'Tis Hunting Time—A smallish blog

[Shelby]

Good morning!

 

I decided to add a little more crazy to this week and do a blog.  

 

As you guys know (or some of you know), we have a friend that comes at least once a year and stays with us.  He's a very good guest--along with hunting he usually helps Ronnie with some of the more major difficult chores around here.  Last year he even hung storm windows on every window in the house.  Not a small task.  Anyway, he arrives this morning and will be here until Sunday afternoon.  I'm going to send a camera along with them with strict instructions to snap photos of their adventures going after birds.  It's dove and teal (duck) season now.  And, there might be some river fishing thrown in, too.

 

There will be a lot of cooking going on.  So, since I'm alone in the kitchen putzing around, I figure I'll take you guys along with me .

 

PS:  Our guest will be returning the first week of December for deer season (and goose etc.) so maybe we will lock this blog until then and open it back up.  I've promised for years to post pictures of cutting up deer.  Maybe this will be the year I get it done lol.

[Shelby]

So, I spent yesterday scrubbing the house.  My house is clean but I use our guest for motivation to actually move the heavy furniture and clean underneath lol.  Since it's close enough, I put out all of the fall/Halloween decor.  Ronnie picked all of the pumpkins that were ready. Have a few more out there that are green yet.

 

 

I made a lot of pumpkin soup last year out of our pumpkins.

 

It's still in the freezer.  Sigh.  I need to eat it, I guess.

 

Maybe I'll try to make pumpkin butter.....or maybe I'll just chuck them out in the pumpkin patch and let them grow next year lol.

 

I made a couple loaves of white sandwich bread day before yesterday in case they pop in for lunches.  They usually don't but I like to be prepared like the boy scouts.

 

 

Just got these eggs out of the Instant Pot.  One exploded.  Cooks treat.  I'll make deviled eggs at some point and also put some on a salad.  I need to make more come to think of it.

 

 

And, I did a pork roast in the slow cooker a couple days ago.  Tons of Hatch chiles and onions in there.  I'm going to make enchiladas for tonight.

 

 

I have some Rancho Gordo black beans soaking, too.

 

So, that catches us up to right now.  I'm getting ready to go pick the garden and do some last minute cleaning stuff.  

 

I'll be back in a bit

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Thank you for sharing your kitchen .... and field and stream ... adventures with us!  

I look forward to seeing what you get up to!

[IowaDee]

Oh good, a new Shelby Blog.  I really enjoy them even if they do give me a big old guilt trip because I'm so lazy compared to you.

[robirdstx]

Yay for Shelby! Blog on!

[Shelby]

So, I jinxed myself.  They wanted lunch lol.

 

Smoked and SV'd turkey breast on homemade bread with a coveted tomato from the garden.  My pickles and okra.  And a bag of chips.

 

 

Yep.  Super fancy.

[donk79]

Is the okra pickled?  Or did you prep it some other way post-photo?

[Shelby]

8 minutes ago, donk79 said:

Is the okra pickled?  Or did you prep it some other way post-photo?

Yes, I have a lot of okra this summer.  I think I have canned 12 pints of pickled okra so far?  

[FauxPas]

I ADORE that little wagon on your porch!

 

Then again, maybe it's not that little, it's got quite a few pumpkins in it. 

 

I bet it would be a lot of fun to be a guest at your house!!! 

[suzilightning]

OHHHHH   can I come visit for hunting season?  I promise to help with the fall deep cleaning.  I never understood WHY we did spring cleaning.  t makes more sense to deep clean before we have to shut the house up for winter.

Are we seeing birds and beasts?  Not too crazy about the fins but that was my mom's favorite part.  She would come home from work, change into her fishing clothes then go out and fish until almost dark any day she could......flounder, weakfish, stripers, blues......I can LIVE without the blues

Then in the fall we would also go out and scap.....dredging or netting scallops and then spend hours opening them after culling the stuff off the board. 

I remember I cooked my first black ducks when I was 7 years old and mom was incapacitated.  Came out pretty well ....

 

can't wait for more.

 

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, suzilightning said:

OHHHHH   can I come visit for hunting season?  I promise to help with the fall deep cleaning.  I never understood WHY we did spring cleaning.  t makes more sense to deep clean before we have to shut the house up for winter.

Are we seeing birds and beasts?  Not too crazy about the fins but that was my mom's favorite part.  She would come home from work, change into her fishing clothes then go out and fish until almost dark any day she could......flounder, weakfish, stripers, blues......I can LIVE without the blues

Then in the fall we would also go out and scap.....dredging or netting scallops and then spend hours opening them after culling the stuff off the board. 

I remember I cooked my first black ducks when I was 7 years old and mom was incapacitated.  Came out pretty well ....

 

can't wait for more.

 

Hi Suzi my friend   I just love hearing about your bird adventures and your mom.    

 

God, I'm tired.  It's weird how much just one extra person does me in....don't get me wrong, I love him to death.  I guess I'm just getting older.

