Storm Mountain Chapter

Quick question

2011-05-04T15:08:00.001-07:00

Just a quick question for a quick response.....Please send the first thing that comes to your mind.

What makes you want to be a member of the Storm Mountain Chapter?

Here was my response:
"It is something that my wife and I enjoy doing together and this group can help facilitate it".

Storm Mountain Chapter Updates ~ 4 May 2011

2011-05-04T15:05:00.001-07:00

From Ted Cromer, Storm Moutain Chapter Director,

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hello everyone,

Are you ready for some Dutch oven activities? We sure are as the leaders of the Storm Mountain chapter. The last Month or so we’ve been working on what we can do and how often we should try to do something. We thought that as a Chapter we should try to do something every month if we could. We realize folks are busy and everyone won’t make it to everything, but we hope you try to make a few of them. I think if things are going on and as people get involved it should help us as a Chapter to grow and enjoy some “Good Food Good Friends and Good Fun”. We realize that this is a big jump and might be stretching a bit, but I think we are up for it. So here we go…
In May we will participate in Roger B’s DOG
Date: May 21, 2011
Place: Hatch Park in North Salt Lake 50 West Center Street
Cook Time: 9:00
Eat Time: Probably around noon

In June Randy Brown will host a “Chuckwagon DOG”
Date: June 18, 2011
Place: 1940 Gander Lane SLC UT
Time: Start to cook at 9:30AM
Chow Time: 12:30PM

In July we will join Colleen Sloan and gang at The General Army Navy Store
Date: July 9, 2011
Place: 4974 S. Redwood Road SLC, UT.
Cook Time: 10:00
Eat Time: 1:00-2:00 or so

That will get us going. We have ideas for the rest of the year that we will get you information on so that you can get them on your calendars.

Here is some information about the DOGs. One or two of us will always bring a propane stove so that you can start you charcoal with, also someone will bring 5-10 gallons of water if you need it. We will have a donation jar if you would like to help with plates, utensils, etc.. Bring your own charcoal. DOGs will always be family friendly, bring your children and/or your Grandchildren. We really like the idea of using name tags. So we will be working on that even if it is just a sticker so that we all can get to know each other better. Remember you don’t need to cook anything fancy, simple is GOOD especially in a Dutch Oven. And please feel free to bring a salad or anything else to contribute to the potluck. Some of the DOGs will have themes. Follow if you want or cook anything you want. We are just trying to change it up a little and get some more folks out.

Some of you have asked if you could help out, and we will be calling you to see if you would like to help out or host one of the DOGs. If you would like to host one, let us know. We’ve talked or emailed with a few of you and we would like to hear from more of you and find out what you think about the Chapter and hear some ideas that you have to help us make a successful Chapter. If you have Facebook accounts or Blogs please feel free to promote the Chapter and its events. Spread the word to all your friends that would have fun joining us. If you have phone numbers for some of the past members or others in the Dutch Oven community give them a call and tell them to come visit us.

If you haven’t reregistered on the Storm Mountain page please go register at http://www.idos.org/stormmountain/chapter_sign_up.htm
--

Ted Cromer ~ Director
Rick Berry ~ Assistant Director
Brenda Atkinson ~ Secretary / Treasurer

2011-04-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

Forwarding this information on as a reminder. Feel free to forward to others that might be interested in belonging to the Storm Mountain Chapter of IDOS.

Here is a link to register with Storm Mountain Chapter:
http://www.idos.org/stormmountain/chapter_sign_up.htm

Here is a list of those that have already signed up:
http://www.idos.org/stormmountain/chapter_members.htm

This list will only be used by Storm Mountain to send Chapter members updates on events and Chapter related information.

While I'm at it...

On the Storm Mountain Chapter website is a link to a "local" calendar of events. I will try to keep this calendar up to date with any cook-offs, DOGs, and Demos in the area. I consider the area to include all of Northern Utah and South Idaho. If you have any events you want added to this calendar, please let me know. Cook-Offs and DOGs should be added to the IDOS Forums. Demos and classes can be added to the forums or I can link to your Facebook event page, etc. Just let me know.
http://www.idos.org/stormmountain/Calendar_files/index.htm

As for upcoming events, here is a quick list for the rest of April and May:

I missed Colleen's Demo last night at GANS. I should have sent out this email on Sunday.

