I also grew up eating venison. I didn't even know deer season wasn't year round until I got into high school and my classmates were taking the first day of deer season off. (grin) Yeah, I know, my family called it "government beef" and there was one hanging in a garage somewhere nearly all the time. As Michael pointed out, it needs to be well cleaned, I take off all the hair and bits of fat and sinew. The backstrap is the prime piece, we used to "butterfly" those tenderloin steaks and serve with just salt and pepper. Most of the venison was cooked like beef, my beef is nearly as lean as venison anyway so I don't change my techniques much. Venison does have a more assertive flavor so I use more seasonings than I would with beef. Our venison is mostly from the corn fields and apple orchards and that makes a big difference in flavor. As for the sex, if I'm eating it I'd much prefer a big doe than a buck. Unlike paririe-love, I encourage the shooting of does, it's the only way to cull the herd which has grown so big in our area that special kill permits are being given inside city limits because the deer are eating the landscaping in front of city hall, the library and the schools. A friend in Wisconsin says the deer herd there has grown so large that they are required to take a doe before they can take a buck. Anyway, favorite recipes. I like the typical stew/taco/chili recipes, all have enough seasonings to overcome that venison flavor. I haven't learned to like wine, so that's not a usual ingredient in my cooking, but I keep trying. I do like chunks of venison from steaks or roasts, marinated in Nancy's teriyaki marinade and then grilled with onions and peppers. Asian Marinade for Chicken Breasts 1C veg oil 1/4 C sesame oil 3/4 C soy sauce (Kikkomen) 1/3 C minced garlic 4 Tabsp minced ginger 2/3 C minced cilantro 5-6 green onions 1 tsp grd blk pepper I put the onions, ginger and cilantro in the food rocessor and pulse till chopped fine. Combine all and marinate chicken breasts (or whatever meat you are using) up to 24 hrs. but at least 1 hr if you can I have also put marinade in a freezer bag with chicken and frozen (good to do with the left over) Nancy My family liked this recipe, although the tomato sauce was a bit much for me. My Dad likes olives in the stuffing, but I don't care for olives either, LOL. I think you could add anything you like to the stuffing, like capers or pickled jalapenos or mushrooms. Hmmmm, maybe spinach and cheese, a kind of florentine....well, you get the idea. Stuffed Venison Steak Ingredients: Venison (or beef) Steaks Fresh Parsley (chopped) Scallions (chopped) Ham Salami Sliced Provolone Cheese Grated Cheese chopped olives Olive Oil Salt Pepper Prepared Marinara or Meat Tomato Sauce Directions: Pound venison steak to tenderize. Any cut of steak can be used. Layer the meats, cheeses, parsley, olives and scallions on the pounded steak. Once the steak is layered with your choice of stuffing, salt and pepper to taste. Roll each steak trying to keep as much stuffing in the middle. Tie both ends with thread or cooking string. Some steaks may need to be tied a third time. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown venison on all sides. Gently place browned meat into your pot of marinara sauce. Turn on low and allow to simmer for one and a half to two hours. I've not tried it but I think Ann T's salisbury steak recipe would be good with venison too. Salisbury Steak In Mushroom And Green Peppercorn Sauce ====================================================== 2 Pounds of ground Sirloin 1 onion finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic minced 2 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 2 Teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 Tablespoon of worcestershire Sauce 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard Salt and Pepper to taste Sauce 1/2 small onion chopped 1 garlic clove minced 1 Tablespoon green peppercorns Fresh Mushrooms sliced 2 Tablespoons Flour Broth 2 to 3 cups (Beef or chicken) Pan drippings plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter/margarine or oil. Saute onions in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until tender but not browned. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. In a bowl combined ground sirloin, parsley, thyme, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Add onions and garlic and mix well. (I use my hands). Form into oval shaped patties. (I made 5 nice size ones from the 2 pounds, but you could make smaller if you prefer) If you have a grill pan use it. Heat pan until hot and grill steaks until grilled on both sides. Add a bit of broth to the pan to pick up the drippings to add to sauce. Saute onion in 1 Tablespoon of oil until tender. Add mushroom and cook for 3 or 4 minutes and add flour. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes and add broth and green peppercorns. Place Salisbury Steaks in with sauce and continue to cook on low for at least one hour. This makes the meat really fork tender. NOTES: I used Chicken Broth but added some beef/veal demi glaze that I made a week or two ago. It added flavor and color to the sauce. I had actually gone for a walk while this was cooking so it was probably more like an 1-1/2 hours, although 1 hour would probably be enough. Serves 4 (Ann T) Good luck, and have fun cooking. Annie

James, You don't owe me an apology. I'm just glad you tried that method to cook rice. It really does product the perfect rice every time. Thanks for the ginger beef recipe. Adding to my "to try" list. Soon. Ann

Thank you all for your birthday greetings. Mom, it is amazing how quickly one comes after the other. We had dinner with our neighbours Clif and Barb on Thursday night, including birthday cake. And Matt came home for the weekend, so I made dinner last night, Green Peppercorn steak. A family favourite. ~Ann

I just made these the other night.... 1 lb ground round/80% lean(You need a little oil from the meat to make this taste good) 1 cup flour 1 med yellow onion salt & pepper/seasoning salt 4 TBL canola oil 2 cups beef broth Dash of Kitchen Bouquet(for color)optional Pat ground beef into 4 patties. Dredge in flour with salt and pepper to taste. (I put flour on a little bread plate and lay the patties on the flour). Put 4 TBL cooking oil into skillet, heat, then drop patties into hot skillet. Brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add 1 diced onion, cook till glassy. Remove to a plate. Add remaining flour to skillet, stir till it starts turning brown, making a roux with a little of the oil still left in the pan....or add 2 TBL butter if needed. Now add 2 cups beef broth, adding slowly, whisking as you go, add the Kitchen Bouquet(optional). Once it's thickened, add the onions back in, more salt & pepper if needed. Serve the onion gravy over the patties.