Bacon Lattice Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup each fresh minced onion and garlic
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1cup Italian style bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Use your hands to work in the ingredients, but only until just mixed. Do not over mix because it will fall apart in the oven if you do. Bake at 375 for 20 mins. While that's baking, use a wax paper cookie sheet and put together your bacon lattice. When the 20 mins is up on the meatloaf, remove from oven and place the bacon lattice over the top. Bake an addition 30 mins or until bacon is crisp, meatloaf is firm and reaches an internal temp of 165F!

Vinegar Chicken

This yummy chicken recipe was one of my favorites growing up. My mom never wrote down a "real" recipe for it because its all to taste and preference. Its one of the easiest, go to quick recipes that I have. Justin loves it, I love it and even the neighbors say it makes the hall smell delicious too!

Chicken thighs, breasts, tenders...whatever it is you prefer. I use the chicken thighs for this recipe though. They cook faster and fall right apart! You don't even need a knife to eat it, just a fork!

Pour a little EVOO right down into a deep skillet and heat to medium. Place chicken into the pan and cook until browned up and almost done. While the chicken is cooking, mince up a bunch of fresh garlic. I am pretty sure mine rounds out to be about 1/2 cup! Scrape the garlic from the cutting board right over the top of the chicken. Shake some dried parsley (or rough chop fresh!) and some ground pepper over the garlic. Pour about 3 cups or so of red wine vinegar right into the pan..You want the vinegar to come up about halfway to almost covering the chicken. Let it come to a boil. Sprinkle 3 to 4 tbsp. of brown sugar over the meat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the chicken is finished, turning the chicken over a few times using tongs or a fork. Keep a close eye on it because the brown sugar will begin to thicken and glaze and you don't want it to burn up in the pan!

I serve it with simple sides like white rice and salad or french cut green beans so that there aren't too many flavors mingling on your plate. The chicken is very flavorful and should be fully appreciated and not accompanied by overpowering side kicks! :)

Crockpot Pheasant

Yield is for 2 pheasant breasts (alter recipe as needed for additional breasts!)

Ingredients:
~2 pheasant breasts (thoroughly de~feathered and cleaned!)
~1/4 cup salt (it is used as a brine)
~1 standard size can of chicken broth
~1/3 cup soy sauce
~3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
~3 tbsp. brown sugar
~2 tbsp. minced garlic
~3 tbsp. minced yellow onion
~1 tbsp. tabasco sauce
~1 tbsp. liquid smoke
~3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
~fresh ground pepper to taste
~BBQ sauce (Optional)

Directions:

Place de~feathered and cleaned pheasant breasts in a large bowl and cover with cold water and the salt. Put in fridge and let soak for 1 hour.

In a separate bowl, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, tabasco, liquid smoke and balsamic vinegar. Mix thoroughly.

Drain and rinse pheasant breasts from the brine and then pat dry and place into the crock pot. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the top. Sprinkle the garlic and onion across the top and grind your pepper shaker over the top. Put the lid on and cook on low for appx 5 hours. Remove lid and drizzle BBQ sauce over the breasts (if desired).

The important thing with pheasant is that it needs to be cooked on low temperatures slowly and covered with moisture so that all the juices stay inside the bird. It can dry out quickly because it is low in fat.  Cook additional 1 hour or until the meat is white, juices run clear and has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.