Heroic Eating at Big Shag Lake - Fall 2021 Edition

Brother Harlan is fond of paraphrasing the late UP author Jim Harrison quoting Jack Nicholson:

"... something Jack Nicholson had said to me more than a decade ago after I had overfed a group in his home: 'Only in the Midwest is overeating still considered an act of heroism.'”

The quote is from Harrison's book "The Raw and the Cooked", which family can find conveniently located among the cookbooks on top of the kitchen cabinet kitchen. The concept is not new to us at the Lake House. Heroic eating is pretty much de rigueur as evidenced by the Spring Trip repasts. But we managed to take it to another level this trip. 

In no particular order, herein a partial compilation of the "Heroic Eating" we indulged in over the almost 3 weeks at the Lake House this fall trip...

Chicken Noodle Soup 

Meal: Lunch Chef: Harlan

Notes: Homemade chicken stock with big Italian noodles

Pikenagi Donburi Bowl

Meal: Lunch Dinner Chef: Mike

Notes: Pike backstrap fillets grilled with unagi sauce served on a bowl of sushi rice.

Yooper Spaghetti Bolognese

Meal: Dinner Chef: Harlan

Notes: Bolognese sauce made with cudighi meat and ground beef.

Matzo Eggs

Meal: Breakfast Chef: Papa

Notes: On Demand Morning Fry Chef - Egg Specialist

Tasty Northern Pike 

Meal: Dinner Chef: Mike

Notes: Fresh caught pike sautéed in butter, garlic, onion, tarragon, wine, parsley.  

Honey Mushroom Omelette

Meal: Second Breakfast Chef: Harlan

Notes: Locally foraged honey mushrooms with eggs from local Gwinn eggmeisters. 

Smoked Pike

Meal: Elevensies Chef: Brian

Notes: Including Wendy's first Shag Lake fish catch in over 50 years. 

Beef Tongue Pot Roast

Meal: Dinner, Lunch, Elevensies Chef: Harlan

Notes: It was delicious. Wendy refused to try it. For reasons I cannot explain, no pictures were found of this multi-meal treat. Substituting a found internet image:

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Zucchini and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Meal: Supper Chefs: Roy and Roxie Grillmaster: Roy

Notes: The centerpiece of a birthday celebration

Sinigang Fish Soup with Yooper Fish Stock

Meal: Dinner Lunch Elevensies Chef: Mike

Notes: Filipino style sour and savory fish soup made with fresh caught pike fish stock

Potato Soup & Green Salad

Meal: Lunch Chef: Papa

Notes: Made with potato water from Roxie's mashed potatoes

Yooper Filipino Breakfast

Meal: First Breakfast, Second Breakfast Chef: Roy

Notes: Fried rice, poached egg, furikake seasoning, potato sausage

Fried Fresh Caught Brook Trout

Meal: First Breakfast Chef: Harlan

Notes: Last & only Escanaba River trout caught & kept on the last day of the trout season.

Grilled Ribs and Baked Potatoes

Meal: Supper Grillmaster: Mike

Notes: Roy left these ribs behind in the freezer. I was happy to have them. 

Leftover Cassoulet

Meal: Lunch Chef: Harlan Microwave Operator: Mike

Notes: Harlan left this behind in the freezer. I was happy to find it. 

Yooper Cioppino

Meal: Supper Chef: Harlan 

Notes: Harlan's Yooper Cioppino, featuring Shag Lake bluegill and fresh caught pike was the piece de resistance of this heroic eating marathon that would have made Jim Harrison proud. It's featured in the top image of this post, and worthy of repeating a video clip featured elsewhere in this blog. 

Apple Cake and Blueberry Sugar Cookie Trays

Meal: Breakfast, 2nd Breakfast, Elevenzies, Afternoon Tea, Baker: Wendy 

Notes: Wendy sent and brought several of her baked goods specialties to be enjoyed throughout the day by those who should and those who should not be enjoying these treats. I count myself among the latter. But they were really really good. And somehow I didn't get pictures. Probably because I was consumed with guilt every time I snuck another piece. 

I'm sure more was missed. Sandwiches, snacks, grilled chicken, pasties, cudighi sandwiches on the road, Papa's chili, dining at the Up North Lodge, the list goes on. When you set out to eat heroically, it's not easy to document it all. 

Fungus Among Us

We had unseasonably warm weather this trip, without a frost or hint of snow. With rain every few days, we had a perfect environment for a bumper crop of mushrooms. The range and quantity was quite remarkable. It was fun to look for and identify. A few were identified by our resident mycophile as edible and incorporated into our heroic eating marathon. 

The star of the Agaricus genus show at camp was the Honey Mushroom - identified and harvested at their prime by Harlan and enjoyed in several dishes - primarily omelets. 

Also in the "edible and consumed" category - the Chaga - growing on Birch, known for it's medicinal qualities, cut into chunks, boiled and consumed in a tea at camp and back home in San Francisco. Also highlighted in a recent Chef Gordon Ramsay "Uncharted" episode.

Herewith, in no particular order, some photos of notable fungi in the area that caught our eye (with identification left to the interested reader) ....