In a kitchen where wild game is the main staple of each meal, another recipe comes together under the steady guise of hands which have hunted and prepared wild game for many years. Like most women, the babe in this kitchen has ingredients which bring together family meals, but unlike the rest of us Babe Wilkelmans' wife Kristeen, expertly instructs us in preparing new recipes on Babe Winkleman's television shows.

Babe has joined her in the kitchen, for 'Babe & Kris Winkleman's Ultimate Fish and Game Cookbook', his outdoor experience and her knowledge of game recipes fills this new cookbook with savory game recipes. Wife, a mother to seven-year-old Karlee , a syndicated food columnist, cookbook author, and co-host of her husband's outdoor show, are just a few of the numerous tasks requiring her attention throughout the day. At the time of this interview, she was a pleasure to visit with and made time for my questions and comments amid that day's errands. All this hard work and enthusiasm adds up to one busy lady and yet she took the time to return my calls and shared her heart about why she does what she does. Her recipe for success lies in the motivation of her desire to share two important things with women. These two things are explained in her approach to hunting and an inclination to provide the recipes for cooking the game that is harvested from those hunts.

When I asked how she became involved in the cooking segment of Babe's television shows Kris shared that, "The fans inquired about bringing back that part of the show and that they had enjoyed the recipes before. We seldom use domestic meat unless we win it in a raffle, we cook and eat wild game ourselves and it was just a natural thing to do." After a short silence Kristeen explains that her mother also cooked lots of wild game and says, "I missed an opportunity to learn more about cooking wild game from her, so there have been a lot of trial and error but I try to show recipes that are easy to make with ingredients you have in the kitchen. Most people don't have all day to spend in the kitchen. I have a seven-year-old, I have no time to make a gourmet meal." Kris was quick to point out that her daughter, Karlee has also helped out with the kitchen segment.

In a voice that reveals her Minnesota roots, Kris explains her approach to the cooking segment on her husband's outdoor show and illustrated this to me in recalling a specific show where she held up a partially plucked pheasant, one still bearing the hunting tag that identified it as harvested game. That wild game has to cross the border of various countries in some form similar to this and at the end of most hunts that is the reality of how those of us in the kitchen begin to prepare it toward an edible fashion. So Kris' point was well made when she held the unsavory looking bird by a limp leg and stated, "I can help you make a dinner out of this."

Kris shares tips to preparing wild game on the recipe's segment of the show and she says, "One of the most important things people need to understand about cooking wild game is that meat from wild game is leaner. In order to cook the meat all the way through it is not necessary to keep the meat on the heat source. After you partially cook the meat, it is good to remove it from the heat and allow it to finish cooking."

All the best recipes have the key ingredients that we have on hand in just the right proportions that can be made in the shortest amount of time possible, these are the ones we choose again and again to prepare for our families. Kris makes each dish with the ingredients on hand since those are the basic things most kitchens are stocked with. Not many people have time for a gourmet meal that takes hours to prepare, so her recipes are easy and you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen. To order her cookbook call toll-free 1-800-333-0471 or go directly to the website: www.winkelman.com

"I was free to explore and enjoy the outdoors growing up in Milwaukee, WI and when I hunted it was near a cabin in Lady Smith, before I met Babe." But Kris adds, "There were definitely more opportunities for outdoor and hunting activities after I met my husband. Most women are so intimidated to join their boyfriends and husbands on the hunt. That is why I go hunting with Babe, I want to show women who have never hunted that it is okay for women to go out and hunt with their husbands. I want them to see that it is acceptable for women to hunt. Babe and I hunt together and work the show together." When I asked, Kris stated that she prefers gun hunting and mule deer is her favorite species to hunt.

Kris has some other positive thoughts about the hunting industry. "I have seen more ladies get into the sport of hunting over the years through the help of those in the industry, who encourage them to discover hunting for the first time. More people are involved in hunting than there used to be. More families are out hunting together and having a great time in the outdoors." My favorite comment that Kris shared is this, "You do not have to harvest an animal to have fun." That is what this lady is all about, getting to the meat of the matter. If we do not enjoy the days without a harvest as much as the days when there is a harvest, we are definitely missing the key ingredient to the outdoors; fun.