What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter? “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Farewell to Chef Carl
Today we are saying ‘farewell’ to Chef Carl. After two years of service and dedication to our pheasant hunting lodge, he has decided to start the next chapter of his life. The last two years Chef Carl has given us some wonderful memories. He has introduced our palettes to all kinds of new and unique foods—all delicious I might add, wowed numerous guests with his masterpieces, made such beautiful arrangements on a plate that you nearly felt bad eating it, came up with phenomenal food displays and centerpieces, received outstanding accolades at showcases such as the Beretta Gallery and Pheasant Fest, has shared many pheasant recipes, written several great blogs (there are a few more to come from him) and brought joy to the Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge family. Carl has been a pleasure to work with. Thank you, Carl, for your hard work, loyalty and memories. We pray all the best for you and yours for all the years to come. Remember, our home is your home. Here’s to the next chapter!
-Just for Laughs-A Friend in Need…
Some men go on a deer hunting trip and separate into pairs. That evening one hunter, Sam, returned to camp alone toting a 12 point buck. (Must’ve been hunting at Cheyenne Ridge Outfitters!) “Where’s George?” one of the men asked, noticing that Sam had returned alone. “He’s about 6 miles back. He tripped and broke his ankle. I left him there ’cause I figured ain’t nobody ’bout to steal him.”
Kitchen Tip-Nuts
Not long ago, I discovered that pecans and walnuts (two very fatty and delicate nuts) toast beautifully in the microwave.
This morning at our hunting lodge, with no time to preheat the oven for a meager handful of hazelnuts, I decided to put the microwave method to the test. Well it worked, well, like a charm-mostly! For ½ cup of raw, unblanched hazelnuts, I set the timer for 2 minutes, which was a tiny bit long, a few of the nuts were too dark to use but most were perfect. The nuts cooled more quickly, the skins blistered and were magically easier to remove. In the future, I think I’ll do 30 second intervals (which is good for all nuts) to control the toasting.
When experiencing your walleye fishing or pheasant hunting package at Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge you will enjoy the best fresh and raw products that we can get. All desserts, potatoes, bread and vegetables are fixed fresh in house daily.
Bon appétit
Chef Carl
-Just for Laughs-Number 1 Hunting Rule
Two men antelope hunting were walking through the woods. One of them fell down and grabbed his chest like he was in great pain. His friend had a cell phone with and called the operator. He said, “I need help, I think my friend is dead.” She said, “Calm down. I can help! First, make sure he is dead.” The operated waited, and then heard a gunshot. He came back on the phone and said, “Now what?”
Exercising on Vacation?
Exercising on vacation is seriously a very foreign thought to me. Isn’t the point of a vacation to get away from everyday activities? Another perk of vacationing to me is all the delectable meals I will get to enjoy. Last time I was at the Signature Lodge, I did exactly that. Three absolutely delicious meals each day, not to mention the appetizers and bottomless cookie jar. Mmmmm…Bliss! Pheasant recipes I hadn’t tried, walleye fingers from the walleye fishing excursion, homemade pie, the list could go on and on!
After about the second day of that, however, I must’ve subconsciously wandered into the exercise room. Nope, not going to do it, I thought to myself. I’m on vacation! Turns out, my mind got ahead of me. Look at that big flat screen just waiting to be turned on to my favorite show. That’s nothing—look at the incredible view of Lake Oahe with the amazing sunset in the distance. Now, look at all the options for which exercise equipment I could use. Okay, okay mind. But, only for a couple minutes. So, I grabbed the remote, chose the elliptical, and ended up staying for quite a long workout. I can definitely say that was one of the most inviting workouts I’ve ever had, and will without a doubt be looking forward to making it a part of my South Dakota pheasant hunting or walleye fishing trip activities!
Basic Wine and Food Pairing, Part 2
Pairing is not an arcane science. It is simply the decision of which wine will bring out the best in a given food, and which food will bring out the best in a given wine, all based on how you personally enjoy both. Think of a comparison in the non-wine world. Few people would eat a delicate, paper-thin pastry shell with thick beef stew, garlic bread and baked potatoes. The pastry would simply “melt into the background” and be overwhelmed with the other flavors. The same holds true for wine. You don’t want the food to completely overpower the wine, so you cannot taste it at all. Conversely, you don’t want the wine to be so strong that you can’t taste the meal. Some sort of balance lies in the middle.
