If you wanted to consider a hot side dish that was going to feel fresher and brighter, what about something on the bitter side? Broccoli-rabe might not be comfort food for US born people, but it is for Italians :). Or maybe oven roasted Brussels sprouts? Those are less heavy.

I do like the idea of serving a hot soup, even a good vegetable soup in a nice beef broth can be a treat (especially if you make the broth or can buy some fresh from a local deli/gourmet shop).

Can you make it into venison hash? I mean, it sounds like it was very lean and doesn't have enough fat in it to be moist and succulent ... So maybe adding moisture through potatoes and onion would help?

I'll be watching this, though, because I'm struggling with how to salvage dry roasts (I'm not having good luck with the top round roasts I'm getting through our CSA).

Today I'm combining 2 recipes to use a big top round roast (The Ktichn's technique of making individual pot roasts with Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon recipe). The roast was 4.5 pounds so I cut it into 9 roughly equal sized pieces (half a pound each is a good size).

Now I'm tempted to shred a couple pieces and freeze with plenty of sauce to have a "pot pie base" ready to go. I might not get around to cooking the pot pie in January, but this thread is definitely inspiring!

Yes, I do hate that. And sometimes it is something that you really HAVE to have. Like ...

Shortbread cookies - but no butter in house
Beef Stew - but no onions in the house (or garlic)
Chili - but you're out of chili powder

This is why I love having a big freezer, but even so, it doesn't work for everything. I mean, I can be craving a spinach salad and that freezer isn't going to help me have spinach on hand (at least not spinach that I'd put in a salad).

Good feedback, thanks! I have a FoodSaver & can vac seal things, the trouble is when they arrive with some freezer burn already visible. Or, in the case of the whole chickens, they were frozen into a body position that makes them hard to fit into a vac seal bag. I could stuff a chicken into a bag if it was fresh & limp, but when its been frozen so the drumsticks are flopped out to the sides it's not going to fit.

Maybe I'll just order a large quantity of the ground meat products on the next couple months & pass on the rest of the year. The freezer burn isn't a huge problem on roasts since it's small (and after a long braise it's not even noticeable). But for steaks ... I think it will be an issue in the summer.

After sampling their wares at our local farmers market (porck breakfast sausage and ground beefalo) I joined a local meat CSA. It's an unusual one because you get to pick what you want each month & they deliver it. There is a minimum order total for each month.

So ... what I've learned is that while the ground products (pattties, ground meat, sausage) are all cryovac sealed, the solid cuts of meat are not. Roasts, whole chickens, etc come in a plastic bag that is not vacc sealed.

Everything is frozen, of course. And I've seen some freezer burn on a couple roasts & the whole chickens. Not terrible ... but when a roast is $7-$9/lb and a chicken is $4.50/lb ... it makes me wonder if this is not normal practice.

Thoughts? Should I drop out of the CSA & start looking for another supplier? These folks seem like nice people but I'm not thrilled with whoever is doing their meat processing - unless this is normal for smaller farms?

Do you like the coconut ice cream? You could make a coconut ice cream based pie ...

I tried using gingersnap crust under a pumpkin pie and it did not work, the crust didn't stay crisp. It became wet and not quite mushy, but very disappointing nonetheless.

The other thing I would try, in your shoes, is using the graham cracker crust in a fresh fruit pie that uses well-thickened juice to hold the pie together.

Alternatively, I know some of the homemade Reese's cup recipes use graham cracker crumbs in the peanut butter filling mix to give it more texture and stiffness.

My experience has taught me that I am better off finding a really great restaurant locally (30 minute radius) and letting them maintain their expertise :)

This works well for Szechuan, Thai, Indian, and sushi. I am just NOT going to be able to find all the right ingredients to make my favorite menu items from these places. I mean, without driving to 3 different markets and I am far too lazy/busy to do that.

It has not worked as well for Irish, British, or American foods like lamb shanks, pot roast, or meatloaf. Or pot pies. But those are all things I can easily find the ingredients for, and I do want to cook sometimes :)

Could you substitute a more biscuit like dough? At BoJangles they used to have cinnamon biscuits that were horribly sweet and high fat, and I always thought that if someone made them with a good homemade biscuit (that wasn't as greasy and didn't taste of artificial stuff) it would be really good.

