On The Menu

I've heard that an open bottle of wine doesn't have a very long shelf life.  Especially when you over indulged with the first bottle and thought a second bottle would be a good idea.  Turns out the next day... it wasn't such a good idea.  I keep mine corked and in the fridge and usually don't finish a bottle in a glass but prefer to use wine in recipes.  I will never get tired of the way cooking with wine makes my house smell.  Lucky for me The Pioneer Woman just happened to post a recipe on facebook from 2009 for short ribs that uses two cups of dry red wine.  Bingo!  A use for the rest that second bottle cause I shore ain't gonna touch it otherwise for a while!  I seriously just spelled the same way that I talk.  I love it! Here's a pic and a link to her recipe and a few more.  The chicken with tomatoes and garlic is absolutely one of my favorite recipes to make.  I have thighs in the fridge right now for this very reason.

Braised Short Ribs

Photo and recipe credit: ThePioneerWoman.com      

and my favorite.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic

Photo and recipe credit: ThePioneerWoman.com      

Burgundy Mushrooms

Photo and recipe credit: ThePioneerWoman.com      

And here's a fantastic recipe using white wine that I've made a bunch.

Lemon Chicken Cutlets

Photo and recipe credit: marthastewart.com                        

And now a few of my own.

Rabbit in Mustard Sauce

Venison Minute Steaks

A Quick Marinade

A Recipe

This recipe is from my own stash.  I made it up from my fondness of deer meat and my double fondness of the luscious aroma of wine floating in the house when I'm cooking.  Even the next day it is wonderful.  I was craving this dish on Monday so I decided to make it Tuesday night.  Thinking I had all of the ingredients, forgetting about the mushrooms and onions totally, and at a complete loss of directions as I could not find the recipe I had written anywhere.  Nor was I convinced that I had ever written it down.  I logged on and looked all through my blog just knowing I had posted it sometime.  Finding nothing here, I looked back through my dove hunt magazines with no luck.  I though about a blog that I had begun for my father-in-law's farm, that didn't last... the blog not the farm, but couldn't remember any log in information.  I decided to wing it and was not as pleased with the results as I would have liked.  My craving was some what satisfied I guess.  The deer meat was gone anyway when we were done.  So today I researched into the blog from 2010 once more with better luck.  I found my recipe and am now sharing it with you.  I am also printing it out for my cookbook and will most certainly have record of it here now.  Yay!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  It is one of my specialties that Shaun says is "cruise boat worthy."I think it makes the house smell like you just walked in to the Melting Pot.  And now that I have found it Look Out!  It will probably be on the menu for next week too!

lovin right now

Lovin right now... bath time edition!  Long overdue if you ask me!

Do we really take enough time out of our day or evening to enjoy a good soak in the tub?  

Well, last night I did!  These four things, along with some good music, candle light and a butler (Shaun) refilling my wine glass, are favorites and must haves when it comes to enjoying a good long dose of me time. 

My sister Tracy introduced me to Schick Intuition razors a month ago and I am loving it!  It has the soap already there for you so no shaving cream is needed.  The shave is good and close and the sensitive skin version seen here is what I use and what is needed, apparently, for my ever sensitive psoriasis skin.  So far it hasn't bothered them a bit!  Much thanks to you sister Tracy!

Mad Housewife, Sweet Red wine.... preferably chilled.  Aaaahh what a nice edition and something sweet and cool to sip on.  Pairs nicely with Pepperidge Farms chocolate hazelnut Pirouette wafer cookies which are my guilty pleasure for sure!  Sometimes I pretend they are cigars (nerd!).  

Lastly, my bath wouldn't be complete without my homemade bath oils.  Of course I have to give my tub a wipe down with Dawn after my bath but it is so worth it.  Using oils and herbal oils, I don't even have to use lotion when I get out.  You can use a tad of olive oil added to the water and a couple of drops of lavender essential oil and you'll be just fine.  I also enjoy a sprinkling Epsom salt that is combined with lavender flowers that float in the water yet leave a wonderful scent.  

Here's my personal recipe for bath oil.  Mind you, I have psoriasis and have studied different herbs that help with my skin condition.  You can add them or not, but if you have excessively dry skin, eczema or psoriasis, this combination will surely help.  I have steered more towards taking baths than showers and incorporating my bath oil specifically for my skin.  Showers, even though we have a filter on ours, tend to dry my skin out much worse than a bath and with the addition of oils I don't even use commercial lotions at all.  It has truly made a difference for me.  I know it contains a few odd ingredients to some.  If you only had a few, I would recommend the almond and jojoba oils, vitamin E oil and comfrey oil and maybe the lavender for relaxation.

As far as my scalp,itching and dry skin around my hair line goes, I recommend Paul Mitchell, tea tree shampoo and using it at least every other wash for mild itching and dryness or every wash until the itching and flaking is under control.  If it continues once you have backed off the tea tree you may want to consider the shampoo that you are using in the mean time as part of the culprit for dryness.

I am not any kind of a skin doctor... just a skin sufferer and one who has tried so many products until I have come to a semi-comfortable place.

Easter Basket Dreams

If the Easter Bunny were to come to my house this Sunday

and leave an Easter Basket full of goodies for me....

here's what I dream they'd be.

 

 

1  2  3  4

 

A Quick Marinade

So, Sunday when we got home from church we laid out some venison steaks from the deep freeze to allow them to thaw in the sink in time for supper. Long about four o'clock I got the steaks apart, which were still a tad frozen in the middle, and put them in a cold water salt bath to get any excess blood out. This also takes the "strong" taste out if there is any. While they were soaking I realized that I was out of our normal "go-to" marinade that we like to use. It's a store bought bottle brand that I can usually mix a little water with and get two, maybe three soakings out of.

Now, I've been highly addicted to a couple of sets of The French Chef with Julia Child over the last month that I rented from the library. J.C. drops mention of wine in every show that she does. From using it in dishes to what wines for with the dish that she made. Well.. maybe not the baking, Queen of Sheba cake episode... I'll have to watch it again and see.

Needless to say.. she got me thinking. I drained and rinsed the steaks and put them back in the bowl. I added a generous helping of red wine to the bowl and sprinkled the tops of the steaks with fresh cracked black pepper. YUM. After allowing the steaks to rest for a good half hour, I flipped them over and peppered that side of the steaks. At this point I felt like they were missing something. I wanted a bit of bold taste outside of the red wine and pepper. I looked in the refrigerator and pulled out the Worcestershire sauce, poured in a tablespoon or two and swished it a tad to blend. After about another half hour the grill was hot and the steaks went on. Shaun took it from there. I did tell him it was OK to add a touch of seasoning, McCormick's Garlic and Onion medley, to each side. He likes to chef it up when he's at one with the gas grill.

When the first bite of these steaks went into my mouth I knew I had done something right that day. I absolutely love the smell in my house when I have included wine in a recipe. This marinade didn't exactly fragrance the entire house but it was fantastic. Juicy, elegant, magnificent.