23 April ~ Vanessa Johnson has a demo / class in Burley
23 April ~ Ace Hardware DOG event in Orem Utah

7 May ~ Ace Hardware DOG event in Burley

14 May ~ Meals-on-Wheels in Burley

21 May ~ Roger B DOG in North Salt Lake

24 May ~ Colleen's Demo at GANS in SLC

That's all I know of for April and May. I'll do my best to send an update every month to keep everyone up-to-date.

Ranes

Storm Mountain Chapter updates to contact information

2011-04-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

All,

As many of you know, the Storm Mountain Chapter has been somewhat less active in regards to communication over the last year or two. New officers were elected at the annual chapter meeting a couple of weeks ago and I really think the new officers are going to make a big difference.

With that said, I have created a form on the Storm Mountain Chapter website for contact information. I ask that each of you that is interested in being a member of Storm Mountain or for those that would like to be included with any chapter emails to complete this online form.

Here is a link to the Storm Mountain Chapter Members form. This form will ask for your last name, first name, street address, city, state, zip, preferred email, and preferred phone. This information will only be used by the officers of Storm Mountain to contact the members of Storm Mountain.
http://www.idos.org/stormmountain/chapter_sign_up.htm

Here is a link to a list of Storm Mountain Chapter members. This list will start to populate as soon as the chapter members start completing the form. This list will only show last name, first name, city and state.
http://www.idos.org/stormmountain/chapter_members.htm

If you have any questions, or comments, feel free to contact Ranes at ranescarter@gmail.com.

Many thanks,

Ranes

Email sent by Ted Cromer on 11 April 2011

2011-04-11T20:36:00.001-07:00

To all Storm Mountain members:

My name is Ted Cromer I am the new Storm Mountain Chapter Director. I know some of you, and I hope to be able to get to know more of you while we all get involved with the Storm Mountain Dutch Oven Chapter. The Assistant Director is Rick Berry, and his wife Vicky is the Treasurer, a lot of you know them and have seen them working and cooking. Our Secretary is Brenda Atkinson, her and her husband Del have hosted DOGs at their home in previous years. We all look forward to lots of Good Food, Good Friends, and Good Fun!

We would like to get all of your ideas on how we can grow the chapter and also the kind of events or activities that you would like to see going on, how often, where, or whatever? We have a lot of ideas we would like to see, but we thought it would be best to see what some of your ideas would be first before we let you know ours. Please just respond via email and if you know other members that are not on email. (We know there has to be a ton of those) let them know also.

We realize each one of us have different talents and abilities in Dutch Oven Cooking so we thought it would be fun to try some new things, and or learn some new things about it. We know a lot of us just sit in the background and don’t say much. So if you could let us know your thoughts that would be great? We will try and keep regular things going on. We know it is hard to schedule the perfect time because we are all busy, but we will give it a try. If you have a place or an idea where we could hold a DOG please let us know.

Here is our contact information:
Ted Cromer 801-694-4862 tgcrom@gmail.com
Rick & Vicky Berry 801-755-7068 1rberry@comcast.net
Brenda Atkinson 801-381-7380 brenda.atkinson1000@gmail.com

We’ll try to send a regular email to all of you to keep you updated. We are working on a calendar now.

We think we can really have some fun with this. Some of you may be saying it’s not like it was in the beginning (Whenever that was for you) we need a lot of you old timers (not necessarily age) helping us out. We have a lot of folks that have cooked in Dutch ovens for a very long time, past world champs and other very knowledgeable cooks in this group, and it would be good to hear how you do things. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone. (We know because we’ve been there too) We also need to get new people involved and learning. All the cooks I know love to share their ideas.

By the way if you are new welcome to the group!

Well this was way too long, time to get Cooking!
Ted, Rick, Vicky, and Brenda

Email sent 25 April

2009-04-25T22:17:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It's been a long time since our chapter has had a real Dutch Oven Gathering. Our last "DOG" was at an Asian Buffet, and the DOG before that was during the last chance cook-off. I really want to do more socializing this year and that means more Gatherings!

MAY
Our next gathering will be in two weeks and will be a Brunch DOG. Many thanks to Roger B for planning this event and taking care of the details. Here is the important information.

What: A Brunch Dutch Oven Gathering
Date: Saturday, 9 May 2009
Time: Cooking at 9:30, Brunch is at 11:00
Where: 2350 North 2200 West, SLC (map)
Who: Anyone and everyone, from novice to World Champion IDOS Presidents
Why: Because it's about time we all got together to have some Good Food with some Good Friends and have some Good Fun!