That avoids the time consuming need to knead and rise dough.

Coconut macaroons need egg white ... But not a lot in comparison to the bag of coconut and sweetened condensed milk.

Results : the bag was heavier than 5 pounds, it was closer to 7 pounds. After roasting in the oven, they barely fit into my 8 qt stockpot. I just covered them with water and it was about an inch from the top.

Net result was six containers of stock, 2 cups in each one. The bag of necks was $5. I need to do the math to see how this compares with buying stock (organic, free range).

I sorta expected to get more stock from this much chicken, but it gelled up when it cooled so it is nice and thick. The stuff in cartons doesn't gel up, so even if this was a wash on cost I'd do it again. But I think I would brown the necks in batches in the bottom of 2 pots and brown the veggies before adding the water next time.

This isn't advice, per se. I tried to freeze unbaked lemon rolls (like cinn rolls, but with lemon instead) and after freezing they did not rise. I had made a full batch but froze half ... The ones I cooked normally were great. But the frozen ones never doubled in volume (I tried every trick I know, like getting them in a nice warm place, covering lightly with plastic wrap so they wouldn't dry out, etc).

So If you try freezing, I would do it after rising and par-baking. But I'd be temped to get a can of "whack and unwrap" cinn rolls from Pillsbury or similar.

I know, they aren't nearly as good as real ones, but that's the first thing I could think of. How about a nice chorizo omelette instead?

Hmmm, I'm not a fan of the boneless ham but since it was a gift ...

Alton Brown has a method of cooking a ham that calls for mustard, brown sugar, and a ginger snap crust. I don't do the ginger snap crust bit, but the mustard and brown sugar work well (as does the low temp in the oven to slowly heat it without drying it out).

If someone gifted me a boneless ham, that is what I would do.

Or I would make a ham and potato soup with it. I love ham and potato soup ... And an "okay but not fabulous" ham will be compensated for by the onions, potatoes, and creamy base.

I joined an interesting meat CSA (interesting in that you pick what you want in your box each month) and I got two bags of chicken necks so I can make stock/broth.

Each bag is 5 pounds. I usually make stock from roasted chicken carcasses, using 1 per pot. Should I use 1 bag of necks per pot? Or split a bag between 2 pots? The pots are 6 & 8 qt stock pots, not monster ones.

I need an online calculator to convert chicken neck weight to chicken carcass weight ;)

I usually stop baking when I run out of butter :)

I love a good shortbread cookie for several reasons:

1). They aren't overly sweet usually
2). They don't spread much as they bake so you can put more cookies on a cookie sheet (less time baking).

My personal favorite is from Farmgirl Fare and it is shortbread cookies with toffee bits and mini chocolate chips. I roll the dough out flat on a sheet of parchment with plastic wrap on top (so the rolling pin doesn't stick to the dough). Then I freeze the dough for 5-10 min, cut into shapes, and bake on fresh parchment paper. Oh, and by "cut into shapes" I mean I use my pizza cutter to make squares or diamonds ... Not anything difficult.

Anyways, the recipe is great and so easy. I really like rolling them between the plastic wrap and parchment, it makes it dead simple and quick to bake. The recipe is online on her website, worth a look if you have time to go get the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits at the store.

Envy and drool ... I love lamb. The Mr isn't so fond of it so I wind up clapping my hands with glee every time I either go to Ireland (where it's on every menu) or see Braised Lamb Shank on a menu here.

It supposedly makes them taste less turnip-y, and I think it works somewhat. I have made them both ways, but never close enough together in time that I could say it was a huge difference.

Well, let me clarify ... I usually soak them. The couple times I haven't soaked them it was after months of not making them and I thought, "either soaking really works, or I forgot how turnipy these taste." But after half a serving I start liking the turnip flavor (it grows on you, like parsnips). So when I make them again and I soak them in milk ... Say 2 weeks later ... I am possibly still in the mode of "yumm, turnip flavor" and that might make me think that soaking did something when it did not.

