The wife of a hunter

David has been hunting for a few years now. He has brought home many deer, different kinds of duck, and dove. I want him to bring me home a turkey or wild hog. I have tried to be very creative (meatloaf, stroganoff) with deer since it is not my favorite kind of meat. I didn't grow up eating it and the steaks are my least favorite. One of our favorite ways to enjoy deer is in chili but you can only have so much chili. It isn't good to have year round anyways. I always like it when David has the meat turned into meatballs, burger patties, or flavored sausages that we can grill.

Not too long ago, David received a cookbook for Christmas called Cookin' Wild Game. It is a very interesting book that is very imformative on how to process your own meats, how to freeze them, as well as, recipes. If anyone ever needs to skin a rabbit, skin a squirrel, or spiral slice a venison heart, this is the book for you! There are recipes for bear, elk, moose, and many other types of creatures made by God. I have tried the Venison Piccata which wasn't bad. (Let me know if you want that recipe.) Tonight we had Mexican Enchilada Casserole. John David helped me mix cheeses, break taco shells, and mix the soup/milk mixture. He is turning into quite the helper in the kitchen. Although his favorite is "washing" the dishes.

Here is the recipe that we liked tonight:
Mexican Enchilada Casserole
2 lbs lean ground deer or other big game
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 10 3/4 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey Jack cheese
1 4.8 oz pkg taco shells, coarsely crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-quart casserole dish and set aside. In a large skillet, brown meat with onion, garlic, oil over medium heat. Drain & stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, and salt. Heat over medium heat until bubbly & then reduce heat to very low to simmer for 10 minutes; stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, blend soup and milk. In another bowl, combine the cheeses.
Layer in casserole dish, one-third shells, half of meat mixture, half of soup mixture, and half of the cheese mixture. Continue to layer one-third shells, remaining meat mixture, and the rest of the soup mixture. Top with the remaining shells & cheese. Bake for 45 minutes until hot.


I hope I help my fellow hunter wives with all of the meat in their freezers. We still have 16 2lb packages of ground venison and deer season starts in a little over three months! I think the men should have to wait until after Trunk or Treat & little ones' bedtimes before heading out to the lease for the opening weekend.