June
I'm claiming the Camp Chef DOG event as a Chapter DOG event, too. I know there will be some of you cooking at Eagle Mountain and at Thanksgiving Point and I wish you the best of luck.

What: Camp Chef DOG
Date: Saturday, 6 June 2009
Time: Come early to cook and socialize, Lunch is at noon
Where: 675 North 600 West, Logan, UT (Map)
Why: Because Camp Chef is awesome and you get to tour the warehouse.

July
Colleen Sloan has invited us to join her for her Parking Lot Demo / DOG event again this year. I thought it was a great event last year and I'm looking forward to sitting around the coals with Colleen and her possee. Those are some great folks!

What: Parking Lot or Tailgate Party DOG with Colleen Sloan
Date: Saturday, 18 July 2009
Time: There is no set 'meal' time. The Demo is open to the public from 10:00 to 2:00, so show up when you want.
Where: General Army Navy, 4974 South Redwood Road, Salt Lake City (Map)
Why: Because Colleen is the Dutch Oven Diva and I like her company.

I don't mind having more gatherings than this... just let me know when and where and I'll send out the invites. I really want to have a gathering out east and invite those from Price, Duchesne County, Vernal, and Tabiona. I hear that's some pretty country. If you want to host an event, just let me know when and where.

See ya in two weeks!

Ranes
=0)

Last Chance Cook-Off 2008

2008-11-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

WOW! What a great day!

Me and my boys got to the Sportsman's Warehouse in Midvale right around 9:00am this morning. There were three teams in the process of setting up with the other two teams showing up shortly after. All five teams were set up and ready to go by 9:30. It was obvious that all of these cooks have competed before and were ready for a friendly battle. And what a battle it was.

We all had a quick Cooks Meeting at 9:45. Having five teams that have cooked many times before makes hosting a cook-off so much easier. Basically, I told them where to get water, where the dishes needed to go for judging, and the location of the restrooms. 15 seconds later, we were done. Cooking started at 9:50.

The first couple of hours were a little chilly. Setting up on the west side of the building provided everyone with cold shade. A couple of people walked the 20 feet in front of the cooking area to stand in the parking lot and warm sun. Bakin Bill was nice enough to serve everyone some of his bean and ham soup and I heated up my Jambalaya to warm everyone up. Around noon, the sun peaked around the corner of the building and soon we were all bathed in glorious sunshine. It was great to have the sun warming my bones. The coats and sweaters started coming off as the teams worked in their last hour. I think it was great weather for a cook-off this time of year.

Through out the day, there were many customers that couldn't help but notice us cooking outside and stopped by to see what we were doing. As always, Jack Wallace did an amazing job of communicating his love of Dutch Oven cooking and offered details on IDOS and the chapters in this area. Jack has his book of pictures that really does a great job of detailing the process of preparing some wonderful dishes. I think Jack was able to sign a few people up today. I do hope that our little cook-off helped influence some sales for Sportsman's Warehouse today as well.

Just before 2:00, everyone pitched in and helped everyone take their dishes to the receiving area in the back of the store for judging. DeeAnn Johnson had already set up all the tables and had plates and utensils waiting for the food and the judges. DeeAnn is one amazing lady! I don't remember exactly who judged each category. Eight of the food judges were chapter members that have either been to World's or have qualified for the 2009 WCCO. The ninth judge was one of the department managers from Sportsman's Warehouse. I was going to be the ninth judge, but I really wanted a representative of Sportsman's Warehouse to get a chance to judge these amazing dishes. He was thrown in at the last minute and did an awesome job!

It took the judges about thirty minutes to go through the five dishes per category. There were some amazing dishes on those tables. After judging their category, the judges sort of mingled around stealing little bits from the other categories. Most just couldn't wait until the DOG event at three. The food was so tempting and the entire store had the great aroma of Dutch Oven cooking. I bet everyone in the store could smell that great food. I wonder if the sales associates had a hard time helping customers due to their mouths watering?