That's probably clear as mud ... I keep meaning to try half a batch with and without soaking and bake them side by side. Haven't done it yet, though.

They are stupid-easy ... But they still taste a lot like turnips, just sweeter.

1 large rutabaga or 3-4 medium turnips, peeled, quartered, and sliced into 1/4" thickness

Soak them in milk for 15 min while you preheat the oven to 425 (maybe 2/3 to 1 cup of milk, I use a ziplock bag so they are sort of marinated in the milk)

When the oven is hot, dump the turnips into a colander and rinse, then dry them somewhat. You can pat them dry with a paper towel or just use a salad spinner to get most of the moisture off.

Toss turnips with some oil (2-4 TB) and salt (1tsp) and a little cayenne pepper or garlic powder or fresh black pepper. I like the black pepper best.

Spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, aiming for a single layer, and cook for 20-30 min. Flip them halfway through. The duration is really dependent on how thin or thick your slices are. If you started with a big rutabaga you may need 2 cookie sheets, just rotate them when you turn the turnips.

When they come out of the oven, I like to use my micro plane to dress them with some pecorino Romano (or Parmesan, if you have that instead).

They aren't as yummy as fries, but they are a little healthier and I won't make fries at home because I hate to deep fry stuff. I reserve my French fry servings for places that make good fries (5 Guys, for instance).

POT PIES
BRAISED BEEF

Oh yeah, the world ends tomorrow. The day before our 2 week holiday shutdown ... Typical!

But anyways ... I had half of a Trader Joes ham and cheese croissant with roasted Brussels sprouts and turnip fries followed by a half pint of coconut-based chocolate ice cream (I love dairy, just wanted to see what this stuff is like).

The croissant baked up nicely in the oven and imbued a cheesy aroma to the kitchen. The ice cream was good, but not great (it's no Ben and Jerry's).

Had I remembered it was the end of the world I would have skipped the veggies and protein and snarfed the Sticky Toffee Pudding that's in the fridge. Darn!

Open Meadow Farms may be able to get you one, it depends on how big their pigs are & when they go to the butcher. If you need it for Christmas, its probably cutting it too close but it's worth a shot. He's one of the few places I know that will let you order a cut of animal without ordering half the animal.

I find that as long as I roll with parchment on the bottom and plastic wrap on top ... Every cookie is easy to roll.

That said, aren't there some cool tessellating cookie cutter shapes out there?

We just got back from a trip to Tampa and since I got such great advice from previous threads on where to eat, I thought I'd post the results ... This wound up being long, so in case you can't read the whole thing let me say THANK YOU for having such a rich buffet of suggestions that I could refer to. You turned me on to places I would not have known about, or would have dismissed as too "themey" (Columbia). I owe you a debt of gratitude!

Breakfasts:
2 at the hotel (Crowne Plaza) because it was a package deal. Not bad for an in-hotel buffet, the bacon was cooked just right so it was crispy and still had a little chewiness. Waffles were made with pancake batter, I think, which is a crime. I would skip the hotel breakfast in the future so I could go to ...

Pach's Place in Tampa. Divine breakfast place. I had the breakfast special (eggs, bacon, home fries, pancakes) and DH got the Everything Skillet. Both were GREAT. I knew it would be good when we walked in and saw at least 5 policemen in there :). The creamers on the table were half-n-half, and the butter served with the pancakes was real butter. A great, cheap start to the day.

Nicki's Omelette - Fail. The omelets weren't bad, but ... They were not omelets. Not in my world. My definition of an omelette is that it's egg wrapped around a filling. These omelets had the filling mixed in with the egg, and it folded around some cheese. So an omelette with veggies had the eggs all mixed up with the veggies, instead of a tunnel of veggies wrapped in a loving blanket of egg. Pancakes were okay, but I think the batter was over mixed. They didn't have a tender crumb, my definition of a good pancake is that I can cut it with the edge of my fork. These were too "gluteny" ... Stretchy and not easy to cut without sawing through them with a knife. The kiss of death ... The little creamers on the table were Creamora (blech!) and the butter with the pancakes was a little packet/tub of Country Crock.

