Jim & Jamie In The Kitchen

Tonight my husband, Jim, prepared dinner following one of Jamie Oliver's recipes. I asked him especially because venison is almost always cooked by him. Venison is deer meat. My husband is a hunter and any venison in our freezer is there because my husband was successful in his hunt.Not only does my husband hunt and kill the deer , he cuts and wraps the deer for the freezer. Thus, all venison we cook is thankfully received from God, and thereafter preserved and prepared by my dear husband. Jamie Oliver aptly named this dish : "Wild Mushroom & Venison Stroganoff For Two Lucky People" (If venison is not available to you, I think any beef fillet would do nicely) because the ingredients and flavors were a very pleasant surprise to us!

(above:My husband in the kitchen) Wild Mushroom & Venison for Two Lucky People

You will need:

• 7 ounces white rice
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 med. red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 11 ounces venison loin, fat and sinews removed, trimmed and sliced into finger-sized pieces
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 9 ounces mixed exciting, robust mushrooms, wiped clean, torn into bite-sized pieces ( we only had supermarket mushrooms, exciting enough for us)
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leafed parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stalks finely chopped
• a knob of butter ( don't you just love the way the Brits describe this?)
• a good splash of brandy
• zest of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• a few little gherkins ( pickles) sliced

"This venison stroganoff is absolutely fantastic , of course you can use the more traditional beef fillet instead of venison, and any mushrooms you like, but there's something about venison and wild mushrooms that works so well together. Have a go at this and you'll know what I mean." J. Oliver "Cook the rice according to the package instructions until it's just undercooked and drain in a colander. Put the rice back into the pan, cover with aluminum foil and leave to one side to steam~this will give you incredibly light and fluffy rice." "Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until softened and golden. Remove from the heat and spoon the onions and garlic out of the pan onto a plate. Keep to one side." "Season the meat well with salt, pepper and the paprika. Rub and massage these flavorings into the meat. Place the frying pan back on a high heat and pour in some more olive oil.Add the mushrooms and fry for a few more minutes until they start to brown.Then add the meat and fry for a minute or two before adding the parsley stalks ( you can do this in two pans or in batches if your pan is not big enough) and the cooked onion and garlic. Toss and add the butter and brandy." "You don't have to light the hot brandy, but flaming does give an interesting flavor so I always like to do this. Once the flames die down, or after a couple of minutes of simmering, stir in the lemon zest and all but 1 tablespoon of the creme fraiche and season to taste. Continue simmering for a few minutes. Any longer than this and the meat will toughen up~it doesn't need long, as it's been cut up so small." "Serve your fluffy rice on one big plate and your stroganoff on another. Simply spoon the remaining creme fraiche over the stroganoff, then sprinkle over the sliced gherkins* and the parsley leaves. Eat at once!"

*My husband and I almost did NOT add the sliced pickles. However, I am learning from following the recipes as precisely as possible that things I would have normally ignored because they seem yucky to me might not be as yucky as I imagined and here Jamie Oliver is RIGHT! We did add the gherkins ( pickles) and were very, very pleasantly surprised. Be sure you add pickles to this dish whether you use venison or beef. You'll be glad you did!The lemon zest also contributed to the taste experience, for the better. My husband did a wonderful job of preparing this dish following Jamie Oliver's recipe and if you are fortunate to have a bit of venison or beef this is well worth your time. I am giving you an A+ Jamie and Jim! Jamie well-named this dish " for two lucky people", and WE are!

Fine (fun) Dining on Cedar Pond

~~~We had a spot of fun pond side this weekend. Hubby prepared a meal that was so delicious , I think it will be awhile before any dining out can even come close to what we ate ! Hubby has outdone himself and several fancy restaraunts ! ~~~First I must comment on the wine...oh, the wine ! This is a bottle of wine we bought in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Hubby did not tell me how much he paid for this wine, but I did not complain because we were in the area to buy some sheep for ME ! Let me just say, Hubby told me how much he paid for the bottle of wine AFTER dinner....and the bottle (before consumption) was worth far more than he paid for it.~~~Here is one of the sheep we bought on the trip. I stayed in the car with the crate of 2 lambs while Hubby checked out Winter's Hill vinyards' wines. It was a hot day and I needed to make sure the lambs were O.K. They were just fine and below is a picture of one of the lambs , now grown. I have to say, she is a fine ewe from Bide-A-Wee Jacob Sheep ! ~~~Here Hubby is cooking dinner for us at pond side..dear friends were here. Dear friends who we have dinner with every other week. Dear friends who we have known for many years and whose friendship is encouraging and together we have prayed for each other and shared together, and been there for each other ! (thank-you David and Kathleen)

~~~"Friendship, the wine of life, should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed;", James Boswell

~~~ While Hubby cooked we enjoyed the view of the pond. The ducks are so entertaining. I always laugh when they go bottoms up in the pond. ~~~

~~~Hubby patiently waits for me to take his picture with the meal he prepared for all of us, with love(below). My only regret is that this meal was served on plastic plates. Had I known how amazingly delicious this meal was going to be I would not have allowed Hubby to be so considerate of me by making sure there were few dishes to wash. ~~~Here Hubby shows his plate of venison medallions on orzo, with green beans and carrots from our garden. The venison is deer Hubby hunted and harvested on his annual hunting trip with our youngest son. Hubby also does his own meat cutting. The venison was soooooooo...good! Prior to the main course of venison, he served us a spinach salad with bacon and cranberries in it and his own vinegarette dressing. And the wine, what can I say..... well worth whatever he paid for it. There is no way for me to adequately describe the taste of this very, very fine 2002 vintage Pinot Noir from Winter's Hill vineyard. Everything Hubby prepared just seemed to come together as a perfect and memorable dinner for me. Fine wine and food and fellowship! Thank-you Hubby! ~~~After dinner we sat around the fire pit, which we lit as it started to get dark. We had a wonderful time around the campfire. I don't ever want to take for granted these special times with my husband, our friends, good food and wine..and all of the many, many blessings we have!

~~~Thank-you Lord for all you have given us, the good and the bad. Help me to remember you are in control and you know what is best for us. Thank-you Lord for the blessings of friendship, humor, and the ability to appreciate your many gifts. Thank-you for your Son and Your gifts abundant! ~~~