grilled quesadillas with homemade salsa and spicy Mexicorn

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I have a great idea. It’s supposed to not be frozen this weekend – you should get outside and grill something delicious. In fact, I have the perfect meal for you! I am a little askew in that there is no wild game in this post. BUT. Chicken ‘dillas were calling to us, so that’s what I made. Want to sub in some venison? Do it. Fancy some duck ‘dillas instead of tacos? I’m in. We had a brief reprieve in the weather last Sunday and took full advantage of it. Craft beers on the back porch lounging in the sun while we waited for the grill to get nice and hot. Ahh take me back. So… what did we eat?

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venison sliders

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I kind of hesitated posting this recipe – it is super easy, doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, and I pretty much forgot to take a lot of photos of the process. But, after having all 12 of the ones I made get devoured on Super Bowl Sunday, I figured it could be at hit at your house too! These are great to whip up when you have friends coming over, and need to feed a crowd.
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VIDEO DIARY: duck season 2013-2014

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Happy Thursday, outdoors-friends! I have to say, this chilly weather we’re experiencing around here has been oh-so-perfect for sitting at home in warm clothes by the fire, working on… THIS! Slowly but surely, I have been piecing together our GoPro footage for the 2013-2014 duck season video diary. I have to admit, I think video diaries are such a fun way to relive trips and hunting seasons – photos are a great keepsake, but there is something about the action of real footage that takes me back to each and every hunt. I think I have watched this one about 10 times this morning, my smile never fading each time I restart it.

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rock leftovers like a champ

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Do you get so excited to make a giant meal of delightful food, anticipating that you’ll continue to eat the same thing over the next few days because it will be so delicious? And by day 2 you just can’t possibly eat another plate of [insert food here]? Well… That’s what happened to us. A few weekends ago, we had friends over to watch some football.  I made these bad boys, and John wrapped 2 pieces of venison round in bacon and spices and heaven and let them go to town on the grill for a few hours. {Grill? PS – Thanks, Mom and Dad!} Fast forward a few beers to 8 pm and all of us just can’t possibly entertain the thought of any more food, despite the amount of leftovers. But, there is no way I could let that venison go to waste. It was too bacon-y and spicy and promising.

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you don’t know if you don’t go[Pro]

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I really have to admit – the past few months have been very successful on the hunting front. A handful of friends kept asking me for the horseshoe they just knew I had hidden up my- somewhere. From doves, to deer, to ducks, I was really on a role for a while. But, after the slower hunt a few weekends ago, I knew I was in for a for more slow days before duck season ends. Last week, Dad and I were ready for our weekly Wednesday hunt, having heard about how well the hunters did the previous Saturday in the same pond. Tuesday night had the prettiest sunset, and while we were watching the ducks come in, we spotted a really nice group of canvas backs on the opposite side of the pond. With some binocular/iPhone coordination (below), I was able to get a fairly decent shot of them. Sounded pretty promising to us. Alas, no such luck… But, hey – these things happen.

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beer braised duck tacos with horseradish mustard sauce

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And pickled onion. I know that title seems a bit ridiculous, but I really couldn’t leave anything out. These are so so sssooo good, and every component is it’s own little hero in the dish. That’s a thing, right? Food heroes? Anyways – I made these one Sunday in the crock pot when we were having friends over to watch football, planning on eating the leftovers for lunch the next day. Duck tacos? I assumed a few of our pals would opt out just based on the idea of duck tacos. Well…. I was wrong. Really, really wrong.

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the luck of the draw

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Isn’t that what it’s about? The luck of the draw – Just when you think you have figured out what the ducks (or doves, deer, etc.) are going to do, they do something different. That’s exactly what happened to us Saturday morning in the duck ponds. John had a few guys from work out to hunt, so he really wanted to get them some shooting. With 2 other groups of hunters going out into the ponds, we had enough people to keep ducks moving (or so we thought), and that no one pond would be much better/worse than the others.

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wuan’s chili with whipped feta topping

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Oh, hello January weather! There you are! It is apparently supposed to get super-duper cold tonight (the high around here for tomorrow is 36*), and oh man do I have the perfect meal for you. My main squeeze is one heck of a chili cook, and prides himself on this particular “recipe” – he claims there is no real “recipe,” and that he wings it every time, but there is a pretty general base of ingredients and it never fails to be delish. And yes, Wuan is spelled correctly in our world… The history behind it is a bit silly, but, long story short, there are people out there who legitimately think “Juan” starts with a W. {Disclaimer – Mr. “Oh yea, Juan, I knew it started with a W,” if you’re reading this, no hard feelings! Best nickname ever).

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