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Old hunting secrets and venison recipes. There are Top-Secret government documents that don’t see the care these secrets receive in family lore. These are passed down from father or mother to son or daughter in the same confidence as might talk about the weird uncle that likes to wear dresses once in awhile. You just don’t tell everybody.
At Wilderness Recipes, we don’t have any weird cross-dressing uncles, but we have plenty of Venison Recipes. We don’t stop there. Wilderness Recipes has a bountiful supply of Wild Game Recipes for any occasion or set of taste buds. One of our family favorites is Venison Stroganoff. Next to venison jerky and venison sausage, has acheived the “Most Requested” status in our extended family. We actually had a request to make a batch to feed 40 people for a nephews birthday party. Because of the huge amount of requests we receive for this recipe, we decided to share it with all our friends here.
Venison Stroganoff
Ingredients
1 lb. ground venison
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
* pepper (to taste)
* parsley (to taste)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can beef broth
1 cup sour cream
Methods/steps
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook venison, onion, butter, garlic, salt, paprika, pepper and parsley over medium heat until onion is tender.
Add Worcestershire sauce and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add soup and broth to venison and simmer for 10 minutes.
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For many of us, summer is coming to an end and deer hunting is just around the corner. Things start to slow down on the summer-side as vacations begin to wrap up and kids start heading back to school. You can begin to feel it in the air as the nights get a little cooler and thoughts of this years deer hunt begin to creep into your head. It’s time to check out your gear, sight your gun and think about double-checking your stand if you use one. Not much can beat being out in the woods and stalking that trophy buck.
One thing that comes close to the thrill of the hunt is when the venison hits the table. That can be make or break time for all the time and work put into bagging your deer. While many love venison sausage, mainly it’s because most consider it “safe”. This means that it tastes like something ”regular” as my daughter would say years back. Over the years she has become a big venison fan because of some of the great recipes that I have tested on her. As most of you know, those that don’t like venison probably haven’t had it prepared right. Nothing beats venison when it has been prepared and served properly.
One of our favorite recipes around the Heidel house is Island Teriyaki Venison. Many times my mom has said that she isn’t a fan of venison. She does love venison sausage though. A number of times when she has come over for dinner, I have served Island Teriyaki Venison and she has loved it. I always make extra so she can take some home with her. She never leaves without it. She is a hard-headed German, so it wouldn’t do me any good to try explaining it to her.
If you are looking giving your venison feast a bit of an island spin, try our Island Teriyaki Venison recipe below.
I have discussed before that too many kids are spending too little time outdoors and too much time on their PlayStations and chatting on the internet. And that is a problem that is drawing more attention from lots of different audiences today.
I ran across an organization that is working to change this trend. Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors is a Wichita, Kansas-based national organization dedicated to providing children with mentors who will share with them the experiences of traditional outdoor activities. The heart of the group’s mission is to give children opportunities to connect with nature that they more than likely won’t have without a mentor showing them the way. Partnering with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Pheasants Forever, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation, among others, volunteers with a passion for the outdoors can give a child the chance to go fish, hunt, or simply spend time in the fields with a caring adult.
Research shows that millions of men and women would gladly accept an invitation to go shooting or hunting if invited. That’s good news for all who share a love for the great outdoors.
The mission of STEP OUTSIDE, a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, is to increase participation in and support of hunting and the shooting sports. STEP OUTSIDE encourages outdoor enthusiasts to mentor newcomers by inviting them to participate in these traditional outdoor activities.
If you have the desire to make a difference in a young persons life, become a volunteer. Become a positive influence in the youth of our country doing something you love to do.
My blog entry today has nothing to do with hunting, fishing or politics. It’s about being thankful we can bicker over little things like legislation, whether it be “Cars for Clunkers” or “Health Care”. We need to realize that many of the worries and problems we have every day are minor in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, even being out of work or having your house repossessed can be little blips compared to what others have to live through.