 

I really am not sure what we're going to see in the next few days.  I've given the instructions that they are to take pictures.  And, while we're at it, they are already excited about blogging during deer season

 

 

So, this afternoon I made bread to make breakfast sandwiches out of (damn if I didn't already screw up and forgot to take pics of the finished sandwiches).  You've seen them in years past.  Toasted bread, cheese, egg and ham this time.  I'll take pics tomorrow.

 

Anyway, here's the bread which you've seen before ( and damn again I LOVE MY STEAM OVEN)

 

 

To back up, here's the small pickage from today in the garden

 

 

Now fast forward.....

 

Salsa---Before  I knew it they had eaten this mostly all up with some tortilla chips.  It smelled good....

 

And black beans and rice (both made in the instant pot) and hatch chile pork enchiladas.

 

 

All got rave reviews.  But, I think they were so tired they would have eaten anything and been happy lol.

 

 

I'm now listening to 80's music and cleaning up.  With another glass of wine.  I'll see ya'll in the morning   thanks for reading

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mmmpomps]

This is so kewl  When I saw you were doing a mini blog my first thought was this is great it reminds me of Little House on the Prairie :))

[Smithy]

I am delighted that (a) you're doing a hunting/fishing (and the resulting meals) blog and (b) that Ronnie and his buddy are into it too.  Your salsa and enchilada fixings, above, look wonderful.  Care to share how you made the salsa?  Are those tomatoes from your garden? Did any of the precious Hatch chiles make it into that salsa, or did you save them for the enchilada filling?  

[kayb]

Love it when you blog. Anxious to see what the hunters come home with, and how you prepare it. 

 

I have no friends who are important enough for me to deep-clean when they're coming. I deep clean when I'm moving, and that's about it.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

15 hours ago, Shelby said:

I made a lot of pumpkin soup last year out of our pumpkins.

 

It's still in the freezer.  Sigh.  I need to eat it, I guess.

 

Maybe I'll try to make pumpkin butter.....or maybe I'll just chuck them out in the pumpkin patch and let them grow next year lol.

 

Great to see you blogging about hunting season!

 

One thing i have found that I like made from pumpkin is a custard. If you froze the puree, you could pull it out for soups if you wanted, pies or custards. I haven't found a soup that I really like. Most have chicken broth, and that's not a good combo, for me. I can tell from some of the small servings you plate that you are concerned with calories. Pies are quite calorie dense, with the flour and fat from the crust. You can make a custard with 2% milk, eggs, reduced sugar and spices you like without a crust. It can be served as a desert or makes a good side to pork or chicken. It can be made pretty light. Just a thought.

 

They make such great fall decorations, and I love your wagon full of pumpkins too!

 

That's a lotta punkins and putting them out to reseed themselves is a good idea. I wouldn't be surprised if the raccoons scavenged them too. Anything I put out like carrot peels or sweet potato skins or winter squash peels get scarfed up post haste. I don't know if they are going after the Vitamin A or not, but they do love that stuff. I only put scraps out during full daylight now since my playful attack by one of the young ones.

[Anna N]

@Shelby

 I am so excited that you are blogging again.  

[Shelby]

10 hours ago, Smithy said:

I am delighted that (a) you're doing a hunting/fishing (and the resulting meals) blog and (b) that Ronnie and his buddy are into it too.  Your salsa and enchilada fixings, above, look wonderful.  Care to share how you made the salsa?  Are those tomatoes from your garden? Did any of the precious Hatch chiles make it into that salsa, or did you save them for the enchilada filling?  

Thank you, Smithy   Hopefully I will do better about taking pictures of everything today.  I get scatter-brained with even just one extra person around.  

 

Salsa was made from tomatoes from the garden.  I've been hoarding them to make sure we had some for this visit.  It's so easy I don't want to tell you lol.  Simply chopped up 'maters, fresh cilantro, chopped up onions, chopped up jalapeños, salt, garlic, cumin and a squirt of fresh lime juice.  I don't like to make it too far ahead of time because it tastes best when it hasn't been in the fridge...but I let it sit on the counter a bit for the flavors to meld.  The hatch went into the filling and the sauce for the top.  It used up quite a bit of my stash...I need to order more next year because I use them so much.

10 hours ago, kayb said:

Love it when you blog. Anxious to see what the hunters come home with, and how you prepare it. 

 

I have no friends who are important enough for me to deep-clean when they're coming. I deep clean when I'm moving, and that's about it.

  I really don't think he would care if I didn't clean as much.  Trust me, by the time he leaves there will be the usual suspects of cat hair tumbleweeds rolling around.

 

I think Saturday will be "game" night.  As in, eating a lot of game.  I have a rabbit in the freezer that he wants me to fry up and then pressure cook.  Among other things.

 

9 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Great to see you blogging about hunting season!

 

One thing i have found that I like made from pumpkin is a custard. If you froze the puree, you could pull it out for soups if you wanted, pies or custards. I haven't found a soup that I really like. Most have chicken broth, and that's not a good combo, for me. I can tell from some of the small servings you plate that you are concerned with calories. Pies are quite calorie dense, with the flour and fat from the crust. You can make a custard with 2% milk, eggs, reduced sugar and spices you like without a crust. It can be served as a desert or makes a good side to pork or chicken. It can be made pretty light. Just a thought.

