We have a freezer full of deer meat, and I’m always looking for new ways to use the ground meat. Let me clarify that – I’m always looking for new and EASY ways to use the ground meat!

This recipe is very easy, and my entire family loved it! You don’t have to use deer meat, of course. You can use regular ground beef, or any ground meat, including sausage.

The bread is full of meaty-cheesy goodness, and also a healthy amount of vegetables.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 lb ground meat (venison or lean beef works best)
• 1 tube refrigerated french bread dough
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• butter and garlic salt for top of bread

Start by browning your meat in a large skillet. While the meat is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees and chop the vegetables. Once the meat is cooked through, push it to one side of the skillet and saute the vegetables in the other side. (Since my deer meat was so lean, there wasn’t enough fat in the skillet for my vegetables to saute in, so I added a pat of butter.) Add in salt and pepper to taste if you’d like.

Once the vegetables are tender, mix together with the meat, then stir in the tomato sauce. Once the mixture is heated through, stir in the cheese, then set aside to cool for a few minutes.

While the filling is cooling off, grease a cookie sheet and carefully unroll the french bread dough onto it. (I say “carefully” because it’s easy to tear the dough, and any holes in it will allow the mixture to seep out while baking.)

Spoon the meat mixture onto one side of the french bread dough, then fold over the other side to cover. Pinch together edges of dough to seal.

Spread a little bit of melted butter on top of bread dough, then sprinkle with garlic salt. This will give the bread a pretty golden color after cooking, and will also taste great!

Bake the stuffed bread at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden-brown, then let it cool for a few minutes before slicing.

You can see the vegetables and the cheese inside, and the bread is thin so it doesn’t overwhelm the meaty filling.

You can change this recipe up many ways, like adding different vegetables, using Italian cheeses, or mixing in ground Italian sausage with the ground meat.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did!

Thanks ya’ll!

   – Nikki

The days are getting longer and the flowers are starting to bloom, which means warmer weather is on its way! And what better way to cool off than enjoying a cold slice of strawberry pie!

I’ve tried several recipes for strawberry pie, and while they were all delicious, they were also difficult and time-consuming. I’ve come up with this easy recipe by combining a filling from another dessert I make with fresh strawberries, and it tastes amazing!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used the 1/3-less-fat kind)
• 1 tub Cool Whip (I used the fat-free kind)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

Start by cooking the pie crust according to package directions, and then set aside to let cool completely. Cream together the cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth, then mix in the cool whip. Fold in the strawberries, and then spread the filling in the cooled pie crust. That’s it! The hardest part is letting it sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before cutting into it!

I hope your family enjoys this pie as much as mine does!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki