Here are a few to get you started: Poor Man's Salami 2-21/2 lb ground venison 1 cup water 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, mustard seed 2 tbls liquid smoke 3 tbls Morton's Tender Quick salt Combine all the ingredients and form the mixture into two 8-inch long rolls. Wrap in foil with the shiny side next to the meat. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Pierce the foil in several places on the bottom side of the roll with a toothpick. Place the rolls on the oven rack over a pan containing 1/2 cup water. Bake at 225 derees for about 2 hours. Venison Breakfast Sausage 4 lbs ground venison 2 lbs ground pork 1/2 Burgundy 1tsp garlic powder 2 onions, liquified in blender 4 tsp basic smoke salt* 4 tsp marjoram 3 tbls mustard with horseradish 1 tbls pepper 2 tsp sage 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp ground nutmeg 3/4 tsp rosemary Combine all ingredients well. Form into patties and fry. Or stuff casings to make breakfast links. *Basic Smoke Salt This is a seasoned salt mixture I devised years ago for smoking meats. It's a great general seasoning salt as well: 1 package table salt (1 lb 10 oz) 1 tbls onion salt 2 tbls celery salt 1 tbls garlic salt 2 tbls paprika 4 tbls white pepper 2 tbls dill salt 4 tbls white sugar Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container (canning jars work great) Spicy Game Sausages 1 3/4 lb venison or other game meat, ground 1 3/4 lb pork, ground 1 tbls smoke salt 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp black pepper 5 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tsp rubbed sage 1/4 tsp ground allspeice variations: 1 tbls curry powder 2 tsp cumin seed Combine all ingredients. Stuff into casings or make into chubs. For people with dietary restrictions forbidding pork, this next is particularly suitible. Scott Darrohn's venison sausage 4 lb venison,ground 1 lb beef fat 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/8 tsp cayenne 2 tsp ground sage 1/2 tsp ground allspice Combine venison, beef fat, and seasonings and pass through meat grinder. With hands, shape; meat into 4-ounce patties. The sausage can be prepared any way you like it, or frozen for later use. This next is reminescent of Boudin sausages, but actually has a totally different flavor: Venison & Potato Sausage 10 lbs ground lean venison 10 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper 10 lbs ground raw potato 3 lb ground raw onion Sausage casings Grind meat, potatoes and onions separately first, then mix all together with salt & pepper and put through meat grinder a second time. Fill sausage casings by hand or with a sausage stuffer attachment on your meat grinder. Tie off or twist sausage into individual links or leave whole. Do not pack casings too tightly or they will burst when cooked. Wrap in meal sized packages and freeze. To serve, punch a few holes in the casing to release pressure as the sausage expands while cooking. Put frozen sausage in boiling water and let simmer for 45 minutes. If preferred you can add up to 3 lbs ground pork to the mixture before stuffing the casings. BTW, if all you have is ground meat, that's fine. But if you're starting with whole cuts, it's best to spread the herbs and spices on the meat before grinding. Then double grind the meat. This assures that the herbs and spices are evenly distributed throughout.

There are two kinds of dumplings, fluffy and slick (also called sliders). This recipe from my cousin Pat is the thin, slick type of dumpling. Pat's Dumplings - from our family reunion in 1995 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons shortening 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup water 1.Mix together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour/salt mixture using a pastry blender, fork or two knives. Stir in water to form a soft dough.(Usually takes a little more water!) 2.On a floured surface, roll out dough very thin with a rolling pin. Cut into 1 inch wide strips (I use a pizza cutter, but a sharp knife works also). Tear 1 inch long pieces of dough from these strips and drop into simmering broth. 3.Cook 10 minutes with the pot lid off, then 10 minutes more with the lid on. Serve with the broth and chicken meat, if using. Teresa

Hand Cut French Fries with Spicy Ketchup Use direct/medium heat on grill 1/4 cup ketchup 1/2 tsp chile sauce 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar 2 russet potatoes, about 8 oz each 1 T olive oil 1 T minced garlic 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper In a small bowl mix together the ketchup, chile sauce and balsamic vinegar. Set aside Scrub the potatoes under cold running water and dry thoroughly but do not peel. cut lengthwise into 1/2" thick slices, then cut the slices into 1/4" thick wedges. Place the wedges in a medium bowl. Toss with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the wedges on the grill, being careful not to let them drop through the openings. Cook directly over medium heat until golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. For extra crispy fries, open the grill and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, turning once. Serve warm with the ketchup. Makes 4 servings. source:Weber's The Art of the Grill My note: I tried this with one large baking potato. Sliced maybe 1/4-1/8" thick slices. Rolled them in light olive oil,garlic powder and salt & pepper. Grilled until browned. My ketchup mixture was about 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup chile sauce and I drizzled a bit of balsamic vinegar. Very good!

It's cold here this morning, and a crockpot with pork roast in it sounds very inviting! I have 2 recipes I use for pork roast in the crockpot. The first one is probably what you're looking for - we like it with mashed potatoes. The second will feed a big crowd, and has Mexican flavors. CRANBERRY PORK ROAST (serves 4-6) 1 boneless pork loin roast (approx. 3 lbs) 1 16 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. cranberry juice 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. dry cloves Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Mash cranberry sauce in a bowl, mix it with the sugar, juice and spices. Pour over the roast - cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat from the pot and keep warm while you make the gravy. Skim fat from juices, measure 2 cups (adding water if necessary) and pour into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Make a paste with 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water - stir into gravy - cook and stir until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: I don't always thicken the gravy, sometimes I just use what's in the pot by itself). ------------------------------------------------------------ CHALUPA PORK ROAST 3 lb. pork roast (bone in) 1 lb. pinto beans 2 very large cloves fresh chopped garlic 2 Tbsps. chile powder 1 Tbsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. oregano 1 can chopped green chiles 1 Tbsp. salt Trim fat off meat, wash and sort the beans, combine all ingredients in a large crockpot and cover with water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours - remove bones, break up roast - continue to cook until beans are tender and mixture is thickened. Serve burrito style (flour tortillas, cheese, chopped veggies, sour cream etc.) seagrass