Author: Alison Lewis

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Pro Tips for Packing the Perfect Picnic

Are you dreaming of summer already? We sure are. And this year, we’re going all-out for al fresco, starting with a Chicago-style picnic in a Montana-size park.

Join us on June 16 for our Montana Long Table: Artisanal Picnic, and you’ll have a chance to chat and dine with illustrious Windy City chefs known for their Chicago dogs and gourmet sausages, honey butter fried chicken and hand-crafted pies.

But you don’t have to travel far to enjoy an epic picnic. Let Paws Up Executive Chef Sunny Jin share some inspiring thoughts on dining outside during those dreamy months ahead:

What do you love about eating outside?

The greatest advantage to eating outside is the wholeness of the experience. It allows us to focus on what’s important, and I believe that simply to mean being present and enjoying the moment in front of us.

What are a few of your favorite things to take on a picnic? 

I’m big on variety and small bites. That doesn’t mean extravagance and significant labor. My choices usually consist of cured meats, pickles, olives, cheeses, whole fruits and the best bread I can find. Every region has local favorites of each item, so an assortment is easy to come by.

Other than food, what else might you take? 

My picnic spots are usually at places where cell service and paved roads are absent. That creates a place with less exposure to human contact, so I carry along a book on plant identification. I’m still amazed what I’m able to find now that my eyes have adjusted to the edible surfaces around all of us.

If you were planning a leisurely rafting trip, what would be on the menu? 

Being respectful and observant of fire bans, regulations and conservation should always come first. It would be a bummer to pack for a riverside BBQ, and then come to find that fires are not permissible. I love to grill as much as the next person and would if the opportunity were there. However, to be safe, I try to stick to cold, no-fuss items that travel well. 

Chef Sunny Jin’s Rafting Trip Menu:

Chilled Prime Rib Wraps with Watercress, Pickled Goat Horn Peppers and Cucumber-Horseradish Slaw

Roasted Eggplant Panzanella with Chorizo, Toybox Tomatoes, Chèvre and Banyuls Vinaigrette

Fresh Fruit Bites with Wildflower Honey and Greek Yogurt

Homemade Jerky: My freezer is always stocked with experimental jerky made from earlier hunting and fishing trips.

Dill Pickle Chips: We all have our vices.

Ice Cold IPA: Some have more vices than others.

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Our Cowgirl Spring Roundup Gets Better than Ever

Bring your inner cowgirl to life at The Resort at Paws Up from April 26–29, 2018, for the Cowgirl Spring Roundup. Four National Cowgirl Museum Hall of Famers will lead scenic trail rides and cattle drives and teach you the finer points of barrel racing and creating Western art. In true Paws Up style, five-star cuisine and luxurious accommodations are included. Make your travel plans now for the ultimate girls’ getaway. (This event is limited to only the first 60 women, 12 and older, who register).

For the first time ever, Cowgirl Spring Roundup welcomes someone handy with a ladle. Chef and author Ellise Pierce will be wrangling our kitchen staff to bring you cowgirl cuisine like you’ve never tasted, expertly paired with wines from our Featured Vintner: Planeta.

Get up close and hear stories from this year’s Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honorees. As a teacher of all things equestrian, Sharon Camarillo has a rich background to draw upon. She rode her love of competition to a rodeo National Intercollegiate World Championship at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California. Camarillo then competed on the pro rodeo circuit as a barrel racer—she was a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. A teacher in every sense of the word, Camarillo loves to share her passion and knowledge of riding. Her clinics on handling horses and barrel racing draw big crowds. But at Paws Up, she’ll just be teaching our Cowgirl Roundup attendees.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but it’s hard to imagine laying eyes on Veryl Goodnight’s paintings of Western wildlife without appreciating the exquisite loveliness. Overall, Goodnight’s body of work is as expansive as it is gorgeous. Her sculptures—more than 200 of them—further set her apart from other artists. Goodnight’s art has appeared extensively in numerous books and been shown in museums, such as the Autry Museum of the American West. Imagine painting by her side, with a mountainous Montana backdrop. You can make that happen.

Marilyn Williams Harris is a true working cowgirl. Owning and comanaging her grandfather’s historic Arizona ranch with her sister, Harris works on their cow-calf operation. Her lifelong passion for riding horses led to American Quarter Horse Association World Championships in the Reining and Working Cow Horse categories, among other honors. When it comes to enthusiasm about sustaining the cowgirl way of life for future generations, Harris has few peers. Her unbridled zest for the Western land stewardship is truly contagious.

The passion Barbara Van Cleve has for Western ranch life is evident in everything she shoots. Her photography ranks with Western legends like William Albert Allard and Edward S. Curtis. With 55 solo exhibits under her belt buckle, Van Cleve exemplifies the grace and skill of Cowgirl Museum Hall of Famers. Her stunning book, Hard Twist: Western Ranch Women, rings true to life, perhaps in part because she was raised on a Montana ranch. The authentic flavor of the old West and the new West merge beautifully in Van Cleve’s work. This is your chance to shoot the American West with the master herself.

