Today

Today was a good day. It was park day, duh. Lots of conversations that make you think. And then a big conversation with the big girl after, but that will be on the other blog. Friends are precious things to be treasured. Hubby worked some overtime, but got home in time to have dinner with us. Do I really need to tell you how much I love my crockpot? We had venison stew, mashed potatoes, and fried squash. I wish I had had bacon to cook the squash in, but I made do. Now we are doing family movie night. We are watching Facing the Giants. It is a fantastic Christian movie that we had seen last year and have been looking for ever since. I found it a couple of weeks ago and got it for hubby for his birthday. We went out of town and haven't had a chance to watch it until now.

The marinade for the venison is really good. It would be great for a roast or other big piece of beef. My friend ME gave me the recipe. Her husband is a hunter and she was kind enough to share the recipe and some venison. She had given us some ground venison and I made taco soup with it instead of hamburger. So good, so good. Here's the recipe for the marinade.

Venison-Camp Marinade

2 cups red wine
2 cups Italian dressing
1 cup soy sauce or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 chopped onion
2 to 3 lbs of venison (or beef)

Cover meat with marinade. Marinate for 12-24 hours. If grilling, add steak seasoning to meat while grilling. If cooking in crockpot, cook on high 5-6 hours, then on low for 2-3 hours. If one large piece of meat, cut into chunks halfway through cooking.

I will say that when you hear only use wine you would drink to cook with, I wholeheartedly agree. If you use cheap wine, you get an almost bitter taste. It tastes like cheap wine. If you like it, use it. I also cut it down to 1 1/2 cups instead of 2. The soy sauce can get a little overpowering as well, so I cut it down to 1/2 to 3/4 cup. I do add teriyaki to cut some of the soy taste. I didn't have Italian dressing, but I did have a balsamic viniagrette. That was really good. You could add more dressing if you have it to help cut the wine taste if you want. DO NOT ADD SALT. The soy sauce will take care of that. I add pepper and basil and oregano. I also only cook it on low. It cooks all day and is so tender and delicious.

This is Mother's Day weekend. I am seriously thinking about a pedicure. Being a mom is the best job in the world. I am so blessed to have the family that I do. God has blesed my life with wonderful children and a fantastic husband. I am the richest person in the world. Have a great Mother's Day, ladies. Enjoy every moment of your blessings.

Have a great day!