Elk Sausage & Spinach Quiche with Savory Crust

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What can I say, it’s hard to stop eating this quiche! The crust is buttery, savory and melts into the mildly spicy breakfast sausage, spinach, onion, and cheedar cheese. Simple, filling, and good for any meal of the day.

Elk Sausage & Spinach Quiche with Savory Crust 

Servings: 4 large slices

  • Savory Pie Crust: recipe follows

-1.5  c Butter or Crisco shortening

-3 c. AP Flour

-1 egg

-1 T. White  Vinegar

-1 tsp. salt

-5 T.cold water

Using a pastry knife, work flour and butter/crisco together until mixture forms into coarse crumbs, then add egg, vinegar, salt, water and combine. I prefer using Crisco, but real unsalted butter works fine too. Form crust into ball and place in freezer for 10 minutes in a ziplock bag if you are using it immediately, this makes the dough much easier to work with. This recipe yields a top and bottom crust; I use one right away and freeze the other for later use for quiche or fruit pies.

  • 1/2 lb elk or venison breakfast sausage
  • 1/3 c frozen spinach, or more if it’s fresh
  • 1/4 c diced yellow onion
  • 1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 c Half and Half ( I use fat-free)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 T olive oil

1. Make pie crust as directed above. Divide dough in half, use one half now & freeze one half in a ziplock bag for later use.

2. Layer pie crust in a pie tin WITHOUT greasing the pan first.

3. Pour olive oil into medium frying pan. Add in diced onion and spinach. I threw my spinach in frozen because I didn’t have much left. Sautee on medium heat for 2 minutes

4. Add in breakfast sausage and cook until it crumbles and is no longer pink.

5. In a small bowl, beat three eggs with 1/2 c. half and half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Pour meat mixture into pie crust and spread evenly on bottom.

7. Pour egg mixture over top.

8. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes. If eggs are still runny, uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes until eggs poof up and are firm when you cut into the quiche.

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Nutrition Information: 1/4 slice = Note: For dinner if I am really hungry I will eat an entire 1/4 of the quiche, but it is a lot. For breakfast or lunch, I often cut smaller slices, like 1/6 or 1/8 size. Information below is for 1/4 slice. The nice thing though, is that I never feel overly stuffed like after eating a large portion of some foods. This is a wholesome recipe with a good dose of protein that will keep you full and energized.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/4 slice

Amount per Serving

Calories 674

Calories from Fat 395.5

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 43.94g

67%

Saturated Fat 26.06g

130%

Cholesterol 302.86mg

100%

Sodium 895.96mg

37%

Total Carbohydrate 37.16g

12%

Dietary Fiber 1.86g

7%

Sugars 3.32g

Protein 28.56g

57%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat

59%

Carbs

22%

Protein

16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/elk-sausage-spinach-quiche/#ixzz2HLWwgijd

The Perfect Elk Burger + 2012 Recap

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Happy New Year! I will be the first to say that I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but do like to make lists! While walking Jade a few days ago, I started thinking about the highlights of 2012, those things that stand out above all else if someone were to ask me what I did this year that mattered, and this is what I came up with:

2012 Recap

~Pink Ribbon Ride– I rode in my first Pink Ribbon Ride Snow Run in March in support of breast cancer research. While I have participated in the ride for two past years by helping cook and serve lunch for the 150 riders, I was glad to be able to get out and ride this year, and even got to be in Joe’s group that he guided for the day. The comraderie and cause is what it is all about, and if you are interested in fantastic snowmobiling for an even greater purpose, here’s a link to the Pink Ribbon Riders. I am already registered for this year!

~Hawaii- Joe and I took a wonderful but whirlwind trip to the Big Island of Hawaii this April. Camping on the beach in a VW Camper Van and night snorkeling with the Manta Rays were unforgettable.

~Fly Fishing– This was the first summer we were not working literally every day of the summer, and therefore had time to go and fish ourselves. I can recall at least six different weekend trips, and while I was not always “successful” in that I caught anything, they were all fun and memorable trips in the mountains. I even got to see some new (local) country. And of course, a bad day fishing beats a good day at work!