We need to take time out of every single day to think of those that put their lives on the line so we have the freedoms that we have. We need to thank our men and women that are putting themselves in harms way for all of us and our great country. That thanks has to come from the bottom of our hearts.
The 4th of July of 2009 has come and gone into the history books. Most of us spent that day on vacation with our families and friends grilling out, having a couple of beers and relaxing. Some did not. The family of Sgt 1st Class John C. Beale of Riverdale, Georgia had their first 4th of July without their husband, father, son and brother. This man gave his life on June 4, 2009 in Kapisa, Afghanistan. He was killed by an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. Also killed were Major Kevin Jenrette and Specialist Jeffrey Jordan. Men who also had families.
Sgt 1st class John C. Beale, Major Kevin M. Jenrette and Specialist Jeffery W. Jordan
What makes Sgt 1st Class John C. Beale any different than the other 5079 men and women killed in Iraq or Afghanistan? Not much in many ways. A lot in others. He was similar in that he volunteered to join the Army like every other man and woman in the armed forces. He didn’t have to, since he did have a job in his civilian life. He did it because he loved his country and everything it stood for in good times and bad. He was similar in that he left behind love ones that will miss him and think about him in their waking and sleeping hours for the rest of their lives.
Sgt 1st Class John C. Beale is different that he is the only man from McDonough, Georgia that was the husband of Crystal and their two children, Christopher and Calye. It makes it a little more personal. It is a man with a face and a real family. Not a statistic on the evening news. What makes him even more remarkable, is that his death expanded the circle of people that knew him in a geometric fashion.
How is that possible? What did he do? He was fortunate to be part of a community that I find indescribable. I became aware of this event via an email that a friend sent to me. The first time I tried to watch it, I had tears in my eyes. I had to turn it off. I watched it again tonight and to my surprise, it had the same effect. With that, take 12 minutes and 36 seconds to watch and amazing video and soundtrack below.
I embarrassed to say that this video of the funeral procession of Sgt 1st Class John C. Beale had to remind me how lucky I am to have a man like him be their for me. I am so damn proud of the men and women that are serving our country, I cannot begin to explain. I am also so very proud of the people of his community that took time out of their lives to say thank you and good bye to a fallen warrior and a great American.
If you know someone who is serving their country, no matter where, you can make a difference. If you see that person, say “Hi” and “Thank you very much for being there for me”. If you know their family, stop by and see if you can help them out. Mow the lawn, give the kids a ride to school; be there for them.
If you are in the airport or shopping mall and you see those young kids in uniform; acknowledge what they are doing for us. For what ever their reason, they are putting it on the line in a way that so many of this country have not. Shake their hand. If your life is going well, buy them a drink, pick up the check for their meal. It is a small thing, but it means the world to them. I know. I was in their place in a different time. Things were different then.
The other day, I ran into a old Navy buddy on Facebook from too many decades ago, when we were young and ignorant in many ways. He told me that his son and namesake Andy Mendez, checked onboard the USS Shoup, an Arleigh Burke class of Aegis guided missile destroyers. I am sorry to say that I don’t know his son, but I felt immensely proud anyway. Proud of him and proud of his Dad Andy, a good man that raised a good kid.
By the way Andy, thanks for taking time out of your life to be there for us. Thanks for putting yourself on the line for all of us in this great country. My prayers are for you and your family that you find safe waters in what ever adventure lies ahead of you.
While the Democrats noodle over how to take over health care in the United States “to even things out”, the Centers for Disease Control offered up a cool drink for them. That would be a fat free, sugar free cool drink, but to our elected representatives, a very delicious and refreshing one. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Weight of the Nation” conference, CDC chief Dr. Thomas Freiden said increasing the price of unhealthy foods “would be effective” at combating the nation’s obesity problem.
Now many may see this a good idea. Some could see this another money grab that is part of the ”orgasmic” money and power grab being conducted by our elected representatives. You could also see it as the first shot in battle where everyday Americans don’t have a lot of dry ammo. The $.10 a can proposed soda tax, while seemingly expensive, will be easily swallowed by America. Pardon the pun. Many States already have deposits on bottles and cans that are similar in cost and a revolution didn’t start. Many will tell themselves that they will just drink less fattening drinks; they don’t need it anyhow. Next it will be chips, McDonalds food and on and on. People will gripe, but they will eat it. Sorry, I did the pun thing again.