At three o'clock, everyone grabbed a seat in order to hear the list of winners. Jon Larson and Sportsman's Warehouse were very generous with the prizes for all five teams. Debbie and Michael Hair took first place. They had the highest scoring dessert and tied for highest scoring bread. Jason Jensen and Phil Newman came in a close second and had the highest scoring main dish. Their main dish had a higher score than all the other dishes. Carol Hokanson came in third and tied for the highest scoring bread. Erik Hanson and John Buxton came in fourth. Ted and Connie Cromer came in fifth. Every team walked away with a gift card from Sportsman's Warehouse. The fourth and fifth place teams received a hand made rolling pin from the Legendary Terry Lewis. The good folks at Sportsman's Warehouse got to taste the dishes and awarded Carol Hokanson's dessert as their People's Choice award.

James Knowles and his family spent most of the day with us. James is new to Dutch Oven cooking and was fascinated with the talent and presented dishes from the teams today. He prepared a corn bread and a curry dish for the DOG event. His curry dish was a great addition to the dishes presented by the teams.

I really like a cook-off like today. With some cook-offs, it seems most teams are really tired from cooking all day and are ready to go home after such a long day. Today, there were a few people that had to leave early because of obligations, but it seemed some of them wanted to stay and enjoy the friendly atmosphere. Many people sat around talking long after they were done eating. Most teams left their dishes out for everyone to enjoy for a while. I think I finally started cleaning a little after four. Even then, I kept running into others from the event either in the store shopping or outside chatting with others. It's really great to have such a social gathering surrounding a cook-off. We have a great chapter full of great people!

Thanks to all the teams for giving it your best today. Thanks to all the judges for being willing to help your fellow chapter members. Thanks to Terry for the rolling pins. And many thanks to Jon Larson and all the great people at Sportsman's Warehouse for making us feel right at home.

Here are a few links for your viewing pleasure.

Cook-Off on the chapter site

Pictures from the cook-off

For all those chapter members that couldn't make it today... you sure missed out on a great event!

Until next time....

Ranes
=0)

2008-09-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

Howdy,

Most of you know I have a couple of different hobbies and there are times I like to combine events. On 4 October.. yes, conference weekend... there are two different events being held by the Utah Association of Geocachers (UTAG). I think it might be an awesome event for UTAG, Dutch Oven cooks, and the Trikke group!! I haven't really been given permission to invite my other hobbies... but I'm going to anyway. =0)

The first event is a Willow Parik CITO event. CITO stands for Cache In, Trash Out. It's a community service event where a lot of geocachers show up and clean up an area. UTAG does this about every month or two at different locations. On 4 October, we are all meeting at Willow Park in Lehi, UT to help clean up the park.

The second UTAG event is the Fall Bike Ride and Breakfast Along the JR Trail. This event will start with a Dutch Oven Breakfast and will be followed by a nice morning ride up the Jordan River Parkway.

A few of you have asked about having a Breakfast DOG in the past, and this seems to be a perfect occasion. And, I know some of the Trikke group might be interested in a ride along the Jordan River Parkway.. that's why they changed their name to Parkway-Sports ! =0)

CLEAN UP

For those that want to help clean up the park, they will start cleaning at 8:00am.

BREAKFAST DOG

Breakfast is to be served at 9:00. I will be there around 7:00 to 7:30 to set up and start cooking. There is the chance there will be many geocachers there to clean and / or ride the Jordan River trail and they will not be providing any food of their own food. A couple of us are planning to feed all those that show up. It's a great event that I don't mind supporting at all and I would love to see a lot of Black Pots filled with breakfast foods! I have been asked to make Biscuits and Gravy. I'm going to try 60 biscuits in a 12" DO!!

Jordan River Ride

This is where a third hobby of mine comes in. The Jordan River Parkway between Willow and 1100 North in Lehi is a pretty good ride an a Trikke. From 1100 North to Thanksgiving Point is a lot harder.. more hills. South of Willow Park is very smooth and flat. This might be a great event for the Trikke group. My kids will love riding their Trikkes on the parkway! Of course, bikes, roller blades, scooters, skate boards, roller skates, or those that want to walk are all welcome to join.

If you are interested in joining me for this event, will you please let me know so we can get a head count?

2008 Lehi Rodeo Round Up cook-Off ~ After the party

2008-06-29T08:32:00.001-07:00

Howdy all,

I have to be honest... I was concerned about the Lehi cook-off this year. Because of the economy, some of my sponsors weren't able to be as generous as last year, and I had five teams drop out in the last couple of weeks.

Continuing the Honesty theme... I think the 2008 Lehi cook-off was the best damn cook-off I have every witnessed!

