Food & Fun

  • Wild West Words: Steak Terms

    By Chrysti the Wordsmith
    The word was folded into English at least by 1420, when an early cookbook instructed readers how to “make stekys of venysoun or Beef.” Throughout the centuries, the word was spelled styke, steke, and steyke, arriving at its modern spelling steak by the mid 1600s.
  • Montanan You Should Know: Stella Fong

    I love introducing people to new foods. With the kitchen as my sanctuary where so much deliciousness can be created, I find enjoyment and comfort there. I want others to feel the same way.
  • Dishing Up Community At Montana's Diners

    By Michael Ober
    Over in Glendive, GiGi’s Café makes the list. So does Shellie's Country Café in Helena, open 24 hours. Jordan has its Summit Corral. Even tiny Lima, Montana has Jan’s Café. And though there is not a tree anywhere nearby, Denton boasts its Shade Tree Café.
  • Regenerating Montana: The Tangen Draw Mission from Pasture to Plate

    By Hana-Lee Sedgwick
    Animal welfare is another key factor in their operation, and at Tangen Draw, animals are moved slowly and calmly, without sudden movements or loud noises. There’s also a strict policy against the use of artificial additives, chemicals, or antibiotics—a commitment that shines through in the very flavor, taste, and nutrient profile of their meats.
  • Remembering John Quigley's Frontier Town

    By Joseph Shelton
    When someone ordered a whiskey ditch at the bar, the "ditch" part was almost literal: the water was collected from a small spring running through the scene in between small trees (cut from the very tops of junipers and then treated with glycerine and formaldehyde).
  • Yellowstone Hot Springs: A Natural Oasis at the Heart of Paradise Valley

    One striking feature of Yellowstone Hot Springs is its continual flow-through circulation system. This meticulous design ensures that the pools maintain their pristine mineral content. Whether you seek a soothing, warm soak, an invigorating dip in the hot pool, or a refreshing plunge into the cold pool, Yellowstone Hot Springs offers a spectrum of experiences rivaling the finest mineral waters in Germany and Switzerland.
  • Native American Recipes

    As we know, there was a time when people of the Great Plains centered their lives around the buffalo, using the animal for food, clothing, tools, and musical instruments. The following recipes are adapted for modern materials and methods.
  • A Brief and Tasty History of the Beef Pasty

    By Joseph Shelton
    But those first Cornish miners brought with them a delicacy that many Montanans still treasure, a simple hand-pie that continues to nourish and fuel hard-working folks today. 
  • Ghost Town Coffee and Daniel's Meats are Cooking Up Something Special!

    The coffee flavor recedes while the spice blend subtly enhances the meat flavor rather than dominating. And it's not just for steaks, either. It's perfect on burgers, chicken, fish, even veggies - anywhere an adventurous home cook might use it. Mmm, we're getting hungry just thinking about it. 
  • Geocaching in Montana

    By Bryan D. Spellman
    Do you enjoy scavenger hunts? Working with space-age technology? Getting out and exploring this wonderful place called Montana? If you answered yes to all three, you may be ready to start geocaching.
  • The Old Broke Rancher on Becoming a Hobo at Nine

    By Gary Shelton
    One summer’s day after church, when I was in first or second grade, one of the big-hatted, blue-haired ladies of the St. Leo’s congregation asked me, within earshot of my father, what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered, without a moment’s doubt, “I want to be a hobo!”
  • The (MT) Manhattan

    Traditionally named for a big island somewhere far to the east, our Manhattan is inspired by a certain pretty little mountain town out west...
  • Hooked On Lures

    By Ednor Therriault
    I let my eyes wander over the colorful forest of fish tempters, which have been hung in the order they were found, resulting in a random array of shapes, sizes, colors and styles. A sleek, white, torpedo-shaped plug with black dots for eyes hangs next to a segmented silver minnow jerkbait.
  • Steak and America: A Romance For the Ages

    By Sherman Cahill
    Now whenever I go to a restaurant with a price point north of McDonald's, my eyes scan the menu for steaks. Whether it's the $10 steak and eggs at a greasy spoon or the $47 ribeye at a real fancy place, or the even more dreaded "market price" cut only available to those in the know, I can't help myself.
  • Wooden Wild Horses: Montana's Seven Carousels

    By Bryan Spellman
    The National Carousel Association publishes an online Index of North American Carousels. That index lists seven carousels in Montana, including merry-go-rounds in Boulder, Butte, Columbia Falls, Helena, Missoula, Shelby and Somers.
  • After the Burns: Hunting for Mushrooms

    By Larry Evans
    Since 1991, the Western Montana Mycological Association has offered workshops and forays focused on mushrooms— not all of them as exciting as this one—every spring and fall season. These forays are always campouts, and attract dozens of dedicated mushroom hunters from all over the state.
  • MT's Crawdad Cuisine

    By Dwayne Nelson
    There are some lakes, McGregor Lake (about midway between Kalispell and Libby on hwy 2) being one, where divers gather each summer to dive, catch crawdads, and have a big crawdad boil. 
I’m only familiar with the trapping method, and I don’t like to be underwater so that is the method we will address here.
  • Unimpressed: Montana’s One-Star Reviews

    By Ednor Therriault
    “The pictographs are so faded or destroyed that you have to use your imagination. The best example is in the sorry excuse of a visitor’s center. So, save your $6 state park fee (if you live outside of Montana)."
  • What Was a Montana Breakfast Like in the 1800s?

    By Lyndel Meikle
    One morning in mid-August, 1805, Meriwether Lewis of President Thomas Jefferson’s Corps of Discovery awoke “as hungary [sic] as a wolf.” Having a scant two pounds of flour left, he had it divided in half and cooked half with berries.
  • Montana's Small-Town Craft Breweries

    By Susie Wall
    Consider what a special place a brewery in a town with a population of less than 1,000 people holds in the community. Not only does it satisfy the palate of local beer lovers, it also serves as a gathering place for the community, a venue for local musicians and a much-needed source of employment and tourist dollars to quench the local economy.