This is the part of the “Hope and Change” that so many voted for last November. The “change” that will be coming out of your pockets and wallets at minimum, for the next four years. I “Hope” that it is only 4 years.
There is a much darker side to this trend. While these “Health Taxes” are supposedly going to combat obesity, they also accomplish another goal. They are taxing the life choices people make that the government doesn’t agree with. While the argument can be made that obesity is a major health problem and costs $147 billion a year by some estimates, it is still a life choice, albeit poor one.
What is next? What other “legal” choices do we have that the liberal wing-nuts in our government have major case of heart burn over?
Our guns.
What is preventing the Obamacrats deciding that since they cannot eliminate guns through the courts, why not tax the hell out of it. Don’t think that is too crazy. Our friends on the “left coast” in California are actually pondering the taxation of marijuana to balance their budget. What if the Federal government decided to add a 30% tax to the purchase of firearms and ammunition. Of course they may not reach that far right away, but it would not surprise many if 15% was accepted. Tell me how often taxes go down. Not too often. They will be back to the well the next year, just like they have for cigarette and gas taxes. 5% here, 10% there, and all of a sudden you are paying 50% tax on your guns and ammunition under the auspices of improving gun safety and education to prevent accidents and reduce crime. They would say it is a health issue that causes X amount of $$$ each year in gun related accidents and crimes. Starting to sound familiar.
Don’t sit back and take these little “baby bites” that Pelosi and the gang are beginning to shove down our throats. They will quickly turn into chunks of taxes that will choke you off. Choices and rights you are guaranteed by the Constitution will quickly be taxed into oblivion. If you think that “no matter how much they tax me, I will still buy my guns”, think again. The economic reality is that many people will not pay more money for guns and ammo. Sales of guns will go down; companies and stores will go out of business and your ability to get guns and ammunition will be limited.
Don’t waste any more time. You have a responsibility to contact your representatives and let them know that “No, I do not want more taxes” and “NO, I don’t think government should be attempting to regulate my legal lifestyle choices by taxation”. If you let that happen, you are allowing taxation without representation. If you remember from history class, that caused a hell of a stir a couple hundred years ago.
Go to http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml to contact your State and Federal elected officials and let them know what you think. Many have an email link, but that is not very effective and most times are scanned and replied to by a computer. Call your representatives office or write them a letter. They are much more effective.
Delicious and healthy venison has been a secret among hunters, their family and friends. It is part of the reward to those that loved the hunt. Besides the allure of nature’s beauty, the hunt and the camaraderie of the deer camp, the rich, tender and wholesome venison was the icing on the cake for the investment in guns, gear and time. Venison for the most part could not be found commercially in restaurants or meat markets. The need for USDA inspection prevented venison from moving from the sights of a gun to the dinner table for those that did not actually shoot it or know someone that did.
A strange thing happened with the consumption of venison in America over the last 70–100 years. History suggests that venison has been consumed as a food longer than other meats, including beef, chicken and pork, that are more popular today. During the first part of the last century, venison was still a staple for many families. The urbanization of America and industrialized production of meat began to change our eating habits. The ability of putting your own food on the table was being replaced by packaged meat from the grocery store or meat market.
Well, that is beginning to change. Many are find out about the health benefits that venison provides and how delicious it is. It is beginning to become the “in” meat. The demand for venison is rising and domestic deer farms are trying to keep up. Venison is showing up on menus for fine restaurants and grocery stores in greater regularity.
If you ever get up to Gran Marais, Michigan, I would suggest stopping for breakfast at the West Bay Diner & Delicatessen. We were apprehensive at first, when we first arrived. We glanced in the main dining room and seen they had a breakfast buffet set up. On the “hot side” they had only a few items and the rest of the trays were empty. We thought we would skip the buffet and order off the regular breakfast menu.
