Venison Burger

 My husband and I cooked some mouth-watering venison burgers tonight. I'm pretty picky about Venison and wild boar meat. I don't like a strong gamey taste. But these burgers are amazing. Whether you cook them on the grill, stove, or cast iron frying pan, the taste is unbeatable.

This recipe is per two pounds of meat. So adjust accordingly. (There are 5 lbs. in the picture)

2 pounds of ground venison

6 Saltine cracker crushed

1 egg

1 teaspoon of minced onion or onion powder

2 teaspoons of paprika

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of black pepper.

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

Mix all of the above into your ground venison. Mix thoroughly. Separate your meat into equal-sized balls, then roll them out into patties. Lightly salt each pattie now. Cook them however you prefer. ( I cook mine in the oven using a broiler. I cooked for thirty minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure your juices are running clear and you'll know it's done.

Simple Chicken Wings

2 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of Mustard

1/4 cup of soy sauce

5 pounds of chicken wings

Mix brown sugar, mustard, and soy sauce together in a bowl. Measure 1/4 cup marinade for basting and transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate.

Place wings in a large resealable bag. Pour remaining marinade over wings, coating well. Seal and marinate wings at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove chicken wings from resealable bag and transfer to a baking sheet. Discard marinade. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Baste wings with reserved 1/4 cup marinade; cook, basting every 10 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 30 more minutes.

Hamburger Steak with Creamy Onion Gravy

For the Patties:
3 tablespoons of cooking oil (canola, vegetable)
1-1/2 pounds of 80/20 ground chuck
3/4 cup of onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
About 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour, for dipping the patties

For the Gravy:
1 large onion, halved and sliced (about 3 cups sliced)
1 cup of beef broth
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of seasoned salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, optional
1 teaspoon of browning & seasoning sauce (like Kitchen Bouquet), optional
2 cups of sliced mushrooms, optional

Instructions

Heat the cooking oil over medium-high in a large heavy-bottomed stainless skillet. In a medium-sized bowl, gently combine the ground chuck, chopped onion, egg, hot sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Shape into 4 to 6 equal sized patties. Dip each patty into the flour and cook until browned on both sides; remove and set those aside.

Add the sliced onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly caramelized, stirring regularly. Whisk together the beef broth, water, 1/4 cup of flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and the Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet, if using, until well combined. Pour into the skillet with the onions and stir constantly, until mixture begins to thicken.

Return the hamburger steaks to the skillet, turn to coat, add sliced mushrooms if using, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, covered, for about 20 minutes longer. Serve with mashed potatoes and some green beans, or a mixed garden salad on the side.

Cook's Notes: The brown gravy for these is pretty good all on its own since its reliant on the pan drippings, but if you have it, just that little bit of Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet adds a bit more depth and is delicious. If you find that you need a binder, add in a small amount of fresh bread crumbs to the ground beef. If using pre-made hamburger steak patties, omit the onion, egg and hot sauce, and sprinkle both sides of the patties with the seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper, pressing in the seasoning a bit. Then dip each patty in the flour and proceed with the remaining recipe.

Chicken fried steak with country gravy

INGREDIENTS STEAKS: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large egg 1/4 cup water 2 pounds cube steak COUNTRY GRAVY: 3 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or beef broth 1 cup milk salt and pepper, to taste

 INSTRUCTIONS PREPARE THE STEAKS: Heat olive oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until ripples begin to form. While the oil heats, whisk 1 cup flour, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Dredge one steak in the flour mixture, then the egg and then back in the flour mixture to coat. Add the steak to the skillet. Repeat with the remaining steaks adding more oil as needed. Work in batches if necessary as to not overcrowd the pan. (Overcrowding will cause the steaks to steam and the coating will not get crisp.) Cook the steaks for 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Flip the steaks and continue cooking for an additional 4 minutes until golden. Transfer the steaks to a platter or baking sheet and cover with foil to keep warm.

 PREPARE THE GRAVY: Add butter to the skillet and sprinkle with flour. Whisk together in the pan and cook until golden. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and continue cooking until thickened. Stir in the milk until smooth and beginning to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 Serve the steaks immediately with the gravy.