 

They make such great fall decorations, and I love your wagon full of pumpkins too!

 

That's a lotta punkins and putting them out to reseed themselves is a good idea. I wouldn't be surprised if the raccoons scavenged them too. Anything I put out like carrot peels or sweet potato skins or winter squash peels get scarfed up post haste. I don't know if they are going after the Vitamin A or not, but they do love that stuff. I only put scraps out during full daylight now since my playful attack by one of the young ones.

Hmmm....good idea about the custard.  I think I'm like you.  I don't really crave the flavor of the chick. broth with pumpkin.  YES, the raccoons definitely drag the pumpkins off.  But they only take a few bites and then leave the poor half-eaten carcass laying in the yard.  Sigh.

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

@Shelby

 I am so excited that you are blogging again.  

Thanks, Anna   

 

I'm off to a slow start this morning.  Guys got up at 5:30, ate their breakfast sandwiches (I really need to come up with something different to make them but the sandwiches are so easy for me) and left to go dove and teal hunting.  I stay up in our bedroom so that I don't scare our guest with my just-out-of-bed look lol.  Also, I like to corral my cats in there with me.  My poor boys hate it when someone besides us is here.  Freaks them out.  Anyway, I finally went back to sleep for a bit. 

 

Now, I up drinking iced coffee.  Hopefully it gives me a little jump-start.

 

[Shelby]

Today's gardenage

 

 

I have a LOT of okra.  A LOT of okra.  I am 5' tall.  The plants are taller than me.  A lot taller than me.  I can't reach to pick some of it.

[Shelby]

The guys just stopped in for lunch (yeah, I really jinxed myself lol) .  I didn't take pictures because it was just leftovers from last night.  They brought my camera back with some pictures

 

Sunrise in Kansas is always something to see

 

 

They call the place they hunt "they marijuana patch".  Because, well, it's a huge patch of marijuana.  Not the good stuff or anything.  You wouldn't want to smoke it lol.  I have no idea how it got there.  Birds?  

 

 

Love this picture.  Here is Chum retrieving a dove

 

 

And the aftermath

 

 

 

 

 

 

I taught 'em well.  They kept the livers and hearts for me   Love eating them.

 

[kayb]

Dove breasts....yummmmmmm!

[Okanagancook]

Well done boyz!!

[Shelby]

I'm finishing a glass of wine while I do this.  I started out so organized and ahead of schedule on cooking and then, well, I dunno what happened but I ended up rushing around as usual lol.

 

So, yesterday Ronnie was giving me grief about some eggplant that I hadn't picked yet.  I planted two plants because I love eggplant in my spaghetti sauce.  Well, due to lack of tomatoes, no sauce has been made this year (thank goodness for all of the sauce I froze last year).  Anyway, I thought, well, ok FINE.   You'll eat eggplant tomorrow by God lol.  (He is not too much of an eggplant fan).  So I planned and Italian feast for this evening.

 

Feast may be too strong of a word lol.

 

For appetizers I put out some oysters from Pike Place Fish Market that I had ordered.  Some fresh and the others were smoked.  

 

 

 

I peeled and salted two of the eggplant (eggplants?)

 

 

Then soaked some of them in buttermilk and dredged in seasoned flour.  The other half I didn't soak and simply dredged them in flour.  I wanted to see which I liked best.   Then I fried them.

 

Turned out I liked both kinds.

 

 

Finished eggplant parm

 

 

Pizza dough rising

 

 

I made two pizzas.  They will hopefully eat up the LARGE amount of leftovers for lunch the next two or three days.

Pizzas were pepperoni, black olive, onion, hatch chile and mushroom.

 

 

OH and I also had a huge pot of spag. sauce with venison meatballs to put over zoodles.  It was our friends first introduction to zoodles.  I think he's hooked now

 

Plated (yeah it all looks the same lol)

 

 

I'm off to sleep.  

 

More dove hunting tomorrow...I think duck will be Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sartoric]

@Shelby, that all looks so delicious, what a major effort, thanks for taking us on the ride !

 

My Italian MIL coated eggplant slices in seasoned flour, then beaten egg, then shallow fried. 

Melanzane en carrozza, very easy and yummy.

 

[ElainaA]

This is fun Shelby! Thanks for doing this. 

 

7 hours ago, sartoric said:

 

My Italian MIL coated eggplant slices in seasoned flour, then beaten egg, then shallow fried. 

Melanzane en carrozza, very easy and yummy.

 

 

 My Italian husband does the same. He cuts the eggplant quite thin. Sometimes he adds bread crumbs after the egg. I love it.

[rotuts]

group of Hunters,  Nice.    Hungry .   would probably eat anything,   

 

Excelent way to get rid of all your eggplant.

 

esp. if you covered it all up w sauce , then some melted cheese.    

 

you could put anything under that.

 

smart.  

 

Edited September 23, 2016 by rotuts (log)