When the waitress came to take our order, she asked if we wanted to do the buffet. I first declined and explained that there wasn’t much there. She assured me that if we ordered the buffet, they fill the entire buffet with fresh food. Fill they did. The food was outstanding.
West Bay Diner & Delicatessen
West Bay Diner
Inside the West Bay Diner and Delicatessen
If you ever want to find agates, take a trip to the U.P. Michigan. I recommend camping at the Muskallonge State Park and definitely head over to Grand Marais. While you are over there, drive a bit further and explore Pictured Rocks National Park. It is a beautiful drive and well worth your time. The light house trip is a good thing to see as well. On the walk to the lighthouse, make sure to go on the beach where the signs tell you there are shipwrecks. There are the keels and ribs of some very old ships on the beach that had gone down in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
On our second day of agate hunting between Grand Marais and Muskallonge State Park, we think we had a better idea of what to look for when searching for agates. Our first mistake was thinking that anything that had alot of color might be an agate. Not the case, although there are alot of beautiful and colorful rocks on the shores of Lake Superior. From what we understood from the Gitchee Gumee Agate Museum is that we needed to look for rocks that were purplish in color with bands running through it that had some structure to it. Also these agates when dry, have a dull cloudy appearance. So in the bright sunlight, dull and cloudy agates could easily be overlooked.
So we tried it again walking down the beach looking for the elusive agate. I have to say that my wife Pam, had much more ambition in this effort than I did. We still had a lot of “cool” rocks we were picking up and putting them in my backpack. I quickly found out that my field of vision and ambition was inversely proportional to the weight of my backpack. The heavier it was getting the less I was looking and feeling like looking. Every so often though, we would find some “possibles”. Below are two of them and it would be great if someone with a bit greater knowledge of agates would drop us a line and let us know if they actually are.
These are two of what we think could possibly be agates that we found on the shores of Lake Superior.
Well it’s getting a bit late tonight, but tomorrow I will tell you about a neat little restaurant in Grand Marais called the West Bay Diner & Delicatessen. It was a comfortable and friendly place with good food and lots of personality. They also redefine what it means to have fresh food on a buffet.
I will also talk a bit about Pictured Rock National Park that we visited while waiting for the Agate museum to open.
I hope everyone had a great time over the 4th of July. My wife and I just returned from a weeks vacation in the Michigan U.P. We took a swing at tent camping, a feat not attempted since the kids were much smaller. According to the wife, it was a wonderful time except for being so damned cold. I enjoyed the cold at night and slept like a log. Overall, I would do it again. (Apparently, we are in the market for a camper.)
I would like to say “Hi” to Ted, Robbie, Dave and Deb from Detroit. They were a great group that camped in the site adjacent to our own. Until now I could not think of anyone from Detroit that I knew. It is my pleasure to say that is no longer the case. They were a lot of fun and made our stay much more fun. They were a big help in trying to decode the culture of the Da Yoopers.
We camped at a great campground at Muskallonge State Park. If you want to find a camper-friendly place to go, this is it. Heated bathrooms, hot showers and electricity were a godsend. (It kept the wife happy) Extremely clean as well. The entire campsite was spotless as a matter of fact.
The campground at Muskallonge State Park is nestled between Muskallonge Lake and Lake Superior. Both lakes were amazingly clean and there was plenty of room to walk the beach and be alone. One of the reasons we chose this area was the abundance of Agates that can be found right on the beach. Rock hunting is a passion of my wife and she always wanted to find some agates. It was cold and windy the first day, but warmed up a bit after the first. It turned out to be a beautiful place. (I think we were very successful, but I am also in the market for a good rock tumbler and a lapidary saw.)
Agate Hunting on Lake Superior
It began cold and windy on Lake Superior, but turned out to be a beautiful place to be.
It took a little work at first to figure out what an agate even looks like. We purchased a couple of books about agates and Lake Superior agates in particular. It seemed helpful until you actually went out looking for them. After a short while, they all look the same. To me especially.