Do you match like with like – an appley tasting wine along with apple pie for dessert? Or do you add some contrast, so the spiciness in the meat stew balances against the slightly sweet wine? Either method works as do countless others. Part of the fun is to experiment with different combinations, to see which strike your own palate as truly delicious. Then, share those with others to see which tastes they also appreciate, and which are uniquely yours.
One very typical wine-food pairing is Cheese, and many wine parties have cheese as the main snack. Why is this? There are so many varieties of cheeses that there is one that goes well with any type of wine you might try.
Cheese tends to make a wine taste better, too. It “smoothes out” the wine and brings out what is best in both. Both wine and cheese are natural products, something created with care and aged to perfection.
In most cases a red wine goes well with hard cheese, while white wines go well with softer cheeses, but again this comes down to your personal tastes and what combinations of flavors you enjoy.
How about for dessert? While Ice Wines goes well with fruit pastries, chocolate is a typical “difficult to match” dessert. To please wine lovers of all stripes, you can choose a white Riesling, cabernet, or port.
Learn for yourself what combinations of tastes YOU enjoy the most, and remember that your South Dakota pheasant hunting or walleye fishing trip will help you experience and learn how you like your wine and food paired!
Bon Appétit
Chef Carl
-Just for Laughs-Bird Dog Walks on Water
An avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him. He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, the eternal pessimist who refused to be impressed with anything. This, surely, would impress him. He invited him to go duck hunting with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by. They fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet. This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it. The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but did not say a single word. On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, “Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?” “I sure did,” responded the pessimist. “He can’t swim.”
Basic Wine and Food Pairing, Part 1
Wine and Food Pairings is an extremely personal pastime, drawing from the background, culture, and habits of each person sampling the wine. Germans might think a particular wine is dry; French are likely to find the same wine sweet. Someone brought up with spicy foods might judge a wine differently than someone brought up with potatoes and pasta.
In the end, it comes down to what an individual enjoys, and what combination works best for the person.
Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge takes a lot of pride to pair the perfect wine with the catch from their walleye fishing trip or their upland game from their pheasant hunting trip.
Certainly, generalizations can be drawn about “the average person’s senses”- that usually produces charts like this Red Wines & Food one, or perhaps its mates- the White Wines & Food and Sparkling Wines & Food. Still, these should only be used as starting points, where you think to yourself, “I am a human, so my mouth might work the same way as these other billions of people’s mouths do; in general.” When you take in consideration how different you are as an individual, and all that has gone into your particular taste system, you will realize how truly individual your wine and food pairings ideas probably are.
So where to start… how about those two sense organs that most humans possess: the nose and tongue.
The sensation wine gives you – does not come chiefly from your tongue. Your tongue has “zones” for each type of flavor it can taste, so you want the wine to able to go over section. The tip senses sweet, the front sides salt, the back side acid, and the very back bitter. Even in each section, there are buds of different “intensities”.
In comparison with this well-organized but generalizing tongue, your nose is incredibly sensitive at picking out minute differences in aroma. It is able to sense concentrations of some odors in the parts-per-million quantity. Practice with both senses, paying attention to the flavors you are detecting in the wine, learning what combinations you enjoy and do not enjoy. The more flavors you try in your day to day activities, the greater the “background of taste knowledge” you will have when you try to figure out what a particular wine tastes like.
On our next blog, you’ll learn about Wine Pairing. Your South Dakota walleye fishing or pheasant hunting trip at Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge will greatly enhance your ability to perfect your wine pairing capabilities!
Bon appétit
Chef Carl
Introducing DJ Colmorg Castle’s Highland Desire, aka Whiskey, from Diamond J. Brit. Labs.
Cheyenne Ridge Outfitters & Signature Lodge is excited to announce the addition of a new Labrador puppy from Diamond J. Brit. Labs. “This new relationship signifies the desire to take our dogs to the next level,” says Jim McKenzie, Lodge Manager at the North Platte Outpost. “We believe bringing in top quality imported blood lines coupled with proper training will help us continue to improve the hunting experience for our customers.”
General Manager Bob Edwards had this to say, “As the first lodge in the world to receive a Beretta Trident rating for quality and excellence in service, we have set some pretty high standards for our hunting program. Because of that, we have to be very selective as to who we work and affiliate with. Donna Ostendorf of Diamond J. Brit. Labs (www.ukbritlabs.com) has shown us that they meet the quality and standards to be a supplier to our retriever program. The process in which Donna goes through in selecting dogs to breed is intensive and they have a strong history of turning out champion hunters. We are proud to have a pup on site.”
