Admit it – we all got one about something. Typically we associate the word with something bad: drugs, alcohol abuse and things like that. But some addictions are just plain great – such as the ‘addiction’ I found recently. The background to the story is pretty cool – 16 year old Clell recently qualified for the 4H Nationals Hunting Skills team. He will travel to Grand Island, NE with the other qualifiers to compete with Senior Level 4H kids from across this great United States. Hunting Skills is the ‘grand slam’ of divisions in 4H – although he has attempted to qualify in Air Rifle these last two years, he has fallen just short of the team. But, while at state, he took … Read entire article »

As our brief spurts of winter fade to spring, mud has been a frequent visitor to my kitchen floor and an abundance of catalogs have filled my mailbox. I have yet to spot the elusive ‘first’ Robin of the year, but on a few recent warm days, I heard one! I will admit the cold and muddy snow outside allow me time to read my cooking magazines and cookbooks and try out new recipes. My good editor, Roger, recently passed along a jewel in the cook book world – hot off the press: the LODGE CAST IRON cookbook, A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes. Not only is Lodge one of my favorite producers of great Dutch ovens and gear, it created … Read entire article »

“When we don’t need to knead…” Ahh, few things satisfy the senses like the aroma of fresh baked bread. When things go wrong in our lives, and often when things go right, I seek out comfort food, and my go-to fave is BREAD! There is something satisfying about a fresh loaf of bread to compliment any meal, and half the pleasure of enjoying it is knowing that it was made by my own two hands. But it is no secret I am not a fan of kneading – the crucial, absolutely necessary, step in bread making to allow the gluten to form chains (and other scientific mumbo jumbo) that create the fine, tender texture we so treasure in our bread…although advocates state kneading is a stress reliever, to … Read entire article »

Out with the old, in with the new! Despite the calendar change, I seldom notice a difference in my life except when I go to write a check – which in this day and age, I seldom do anymore! Too easy to swipe a debit card! It is not that I am opposed to change; I just prefer a routine and tend to stick to the simple stuff. Speaking of simple, it’s been an easy winter so far – no snow, moderate temps – but oddly we have seen little game moving about. The river has frozen and thawed many times and most of the leaves on my yard trees refuse to fall making leaf raking a never ending task this year. What I appreciate the … Read entire article »

Yep, that statement came true just before Halloween when I turned down an aisle at Wally-World and found myself in Winter Wonderland. Yes, I KNOW I constantly complain that time goes too fast, but, hey, it’s not just me – the world is helping it along! But as much as I love summertime, winter does arrive with my preferred ‘time’ setting for my clocks – I am certain I am not the only … Read entire article »

When I told Scott Holder from Texas Quail that I would cook up a batch of his quail and tell him exactly what I thought, he was all for the idea. I’m not sure if he understood what I meant by “cook up” a batch however. Being up here in Yankee territory I have to be honest, I have had a very limited exposure to quail. And as far as preparing quail, well I guess you … Read entire article »