Tag Archive | bison

Recipes: Swedish Meatballs

Papaw’s Swedish Meatballs

Papaw’s Swedish Meatballs
When I was a teenager, my Dad started doing a lot of cooking on the weekends. I don’t know if he was just giving my Mom a break. Or if he simply had more time to do the simple things in life. I mostly remember my Dad working the Night Shift and sleeping during the day.  Of course his weekends were usually reserved for Golf.  Until the late fall and winter.

One of those winter weekend meals was what he called Swedish Meatballs. I wrote this recipe down one Saturday when I was helping to make dinner. Actually he told me to come make the meatballs, after he tossed everything into a big mixing bowl. Pretty sure he didn’t need the help. He just wanted someone else to get their hands into mixing and kneading the meat together with the eggs. Come on, what kid didn’t like playing in the mud and squishing the goop between your fingers. Cooking like this is the same thing. You just get to say you’re cooking, instead of playing in the goop.

Preparation Time:
20 minutes preparation,
30+ minutes cooking time Continue reading

Recipes: Traditional Meatloaf

Mamaw’s Meatloaf

Mamaw’s Traditional Meatloaf
When I was young, my Mom worked. In my neighborhood, she was the only working Mom at the time. She was a Nurse that had started out her career in the ER. Tough job! But she still found time for all 3 of her girls.

Every now and then, she would make a quick dinner. There were various versions of that, but my favorite was her Meatloaf. I don’t know if there’s anything special or unusual about the way she made it. She did tell me once when I asked to help make it, that she makes it the way her Mom taught her. But instead of using the spices and herbs from scratch, she simplified that seasoning with a packaged version.

When I asked her to teach me how she made it with my Grand Mother, she checked the pantry and thankfully we had all the traditional seasoning to give it a go. So this is her from scratch recipe. I still like it. Continue reading

Recipes: Juicy Hamburgers

Papaw’s Burgers

Papaw Carey’s Juicy Hamburgers

I have memories from when I was a child, watching my dad mix various ingredients into ground beef to make hamburger patties. They always added that extra special flavor that made them so much better than just plain hamburgers.

My Dad would get a large amount of ground beef at the local Butcher’s Shop to bring home for hamburgers. He would make the patties and put them between wax paper squares to freeze a batch for us to enjoy throughout the summer.  It’s one big reason I would love to have a big freezer at my house now.

Over the years, I’ve altered the recipe slightly to our taste, but they’re based on Dad’s original recipe. And they still taste great straight from the grill! Continue reading

Recipes: Jack Chili

Garrett’s Jack Superbowl Chili

On one particularly cold Superbowl day, Gary told me this would be a perfect time for some hot chili. It didn’t take long for him to off to the grocery store for a few items.

One thing this chili variation reminds me of, is my Dad. Gary likes beans in his chili too. Thankfully our son follows the taste buds of the paternal side of our family. This is one of his favorites as well. But I still don’t get the bean thing. It’s not for me.

This special Jack Chili is sure to fire up any Superbowl party. Pick your desired ‘hotness’ and serve.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
– You’ll put it in the fridge overnight
– Than heat it up 2 hours before serving. Preferably in the smoker part of a grill.
Serves: 6 to 8 Continue reading

Recipes: Stove Top Chili

Papaw’s Stove Top Chili

When I was young, my Dad would make chili on a cold fall weekend. I wasn’t real fond of his chili, because he liked beans. He would add as many variety of beans in his mix that we had on-hand in the pantry. Then he let it cook all day on top of the stove.

It smelled great, as it wafted through the house. But I don’t like beans. My recipe is much like his, with a few tweaks. Like, I don’t add beans. You certainly can add your favorites to this mix. But no thanks. 😉

The trick to good chili is the meat. You can use chicken or beef with this recipe. But if you use beef, make it a good quality ground beef. Back in the early 2000s, we tried Bison with this recipe and it was extraordinarily fabulous. I highly suggest using it for any of your home cooked beef ground meals!

Also: You might like to try the Slow Cooked Chili recipe as well. It’s different from this one.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 Hours
Serves: 9 to 12 Continue reading