• 1 bay leaf
1. Toss the beef tips in the flour, then cook the beef, onions, carrots, and celery in a Dutch oven over medium fire until the beef is rare but browned on all sides.
2. Add the water and seasonings, and simmer for 1–2 hours or until the meat is tender.
3. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and bay leaf, and return to a simmer until the veggies are tender.
4. Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaf, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Yields about 6 servings.
Cajun Fish Stew
This can be made with any chicken, fish, or seafood that you have available.
• 1 canned ham, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 quart canned tomatoes, chopped
• 1 pint canned okra
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce or to taste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste
• 6 trout fillets, cut into chunks
• 2 teaspoons of gumbo filé powder or 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour mixed with ¼ cup water and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1. Sauté the ham, celery, and onion in a Dutch oven over medium fire until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, okra (with the water it’s canned in), garlic powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a bit more water if needed. Bring to a boil and taste. Add salt if needed.
3. Add the fish chunks and boil until they’re tender, about 15 minutes. Add the filé powder or the flour slurry and Cajun seasoning. Stir well and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and serve.
Yields about 4 servings.
Quick Meals and Sides
Poor Man’s Skillet
Nutritious, quick, and tasty, this meal doesn’t take much effort and is made of simple, readily available ingredients.
• 2 pounds ground beef or venison
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 fresh potatoes or 1 pint canned potatoes, cubed
• 1 pint canned green beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato soup or canned creamed tomatoes
1. Brown the ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper in a large iron skillet over medium fire.
2. Add the potatoes and cook until they’re tender and brown.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot.
4. Eat either by itself or with bread if you have it.
Yields about 4 servings.
Dried Beef Gravy and Potatoes
If you’d like to make this a breakfast meal, simply serve it over biscuits and add a fried egg or two on top of the entire dish. It’s also great to eat either alone or over bread or biscuits.
• ¼ cup butter or bacon grease
• 1 pint canned potatoes or 4 fresh potatoes, diced
• ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups water
• 1 cup fresh milk or reconstituted powdered milk
• 1 pint jar dried beef
1. Melt the butter in an iron skillet over medium fire. Toss in the potatoes, salt, and pepper, and brown. Be careful not to add too much salt because the dried beef is salty.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the potatoes and stir until it starts to brown. Add the water slowly and stir. It will get thick at first, but stir well before adding more water so that you don’t get lumps. Add the milk.
3. Add the dried beef and allow to simmer slowly for 5 minutes. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water or milk.
Yields about 4 servings.
Ramen Noodle Stir-Fry
This is a quick, easy recipe to make, and ramen is inexpensive, lasts practically forever, and should be a part of your emergency food supply.
• 2 packs oriental- or chicken-flavored ramen noodles
• ½ small onion, sliced
• 1 large can or 2 small cans chunk chicken
• 1 pint canned peas
• 1 pint canned green beans
• 1 small can mushrooms or ¼ cup dried mushrooms
• 1 fresh red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1. Boil the ramen noodles per the package’s instructions without adding the seasoning packs. Drain.
2. While you’re waiting for the noodles to cook, brown the onion in a large iron skillet over medium fire.
3. Add the chicken, peas, green beans, mushrooms, and bell pepper, if you’re using it. Heat them up, and then add the ramen noodles, seasoning from the ramen packs, and soy sauce. (Using low-sodium soy sauce prevents the need of excess water.) Stir just enough to mix and reheat the ramen.
Yields about 4 servings.
Quick Venison
• Oil for skillet
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 pounds venison steaks, sliced 1-inch thick
• ¾ cup water
• 1 (10-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon dried onion
1. Preheat a large, greased iron skillet over medium fire. Rub the salt and pepper on the steaks, and sear in the skillet until they’re cooked the way you like them. Remove and set aside.
2. Deglaze the skillet with the water, then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a quick simmer and remove from the fire.
3. Place the steaks on a plate, and ladle the gravy over them.
Yields about 5 servings.
Sweet Lemon-Pepper Chicken and Rice
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 quart canned chicken breast with broth
• 1 cup water (optional)
• 2 cups instant rice
• 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon honey mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1. Combine the flour, lemon-pepper seasoning, and salt. Drain the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and add water if necessary to make 2 cups. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Follow the instant rice cooking directions.
2. Preheat a large iron skillet with the butter or oil in it.
3. Drizzle the honey water over the chicken breasts, and toss gently to coat. Roll each breast in the flour mixture, and place gently into the skillet. Fry on both sides until chicken is done and browned.
4. Serve the chicken over the rice.
Yields about 4 servings.
Whitefish Balls
• 4 trout or other whitefish fillets, skinned and minced
• ¼ cup cooked oatmeal
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 egg or equivalent of reconstituted powdered egg
• 2 tablespoons butter or oil