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Make Your Memorial Day Plans Now

We’ve stoked the flames of anticipation for this year’s Montana Master Grillers event (May 25–28) with an all-new lineup of grilling greats. This year’s weekend-long event features maestros of the grill who have worked their fiery magic from deep in the heart of Texas to Boston’s Fenway Park. Each has a unique take on BBQ delights.

Join us as we fire up the grills with MMG veteran Chef Tim Byres, newcomers Chef Nicole Pederson and Chef Steve “Nookie” Postal as well as local Chef Burke Holmes from Missoula’s Notorious P.I.G. BBQ and Chef Pat Martin from Hugh-Baby’s BBQ & Burger Shop and Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, Tennessee. Besides their flame-kissed wonders, we’ll add a bevy of beverages from KettleHouse Brewing Company, Glacier Distilling Company and Wagner Family of Wine and nightly music by Dan Dubuque, Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja and the Lil Smokies making this one unforgettable Memorial Day weekend.

In true Paws Up style, our BBQ mastery will be served with healthy doses of stunning scenery, luxurious accommodations and wilderness adventures. May we recommend a few hours riding the range with the Garnet Mountains as your sidekick or rustling up some trout from the beautiful Blackfoot River?

In true Paws Up style, our BBQ mastery will be served with healthy doses of stunning scenery, luxurious accommodations and wilderness adventures. May we recommend a few hours riding the range with the Garnet Mountains as your sidekick or rustling up some trout from the beautiful Blackfoot River?

Chef Tim Byres, named the Southwest 2012 Food & Wine magazine’s People’s Best New Chef, is the co-owner and chef of SMOKE, Chicken Scratch, The Foundry, Bar Belmont, Spork and SMOKE Plano. Originally from California but a longtime Texan, Byres is best known for his “live fire cookery,” worldly and approachable flavors and fun, family-style service.

Named Best Al Fresco Restaurant by Boston Magazine as well as Best Neighborhood Takeout Restaurant, Commonwealth is owned by Chef Steve “Nookie” Postal, a veteran chef of Cambridge’s Oleana and Casablanca restaurants. Commonwealth sits proudly in Boston’s vibrant Kendall Square. Fresh ingredients shine and take center stage via simple executions.

After learning secrets, techniques and recipes from world-famous pit masters in his native St. Louis, Missouri, Chef Burke Holmes brought the soul of true barbecue to Missoula, Montana. With such an authentic background, it’s no wonder Holmes’ Notorious P.I.G. BBQ was voted both Best BBQ and Best New Restaurant in Missoula. Always smoking meats over local cherrywood and applewood, Holmes typically applies his favorite rubs and sauces to everything from ribs and beef brisket to smoked cranberry-cayenne chicken wings.

Chef Nicole Pederson has an impressive pedigree in food. After culinary school in her hometown of Minneapolis, she gained valuable experience cooking in the south of France. Pederson also worked at Gramercy Tavern in New York and then headed to the Lula Cafe in Chicago, where she honed her passion for all things local. Pederson also held the post of Executive Chef at C-House.

Before becoming The Resort at Paws Up’s executive chef, Sunny Jin’s culinary journey took him around the world, cooking for some of the planet’s finest restaurants—Napa Valley’s French Laundry, Catalonia’s El Bulli and Australia’s Tetsuya’s. While his culinary skills have impressed discriminating palates globally, it’s the American Northwest where he feels most at home. His formative cooking skills developed in Portland, Oregon, at the Western Culinary Institute, where he won the coveted Grand Toque Award as the top culinary student.

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Our Top 5 Wintery Hiking Trails

We’re going to let you in on one of our best-kept secrets . . . There isn’t a more serene or breathtakingly beautiful time to visit Paws Up than the magical snow-filled months of winter. Our lucky cold-weather guests have access to mile after mile of pristine trails to snowshoe, hike or take romantic walks on while enjoying the glittering scenery.

We’ve turned to Nadine Lipson, part owner, part trail guru at The Resort, for her top-five seasonal hikes. Her recommendations span from the heart-pumping one-mile Sacagawea Trail to the Sunset Loop, a 13-mile hike offering incredible views of the Blackfoot River and Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Pick up a trail map and get pointed in the right direction at the Wilderness Outpost. And when you’re through taking in the gorgeous vistas on your wintery wanderings, come inside for a warming cocktail beside the roaring fireplace in Tank as a reward for a job well done. We’ll see you there.

