Cooking Pumpkin

I would love to say I grew this lovely pumpkin but I did not. It did come from the NC mountains though. I only paid 5.00 for it and the amount of puree I get, it will last us all winter! I will freeze it in 2 cup increments since that is what most pie and muffin recipes call for.
I like to bake mine. There are some that boil it but when you bake, you can just put in the oven and walk away.
To begin with, I wash it well and with a large sharp knife cut it in half.
Scoop out the seeds and goop in the middle.

Lay cut side down on baking sheets and cover with foil.

Bake at 375 for 1 1/2 hours or until you can stick a knife through the flesh and it is tender.
Allow to cool and then scoop all the flesh into a colander and let drain in the refrigerator overnight. Once it has drained completely, process in a blender or food processor for a smooth and creamy puree.
Now you are ready for all of your favorite pumpkin recipes!

Our Favorite Pumpkin Pie
2 cups cooked pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 2/3 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, beaten
Mix all together and pour in a deep dish pie shell.
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes to and hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Top with sweetened vanilla whip cream.

Slow Cooked Beef Roast

Tonight's homestead meal is a slow cooked beef roast. I pulled a chuck roast out of the freezer to thaw yesterday. I love to cook this roast long and slow with nothing but a bit of salt & pepper. The slow roasting makes it extremely flavorful and tender.

Place roast in a large covered casserole dish. Salt & pepper to taste. Cover and cook on 300* for about 3  hours. When almost done, place large cubes of carrots and potatoes in pan along sides of roast. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender. A large salad made fresh from the garden and homemade biscuits complete the meal!

Lunch Meats

It is extremely expensive to buy pre-cooked lunch meats not to mention the fact that they are full of junk. The last time I checked roast beef was about $12 a pound! Even if you don't raise your own beef or hunt you can certainly purchase inexpensive cuts of meat and make your own lunch meats at home. We have a slicer that we purchased years ago. Amazon has one very similar for about $50. That may seem like a lot but if you purchase a 3 pound roast for $3.oo a pound, cook it, and slice it you have already saved half of what the slicer cost! We use ours for turkey, chicken, deer and beef. It will also slice bread and cheese.

This weeks lunch meat is a deer roast. I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and rubbed it with yellow mustard. I baked it for about 40 minutes at 350* or until the thermometer reached 140*, we like rare, so cook to your own liking. Wrap and chill overnight and slice while cold. You are ready for lunch!

Wild Mushroom and Kale Risotto

The way I make risotto is a quick and easy side if you cheat like I do!
I had some hen of the wood mushrooms in the fridge and a basket of kale and made this yummy dish.
First saute onion and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add 1 cup arborio rice and cook until browned. Add kale and cook until wilted. Add several cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute or so. Next add 2 quarts of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until stock is absorbed and rice is creamy. Remove from heat and add a large handful of Parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Chicken & Spinach Quesadillas

It's good to have a plan "B". This morning when I went to pull the corn tortillas out of the freezer for our soft taco casserole, they were unrecognizable. Yes, they were freezer burned and pathetic. The chickens were glad to get them, me, not so much. Still wanting a bit of Mexican flair for supper, I pulled some precooked and seasoned chicken from the freezer from the last time I fixed quesadillas and headed to the garden to harvest spinach.

When I cook my chicken I usually simmer several legs quarters at a time with garlic, onion, cumin and chili powder. I shred the chicken and freeze what we don't use, which is good when you need a plan "B" supper. Strain and save that broth! It is a wonderful addition to white chicken chili or a pot of beans.

To put together the quesadillas, I saute onion slivers until almost done and toss in the spinach. Cook until wilted. Brush flour tortillas with a bit of butter. Layer 1/2 tortilla with chicken, spinach and onions and your choice of  grated cheese. Fold wrap over chicken filling and cook over medium low heat until cheese is melted and tortillas are brown. Serve with salsa. Plan 'B" is good!

Homemade Baked Beans

Homemade yes, baked no. I once again used my trusty crock pot to create these yummy beans. These were a last minute "that sounds good side", so I used my pressure cooker to help get them done for supper. In addition to my regular crock pot (that already had white beans in it for soup) I have a Living Well Pressure Cooker. Not only does it pressure cook, it stews, browns and slow cooks as well. I love it!

I used cranberry beans in my recipe because I think they cook up creamier but you could certainly use pintos, white beans or even baby limas. After using the quick soak method for my beans I pressure cooked for about 30 minutes. I then added the remaining ingredients, pressure cooked another 25 then slow cooked  for the rest of the day, about 6 hours or so. Slightly sweet and smokey tasting from the bacon, they were delicious served with the pork roast my husband had smoked. Slaw and deviled eggs completed the meal~

Homemade Baked Beans
2-3 cups dried beans (soaked overnight or using quick soak method)
water to cover
Pressure cook for 30 minutes.

Add:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
5-6 pieces bacon finely chopped
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
Stir into beans and pressure cook another 25 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker and cook about 6 hours.

Tonight's Homestead Meal- Mega Meatballs & Spaghetti

During the summer I canned a basil marinara sauce that is perfect to serve over the mega meatballs and spaghetti we are having tonight. I am using venison that my son hunted and our farm raised lamb, but you can use ground beef or even turkey. This time of year I add spinach from the garden but during summer months I toss in grated zucchini to add some vitamins and fiber. With a salad freshly harvested out of the garden and a slice of flax seed bread our meal is complete. 

Baked Mega Meatballs
1 lb. each ground venison and lamb
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion. finely diced
1/2 -3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
a small handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups wilted spinach
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
Wilt fresh spinach in butter and let cool. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and add spinach and mix well. Make meatballs in balls that fit in a muffin pan. Bake @ 350* for 25-30 minutes. Makes about 14.