Otter Tail Country Tourism

The New Year is just around the corner. That means a new beginning, maybe a new lifestyle, or maybe just a different attitude about life. But! Before you make those healthy resolutions at midnight, why not entertain your guests at your cabin with a recipe sure to make mouths water.

I found this recipe as I was flipping through the most recent Field and Stream magazine. And of course, I thought of you guys and your New Year parties coming up. First, you need to be a hunter or know one because this recipe requires a Grouse (I’m sure you could use any kind of bird but this just sounds delicious). It’s called Grouse, Mushrooms, Whiskey, and Bacon.

What you need to successfully produce this scrumptious meal for your guests;

For the Grouse:
4 grouse
4 Tbsp. butter softened
8 stripes bacon
For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
20 oz. cremini or wild mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
1 cup rich chicken stock (or defatted drippings from the pan)
2 sprigs thyme
½ cup cream
1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed

Now lets get started by roasting the Grouse. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the birds, pat dry, and then smear each with a tablespoon of softened butter. Generously salt and pepper, inside and out. Wrap 2 bacon slices around each grouse, and then set them in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven until the grouse is browned, about 25 minutes. Remove to a plate and let rest, covered loosely in tinfoil, while you make the sauce.

Making the sauce. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and about ½ tsp. salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release a lot of moisture and begin to smell fragrant, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot. Sauté until soft, and until most of the moisture has gone out of the pan, about 4 minutes. Add the stock (or defatted drippings from the roasting pan) and thyme springs and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in the cream and bourbon and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes.

And finally, serving the patiently awaited meal! Spoon the sauce onto four plates, and rest a grouse in the center of each. Sprinkle thyme over the grouse. This meal serves four.

If you have any delicious ideas in mind for your cabin New Year’s party, please share them below in our comments section. We hope you enjoy! Happy New Year!


Tiffany Mennis, Otter Tail Country Tourism Blog

Labels: grouse, hunting, recipes, winter

We'd just like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas!

We appreciate your readership of our blog, and would like to extend a "thank you" to all of you out there who find us and take the time to learn more about our great area.

We hope this Holiday Season treats you well, and you have a blast with your friends and family.

-Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: christmas, holiday, holidays, wishes

Looking to entertain at your cabin this weekend? Playing games, baking, sleeping, and eating are most people’s idea of a relaxing weekend spent with friends and family. Need some new ideas for games and goodies this year?

How about some neat game ideas? Two truths and a lie – holiday gifting style! In this game you have each person write down two of the worst holiday presents they’ve ever received along with one made up worst gift. This way you can get the dirt on who has received the worst of the worst! Or how about pin the red nose on Rudolph! It’s a fun way to get everyone involved in a simple manor. Have bored kids running around all over the place? Why not put together a scavenger hunt for them. (Make the list extra long!) It’ll be sure to keep them entertained for hours! For more fun holiday activities visit http://www.celebrations.com/holiday-party-games or share your fun traditions in our comments below!

Now on to baking but back to the crazy children you have at your cabin that say they have nothing to do and are BORED! Try this simple and time-consuming activity that will be sure to make a mess! Milk carton gingerbread houses!
All you need is:
-Single serving milk cartons, empty and washed
-White Icing
-Gram Cracker Squares
-Decorations such as candies, sprinkles or other holiday treats!

Or how about some delicious peanut butter cookies?
-1 cup of peanut butter
-1 cup of brown sugar
-1 egg
Chocolate chips are optional (or anything else you’d like to have in them, nuts etc) Mix them all together and place on an ungreased cookie sheet in small balls, smash with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 and let cool on rack

Need something fool proof? Get some round pretzels, Hershey’s Hugs, and some M&Ms. Preheat your oven 300. On a greased cookie sheet place the round pretzels with the Hugs in the middle. Let bake for three minutes or until melted enough to place the M&Ms in the middle. Then let them cool and enjoy!

These are a few of my fun holiday recipes - I hope you get a chance to try them this Holiday Season!

-Tiffany, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: christmas, cooking, entertainment, fun, games, holiday, holidays, recipes, winter

The weather so far this Winter (well, technically, today is the first day of Winter - no matter what we think!) has been less than ideal. We've had a ton of snow, with freezing rain mixed in just to keep it interesting.

This is great news for those of us who enjoy ice fishing, but we still have to travel to the lakes that we fish on, commute to work, and run errands. When road conditions aren't perfect, we sometimes need to evaluate our situation and adjust our driving style.

Minnesotans know that Winter driving is a part of living in our beautiful state, but sometimes slippery roads sneak up on us when we're least expecting it. It's easy to slide into other cars or ditches, but it's also easy to prevent accidents on slippery Minnesota roadways.

First and foremost, you can't go as fast on a slippery road as you can on a dry, ice free one. I don't feel write going so slow on the interstate, but I'd rather have a bunch of cars pass me than end up in the ditch. Take it slow!

Second is watch your distance. You shouldn't follow too close behind the car in front of you when the weather is good - you really need to be careful when it's slippery outside. You never know when the person in front of you will slip or have to come to a stop and you need to be ready to stop fast enough to not slide into them.

