After the kids were in bed last night, I had to get some venison that was thawed ground up.  I was chopping away at silver skin when I thought you might be curious to see how I do this.  Or not.  I decided to ignore the fact that I was in my PJs, glasses on, not a lick of make-up, and untouched hair for 36 hours.  Wow, that sounds terrible!  All well.  I’m pretty laid back around here.   Here’s the short little video I did with the thoughts listed below the video.  Enjoy!

Grinding Venison from Ingrid Barlow on Vimeo.

–If you want to use venison, but struggle with the flavor (FYI:  that taste is MEAT!) try foods that have a lot of added spices to the meat.  Tacos.  Spaghetti.

–Venison is wonderfully lean!  We don’t add extra fat to it when we grind it, because why take something naturally healthy and make it bad for you??  Last time I checked, we didn’t need to add any more fat to our diet.

–You don’t need to cook the heck out of venison.  I think that is what happens a lot so it gets a bad rap.  When we make steaks they are medium for me and medium-rare for Tony.  It is melt-in-your-mouth TENDER.

–Really clean that meat up as best you can.  Any extra silver skin/fat/connective tissue–get it off before you grind!

–We make steaks, roasts, and ground from our deer.  One deer usually lasts us one year.

–Encourage the hunters in your family to provide meat for the family.  If they are paying for a license anyways, you might as well get your moneys worth.  Plus, it makes them feel good to have you excited about something they enjoy to do.

I’m so excited about the latest Ingrid Barlow quilting pattern!  This is Fiddlesticks!!  An easy pattern for any level quilter/sewer.  My sample is the lap size, 41″x54,” and it really sewed up fast.

This was the sneak peek that I showed on my Facebook page:  Ingrid Barlow–Modern Traditionalist…

Sneaky aren’t I?

You can totally just use scraps you have, or better yet, make an excuse to take a trip to your local quilt shop and find awesome fabric that you can’t resist!!   Oh, I do like that idea.  I can’t wait to make another sample out of Aneela Hoey’s latest “a walk in the woods.”

I quilted it on my sewing machine with my walking foot.  I did simple boxes all around the individual squares.  Then to add some whimsy, I quilted one word in the middle of my boxes.  Does that make sense?  Does the picture explain it better?

I used the fabric in my quilt as the inspiration for the words.  Dogs, cats, fish, turtles…

I had so much fun with this quilt!  This sample will eventually be for little Elias, but I will also be making one for myself.  You know, Christmas is coming…need a gift to stitch up for someone???  How about a gift for a sewing friend??  I think they might like Fiddlesticks…

Patterns are now available at local quilt shops!!  If yours does not carry it, pass along my contact info and I will be happy to send some their way.   If you don’t have a local quilt shop, I can always send you a pattern directly.  Send me an email or give me a call!

It has been 8 years since I married my high school sweetheart and best friend.  8 years!!  It has been 8 years full of dreamy bliss… ummm, no, let’s be realistic.  There have been times when we have not treated each other as we should have or said something hurtful, but in all truth, it has been pretty stink’n wonderful!  We’ve grown through the years, changed and adapted.  I would say that I don’t necessarily love him more than I did 8 years ago, but differently and more deeply.  He pushes me to be my best and I push him to…well, something…there must be something!

There is no one else I would rather travel this glorious bumpy road of life with.  8 years, 5 homes, 1 cat, 1 dog, and 2 children later, I am a most happily married and loved woman!!  Thanks Tony.

We had a bumper crop of tomatoes in our garden this year, which is a good thing since the last 2 years haven’t been that great.  For the last 4 years I have been making tomato sauce for our freezer so that I don’t have to buy any.  It is perfect for spaghetti and pizza sauce!  Oh, and chili and tomato soup.  The goal is to make it one whole year until next summer’s crop comes in.  (When I pick tomatoes at the greenhouse in the spring, I always look for “beefy” tomatoes–ones with a lot of “meat.”  Then I always have great intentions of labeling and recording which varieties I like the best…ummm…hasn’t happened yet.)  Here is how I make tomato sauce…it may not be the right way, but it is easy and works for us!

*This is a rustic recipe!  Things don’t have to be perfect or pretty while you make it.

You have to remove the skins on the tomatoes, so get a big pot of water on to boil.  Once boiling, fill it with tomatoes and wait like 30 seconds to a minute until you see the skins split.  Take the tomatoes and put them under cold water.  The skins will come off with little help at this point.  (You can see I even use Cherry Tomatoes!  Why not?  The more the merrier.)

Chop your tomatoes up roughly.  Doesn’t have to be pretty and they don’t have to be that small since they will break down as you cook them.

I set my rough chopped tomatoes in a colander over a bowl at this point to help some of the liquid drain off.

In another large pot, put a healthy drizzle of olive oil in the bottom over medium heat.  Chop an onion up and throw it in.  A whole onion may look like a lot, but remember that they cook down as well.  Let your onions get tender.   Mince up some garlic.  I put 4 large cloves in a big pot.  Throw your garlic in with your onions just before you add your tomatoes.  Garlic only needs about 30 seconds in the pot before you add tomatoes.  You just want to cook it until you start to smell it, otherwise it might burn.

Dump in your chopped and drained tomatoes.

Add your seasonings.  I add dried oregano and basil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Don’t be skimpy!   Be creative and add whatever you think would be good.  Fresh herbs work as well.

Give your pot a stir and let it simmer away.  You don’t want to cover it because you want a lot of the liquid to evaporate off.  I usually leave mine simmering for at least a couple hours.

After it simmers I give it a taste and adjust my seasonings.  I also add a bit of brown sugar at this point.  A hint of sweet!

Throw your cooled sauce into jars and pop into the freezer.  That easy!

When I go to use it, I just reheat the amount I want on the stove top.  I also add a couple Tablespoons of tomato paste (bought from the store) to thicken it a bit.  You can also adjust your seasonings again at this point depending on what you are making.

It is sooo worth it to make your own sauce.  Tastes WAY better and will save you some green!

A friend of mine (Hi Sarah!) recently told me that she makes yogurt once a week for her family.  Ummmm…yes please!  I would love to make my own yogurt!!  So last week I gave it a try and it came out pretty good.  I am making a few tweaks on it and am trying my second batch right now.  I will share it with you tomorrow if it turns out.  Sarah also mentioned that she sprinkles homemade vanilla sugar on her yogurt.  Wow!  She’s brilliant!  Here you have it, from Sarah to me to you…VANILLA SUGAR.

Purchase 1 vanilla bean at your local health food store.  (Mine cost $2.93.  Just saw it today for $1 at the other natural food store in town!)  Split that bean down one side and scrape out all the seeds into your container.  Add 3 cups of sugar and shake it up.  See the little black seeds in the picture?  Let your jar sit and infuse.  Some say to let it sit for 2 weeks to infuse…others say they eat it right away…I’m probably on the use it right away side.  Wa-la!  Vanilla sugar!  Don’t you just feel so gourmet?!

You can substitute one Tablespoon of sugar for one Tablespoon of vanilla sugar in any recipe you might like a touch of vanilla in.

Here are a couple of other ideas for vanilla sugar.  Sprinkled on oatmeal or fruit.  On pies or muffins.  How about on French toast?  Use it on Cinnamon sugar toast–takes you right back to childhood…  Anyone else have any ideas?