Stuffed Tortillas for Try it Tuesday

This week is not going anything the way it had been planned.  By this time the tree should have been restrung and the ornaments would be getting put upon it.  The rest of the Christmas decorations for the main floor would have been out and we would be ready to start decorating the basement.  My menu would have been planned for Mom's birthday/Santa party and the shopping and prep began.

So how is this week really going?  We got all the lights off of the tree and put the lamps into two of the sections, neither of which are working properly.  There are still lamps not lighting and we can't figure out why.  We are getting frustrated and angry.  No other decorating is getting done because all of our time and attention has been on the tree.  We will work on it until Thursday, if by Friday we still cannot figure it out, Frank says he is cutting off all the strands from the prelit tree and buying new lights to hang on the tree.  This is after we spent $500 on the lamps to replace the old ones!!

We had planned to work on it for a while tonight and then last night we got a call from Frank's brother letting us know that Danielle's choir is singing at her school tonight so we went there instead. As we were leaving the garage, Frank asked if I had watered the pigs today.  I replied that I hadn't so he said we better do that before we leave.  What a good thing!!!  When we went back to water them we discovered that the heat lamp had fallen and the straw in their lean to had started on fire.  God was really looking out for us!!  We would have lost not only our pigs but possibly our barn and our woods behind the barn.  It could have been a calamity.

We got the fire out and made it in time to the choir concert which was very nice.  All the kids did a great job.

True to form with the rest of the week, Yes I know the week is only 2 days old but it seems much longer.  I had printed out a recipe from allrecipes.com for tonight's dinner. It was called Texas Venison and was submitted by Craig.  I grabbed the recipe, my venison, some onion and some cumin and that was where the similarity to the recipe and what I made ended.

My dinner has not a glimmer of the original recipe.  So I renamed it and I am sharing it here with you.  I would recommend it during those busy, crazy weeks when nothing is going as scheduled. It was a throw in the crockpot and forget type meal that turned out delicious and hearty.  It also made a ton of burrito stuffing.  You could feed a family of 10 with all that it made or in our case a family of two with plenty left for lunch the next day and freezer meals to boot.  I am sharing this recipe at Thrifty Thursday as well.  You should pop by there for great money saving ideas, especially important this time of year.

I used venison but you could use any meat you like.

If you use venison, make sure you cut away any fat or silverskin.

This is where the gamy taste comes from.

If you remove it, I guarantee no one will know this meat from beef.

Throw a handful of flour into a bag with some seasoning salt and pepper.

Put in the venison and shake to coat.

Heat cooking oil (I use coconut oil) over med high heat in a large skillet.

Add the venison, cook and stir until browned

Remove from pan to a crockpot, reserving the remaining oil.

Pour the remainders of the seasoned flour from the bag into the skillet.

Cook for a few moments, add the cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper.

Cook a few moments longer.  Add the onions and cook until they start to soften.

Pour in the tomatoes and chilis with the juices and cook, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour the tomato mixture over the meat.

Add the water, rice, drained corn and drained and rinsed beans.

Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

When ready to serve, pile into the center of a warmed tortilla.

Top with desired amount of cheese and fold into a packet.

Flip over and garnish with salsa and sour cream.

Spanish Venison and Rice

1 lb. venison, all fat and silver skin removed, cut into bite size pieces
seasoning salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. flour
2 T. coconut oil
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 c. water
1 c. long grain white rice
1 (14 oz) can corn, drained
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed.
Flour Tortillas
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream

Place the flour, seasoning salt and pepper into a plastic bag.  Add the venison and shake to coat.  Heat oil in a large skillet over med high heat.  Shake any loose flour from the meat and add it to the skillet. Cook until browned on all sides.  Remove meat from skillet with a slotted spoon and place it in the crock of a slow cooker.  In the oil still in the pan, add any seasoned flour left in the bag.  Cook and stir until brown.  Add the seasoning and cook a moment longer.  Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften.  Add the canned tomatoes and chilis with their juices into the skillet.  Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Pour over the meat in the crockpot.  Add the rice, corn and beans.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

When ready to serve place a 1/2 c. of the Spanish Venison and Rice onto a large flour tortilla that has been warmed.  Sprinkle with desired amount of cheese and fold into a packet.  Flip packet over, seam side down and garnish with Salsa and Sour Cream.  Print Recipe