The first obvious difference this year was the 30 foot by 30 foot tent that the Hutchings Museum provided for the cook-off. They were also responsible for providing so many chairs and tables. Thanks to Val and Susan and the Lehi folks for providing such great shade and seating.

This year, I had six teams. All six competed at the Advanced level... even the team that has only competed in one other cook-off. The main dishes were so impressive, it took the judges just under an hour to judge just six dishes.

Looking at the scores (Excel sheet), you will see that the six teams were only separated by 18 points total. The top three teams were only one point away from each other. But, if you look at the scores per dish, you will see that the best dishes in each category really were scored much higher than the rest.

Lisa Blodgett's Key Lime Cheese Cake was nine points above. The Hair's Poppy-Cheese Bread Blossom was nine points above. Jared's Southwest Chipotle BBQ Ribs was fourteen points higher. The other dishes were awesome, but the best dishes really were The Best!!

All six teams did an amazing job... and any of these six teams stood a very good chance of winning. If one or to small things would have been different, the line up could have been completely different. All six teams should be VERY proud of what they accomplished yesterday. Every judge I talked to was impressed with the quality of dishes presented. Any of these six teams had a very good chance of winning.

Speaking of judges... wow! I had a total of NINE World Champs and two IDOS presidents (Kent Mayberry shares the joy of being both a champ and a president). To add to that list of Legends, I had Bakin Bill and DeeAnn Johnson. I am honored that these amazing people were willing to help me. I think that says a lot about the quality of the Lehi Cook-Off, and it makes me proud of what we've accomplished with this cook-off. My mom was pretty impressed, too. =0)

After the judges were done, I invited all the teams and sponsors to the judges tables to try each of the presented dishes. I really hoped that this would be similar to a DOG event where we were able able to socialize and talk about the dishes. It was great seeing a team sharing thoughts and ideas about the dishes right beside the past champ judges. I almost didn't want to break up the party, but I had to announce the winners at some point. No one was in a hurry to get their dishes off the judges tables.

Like I mentioned before, I was a little concerned about the prizes. BUT... and (like me) that is a big BUT... every team that entered walked away with over a hundred dollars in prize items. For a $10 entry fee, you got the chance to compete against some awesome cooks, you got the chance to rub shoulders with past and current champs, and you walked away with no less than a hundred dollars in prizes. I think that's a pretty good return. I would say the sponsors did a great job of supporting this cook-off and I thank each and every one of them!

I did the prizes a little different this year. Each team got aprons, cook books, seasonings, teas, and gloves. I had six prizes off to the side.. from a Lone Star Grill from Texaloy to an Edger from Home Depot. Each of the six teams, starting with the First Place team, got to choose one item from that pile. And... I had three prizes off to the side for the top three teams. I thought this was a unique way of offering prizes. It gave the teams a chance to choose an item instead of being stuck with what I thought they might want. I hope they appreciated that chance. It definitely made offering the prizes a lot more fun.

Another thing I found interesting... At past cook-offs, usually the teams and judges are ready to get home after a cook-off... especially in such high heat. Yesterday, many people stayed after to chat and help clean up. I was really amazed that so many people stayed just to socialize and help out. Another proud moment for me. It really was more like a competitive DOG event than a cook-off.

I have the Final Scores (Excel), images of the teams and presented dishes, and the Recipe Book posted on the chapter website. I have pictures posted on Picasaweb.google.com. I have comb bound cook-books for sale for any interested.

Again, I have to say this has been the best cook-off I have ever witnessed... if I do say so myself... and I just did. None of it would have been possible without the generosity of the sponsors, the support of the judges, and the ambition of the competing teams. I didn't make the cook-off a huge success... I just made the phone calls and sent out the emails. The teams, judges, and sponsors are responsible for just how great this cook-off was. I can't thank you enough!

THANKS!!

Ranes

Storm Mountain ~ June Updates

2008-05-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,

It's been a while since I sent out a big, bulk email. I gave all of you break for a few weeks and it's time to catch up.

Contents:
Greetings
Camp Chef DOG ~ 7 June
Eagle Mountain Cook-Off ~ 7 June
6th Annual South Salt Lake Cook-Off ~ 14 June
City Weekly Cook-Off ~ 14 June
June DOG ~ 21 June
Lehi Cook-Off ~ 28 June
West Haven Cook-Off ~ 28 June
West Fest Cook-Off ~ 28 June
July DOG at GANS ~ 12 July

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Greetings

I hope all of you have been having a great year so far. The Storm Mountain Chapter has been involved in a few great events these last few months and the Dutch Oven competition season is about to hit us at full speed. For those that like to compete, there are already a few cook-offs scheduled and booking up fast. For those that don't like competing, the chapter has a few upcoming DOG events that I think will be great. I hope to see all of you at any of the upcoming Chapter events!