1) The Canine Classic (5 miles)

2) The Anaconda (4 miles)

3) The Trail to Jones’ Pond (5 miles)

4) Sunset Loop (13 miles)

5) Sacagawea Trail (1 mile)

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Five Epic Winter Adventures at Paws Up

The Resort at Paws Up offers over a hundred miles of wilderness trails for a diversity of unique Montana winter vacation excursions. For those who yearn to explore the great outdoors of Big Sky Country this winter, check out five of our best Paws Up Winter Adventures.

1. SLEIGH RIDES—MAKE EVERY DAY A HOLIDAY

“Dashing through the snow, in a two-horse open sleigh.” Glide

across the snow with your family as you dream joyful holiday

dreams. All while listening to riveting stories of local lore well

told by your Paws Up sleigh driver. (45 magical minutes)

2. DOGSLEDDING—PAW-POWERED FAMILY FUN

This iconic Montana winter activity shows up on numerous

bucket lists. Guests marvel at the excitement and power of these

dogs. One musher, 10–12 dogs, infinite amounts of family fun.

(Roughly one hour for a three- to four-mile course. Also this year: check out our 10-mile course.)

2. SNOWMOBILE TOURS—VROOM WITH A VIEW

Ladies and gentlemen, start your winter engines. There’s

nothing like full-throttle runs over beautifully groomed trails

to get the ol’ blood really pumping. Stunning scenery abounds.

(1.5-hour tours. One option: a longer off-property tour to Garnet Ghost Town—ghosts not included.)

4. FIVE-STAND SHOOTING—CLAY PIGEONS BEWARE!

Get your shooting fix with our twist on trapshooting: fivestand.

The stations present different flights for our sporting clays.

(Guests shoot from a covered position. Heaters provided, naturally.

Approximately 2 hours.)

5. TRAIL RIDES—THE CRUNCH OF SNOW BENEATH YOUR…HOOVES

Experience the eerily quiet Paws Up winter landscape from a

perspective unlike any other: from the back of a horse.

This equestrian excursion takes you through snow-covered trees

and past ever-changing scenery. (60 mystical minutes)

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Have You Heard of Cow Croquet?

If you’re coming to visit Paws Up this winter, we have a new winter challenge. Show your mastery of wrangling cattle by taking part in our new equestrian adventure, Cow Croquet. You and three of your cowboy/cowgirl friends will mount horses in the Saddle Club’s indoor arena and try to guide cows through one of five gates—just as if you were knocking croquet balls through metal hoops in the back yard. You will compete against another team of four players, and each team takes turns to try to “push” the cows through the selected gate. The leader/referee of the match yells out the selected gate (1–5) at the beginning of each round, and each team is timed on how long it takes to get the cows through the gate. The team with the best results and times wins! The idea to offer this new activity came from The Resort’s own Equestrian Manager Jackie Kecskes. We sat down with Kecskes to find out more about this creative idea and to get her thoughts on wintertime at Paws Up.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA

FOR COW CROQUET?

I bought a border collie last October and was watching a lot of training videos online. I knew if he’s going to live on a ranch he should be handy. I kept coming across videos of sheepdog trials (where the border collie must herd sheep through a series of gates, independent of the human, who is a long distance away whistling directional commands). This got me thinking. We already offer team penning during wintertime, but we were still lacking the cattle drive element that people love so much in the summer—the act of moving a large group of cows as a unit. I set up some gates in the arena, substituted cows for sheep and people on horseback for a border collie, and that is how cow croquet was born.

HOW LONG IS THIS ACTIVITY?

It takes two hours from start to finish.

WILL THIS ACTIVITY ONLY BE OFFERED IN THE WINTER MONTHS?

Yes. It is a winter exclusive!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WINTERTIME AT PAWS UP?

The atmosphere—everything seems to get very quiet,

despite all the hustle and bustle of our guests doing activities

and enjoying the snow. There’s something about the ranch

getting blanketed in fresh snow that makes it magical.

WHAT OTHER EQUESTRIAN ACTIVITIES DO YOU OFFER IN THE WINTER?

What don’t we offer would be the better question; we offer everything

from trail rides to indoor team penning and Cow Croquet

to picturesque sleigh rides through the homes.

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10 Winter Favorites at The Resort at Paws Up

We are counting down to the holidays and wintertime at The Resort at Paws Up. Read below for our top pics of winter favorites on our 37,000-acre Montana luxury ranch.

10 A WINTER COCKTAIL ENJOYED IN TANK. Special wintery drinks include the Basil Martini with black lava salt and vodka; the Swan Lake with coffee liqueur, vodka and a candy cane rim and the white-rum Whitefish Cocoa with orange, cinnamon and clove.

9 TWO WORDS: HUCKLEBERRY PANCAKES. Our executive chef often turns to locally sourced, fresh ingredients, and there’s not a more tantalizing example than this breakfast favorite, served with real Montana huckleberry syrup.

