Deer Me!! (Deer Bacon Burger Meatloaf)

After my dad bagged his third deer of the season this morning, my mom and I started racking our brains for more recipes that can be made with deer bacon hamburger.  This afternoon's effort is meatloaf.

I've never made a meatloaf before, and this is my effort combining a few traditional recipes found on www.allrecipes.com.  I thought the result was pretty good, I would probably enjoy it more if I was even more of a deer meat fan.  My husband thought it was good too, but I will probably keep playing with the recipe until I love it as much as my mom's traditional recipe - if that's possible.

Here's my recipe you can play with:

2 pounds deer meat with bacon added in during processing

1 chopped onion or 1/2 a bag of frozen, chopped onion

1 Tbsp butter

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1.5 cups BBQ sauce (I had Sweet Baby Ray's Original on hand.)

2 eggs, whisked

1 tsp of minced garlic (jarred)

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute chopped onion with butter.  I microwaved my onion and butter for four minutes, stirring at two minutes.  Mix meat, onion, bread crumbs, one cup barbecue sauce, eggs, garlic, and chili powder thoroughly. Press into two 9x5" greased loaf pans.  Bake 35 minutes. Mix remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce with brown sugar.  Spoon over each loaf.  Return pans to oven, and cook for another 10 minutes or until the meatloaves reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Deer Bacon Burger Tacos are still my favorite.  See the recipe here: http://hallshomestead.blogspot.com/2014/05/deer-me-deer-bacon-burger-tacos.html

Pinterest Fail: Green Bean Teepee

If you clicked here looking for how to make a green bean teepee successfully, click on, sister.  This is not what you are seeking....unless you want to learn from my mistakes.

First, I must confess, I'm not actually on Pinterest.  I know that if I join, my family and friends would rarely see me, and the random sightings would only be at craft stores and involve glue, stray bits of fabric, and dough covering my clothing.  I know my limitations, people.

I do, however, see what others share on Facebook, and I will occasionally tackle projects.  Such is the case with the much lauded "Green Bean Teepee."  Seriously, if you've been anywhere near Pinterest, Facebook, a Disney Family magazine, or a gardening publication in the past few years, you have probably seen the fantastic, legendary, GREEN BEAN TEEPEE.  So I tried it, and failed miserably.

Here's how to fail in a few easy steps:

1. Do a soil test. Make sure your dirt is pitiful.  If your soil stinks, stuff won't grow, even weeds are reluctant.  I tried to make our teepee in the back yard, which is still fresh from the dirt work of house construction.  
2. Get a couple of big dogs.  You really need some big dogs to mow down your teepee structure after you have worked so super duper hard to set it up just right for your kiddos to enjoy.  After they have knocked it down, be sure to set it up in a less satisfactory fashion.  Be sure to make sure it leans a little, like you were drinking heavily when you set it up.
3. Repeat Step 2.  That's right, wait a a day or two with your fingers crossed, and then let your dogs run it over AGAIN.  This time they should hit it hard enough to snap the metal rod encased in the thick plastic gardening stake.  For a classy touch, pull out your best duct tape and "repair" the broken stake.
4. Watch the green beans sprout up with excitement.  Watch their growth stop at about four inches, SO CLOSE to the first level of twine you are expecting the tendrils to clasp onto with vigor.  Watch the growth stop for a month or two before the sprouts disappear

Congratulations!  You now have a really tacky piece of yard art that only a few stray weeds will cling onto months later.  Take joy when people ask you "What's THAT???!!!" repeatedly.

And, there you have it, how to fail at a green bean teepee.

^^Pinterest Fail Documented^^

But, in all seriousness, we really will try this again. A green bean teepee does seem like a wonderful way to get kiddos outside even more and to add some sweet, magical memories to their childhood. And, it really does seem easy, in theory.

To increase the odds of success, I am adding a whole bunch of organic material to the back yard in an effort to improve the soil. Be sure to check back for a post on pine straw and chicken litter. (Are you at the edge of your seat in anticipation?)

And, fingers crossed, the dogs will be a year older this spring and a lot less rambunctious (hopefully).

 

Pet Project: Katydid

Well, we have a new pet today - a katydid.

Turns out they are pretty easy to keep, unlike the toad we collected a couple of weeks ago, but I digress.

If you happen upon a katydid and want to keep it as a pet, check out this informative WikiHow article on katydids:  http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-a-Katydid-Insect  Here's how we followed the handy tips provided in that article.

We made the suggested habitat using an empty container that once held snacks from Costco.  We began with a layer of potting soil, topped it with some sandy soil out of the yard, stuck some recently propagated spearmint into the dirt, and added a stick, rocks, pine straw, etc. And, voila!!  We have a katydid habitat:

Be sure to mist your katydid daily and provide it with some Romaine lettuce, as mentioned in the link.

"He" has been named "Climber."  Never mind, that I think "he" is trying to lay eggs at the moment.

A picture of Climber trying to lay eggs.  On a related note, in my Googling, I found that Katydids/Bushcrickets have the largest testes in proportion to the their body size (up to 14% of  their body) of all insects.  <<Something to share at the water cooler.

An enjoyable and informative blog on katydids that you may like if you enjoyed this post: http://capeblogfromthebog.blogspot.com/2012/05/cacophony-of-katydids.html

And, on a side note, if you are looking for great information about that toad that your kids have brought into the house, check out this helpful site:

http://www.toadilytoads.com/toadilytoads_faqs.html  

For a chuckle, be sure to read the answer to "My toad begins making cute little chirps when I pet him. I think this means he's singing because this feels good. What do you think, am I right?"