A few of the chapter members have email accounts that get bounced when I include links in my emails. Because of this, I'm not linking to any in this email. Most all of this information can be found on the chapter website or on the IDOS forums.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Camp Chef DOG ~ 7 June

This year's Camp Chef DOG will be on Saturday 7 Jun at the Camp Chef warehouse in Logan, UT. Setup starts at 9:00, lunch is at noon, the raffle drawing will be after lunch, the tour will be after the raffle drawing. This year, Camp Chef is handing out tickets for the raffle and the tour for those that cook for the DOG. All of you can feel free to skip this event... that will better my chances at the raffle and will make the 'tour' that much better! Visit the IDOS forums for more details.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Eagle Mountain Cook-Off ~ 7 June

Eagle Mountain has been a popular cook-off for many years. This year, they are making their cook-off an IDOS qualifier and it is obvious by the teams that have signed up. There are many great names that will be waging war for the first WCCO qualifying event of the summer in this area. I am betting it will be an awesome event and I am disappointed that I won't be there! For those not going to the Camp Chef DOG in Logan, this might be an awesome cook-off to watch.. or to take your chances competing against some great chefs. Visit the IDOS forums for more information.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
6th Annual South Salt Lake Cook-Off ~ 14 June

Debbie Hair has helped run this cook-off for South Salt Lake in the past. The event is usually around the 4th of July, but they scheduled it earlier this year. This is a Novice only cook-off and not an IDOS qualifier. For any of you that are interested in competing but are worried about going up against the 'big boys', this is a perfect place to start. Check the forums for details.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
City Weekly Cook-Off ~ 14 June

The Salt Lake City Weekly is having their 2nd Annual Summer RecFest at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City. Kent Mayberry and Roger B are the head judges again this year. This is a WCCO qualifying event. For anyone interested in competing, contact Annie Quan at 801-575-7003. Deadline is 30 May. Again... the IDOS forums has more details.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
June DOG ~ Lehi, UT 21 June

Last year, I thought it would be a good idea to have a DOG event the weekend before the Lehi Cook-Off. I thought it would be a great time to have some of the competing teams try out their dishes. I invited the local Geocachers (UTAG) and the Salt Lake Trikke Posse to join us. I have to admit the event was not as big as I hoped, but it was still a great event.

This year, I have hopes of a bigger, better event. I have rented a pavilion at the Olympic Park in Lehi from 4:00p until 10:00p. This park is 15 acres and is located along the Jordan River and the Jordan River Parkway. There are 20 tables and a fire pit near the pavilion. There are playgrounds and bathrooms and bike paths and soccer fields and tons of room. Bring your bikes, trikkes, skate boards, kites, frisbees, fishing poles, horse shoes, and appetites for a great afternoon in an amazing park in Lehi!

I have invited the local geocachers (UTAG) and the Trikke group again, and I'm hoping to get a few more groups included. There are two or three geocachers (including Kent Mayberry, the Cast Iron Boss) that call themselves The Unknown Hobos. They have scheduled this event as a geocaching event. The Trikke Brothers (and Heather) should be there with some Trikkes for those that want to try them out.

So, feel free to invite your co-workers, buddies, neighbors, family, etc. All I ask is that everyone brings something and enough to share. Show up early and cook... or bring a bucket of chicken... doesn't matter to me.

More details can be found on the Storm Mountain Chapter website under Chapter DOGs... and of course in the forums.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lehi Cook-Off ~ 28 June

So far, I have eight teams that are interested in competing in Lehi on 28 June. I have stated no past champs or current qualifiers for the Lehi cook-off. There is a cook-off in Eagle Mountain on 7 June and a cook-off in SLC on 14 June. It is possible one or two of the teams that have shown an interest in the Lehi cook-off will have to drop out if they win either of the previous cook-offs. I still have spots left open. With that said, here are the eight teams that have an interest in cooking in Lehi:

Jared and Kathy Cahoon
Ted and Connie Cromer
Mary Allen Dwire
Tim and Amanda Watt
Mark Hansen
Bill and Toni Thayn
Debbie and Mindy Hair
Erik Hansen and Jarin Blackham

