[Buckmark]

I have a lot of comfort meals throughout the winter. These were a normal staple for our household growing up. I call them The Big Three, corned beef and cabbage, sauerkraut and pickled pork, and pickled beans with pickled pork. We still make everything ourselves as far as pork and beef and sauerkraut and pickled beans. I do buy the vegetables. Goulash is another favorite as is roast beef and roast pork. Something as simple as hamburger patties smothered in gravy and onions and mashed potatoes makes me happy. Reminds me of my childhood days. My grandmother's and mother were excellent Cooks and I sure do miss them. Nothing I make ever taste as good as what they could do.

 

[Buckmark]

Yes ... after reading Kevin's post ... I eat all of that stuff as well. He lost me at the liver and onions. Just can't do it. I have tried it a few different ways, but just can't do it.

 

[Buckmark]

Don't do goat. I love beef tongue. We pickle them first. Also beef heart. Stuff with onions and bake. Don't do the Prarie oysters. No goat, or pig or chicken offalls. I am not a chicken lover either. Turkey dinner ... ham scalloped potatoes is made during holidays. I love "house banking" (cod fish and potatoes with pork scraps an onions for the city slickers)

 

[Buckmark]

Half a deer for a pig is a great trade off. ... and you can't beat home smoked hams and bacon.

 

[Buckmark]

My son is getting almost $6 per pound for his pork. Cross between Berkshire and Mangalitsa. The best pork I have ever eaten. I guess by the time most people factor in what it costs for a deer nowadays with all the gas to and from and gear and baiting, if they do, maybe a side of deer is well worth a pig.

 

[Buckmark]

I figured it must be a sow. That's a big pig for market size.

 

[Buckmark]

I have never used cili sauce in my goulash before. How much would a fella use … in a pot the size that Dave made ??

 

[Buckmark]

I always add butter to the pasta before I add the beef mixture. 1 lb of burger, and one lb of mild Italian sausage. Sautee onions and mushrooms .... dump meat mixture into the buttered pasta and a can of tomato soup and a can of Italian flavored diced tomatoes. Guess what's on the menu for next week ????

 

[Buckmark]

Thats another meal that I forgot about.… my mothers baked beans on a Saturday night. She would put big chunks of corned beef in it. Had the beans with a side of meat, and slice or two of brown bread.

 

[Buckmark]

We make donair dip for our friends in Florida. They love it. They have no clue what a donair is. Our recipe looks very similar and is delicious.

 

[Buckmark]

We make our own Donair meat. Nothing but ground beef. Medium ground is ideal. You need fat in Donair meat. Lots of people make it with deer meat, but we prefer beef for this. I think it makes a huge difference. But that might be just my taste buds. Spice blend is pretty easy. After everything is mixed, form it in a ball and throw it on the counter many times. This will compact the meat and will be more like store-bought consistency.

 

[Buckmark]

This recipe is for a 2 lb loaf
2 lb medium ground beef
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Mix everything together. Form it in a ball and throw it on your counter with some force ( i usually do 30-40 times)
Shape it to a uniform size and I always wrap it in plastic and refrigerate over night.
put it on a rack on a foil lined cookie sheet (what I use)
bake at 350 for approx 1 hr or until 160-170 internal temp. Let cool … slice … and throw it in a frying pan to heat it up. I don’t do the homemade sauce. I just buy it.
**** sometimes I just bake it in a loaf pan.
**** not entirely sure if refrigerating it overnight will benefit it much or not... But I always do.

 

[Buckmark]

All this Donair talk got me hungry ... so I made a 2 lb loaf up. Made it last night and baked it today. It calls for 2 tsp of cayenne pepper. I'm not a huge fan of "burn your trap spicy hot", so I cut it back to 1.5 tsp, and it's ok, but next time I'll cut it back to 1 tsp. Everyone's tastebuds are different.

 

[Buckmark]

Salt fish shouldn’t need to be frozen. … but I guess some people will just throw it in the freezer anyway. If it’s well salted … I don’t think it will freeze any way. Tomato, tomato. I always have a few hams in the freezer. Never noticed them being too salty when I cook them. Usually put them in the slow cooker.

Onto the donair meat … I had 3 opinions on it.… other than mine … and they all said it was too spicy. Instead of 2 tsp per 2 lbs … cut it back to 1 tsp and all should be happy.

 

[Buckmark]

I'm glad that the donair meat turned out good for you TG. I bet that venison roast was pretty tasty. Today was fish cake day for me. This Thread is sparking my interest in some of the old meals that I'm used to.

 

[Buckmark]

You need fatty Burger to make the Donair loaf. Extra Lean burger just doesn't cut it. We probably have about 200 lb of burger in our freezer and I tried it once with the extra lean, it's good but not like the fatty stuff.

 

[Buckmark]

That's where the fat belongs. On the bottom of the cookie sheet unless you're licking it off. Fat keeps meat moist as it renders down. Extra lean hamburger is extremely dry. Too dry for Donair

 

[Buckmark]

Those are the biggest smelts I've ever seen.

 

[Buckmark]

I don’t make egg rolls … but absolutely love them. I make an egg roll casserole / stir fry ???… with seasoned ground pork, bean sprouts and a bag of cole slaw mix. Pretty good stuff.

 

[Buckmark]

Charcuterie board ... Lobster bisque, and wine for supper here tonight. Not your typical "winter supper".