~PR @ Old Bill’s– Jackson Hole hosts Old Bill’s Fun Run for Charities every September, and it is the one 5k race I look forward to each year.  The anonymous “Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill” match the donations made for the event to raise money for several local non-profits. Another great event for a great cause. For your entry fee, you get to choose the amount of your donation and what charity you wish to donate it to from the list provided. Last year I was unable to race because I was still not fully recovered from a herniated disc in my lower back that I had endured for 9 months of hell. But this year I was ready- I followed a 7-week training plan, customized for me on Runner’s World, and ended up beating my prior race time that I had pre-injury! My goal was just to finish within a minute of my old time, and I ended up beating it by 20 seconds for a PR of 26:19. I’ll take it.

OFFICAL RESULTS: 26 of 75 Bib 635 Megan O’Brien 5K Women 26:19

~Mealsfromthemountains– I have been reading five blogs on a regular, daily basis for years, and this summer I began tossing around the idea of starting my own. I appreciate having a healthy outlet that highlights what I care about and that can potentially be useful to others! I began this blog in September and am looking forward to growing with it in the next year.

~Elk Camp– After three years of adventures on foot, horseback, and by truck, I shot my first elk this Fall during a fabulous four-day packtrip with Joe and our horses deep in the backcountry. It has been a lifetime goal of mine to shoot an elk in the backcountry with horses, and although he was no monster, I am proud and thankful for my first bull. I am slowly learning to embrace the emotional roller-coaster that is hunting!

2013 And We’re Off…

The year is off to a good start, as I was able to enjoy a “play day” today with a 3.6 mile morning run and 4 mile afternoon x-country ski. Now that my workplace has recently undergone an organizational transition, I get five paid vacation days per year and today was one of them- yay!

Today is also a special day as it is Jade’s 10th Birthday! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone, but in another way, it seems I also can’t remember a time when I didn’t have her. She has come a long way since her early days as a pound puppy, she is a best friend, and I can honestly say I don’t think I will ever have another dog as good as her. Happy Birthday Jade!

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For this first dinner of the New Year, Joe was unexpectedly home from work early (unforunately he came home sick) and here to eat dinner. I decided to make one of his favorite meals….. burgers! Well bacon-cheeseburgers with tater tots to be exact. This year’s elk burger is exceptionally tasty-juicy but not too fatty with no game taste. We made the elk burger by grinding a few pounds of beef suet in with the ground elk meat. You can get beef suet at your local grocery store or butcher, just ask. Our burger is packaged in 1 lb bags and frozen for use throughout the year. I typically make two meals for two with one package of burger, over the course of the week. Anything beyond that gets cooked and frozen for later use in chili or spaghetti sauce.

My elk burgers are simple, but juicy and delicious, and take only about 15 minutes to prepare. During the warmer months, I grill our burgers outside, but in the winter I just make them on a stove-top griddle over medium heat.

The Perfect Elk Burger

Serves 2

  • 1/2 lb ground elk
  • Season Salt
  • Garlic Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 2 slices of 2% American cheese
  • 2 hamburger buns OR 4 slices Whole Grain White Bread
  • Cooking spray
  1. Cook bacon on griddle or in frying pan. Meanwhile, while bacon cooks, form two hamburger patties., roughly 1/4-pounders.DSC01011
  2. Spray pan with cooking spray. Place burger patties on griddle or in frying pan over medium heat along with bacon. Season with a dash of season salt, garlic salt, and black pepper. Cook on one side for about 2-3 minutes. Flip. Season opposite side and cook another 2-3 minutes for medium to medium rare.???????????????????????????????
  3. Remove bacon from frying pan and place onto a paper towel to absorb some grease. Break each piece in half.
  4. Top with a slice of cheese and lay bacon slices over top to make an “X”.???????????????????????????????
  5. Turn off heat but leave pan on burner for 1-2 minutes to let cheese melt.
  6. Top with your favorites & enjoy!

