Venison Taco Pie

Tacos are one of our go-to meals, especially in the summer.  Tacos are easy and quick to make, and I don't have to heat up the house turning on the oven.  But for a change of pace, I love this version of Taco Pie.  Taco meat in a soft and warm biscuit crust topped with gooey cheese.  Yes, please!

The original recipe came to me from a friend.  It calls for using deer burger, but I've found it works equally as well with ground elk, antelope and beef.  My two adult nephews, some of the choosiest eaters on the planet, asked for seconds! 

You could also change this up and use the biscuits in a pizza pan for taco pizza!

My food photography definitely needs some work, but you get the idea.  

Venison Taco Pie
1 pound ground venison

• 1 can (11 ounces) Mexicorn, drained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 can diced green chilies (optional)
• 1 tube (7-1/2 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

• 
  In a large skillet, cook venison over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the corn, tomato sauce and taco seasoning; keep warm.

 For crust, press biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.

• 
  Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Spoon venison mixture into crust. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  

• 
  
• Serve with traditional taco fixings, like sour cream, lettuce or tomatoes.  

Original recipe from Taste of Home.  Yields 6 servings

What You Talkin' About, Willet?

I love the variety of birds we get around here.  A few weeks ago, I caught sight of this guy, a willet.  I'd never seen one before, and had to take a few minutes with the bird book to distinguish it from some other more common birds.  It reminded me of a snipe, but with longer legs and a shorter beak.

These long-legged, straight-billed shorebirds feed along beaches, mudflats, and rocky shores. Willets are common on most of our coastlines, but Wyoming is a long way from any coast.  During breeding season the western population moves far inland to nest in grasslands and prairies near freshwater, I'm guessing that' how this beautiful bird ended up in a cow pasture in western Wyoming.

The Stars and Stripes and awesome clouds

Let's G.O. - First Time Fishing

I met my husband, Outdoor Guy, during my tenure at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, our state's agency responsible for conserving and managing wildlife.  We live at a fish hatchery where Outdoor Guy works as the assistant manager.  So as you can imagine, wildlife and the outdoors are a big part of our lives. We both hunt and fish, and I love outdoor photography.  But while we want Wyokiddo to spend time outside, we didn't want to force our interests on her.  Especially too soon.  We both know parents who drag their kids along hunting, fishing, hiking, etc., regardless if it's an age appropriate activity or something the child is actually interested in.  In my opinion, this is setting yourself up for a frustrating day and a good way to inadvertently discourage your child from enjoying the same things you do.

But this weekend, the timing seemed right for Wyokiddo's first try at fishing.  She'd shown interest after seeing boys fishing in the community pond.  We've even "fished" here at home with sticks in puddles.  And now that summer seems to have arrived in Wyoming, we loaded up the truck and headed to a local lake for some fishing.

Wyokiddo actually did a little fishing, with help from me or Outdoor Guy.  He set her up with a inexpensive fishing pole we had in the garage, attached a worm and bobber and did the casting.  Wyokiddo watched the line and did her version of fishing, which was dipping her fishing pole in the water over and over again.  We took turns watching her and doing some fishing of our own.  Outdoor Guy caught a few and I mostly caught some rays.

When Wyokiddo was bored of fishing, it was time for some serious sand play.  She built some sandcastles with Outdoor Guy, splashed ino the lake and threw sticks.  The dirtier the better in this little girl's book!

In all, we probably spent more time getting ready to go and driving to the lake than we actually did on the water.  But this trip was all about Wyokiddo and exposing her to something we love to do.  It didn't matter that she was fishing correctly or that we only caught two fish over the course of a few hours.  We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon outside as a family.

So here are a few pointers for sharing your love of the outdoors with your kids, or even exposing them to something new you can all enjoy together!

1. It's About the Kids - Plan your outing around the kids.  This isn't about catching your limit or bagging a state record.  So pick an activity, location and time-frame that is age appropriate.  Fishing was perfect for Wyokiddo, who will turn two in a few weeks.
2. The First Rule is Fun - Don't worry if your child isn't doing your activity correctly - make it fun and the skills will follow.  It doesn't matter if your kiddos are casting correctly or using the binoculars from the wrong end.  Use the opportunity to teach, but don't interrupt their fun unless it's a safety concern.
3. Have some backup activities - Outdoor Guy and I could fish for hours, but Wyokiddo's attention span just isn't that long, even with an activity she really loves.  I packed water and sand toys to go along with the fishing poles to help extend the outing.  She drifted back and forth between fishing and water fun, and Outdoor Guy and I got a few more casts in that we might have otherwise!
4. Give them their own stuff - Kiddos love to imitate!  Make your little one feel special with their own age appropriate gear or equipment.  It's okay if it's not up to your standards, this is about making them part of the activity.  Consider a fishing pole, boots, tackle box or fishing license, like the one I made Wyokiddo for our next trip.  

And, in the end, it's the moments like these that matter...

Owlets!

My favorite story lead of all time belongs to Ray Hageman, voice of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.  "Sometimes, you find the neatest things in trees."

