Dinner was a replay of a combination I'd tried before: venison loin chops, beets, and doctored-up oatmeal. Or, at least that's how I'd planned it. Twice I had to shift gears.
First, I discovered very late in the game that we were out of oatmeal! Yes, out! I instead cooked a pot of barley, which I doctored with dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and sage. The end result was all right, but it would have been better with oatmeal; barley is a little too bland.
The second shift was when I discovered that what I'd thought were venison loin chops were instead venison tenderloins. This was no problem at all; I simply had to watch them as they grilled, to make sure I didn't overcook them.
The beets, which I'd roasted earlier, were easy to prepare: I diced them, added some white onion that I'd also diced, and cooked them in some apple cider. Apple cider is one of my favorite poaching mediums for veg. Dressed with a little parsley and a couple tablespoons of sour cream at the very end, and it was quite presentable and tasty.
Der Brucer enjoyed it all. But I've got oatmeal on my shopping list.