Open-Face Elk Tenderloin with Gravy and Onions

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Marinade

  • 1 T. Worcestshire
  • 1 tsp Hi Mountain Elk Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning

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  • 3/4 lb elk tenderloin
  • 1 egg
  •  1 c flour + another 3 T flour, divided
  • ~1/2 c milk/ half and half
  • 1/2 c vegetable oil
  • 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
  • 1/4 c thinly sliced onions
  1. Marinade steaks for two days with worcestshire, Hi Mountain Elk Seasoning, and Hi Mountain Cajun Campfire seasoning.
  2. Beat an egg in a shallow container and dip steak in egg, bread in flour on a paper plate, repeat once to completely coat meat.
  3. Heat vegetable oil in frying pan and fry, flipping twice, until centers are no longer raw.
  4. Pour about 2 T of oil/meat drippings into a separate small saucepan (you can use the same pan if the bottom isn’t burnt, but I was low on oil and my pan/drippings had a burnt taste, I needed to use a fresh pan).
  5. Add in some flour (about 3 T. or so) and pour in milk (I used fat free half and half, no milk in the house tonight!). Stir with a fork until smooth on low heat.
  6. Toast slice of bread and sautee sliced onions until tender.
  7. Layer steak on toast and top with gravy and onions.

In the spirit of elk, check out this photo from Wyoming’s Wind River Country of Lander, Wyoming in the early 1900’s. Made me smile. And also laugh–one commenter had wrote “it’s all fun and games until you get an eye poked out!” Happy Holidays!

Birthday Sugar Cookies

For those who don’t care for cake or cupcakes, these sugar cookies are a great birthday treat. I baked up a batch of these for Joe’s birthday today. They are my favorite type of sugar cookies; mix and drop, no chilling time required.

Mother’s Best Cookies, recipe from local community cookbook

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 c sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 2 1/2 c flour

Preheat oven  to 350.                                                                                                                                                                    Mix ingredients and roll out flat with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Using a pastry knife, cut out the letters for “Happy Birthday”. I free-handed it, but I am sure there are cookie cutters shaped like letters too, which would be nice for kids. Peel away excess dough until you are left with only the letters.

Sprinkle with sugar and flatten gently with the bottom of a glass.

Using the pastry knife or spatula, slide under each cookie to loosen and carefully transfer to greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 7-10 minutes.

You will now need to re-cut out the spaces for the letters that filled in while baking to make them recognizable again. The cookies expand while baking, so trim as necessary while still warm to get them back to their original look.

Run pastry knife under each cookie while they are still warm on the pan. Then, let them cool before tranferring to a container or decorating further. These would be fun to frost and decorate, but I know this birthday boy prefers his with just sugar…so at this point I was done!

Veterans Day Camo Cupcakes

Happy Veteran’s Day! Thank you to all the veterans past and present who serve our country. Here is a link to an awesome camoflauge cupcake tutorial that I followed last week at work and added in the American flags to make them patriotic for Veteran’s Day. I made the cupcakes and frosting, and our students decorated them and delivered them to the local Senior Center for Veteran’s Day. These would also be great to make for the birthday of any hunters in the family.

Elk Sh*t on a Shingle

Similar to stroganoff, “Sh*t on a Shingle” is a recipe that I learned from Joe, and for its simplicity, it really is a tasty, hearty, quick, week-night meal.

Elk Sh*t on a Shingle

Serves 2, with leftovers

  • 1 lb ground elk
  • 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (I do not recommend using the healthy request, low-sodium, or bargain brands–I have tried all of the above and it drastically affects the taste, and not for the better!)
  • Wheat or white bread (the shingle, of course!)

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1. Cook ground meat on medium heat and season with salt and garlic pepper, if desired.

2. Crumble meat and add in the soup. Stir to combine, simmer on low 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Load your sh*t onto your shingle, er, I mean slice of bread. You now have elk sh*t on a shingle- enjoy! I usually serve this with green beans.

~FYI ~Leftover meat is good in enchiladas and burritos.

Grilled Elk Steak w/ Bacon Wrap

These steaks came out extremely tender with great flavor, and a little kick.

You will need:

  • 1 lb elk steak, butterflied (this was backstrap)
  • 1 slice bacon per steak
  • toothpicks
  • Dry Rub= A Shake of the following: cumin, onion powder, chili powder, salt, Mrs Dash lemon pepper, Hi Mountain Seasoning Elk Seasoning, garlic pepper, cayenne pepper, and worcestshire (not pictured)

1. Marinade meat in refrigerator with the dry rub for desired length of time (we did 2 days).

2. Preheat grill. Wrap each butterflied steak with a slice of raw bacon and secure with toothpicks.

3. Grill steaks 15-17 minutes to medium-rare. Mine were pretty thick, so adjust time accordinly if your steaks are on the thin side. I flipped each steak twice.

Crockpot Lasagna with Ground Elk

I have recently begun working an extra two hours per day tutoring, and four days per week I now find myself not getting home until 6 pm. By this time, we are hungry, and if dinner can’t be ready in about 10 minutes, I either want to eat leftovers or have something waiting for me when I walk through the door. My crockpot, a $3 yard sale steal, has made a quick re-entry into my life after lying dormant most of the summer, and I am currently making at least one crockpot meal per week. While I enjoy cooking and find it relaxing, when I am short on time, nothing is better than dumping your ingredients in the crockpot and knowing you will have dinner ready when you walk in the door.

I found a straight-forward recipe  from food.com and decided it was time to try lasagna in the crockpot. We waste no food in our house, and I am very conscious of using or freezing leftovers if not eaten within a day or two. I found myself with a leftover cooked elk burger, a mason jar of tomato puree I had frozen earlier, and a bunch of brown-paper-bag-ripened tomatoes from our garden ready to be used.

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Crockpot Lasagna with Ground Elk

Serves 2-3

16 oz. spaghetti sauce– I make my sauce and use “My Mama Iuliucci’s ‘Don’t Skip a Step Spaghetti Sauce’ “  as the basis of my sauce but I do skip a few steps…lol

4 oz. or more ground elk, crumbled (beef or venison would be fine, too)

~ 1.5 c Italian blend cheese

~ 1/2 c Parmesan cheese

~1.5 c 2% Cottage Cheese

Italian seasoning

3-6 No-cook lasagna noodles, depending on size of crockpot

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1. If using homemade, make spaghetti sauce, add in ground elk, and simmer in crockkpot for 3 hours on low. No need to dirty another pan! My sauce was made of what I had on hand and based off the above recipe: 16 oz. tomato puree, diced cherry tomatoes, onion, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, garlic pepper, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and parsley. I did not measure exactly.

2. Next, I scooped out 2/3 of the sauce, and left a layer on the bottom of the crockpot.

3. Next, I ran home during my 15 minute break between jobs, and layered non-cooked lasagna noodles (broken to fit the circular crockpot), spread them with cottage cheese, then sprinkled shredded Italian blend cheese and parmesan on top. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

4. Repeat this process two more times–sauce, noodles, cheeses, Italian seasoning– and add a little extra cheese on the top and final layer.

5. Make sure your noodles are totally covered with sauce/cottage cheese so they cook and are not hard.

6. I only cooked my lasagna for 2.5 hours on HIGH in the crockpot and it was juuuust done. If I had had more time, I would cook it on LOW as recommended for 4-6 hours.

7. Serve with salad, and enjoy!

Chipotle Elk Enchiladas

Today I took a detour from the typical “taco Tuesday” routine and experimented with my standard enchilada recipe by incorporationg chipotle peppers. This is one of those fairly common “specialty items” not available at the local grocery store and many recipes I have tried in the past have called for them and I have always had to omit or substitue green chilis. So, I was excited to give these babies a try after buying some during my last trip over the mountain. The results were positive, with distinctly restaurant-tasting enchiladas.

1. Gather spices to make taco seasoning if making your own. You will need 4 tsp. of homemade taco seasoning or packaged.

2. Combine spices and save extra in a sealed container or glass jar.

3. Cook ground elk with yellow and green onions and seasonings.

FYI- Save money and grow your own green onions, never buy them again!  I keep two green onions growing in my house year-round. I started them from store-bought ones over six months ago and they are still going strong, even after being transplanted outside for the summer. They do require a lot of sunlight and a lot of water, so plan you window-placement accordingly!