LUNCHES:
Busch Gardens - we ate at the white building across from Cheetah Hunt roller coaster. My broiled fish sandwich was okay, except they DROWN the roll in butter before grilling it. Mid-week right after thanksgiving the place is DEAD so you can ride coasters over and over again. A belly full of grease doesn't work well. But the fish was pretty good and service was very good. I skipped the roll and fries to save room for ...

Sultan's Sweets: Fabulous soft serve. A big chocolate and vanilla twist cone. Awesome, really great soft serve ice cream that tasted like ice cream (not fro-yo or ice milk).

Colombia in Ybor City - we ate a late lunch or early dinner here the last full day in Tampa and it was amazing. I am glad we ate here the last day because if we had eaten here first, we might not have tried anywhere else. The 2 of us shared 4 Tapas plates (the langoustine flatbread, empanadas, and 2 orders of the stuffed peppers). Why get the same thing twice? Because we first ordered 2 plates and DH loved the peppers (my pick) so much, he wanted another plate. These peppers were amazing ... very oily/greasy but in a GOOD way. Rich, fully flavored, skinless piquillo peppers that made me realize how crappy every other stuffed pepper in the world is.

DINNERS
Wamauma in Tampa - awesome. Great food. I wanted the kale salad but they were out so we got the salt and pepper fried okra. The cilantro and scallions and jalapeños totally made this for me. Oh, and I don't even LIKE cilantro. Except in this, apparently :). I got the pork loin with collard greens (beautifully seasoned with the perfect splash of vinegar hot sauce) and potato/parsnip thing. The potatoes surprised me, I first thought I tasted fennel in there and I wasn't sure I liked it. By the 3rd bite I knew I liked it and by the end of my ramekin I was sad it was all gone. The pork was good, not something I'd get again. Mainly because DH's fried chicken was so good. I don't know that a pork loin can compete with fried chicken, though. Dessert was great, I had the key lime pie and asked for all the other stuff that comes on it to be separate. I am GLAD I did. The pickled peach preserves with key lime = heaven. Ditto for the banana ice cream with the key lime pie. The basil chantilly wasn't my thing though. The key lime pie was very good, homemade graham cracker crust and slivers of lime zest throughout. DH had the caramel custard pie and liked it ... I can't say much, custard is too close to flan and flan is something I can't stand (texture).

Cafe European - funny thing, we were trying to go to Mise En Place but ...
1) as we walked by we realized everyone in there was dressed WAY nicer than us. We were in "tourist casual" clothes.
2) we could not figure out how to get into the building. Seriously, the door to the street for the building seemed to be locked and there isn't a direct street-to-restaurant entrance that we could find.
3) on the walk from the car to Mise En Place we saw Cafe European and the menu had sticky toffee pudding for dessert. So when Mise en Place was a bust ...
I had the trout and it was excellent, the right mix of lemon and butter and capers so that no one flavor overwhelmed the dish. The veggie was broccoli and cabbage, and the cabbage was wonderfully sweet. DH had Beef Wellington and I envied his plate. He was smarter than I and got mashed potatoes (I chose rice with my fish). The mashed potatoes were GREAT. And the Beef Wellington ... Oh Lord, that was good. I have seen that done poorly so many time with soggy pastry or undercooked beef bleeding all over the plate ... So I didn't even consider it. That was stupid on my part. BUT - my dessert (sticky toffee pudding) made up for it. It wasn't the best STP I have had (Freddy's Bistro in Limerick Ireland wins that award) but it was pretty darn wonderful. And a HUGE portion.

So, a very long message but a huge THank You to the contributors here. I had hoped to fit in a couple more great meals but a combination of late breakfasts or midday nap waylaid those plans (it was 3 days of vacation). Without your guidance I would have wound up at a Carrabas or Outback Steakhouse (perish the thought). You made the vacation so much better with your suggestions and tips!