Father Fred Frostbite Food Drive

The Father Fred Frostbite Food Drive is Feburary 3rd through the 12th.  Please start your collections and be ready to donate.  The need is greater than ever!  Keep it tuned for WTCM 103.5 and 93.5 for updates!

Paper Angels 2011

It says something about Americans that in the midst of our most challenging economic times, the desire to help the less fortunate increases, and generosity grows.  This year, WTCM’s Paper Angels campaign is striving to bring Christmas to even more foster children and families.  If you can contribute, contact Child and Family Services in Traverse City at 946-8975 extension 1046, or in Petoskey call 347-4463.  Paper Angels – gifts from the heart are priceless.

Deer Camp Recipes

Lou Guerrini’s Venison Roast:

Approx. 4-5 lbs. 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 to 1 jar of peppercinni peppers(seeded and stemmed), 1pkg of Zesty Italian Salad Dressing(Good Seasoning), 1tsp of Italian Seasoning, 1pkg of Lipton Dry Soup mix, and 1clove of garlic chopped. Place roast in a crock pot & add all the ingredients on top of roast. dump at least half of the remaining juice from the jar of peppercinni’s. Cook on high for 6 hrs, then shred with a fork. At this time all the fat has fallen off and you can remove it easily. cook two more hrs. If you have a larger roast, add more Italian Salad dressing to taste. This recipe is foolproof.

Michael Romanack’s Venison Fajitas:

Really simple…season steaks with Lawry’s seasoned salt (or you could marinate in a pkg mix); then grill them. Then fry onions & green peppers in butter. Slice steaks thinly hot off the grill, place on warmed tortilla shells with peppers & onions, add shredded cheese, sour cream & salsa. Roll up & Voila! Fit for a king!

Randy Kruger’s Venison Roast:

Placed in Crock Pot… cover the whole thing with a jar of Dill Pickles, and if you wish, some pickled pepper rings. Put on the lid and set the crock pot for high and let it cook…it’s that simple…

Mark Romanack’s Favorite Venison Recipe:

Cut strips of lean venison into pieces 1 inch wide, by 2 inches long and about 1/2 inch thick. Marinate these pieces in a mixture of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, the juice of half a fresh lime and a couple cloves of fresh garlic for at least 24 hours. Take the marinated pieces of venison and place a jalapeno ring on each, then fold the meat in half and wrap a half slice of bacon around the chunk of meat. Use a tooth pick to secure the bacon in place and grill over charcoal or a gas grill until the bacon is starting to get crispy.  In place of the jalapeno, you can substitute onion or banana peppers for the less hardy among us. Can be used as a appetizer or as a whole meal. Goes great with spanish or cajun rice and cold mexican beer spiked of course with the other half of that lime!

Grilled Venison Backstrap

Section of venison backstrap (any size) carefully trimmed of all fat (could substitute good cut of round)
Olive oil
Black pepper (or your favorite steak seasoning)

Brush backstrap with olive oil and sprinkle liberally on all sides with pepper or steak seasoning
Let sit in cool area or refrigerator for one hour (some prefer to marinade the meat in oil for 6 hours first, but this is not usually necessary)
Sear backstrap on HOT part of grill turning with tongs until all sides are nicely browned (almost blackened)
Move to cooler part of grill (indirect heat) and cook in closed grill (approx 300 degrees) until internal temp reaches Medium Rare (Can do this in 300 degree oven if needed)
Use meat thermometer in thickest part of meat to check (DO NOT OVERCOOK)
Remove, let stand 5 minutes, then slice and serve to those you wish to impress.

Never Better Venison Stew

Ingredients:
1-2 lb cubed venison-carefully trimmed of all fat
2 cups flour
4-6 cups of beef broth(Amount will vary, enough to mostly cover the meat and vegetables)
5 medium potatoes-peeled and cubed
1 medium onion-peeled and diced(more might be better)
1 small can mushrooms
2 cups frozen green beans
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Cornstarch(to thicken the liquid)

1) Season flour by adding garlic powder and black pepper
2)  Coat venison cubes in seasoned flour and quickly brown in HOT oiled skillet, may discard the rest of the flour..  (Try not to eat all the meat at this point!)
3) Transfer contents of skillet to slow cooker
4)  Add vegetables and broth and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or longer), stirring occasionally to keep from sticking
5)  Remove approx 1/2 of the liquid to a sauce pan and thicken it on stovetop with cornstarch (Instructions will be on package)
6)  Gently stir liquid back into stew and serve to grateful guests!

