Sausage and Butternut Stew

How about a five star dinner with only four star ingredients???

Start with a large butternut squash. Peel, cube, dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until tender in a 425 degree oven - about 30-45 minutes, depending on how small you cut them.

Slice up some smoked sausage (I used venison sausage and it was perfect) and brown in a dutch oven in olive oil.

To the sausage add about 8 cups of liquid - chicken broth and water (I used 6 cups chicken broth and 2 of water). Bring to a boil and add 1 1/2 cups wild rice. Cover and simmer, adding the butternut squash whenever it is done. Simmer until rice is tender. The longer you let it go, the thicker it will get (yummmm), but make sure to stir it every once in a while to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom once the liquid thickens up.

That's it! Butternut squash...sausage...wild rice...chicken broth...

Enjoy!

Cubed Venison Stew

I do realize that my posts on this blog have been inconsistent at best, and pictures even more so. Don't hate. I'm 9 months pregnant. Here is a recipe for venison...which is abundant in my freezer, thanks to my gracious in-laws. And their guns.

Roughly chop one sweet onion and 5-6 carrots; saute in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Cut a pack of cubed venison into chunks and add to the pot. After about 3-4 minutes, add a couple Tablespoons of flour, cook it out for a minute, and then add 1 box of chicken broth, stirring constantly. Add to the pot 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 medium baking potatoes (cubed), 1 bag of frozen peas, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil; then cover and simmer for a couple of hours. I'm sure you could do less, but I like to cook early in the afternoon and then let it hang out on the stove till suppertime.

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow when we eat leftovers, but if I don't...maybe I'll be in labor. In the meantime, serve with cornbread and enjoy!

Avocado Pasta

(This one came from here with a few very minor alterations)

Alright, here is a quick post for a quick meal with no picture (sorry). It is super simple and super good; you could eat it alongside chicken or seafood, or as we did last night, as a light supper on its own. It literally takes less than 15 minutes to make.

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add thin spaghetti to the water and cook according to package directions.

While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, scoop out the flesh of 2 avocados; chop them up into smaller pieces and add to the food processor, along with 2-3 minced garlic cloves, the juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, and 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Let 'er rip until creamy.

Drain pasta and stir in the avocado puree. Top with toasted slivered almonds if desired.

And enjoy!