8 COW CROQUET. It doesn’t get more Montana than Cow Croquet, a brand-new Paws Up activity. You and three teammates mount horses in our indoor arena and guide cows through one of five gates—just as if you were knocking croquet balls through hoops in the back yard.

7 WINTER TRIATHLON. The Paws Up triathlon combines the precision of target shooting and archery with the thrill of cross-country skiing through our glorious winter wonderland. We’ll set you up with everything you need—skis, boots, poles and your own .22-caliber rifle.

6 SLEIGH RIDES. Join our wranglers and their majestic draft horses as they ring in the winter with an enchanting horse-drawn sleigh ride through frosted forests and over powdery hills. Even Kris Kringle would be jealous.

5 DOGSLEDDING. Go ahead, yell “mush!” and off you’ll go into the wild white yonder. Imagine being pulled by Iditarod champion Alaskan huskies through the wilds of Montana—all at the foot of the majestic Garnet Mountains.

4 SNOWMOBILE TRIPS TO GARNET GHOST TOWN. A hundred years ago, Garnet was a thriving town, filled with gold miners. In the winter, Garnet is only accessible by snowmobile, so the only tracks you’re likely to see (other than your own) belong to the resident wildlife.

3 MINDY’S HOTCHOCOLATE. James Beard Award winner Chef Mindy Segal of Chicago’s HotChocolate restaurant will be Paws Up’s resident rock star pastry chef December 26–30. Segal will lead cooking-making classes and serve up her famous velvety hot chocolate.

2. CONOR’S S’MORES. Conor Dannis is Paws Up’s official s’moreologist. His process is a thrill to witness, and Dannis mixes it up by using gourmet ingredients, such as bourbon-flavored marshmallows, dark chocolate and sea salt caramel squares.

1. NEW YEAR’S EVE. Ring in the new year with a dazzling night that begins with an elegant, five-course dinner and ends with live music by American Idol’s Crystal Bowersox, a dance performance by Missoula’s MASC Artisans, “presenting acrobatic air and fire” and (boom) . . . fireworks!

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The Resort at Paws Up Holiday Gift Wish List

Have you heard of The Resort at Paws Up’s own store, The Wilderness Outpost? From local artisans to world-class brands, the Wilderness Outpost offers a carefully curated selection of exquisitely crafted clothing, footwear, housewares, jewelry, fine art, gifts and more.  We have amazing gift ideas just in time for the holidays.

Explore styles and artfully constructed items from Calleen Cordero, Filson, Frye, Kuhl, Lucchese, Old Gringo, Patagonia and YETI. We offer specially designed Paws Up gear created by local Montanans, such as handcrafted knives and cutlery from Behring Made Knives and cloaks by Lindsey Thornburg. Oil paintings by Michael Haykin and art by Teresa Garland Warner and Diane Whitehead are also available.

Contact our style consultants or product experts by phone at 406-244-7374 or email directly at shop@pawsup.com for your personal shopping needs. We can also provide a private after-hours shopping experience with appetizers and beverages for individuals or groups upon appointment or request. Hours of Operation: June–August: 8AM–6PM, later by appointment; September–May: 9AM–5PM

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The Coolest Culinary Event in 2018

Montana winters are dreamy and full of adventure.  Paws Up’s annual WinterFest culinary weekend is January 25-28th, 2018 featuring James Beard Award nominee Bruce Kalman and Bravo Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson. The event is three and a half days of intimate cooking demonstrations, gourmet winter-themed feasts, tastings and more. Guests will enjoy cocktails by Glacier Distilling Company served at a festive ice bar,  fantastic wines by winemaker Ehren Jordan,  live musical performances (see below) and even lessons and matches with the Missoula Curling Club.

 

All of this will be served against a backdrop of incredible snow-covered mountains. Between meals, you’ll get to enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing and more, plus trunk shows for retail therapy, a host of spa services and, of course, sitting in your own private hot tub under a starlit sky.

 

 
 
Musical Guests:

 

On Thursday night, January 25, hear guitarist and singer-songwriter Andrea Harsell artfully blend bluegrass, country, folk and rock. Her voice has been known to channel the likes of Janis Joplin, Alison Krauss and Alanis Morissette.

 

On Saturday night, January 27, listen during dinner as guitarist and singer-songwriter John Floridis fills the air with his bluesy, folk-rock melodies. He’s played with Bruce Cockburn, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris, among others.

All-Inclusive Package Rates

Rates for a three-night stay start at $745 per person, per night (based on two adults staying in a Meadow Home).

Rates include the following: four days/three nights in a luxurious Montana vacation home, three meals per day including nightly fivecourse dinners prepared by featured chefs with wine pairings, two workshops and two wilderness activities and complimentary airport transfers to/from Missoula International Airport, as well as complimentary on-property transportation.