 4. Now, the enchilada sauce: combine tomato sauce, 1 T. salsa, and 1 chipotle pepper in food processor and blend until smooth.

5. Add enchilada sauce to ground beef mixture and simmer.

 

6. Lay our four medium flour tortillas and fill each with ground beef mixture. Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar.

7. Roll each tortilla and place into a greased 8×8 inch pan. Top with 1 T. of salsa and coat evenly, then add remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 350, covered with foil. Broil one more minute.

8. Garnish with green onions and pour yourself a margarita–These were very tasty and filling with a distinctly smoky, savory flavor from the chipotle.

Chipotle Elk Enchiladas

Serves 2

1 lb ground elk (ground beef or chicken will work too)

1 T. medium salsa

1/3 c shredded cheddar

1 oz. pepperjack cheese

1/4 c yellow onion

2 green onions

4 medium flour tortillas

Cooking spray

4 tsp. of homemade taco seasoning or packaged

Enchilada Sauce:

Chipotle in adobo- 1 pepper

8 oz tomato sauce

1 T. salsa

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Preheat oven to 350.

1. Combine seasonings to make taco seasoning.

2. Chop onions and sautee with ground elk on medium heat. Season with taco seasoning.

3. Make the enchilada sauce by combining the tomato sauce, 1 T. salsa, and 1 chipolte pepper in adobo in a food processor and blending until smooth. 1 pepper added quite a punch and unless you like it very spicy, I would not recommend adding any more.

4. Add enchilada sauce and pepperjack cheese to ground beef mixture and stir to combine. Simmer 2-3 minutes on low.

5. Prepare enchiladas by scooping roughly one-quarter of the ground beef mixture into each tortilla and top with 1 T. shredded cheddar each. Fold tortillas and place into greased 8×8 inch pan. Top tortillas with 1 T. salsa and spread with the back of a spoon to coat the tortillas completely. Sprinkle remaining cheddar on top.

5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 1 minute to lightly brown the cheese.

6. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Venison Potato Brat Omelet

I have eaten my fair share of deer brats over the past 10 months and still have about 15 packages to go. While I am so thankful for the deer, harvested last fall with my late season deer tag, and for the meat it provided us, I am a little tired of eating brats in the traditional form on a bun (or in a rolled up piece of bread if you too cheap to buy buns, wink wink). To use up the rest of the stockpile, I have gotten creative. This is the second time I have made Venison Potato Brat Omelets. I really like eating brats this way, and it is a filling, quick, and inexpensive meal that would be great for breakfast, too. This is a basic recipe, so of course feel free to add additional vegetables, different cheeses, etc. to suit your taste.

Venison brats, thanks to this guy:

For this recipe you could substitue non-game brats just as easily. To make the venison brats, we used a kit from Hi Mountain Seasonings and added in frozen hash browns and diced yellow onions while grinding the meat prior to stuffing it into casings. Hi Mountain is a local company that has a variety of products to process your own game.

Venison Potato Brat Omelet

Serves 2

2 Venison brats

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. diced yellow onion

2 diced green onions (I had just harvested them from the garden and needed to use them)

3 eggs

1 T. milk

2 oz. pepperjack cheese, slices torn up or shredded

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c water

salsa, optional

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1. Dice onions and sautee in 1 T. olive oil. Slice up uncooked brats into round pieces and add to onions.  Add 1/2 c water to frying pan so that the brats don’t get scorched. Cook on medium heat covered with lid. Stir gently with a spatula every few minutes and add more water if necessary.

2. Meanwhile, scramble 3 eggs with 1 T. milk. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

3. The brats take about 10-15 minutes to cook through. Once they are done, turn down the heat to low and add in the egg mixture.

4. Cover with lid, cook on low for 1-2 minutes until eggs begin to set and turn off heat.  Once eggs begin to set, add cheeses and cover with lid to melt the cheese. DO NOT STIR. Make sure the heat is low enough here that the bottom does not burn.

5. Remove from heat and use a spatula to cut omelet into pieces. Serve with salsa if you like.