Hot Mexican Dip

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I have a treat for you today.  Something to make during the holiday season to take to potlucks or for large family gatherings.  It can be made in advance and then re-heated.  This appetizer is just amazing ..... oh so very addicting.  Pop it in the crock-pot in the morning and it will stay warm enough to be dipped into all day, if it isn't all taken within a few minutes! A large four quart pot full just doesn't last long.

My niece Nicole brought it over during hunting season and I could not stay away from it.  It was an old family recipe and I can see why it was so popular for so many years.  

If you like Mexican .... you are going to LoVe this!

Hot Mexican Dip

1 1/2 pound lean hamburger

2 rolls of Jimmy Dean 'hot' sausage

2 pounds of Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

2 - 4 oz cans of green chilies

1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

1 - 3.8 can of sliced olives *optional*

1 - 4 oz can of jalapeno peppers *optional*

Brown the hamburger and Jimmy Dean sausage, drain well.

Place the meat and cheese in the crock-pot.  

Once the cheese begins to melt, add chilies, tomato sauce, tomato paste, olives and peppers.  Mix very well.

Once it has heated all through, serve with tortilla chips .... I happened to have guacamole chips.

Oooh, la, la.  Delicious!

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Filling the Freezer

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Hunting season .... we are meat eaters in our family.  When we hunt, we hunt to feed the family, not for the sport.

We have great respect for Mother Nature and all she provides for us.  This year however, was a bust.  Hunting season is over for another year.  No deer were shot.  Our freezer will now have to be filled with beef, chicken and pork on sale from the grocery store instead.

Word around these parts is the overabundance of wolves which in turn chase the deer away.  A neighbor stopped by last week and informed us that when he was passing by earlier the day before a large grey wolf was spotted leaving our driveway.

photo credit

My morning walks will need to be kept close to the house and definitely during daylight hours.  Our pets will need to be kept indoors for the time being. I hope the wolves move along soon and the deer move back in.  There is nothing prettier than watching the deer make their way along the property after a snowfall.  They are so graceful and beautiful.

Hoping that you have a lovely week and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Waiting for It

Pin It We are waiting for it.

Waiting for the onslaught that will start tonight .... the arrival of the HUNTERS!  Hunting season officially starts tomorrow morning and like each year we have family that arrives each weekend for the three weeks that hunting season is open.  They stay all weekend, go home on Sunday evenings and then return again Friday nights.

We are hoping for a full freezer this year as last year we were skunked.  It made for a pretty slim winter.  Let the hunt begin!

Good luck to those hunters out there and remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Not much new here!

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Another busy weekend with the hunters here. My weekend was spent cooking, baking and keeping drinks filled. I am relieved that there is only one more weekend left for hunting as I need to start concentrating on Christmas! I love Christmas!

Today the weather was a warm 48 degrees and sunny so I decided to get my outside Christmas decorations up before the weather turns nasty and cold.

We don't put up much outside...lots inside though! Just a wreath, a little lighted deer and some garland on the step railing. This year I also hung some cute little signs in the birch tree outside the front door....but that's it. It didn't take me long but I am glad that it is done so I don't have to think about it anymore!

I took some time to move furniture around in the livingroom, give it a good cleaning so I can put up our tree after Thanksgiving. A little baking and some visiting with company and that rounded up my weekend and my day today.

Just waiting for Pasie and Luke to come in from hunting. I am hoping to hear a shot but it is almost time to come in so I think they will be skunked again today. Well, there is always tomorrow.

Have a great evening everyone with your loved ones! :)

Woo Hoo!!! One Proud Mamma!

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Busy weekend with hunters and much excitement. Saturday morning started out slow with many shots heard all around us but not from any of our men. Then bang ... but nothing. Our great nephew Chase shot at a doe but it got away. Disappointment!

Around 3:30pm, they headed out once again. At about 4:40 we heard shots, then Chase running in the door yelling Luke got a buck!

We whooped for joy as it is Luke's first hunting experience and with one shot in the neck at 75 yards he bagged an eight point buck.

I was never so proud and excited. We jumped on the four-wheeler, tagged and dragged it to the shop where the engine hoist was ready for gutting.

Neighbors nearby were at the shop immediately to check it out. Many handshakes, pats on the back and then the cutting began.

The rule around here is.... if you shot it, you gut it. Luke had no problem and Loren our brother-in-law guided him along.

After the messy job was done, we headed to the house for a huge turkey dinner to celebrate.

Unfortunately the rest of the weekend turned up nothing else but there is still 2 and 1/2 weeks left to fill all the tags. We aren't too worried. LOL

Luke and I are headed to Canada tomorrow for some appointments so I will be back on Wednesday. Have a great evening!

It Has Begun!

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Deer hunting has begun! With a houseful of hunters, I will be cooking and baking from now until Monday. Then I will have a break during the week and it will start all over again on Friday.

I will be back on Monday....hopefully with some pictures of the deer that we have shot!

Have a great weekend everyone and make sure to give your loved ones a hug! =)

Some Preparing for Winter and Planning for Hunting Season

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EEEK!! I saw this today!





See that little tiny tree in the middle of the picture? Do you see the colors of the leaves!!! Yellow!! They are yellow!!

Panic has set in....fall is officially here. So while working in the garden this afternoon and after seeing that little tree with the bright foliage, I began to think of what is to come.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, hunting season, and Christmas....but the snow is what I am most worried about.

I walked around the yard, picking up items and putting them away either in the storage trailer or in the sheds that are no longer needed for this year. When you start seeing leaves change in Northern Minnesota, you have to work fast at getting ready for colder temperatures...it can literally happen overnight.

I managed to clean up quite a bit and was satisfied with my accomplishments so I decided to take a meander over to the deer stand to see how it is holding up for another upcoming hunting season.



I noticed some of the tarp is falling down a little so I will have to make sure either Luke or Bob takes a hammer and nail to it before hunting season begins. Can't have those deer seeing you through the slits! That wouldn't work.




As you can see the stand is quite high up in a tree. Bob built it for Pasie a few years ago and it is used alot. In the winter it is fun to climb up and be able to see for miles once all the leaves have fallen and there is snow on the ground.

It is fun to climb up on a star filled night and feel that you can almost reach out and touch them... some nights it seems like you really could.

With the approach of hunting season comes lots of baking and cooking. We usually have alot of family here that I need to be prepared for. Now is the time that I begin to bake and cook so I can freeze everything. When the men arrive...all I have to do it pull something out and a nice, warm meal is ready for when then head in after night falls. It saves my sanity to be organized. :)

Well, off to make my list. I have already received requests for cabbage rolls, swedish meatballs, and taco dip. It will be a busy time once again but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Give all your loved ones a hug tonight. :)