We decided to take a trip over to Grand Marais and visited the Gitchee Gumee Agate Museum. This was a very valuable visit for us. The owner wasn’t around, but the woman that was working was very nice and showed us around the shop and the museum. I hope that if we return that we have a chance to meet the owner. If you visit the museum, make sure you make to the back room. We missed a cool exhibit but found out about it from our friends from Detroit. I won’t tell you what it was; you will have to find out yourself. It costs only $1 to get into the museum and it was worth every penny.
After we were able to get our eyes calibrated at the Gitchee Gurnee Agate Museum, we gave it another try. Actually seeing what they look like in your hand gave us a great advantage. We found quite a few in areas that others had already had scoured. (A tip to those looking for agates. Look in the second band of rocks from the beach. That is where we found most of them.) We stopped at a number of turn-offs on the old dirt log truck road that lies between Grand Marais and the State Park. I think we saw one person on the beach. We had it all to ourselves.
Tomorrow I will show you what we are fairly certain are agates that we found on the beach. I will also share some the other places we visited and some of the Da Yooper culture we ran into.
Here we are in July, the day after Independence Day. Not even 7 months ago, Barack Obama took office. At that time, many in the country were swept up in “Hope and Change” believing that life in America would be a better place to live. You need to ask yourself today, “Is my life better today than it was 7 months ago?” Do you see your life getting better? Does the government taking control of banking, industry and attempting to implement socialized medicine portend a better America? Many don’t think so. Many are reconsidering their wisdom in voting for Barack Obama.
The agenda of Barack Obama, his radical left-wing administration and the controlling party in Congress is to make government bigger and have more Federeal control of our everyday lives. It is their belief that the free-market economy, freedoms of choosing your health care provider as well as other Constitutional protections we have had in the past need to be dramatically changed or eliminated.
Some may joke that a divided Congress is a good Congress since they can’t get anything done or in other words screw anything up. You need to be scared that this is not the case today. The Democratic Party now controls both houses of Congress and are on a mission to implement their dream agenda. This includes much more control over your every day lives. Bills and policies that are currently being considered by the Obama Administration and other members of the Democratic Party in Congress include the following:
Eco-Laws - The ruling government wants you to keep paying taxes on your land, but tell you what you can do with it. Other proposals include a “per mile” tax on driving your vehicle, as if the federal and state gas taxes are not enough. Drastic increases in electricity, gas and fuel because of carbon trade-off provisions and taxes.
National Health Care - Create the situation where you lose your ability to choose your health care provider and be forced into a nationalized plan very similar to the dismal failures in Canada, Russia and China.
Censorship and control of the Press - The Obama Administration has used its immense influence and positioning powers to prevent or limit those that oppose their views from being heard. It has become so bad that strident liberal reporter Helen Thomas said
“The point is the control from here. We have never had that in the White House. And we have had some control but not this control. I mean I’m amazed, I’m amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency.”
Gun Control - The left, not just the radical left wants to take away your right to bear arms.
If you think that your rights and freedoms won’t be radically altered, you are sadly mistaken. We have been given a taste of what is ahead in the video below. Law abiding citizens of the State of Louisiana had their 2nd amendment rights trampled on under the direction of Democratic Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. Don’t think that the ruling government would not use any crisis to take your guns away from you and eliminate your ability to protect your family and property. It is their agenda.
In 2010 and 2012, elections will be taking place that could very well be the most important in the history of our nation. A little known result of political polling results is that a vast majority of U.S. citizens believe Congress is broken and corrupt, but when asked about their own representatives, they believe that person is doing a good job. How the hell can that work?
You need to take a careful look at your Congressional representatives and investigate if he or she really represents your views. Voting for him or her because they have always been there is lazy and a threat to your freedom. Exercise your right to vote and vote for those that support your freedoms and the American way guaranteed by our forefathers in the U.S. Constitution. Throughout the history of our great nation, men and women have fought and died for these freedoms, at least we could vote for them.
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