That was Ray's lead into a story about a Wyoming Game Warden caught a wild lynx in a tree outside Cheyenne (lynx are NOT native to the area, this one had traveled across all of Colorado to get there).  I didn't see a lynx, but these great-horned owlets were pretty amazing!

Not the Last Child in the Woods - Let's G.O. (Get Outside!)

When I worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, I was involved in many discussions about how to get and keep kids involved in the outdoors.  The Game and Fish is mostly funded by folks buying hunting and fishing licenses, so the future of the agency depended on a society that placed value on outdoor spaces and experiences.  I attended several presentations on a book called Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv.  The book does a good job of painting the picture of just how disconnected many of us have become from nature and how that correlates to some of the more disturbing childhood trends.  His theory is that this "nature-deficit disorder" contributes to obesity, attention disorders and even depression in adults and kids alike.  If you haven't read it, it's worth checking out!

As a parent, I can see the difference out play time makes in Wyokiddo's temperament.  Not only does she enjoy the outside time, but it improves her demeanor when we are inside as well.  She sleeps better, eats better and will focus on inside activities for greater lengths of time if she's playing outside in the day.

Our outside play is a little bit of everything.  We have a sandbox, playhouse and swing, as well as a small pool and water table for the summer days.  But one of Louv's points in the book is that kids need unstructured outside play, too.  They need to float sticks down a stream, kick ant piles, dig holes, splash in puddles, etc.  Set the most basic of boundaries and let them go!  Our outside rules are no touching poop and no playing by the slough (it's a mini-canyon).  She can run, yell, throw leaves, break sticks, stomp in puddles in her boots, chase the dogs, chase the birds, eat a pine cone (not so appetizing as it turns out!) and get as dirty as she wants.

Our house sits on about several hundred acres of land, leaving us plenty of room to explore and romp.  We play in the sagebrush, the tree belt and any puddle we can find.  We feed the birds and pick up sticks and try to sneak up on rabbits in the yard for a closer look.  Sometimes I'll point out something to Wyokiddo that I think she might like.  But I consider our time outside her time to explore and experience on her own.

As summer approaches, I'd encourage you to make sure your own kiddo isn't the last child in the woods. For some ideas on getting outside and exploring beyond the playground, visit Louv's Resource Guide.

Never a Dull Moment Around Here

Today, my sister asked me what new and exciting things Wyokiddo was doing these days.  What isn't she doing these days?  Here's my list of recent funny/cute Emily antics...

• Emily is obsessed with looking down my shirt.  If I'm wearing something even remotely loose-fitting, she's pulling it out and trying to stick her hand down my shirt.  It's sort of like a Friday night in the Cowboy in college.  
• Emily is also obsessed with the back of my pants.  She loves to lift up my shirt and inspect my underwear.  Sometimes, if I don't nip it in the bud, she'll try to stick things in my waistband.  Like magnetic letters.  Or little people.  Or a carrot.
• Mommy's clothing notwithstanding, Emily's new favorite activity is playing in her playpen with every single stuffed animal she owns piled around her.  Sometimes she wants me to throw in laundry, too.  Or binkys.  One day it was my shoes.  Hey, it works!  She's confined and entertained and I can wander around the house getting some things done.  
• A few months ago, Emily was obsessed with climbing on the couch.  After the 6,000th time I put her on the couch one afternoon, I figured she could do with a stool to help.  So I bought a little step-stool. And it did help her get on the couch, but not to get off the couch.  After the third time she bailed off the couch like a lemming off a cliff, I put the stool in the closet until she was older and more concerned with her own safety and well-being.  It's been buried in her closet ever since.  On Thursday, though, Em was playing in her room, throwing all her stuffed animals in her playpen.  I was in the kitchen when I heard her banging in the closet, then saw her sneak into the living room carrying what I assumed was her Cowboy Joe Pillow Pet.  The next thing I know, I see her sitting on the couch, which she still can't get on unassisted.  Then I realized she had found the step-stool, took it out of the closet to the couch and used it as a means to chillax on the sofa.  Uh oh, she's starting to understand the use of tools.  Crap.
• One of my favorite things she does is come grab my finger and pull me toward what she wants.  Usually she wants me to pull the crib away from the wall so she can rescue the binky that fell behind it during a nap.  Yesterday, after a particularly frustrating round of baby charades where I for the life of me couldn't figure out what she wanted, Emily threw her hands in the air, grabbed my finger and drug me to the bone dry dog's water dish.  I'm afraid the toddler and the hounds may be in cahoots...
• Emily loves to give 'mooches.  To me.  To Daddy.  To the dogs.  To Aunt Mindy.  To the bear on the Super Golden Crisp Cereal Box in the supermarket.  She's an equal opportunity 'moocher.
• Her newest word is hush.  We love to read "Goodnight Moon" and she'll finish the part about the quiet old lady who whispers "hush."  Makes my heart melt every time.
• I finally got around to starting her family photo album.  We "read" it several dozen times a day.  Each time she excitedly points at someone in the family and claps or gives them a 'mooch.  She's a people person!