, and vegetables that are exceptionally delicious and surprisingly easy to prepare.
— Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living has 80 recipes and more super preparation tips in this 144-page cookbook, her most recent.
— Wild Game: Food for Your Family is an e-book with super recipes, tips and suggestions for a variety of wild game from deer and ducks to turkey and fish. Download to your tablet and then enjoy the