Not a Typical Valentine's date

I spent valentine's day weekend like every other weekend, ice fishing with my hubby and a few close friends and relatives.
Mike had been looking forward to this particular fisharee, or ice fishing tournament,  with boyish excitement.
He was confident he would win, and I was confident he could, because he's the luckiest person I've ever met (and I'm not just saying that because he's married to me).
I worked till 12:30 the night before, and tried to get a few hours of sleep before our alarms went off at 4:00. The fisharee began at 6:30 and Mike wasted no time setting up. We're allowed three lines per person and It didn't take him long to drill holes for our tip-ups in the perfect spots.
A few minutes after he had finished baiting our hooks and was warming up next to the heater, we got our first flag on one of my tip ups. I had to stay back and watch the little one so mike and a friend went to the hole without me. For me, catching a Northern Pike sometimes feels like pulling a log through the water, especially if they're swim through the weeds. But that wasn't the case for Mike, it only took him a minute or two until he had his first fish of the day, squirming on the ice. The northern measured  32 inches, and set the bar high for the rest of the tournament.
It was an amazing to start the day. And a great day to be out fishing. Despite the swirling wind and negative temperatures, it was sunny and the fish were biting. To top it all off, Mike won first place, and bragging rights with that first pike.
That's us, all bundled up in the picture. Me with a 28 inch Northern that I caught at nearly the last minute of the competition and mike with his fish. Overall, We might have not celebrated our valentine's day in the traditional way but it was better that way because we spent the day, outdoors, doing somthing we loved, together.

A Fish Story.

Last Saturday Mike, brimming with spontaneity, snagged us two seats on a fishing charter boat in Milwaukee.  The morning started out like a complete circus. Neither one of us heard our alarms go off so when I woke up at quarter to three (am) so all  we had time to do was jump into our clothes and race to our truck. I made it to the harbor faster than seagull eats a french fry. Seriously. We barreled onto Lakeshore drive in just about a half hour. An impressive feat considering how far away I live and how much construction is going on along the Milwaukee lake front.  After arriving fifteen minutes late, we set out to catch our limit of trout and salmon.

 The day improved quickly,  especially once I saw the sun rise over lake Michigan. It was absolutely beautiful.  Mike helped the captain set up the poles and running boards while I watched the fish locator for our potential supper. We waited patiently. Switched bait. Then waited even longer. Turns out the fish just weren't biting that day. Our catch of the day was one modest Lake Trout. But the trout, combined with the relaxing lake atmosphere, was just enough to make my morning hassle worthwhile.

Mike filleted the trout for Sunday dinner. Although I thought cooking it would be complicated, it was surprisingly simple. First he placed one fillet onto a cedar plank that had been soaking in water for a few hours. Then Mike put the whole thing onto a cookie sheet for easier handling. Finally he topped the fish with a little pepper and a few fresh lemon slices. It was the first time he had ever cooked trout this way in the oven (according to him, a grill is the best place to cook with cedar planks). The fish had to bake a little longer than We had anticipated but it was so worth it in the end. 

I can't wait to go again and catch a few salmon for the freezer!

Tis The Season.

It's that time of year again! The Morels are popping! For the next few weeks we'll be in the woods almost every day looking for them. They're pretty hard to see, until you spot one. Then, suddenly you'll be able to see dozens. But you need to be very quiet and sneak up on them while you search so you don't scare them back into the ground. Then, once you spot them, you better run fast and dive for them before they suck back down into hiding.
Just kidding ;)
We took home about 50 small to medium sized morel mushrooms this weekend because it's only the beginning of the season. Some days it's possible to find twice that in one area alone.
If you're interested in hunting for Morels, the best place to start is by dead elms. Just make sure to do your research and be sure you can identify a true Morel before eating any mushrooms you find.
I like to eat mine for breakfast as the perfect compliment to asparagus in quiche. If eggs are your cup of tea, Morels are pretty good on pizza, or fry them to top a juicy steak with!
Any other recipe ideas?  Let me know. Also, feel free to share your mushrooming adventures with me.