THANKS-LIVING PIC. 13

Someone called before Cale left to go deer hunting.

I took his pic. and told him it looked like he was calling the deer to set up a time and place!

Funny in my mind!

This is before my adventure! Notice the smile! ha.

I'm thankful for God's provision to us. He has always provided our needs. On this particular day, I'm thinking of food provision. My husband loves to hunt, always has, but I had tried to cook the deer meat in our early years of marriage, and actually tasted it one time, but just couldn't bare eating something so cute! Anyway.... fast forward to 2004 when we moved here. One of the first meals we had at church, one of the deacons I have posted about before, Harold, came to me and had a pan of meat. He said, "Linda, (thats what he calls me)
I want you to try this, I cooked it." I looked at it. It looked good, smelled good, but since I've been fooled before by my own mother in law of all people into eating something that I thought was something else, I have since learned to ask what IT is before I partake of it. So, I asked what it was. He said, "Deer tenderloin, you'll love it." I'm thinking..."I REALLY don't want this, but I guess tis better to eat it and go home and throw up than offend this man." So, I tasted it, and I absolutely, thoroughly loved it. I had him tell me how to cook it, and every since, I gladly send my men to the woods and tell them to come home with tenderloin! Now, that is my thankful moment for this post, meat for our table.
Now, here is my other story, or two about it. I don't do anything but cook the meat. Scot and Cale hunt it and kill it, Scot dresses it, etc. which is a long process. We've learned that is the key to Good deer meat. The dressing of it is as important as the cooking of it. After Scot cuts it up, he soaks it in ice for several days changing the water (ice) once and twice a day. We love the roast and tenderloin that we get from this. We have also had some ground before and I cooked with it just like I do ground beef. I actually like it much better than ground beef. Deer steaks are tastier to me than a beef steak. A couple of dishes I cook with deer is of course tenderloin and gravy, and it's soooo easy even a caveman can do it! Sorry, that just popped in my mind....
I put the tenderloin in a crock pot, salt and pepper it, pour a can of cream of mushroom soup over it, and cook on low all day. I make a big bowl of mashed potatoes and cook some biscuits or rolls, and we Georges are a happy bunch! I also cook the roast that way. Another way we cook it is on the grill. Scot tenderizes the tenderloin, wraps it around one piece of onion and bellpepper, and sticks a toothpick through this, marinates it in Moore's sauce in the fridge and grills it. Sometimes we put jalepeno peppers in it too. Sooooooo yummmy!!!!! Making my mouth water just telling you about it. So, I got over the "cuteness" of the deer, etc. and now that I know how to cook it, I look forward to having my freezer stocked with this wonderful meat. It is healthy for us and it saves alot of money at the grocery store.
Now, to my hunting story, and then I'm done for this time:
I went hunting with Scot and Cale Jan. 1, 2008. I dressed like a deer hunter and everything. I learned several things during that long 3 or 4 hours! (felt like days) The most important thing I learned was I had to be quiet. Not only could I not say anything, I could not even move or breath loud! I hum when I'm bored and that was even out! I watched and watched and watched, hoping I'd have something to carry home to show for my time, but nothing ever happened. So, we came home empty handed. But, I had bonded with my husband in that little hunting house (as long as my neck didn't pop in the process, I could actually look over his way and smile at him!) and I learned to be nice and quiet and still. (for 3 or 4 hours anyway) So, I guess I'll just keep cooking and eating it and let them do the waiting and shooting part!