Note: Can be done in 275 degree oven instead of slow cooker or on stovetop on low  but need to stir more frequently and cooking times will vary.

Adopt A Soldier For Christmas

The Adopt a Soldier for Christmas Program

Packaging at CLG November 12, 2011 @ 9 am

Questions:  Marilyn Dear (947-1387), Pam Kritcher (947-0967) or Bensie Benghauser (947-3108)

Suggestions:

Please select an item from one of the 4 groups below

1)  Sports Item – baseball gloves with baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, hackie sacks, etc.

2)  Video Games – small, handheld video games (if you send something battery operated, then send MANY extra batteries)

3)  Games – board games, decks of cards, etc.

4)  Music – CD’s or DVD’s

Fill in as much as you want of the following:

Food items – packaged to have a long shelf life and would not be damaged by heat.  Snack containers, cans of pudding, applesauce, fruit.  Also, crackers and peanut butter, Pringles, mixed nuts, packaged cookies  (Home baked cookies become stale due to shipping time).

Drink Mixes – Kool Aid, Gatorade, hot chocolate mix, tea, instant coffee, etc.

Personal Hygiene Products – Non-aerosol (pump-only).  Cannot be alcohol based.  Stick or Roll-On Deodorant, shaving products & soap (pump, liquid or gel only), Sunscreen lip balm, disposable razors, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, antibiotic ointment, imodium (chewable), pain reliever.

Candy, chewing gum
Beef Jerkey (no pork products allowed)
Books and Magazines
Letters and photographs
Alcohol-Free Wipes – in re-sealable package (Sam’s Club carries by the case)
Household Batteries -  battery-operated items must ship with batteries taken out (send extra)
Pairs of black socks
Hand warmers
Toys (yo-yo, tennis balls, puzzle books, etc.)

***Religious material may be sent for the use of that individual only – not for distribution***

Items that cannot be sent in Care Packages to Soldiers overseas:

1)  Hair Spray – no form of hair spray is allowed
2)  Nail polish or nail polish remover
3)  Cigarette lighters or matches
4)  Cologne/perfume
5)  Antibacterial gel or hand-sanitizer products
6)  Alcohol-based products of any kind
7)  Pork products of any kind
8)  Bars of soap

PLEASE ENCLOSE A CHRISTMAS CARD OR LETTER TO YOUR SOLDIER – YOU ARE FREE TO SHARE AS MUCH ABOUT YOURSELVES AS YOU WISH.

Important:  Bring items unwrapped.

What do you think of the Lions?

Champ Does It Again

Our current Song Wars Champion is one win away from Undefeated status.  Scotty McCreery (“The Trouble With Girls”), picked up his fourth win Friday night when he defeated the Challenger, Risa Binder (“You Made It Rain”).  One more win and Scotty will retire as an Undefeated Champion.  Tune in Monday night to see if that happens on WTCM Song Wars.

Champ Picks Up Another One

It was win number 3 Thursday night for our Song Wars Champion.  Scotty McCreery (“The Trouble With Girls”) defeated the Challenger, Mark Cooke (“I Love It”).  Scotty McCreery goes for his fourth win Friday night on WTCM Song Wars.

Another Win For The Champ!

Our current Song Wars Champion, Scotty McCreery (“The Trouble With Girls”), picked up his second win Wednesday night.  He defeated the Challenger, J.D. Malone & The Experts (“You Still Want More”).  Scotty McCreery will go for his third win Thursday night on WTCM Song Wars.

The Champ Wins!

After several attempts, we finally have a Song Wars Champion who successfully defended his Crown the first time out.  Scotty McCreery (“The Trouble With Girls”) defeated Tuesday’s Challenger, Rachael Holder (“Chocolate”).  Let’s see if Scotty can do it again when he faces his next Challenger Wednesday night on WTCM Song Wars.

Business As Usual…Another New Champ!

Our string of one night Song Wars Champions is continuing.  We crowned another new Champ Monday night.  Scotty McCreery (The Trouble With Girls”) is now the new Champ after he defeated Andy Gibson (“Wanna Make You Love Me”).  Can Scotty McCreery last longer than one night as the Champion.  Find out when he faces his first Challenger Tuesday night on Song Wars.