Slow Cooking

I bought a new slow cooker by Bella for $20.   I have a 7 quart Hamilton Beach which I love, but sometimes it runs hot and I don't want things overcooked.  I don't think I have it filled enough even though I am feeding a large family.  I have one that is 3 1/2 quarts, not big enough for daily meals.  

It is manual,  I like to keep my slow cookers simple.
I do not have a picture of the finished product but I tried Crock-Pot Sticky Chicken from Flavour & Savour.  It was a winner and just a small portion for leftovers.

Since I have the never ending supply of ground venison I am looking up more recipes calling for ground beef. 

Piggyback post: Is Hunting Worth It?

American Grouch posted a great article Is Hunting Worth It?  Definitely worth a read.  In the past I have posted about deer season and the anticipation that surrounded being able to fill my freezer up with deer meat.  This was not always the case.  
For years a grew up with Walt Disney visions of Bambi filling my head.  The men in my family fished if anything.  I wasn't quite as bad as this:

I wasn't too far off though.  
The more I learned about factory farming and throw in all the different diet information that comes out everyday (eat meat, don't eat meat, eat eggs, stay away from eggs, etc.)  You can see how hunting was way back in my thought process.  I also grew up in Queens and you just didn't go out and hunt.  I was also told that girls didn't fish.  Yep.
So I did what most people do, I ate faceless meat.  I had wild game at friend's houses and was given some from time to time.  Then I married a man who's family were a ranching family and inherited a brother-in-law who is a farmer.  I had already cooked and eaten deer from his freezer.  The first year we were married he went out with the hunting party and brought in a deer.  Before they started processing he called me out to look at our deer.  Thankfully he tread carefully and I recognized the right of passage of some of the bloodied children and went to look at our deer.  He told me I didn't have to, but I did.  There wasn't a gaping wound or bloody mess.  Part of me did want to cry, but there was something else.  As I looked down and touched our deer I thanked him for feeding my family and hoped I was deserving of his life.  I think hunting, besides providing food, teaches you more of a reverence for life and death that feels different from when a loved one dies.  This happens daily, a living thing has given it's life for you. I could go into over population and other reasons why hunting is worth it but my statements above sum up why I think it is. 

Humid Day

I hope everyone who celebrates had a good Thanksgiving.  We traveled as usual and the temperature dropped to 19 degrees.  I am far too acclimated living in the south for this kind of weather.

Those who read know this is the time a year we get a deer (or two) to fill the freezer.  Since we had enough leftover we only needed one.  Bad news, we didn't get a deer, good news, one of the in-laws shot a few and gave us one.  I was very thankful indeed!  My MIL also gifted me a typewriter but I've been so busy since we got home I haven't had time to take it out of the case, it will have to wait for a future post.

It's that time of the year folks!  If you want to sign up for the Money Saving Challenge for 2014 head on over to Frugal Makes Cents Two.  I need to reel myself in more and this a perfect opportunity for me to stay on track.

I needed a break from the insanely long Dr. Who scarf I am knitting so here is the silly rabbit I made.  The pattern was free and made from materials I had on hand.