Third, common sense. If the roads are horrible, just do your best to stay off them and only travel in an emergency. Keep essentials stocked up at home, and be ready in case you need to stay inside for a day or two without leaving home.

Let's all make this Winter a safer place by being smart on Minnesotas roads, whether we're on the way to the lake or anywhere else.

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: caution, driving, ice fishing, roads, safety, winter

As the days get shorter and colder, we tend to spend more of our time indoors hunkered down by a nice fire and munching on some of our favorite foods. But as cabin owners you have to notice all the wild animals that live around your place. So what happens to them while the snow keeps falling and it becomes more difficult for them to find food?

Birds especially have a hard time because they are use to finding their food on trees or in the ground. But in the dead of winter there is no way for them to dig deep enough to find the seeds or insects they need to live. So while you’re going through your cupboards, instead of throwing away those stale crackers or meat scraps, why not throw the extras out to the birds? Birds will also eat unsalted peanuts in feeders, or wild birdseed. As well as common household foods such as cheese, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cooked rice, potatoes or pasta, and various dried fruit.

If you plan to feed the birds make sure to scatter the food on a raised tabletop to insure the birds security. Try placing the food out in the mornings rather than later in the day. This will hopefully avoid attracting predators. One other thing for birds, they love water but in this Minnesota weather it is very hard to keep it thawed. Try putting warm water out during the day when it’s sunny this might help to give a bird a drink or a bath.

Birds aren’t the only animals that need food during the winter, squirrels, deer and many more also could use a little help from their human neighbors. So next time you see a bird or two in your yard take the time to throw some seed out to them and watch them eat.

For more information visit http://www.suite101.com/content/feeding-wildlife-in-winter---how-and-what-to-feed-wild-animals-a315873. Also we would love to hear your feedback and tips on how you take care of your wild friends.

-Tiffany, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: birds, tips, wildlife, winter

As I write this, it's 14.8 degrees below zero in Ottertail, Minnesota (according to Weather Underground).

That's cold.

On the bright side, every cold day makes the ice on our beautiful lakes thicker, thus safer, for everyone who enjoys ice fishing and snowmobiling on our waterways.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website, there are some defined thicknesses of ice for various usage. Here's what they say:
* 2" or less - STAY OFF
* 4" - Ice fishing or other activities on foot
* 5" - Snowmobile or ATV
* 8" - 12" - Car or small pickup
* 12" - 15" - Medium truck

So instead of cursing this cold blast, let's embrace it, and take advantage. Ice fishing in Otter Tail Country can be some of the best fishing of the year - we just have to make sure to get out there and fish!

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: cold, fishing, ice fishing, weather, winter

Holiday decorating is something many people look forward to and also something many people dread or just plain avoid. Whether it is the pressure from your neighbors to put up lights out side or the idea that with out a tree for the presents to go under Santa wont come with a lush variety of under-appreciated gifts.

The same thing applies for many in Ottertail Country who own cabins and have the joy of decorating two homes rather than just one. So one question many ask themselves while planning their décor is what the current interior design trends are, especially for lake cabins. One new trend that we’ve seen in the last few years is a variety of very colorful materials. Whether it is purple, orange, pink or bright blue, they all seem to add a holiday touch to your home. But if you’re into more of the traditional colors such as red and green, don’t worry those are also very popular and in fashion. And if you want to be extra trendy this holiday season, add a little brown to your holiday decor.

A few things that might be out of style this year include lametta (thin wire or foil) as well as tinsel, so instead try for artificial snow on pine branches.

Trying to decide which lights to put up on your cabin? LED or traditional Christmas lights have become a common question amongst many people searching. While the traditional lights have a nice soft glow to them compared to the super bright LED lights, you do tend to save more money using the LEDs. Although you may be using twice as many lights you’ll still save on your energy costs. And another added bonus to the LEDs is that they burn longer (around 300,000 hours) than traditional lights.

So as you’re planning your holiday season keep these simple tips and ideas in mind to help both save money and keep up with the latest trends. Have any other good tips? Share them with us in the comments! Happy Holidays!

(For more information visit http://hubpages.com/hub/Christmas-Tree-Trimming-Trends-2010 )

Labels: christmas, decorating, holidays, winter

According to game checks at several local businesses, the annual deer harvest was a successful one for hunters in Otter Tail Country.

Gas stations in Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls and Ashby were among the locations where hunters reported their deer. New technology to help this process go more smoothly included a barcode scanning system, which used codes on hunters' licenses to register the deer they'd shot.

Deer hunting has deep roots in Minnesota, including Otter Tail Country. We love to hear how hunters did. Even if you didn't bag a deer, it's a great time to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors in the fall.

-Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: deer, fall, harvest, hunting, otter tail country, otter tail county, winter

We're not sure how many of you are on Twitter, but if there are any readers out there tweeting, please give us a follow at twitter.com/OtterTailCounty - we'd love to connect with you!

We're pretty new to Twitter, but we're really liking it. We're trying to post fishing tips, travel tips, general outdoors information, and more.

Al, Otter Tail Country Tourism Team

Labels: fishing tips, otter tail country, social media, twitter