Thursday, December 1, 2011

Michigan Badass Stew

Our go-to winter recipe is "put some veggies & a slab of meat in the crock-pot & cook 'til done." Today's recipe uses all Made in Michigan ingredients. Why? Because they are the best. I'm not making that up. It's a fact. Texas has their beef. Iowa has corn. California has tofu. Michiganders have venison. So, let's start with the venison. My husband butchers all his own deer. He starts with roasts & steaks & all that good stuff. The leftover pieces are labeled "stew meat" or "burger". Don't let the name keep you from thinking outside the box. Stew meat is also great for pot pies & pasties. This badass stew requires 3-4 lbs of stew meat (depending on the size of your pot). Next up, are the veggies. I grew potatoes in the garden this year. What I got was a bowl full of baby potatoes. These are great, because they require no chopping. Just scrub 'em up & drop 'em into the crock-pot. (No need to peel potatoes if you grew your own, thus avoiding pesticides & poisons.) I did peel my tiny onions & cut the ends off. (Apparently, onions do not have enough time to reach their full potential in Michigan.) Carrots & rutabagas grow well here. I peeled & scrubbed a rutabaga & some carrots, cut them into big chunks & threw them in with the other root vegetables. Stir up the meat & veggies. Pour in 2 cups well water & 1 bottle of Badass beer. It tastes amazing & of course, it's made in the Great Lakes state! Plus, you have 5 left to enjoy while supper cooks itself. Cook it low & slow. When hubby gets home from working in the cold, he'll appreciate a warm meal. Serve with salt & pepper. Save the carrot peels for your chickens!