I was trying to get all my Food Judges to be IDOS WCCO Champs. I have a few, but don't think I will get able to get all nine. My plan B is to get as many Champs as possible... and IDOS Presidents. I might have to resort to plan C. Here is a list of those that have shown an interest in judging:

Dian Mayfield ~ 2008 Champ
Scott Clawson ~ 2007 Champ
Bruce Tracy ~ 2004 Champ
Kent Mayberry ~ 1999 Champ and past IDOS President
Janet Wayman ~ 1998 Champ
Terry Lewis ~ 1996 Champ
Kent Rappleye ~ Current IDOS President

Field Judges and Judge Assistants:
Omar Alvarez
Bakin Bill and DeeAnn Johnson

I am still contacting folks for judging, so this list might change. Terry is trying to qualify for the 2009 IDOS WCCO... so if he doesn't win in Eagle Mountain or the SLC Weekly, he might be competing in West Haven on 28 June instead.

More information can be found on the Chapter Website... and in the forums.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
West Haven Cook-Off ~ 28 June

I don't know much about this event other than it is in West Haven, UT on 28 June. I noticed the event listed on the IDOS Cook-Off page, but didn't see it in the forums... so I posted the information in the forums. It is a WCCO qualifier.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
West Fest Cook-Off ~ 28 June

This is an annual Cook-Off held in West Valley City at the Centiennial Park during the city's WestFest celebration. I don't have much more information than that. For those interested, contact Vickie at the General Army Navy Store at 966-5556.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
July DOG at GANS ~ 12 July

Colleen Sloan usually teaches the monthly Dutch Oven demos at the General Army Navy store in Salt Lake City. For July, Colleen is having a "Parking Lot Cooking" demonstrations and has asked Storm Mountain to join her. She will be doing demos on tailgating and other parking lot cooking ideas. So, bring a pop up tent and your outdoor chairs and join us.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wow... you actually read this far down?? Thanks!!

That's about it for now.... as if that weren't enough. The month of August usually has many cook-offs every weekend, so I doubt we do a chapter DOG in August.. unless we do it during the week... maybe at the Chinese Gourmet on 4500 South in SLC? =0)

Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested.

See ya'll soon,

Ranes

2008-04-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,

I am just getting started with doing a few follow up items for yesterday's Taste Of Dutch. I have posted what few pictures I have on a new picasa web site I created for IDOS events... http://picasaweb.google.com/IDOSStormMtn/2008TasteOfDutch. I am going to start placing my IDOS events images here and keep the Storm Mountain Chapter events in the Storm Mountain chapter gallery because of storage limitation. And, I might be helping another chapter or two do something similar... and we can all link our sites together to share with the world. Wouldn't that be cool?

I am hoping that Jack, Dian, Mark, and any other's that took pictures will send them to me to add to this photo album. I have far too few images for such an amazing event.

Mark Hanson did an awesome job of summing up his thoughts of the event on his Black Pot blog site: http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/2008/04/another-big-dutch-oven-day.html. I really appreciate Mark's time and dedication of documenting his Dutch Oven cooking experience over the last year. His comments on the event are well written and impressive. He does go a little overboard with sucking up to me so much... but I don't mind the flattery. =0)

I want to thank everyone that showed up to cook. I have to openly apologize to the Taste of Dutch cooks by saying I'm sorry I didn't get too many chances to visit your booth and thank you personally. I tried to tackle too much by stating I would cook the Rhodes bread all day long, and my jambalaya at lunch. I know most of you old pro's could have cooked circles around me... and most of you did! I know it is a lame excuse, but I got in over my head with cooking so much bread. It was a stress that I brought on myself and I know it showed. Mark Hanson REALLY saved my butt by helping cook and serve all that bread. And my two boys were simply amazing with how much they helped. It really bothers me that I didn't make more time to spend with all of you. I have pictures of a few of you.. .and I don't even know your names to associate with the pictures.

It does help to read the comments of Omar on the Yahoo groups forum and Mark on his blog site. Both said they were so busy they didn't even get to eat their own food. That's my point exactly. I got so busy with cooking and serving and talking about the chapter... that I neglected to get to know the cooks and thank them properly for helping me out. It is my loss.

Okay... enough with the apologies.

I am very impressed with the amount of labor Randy put into setting up over the weekend. He didn't seem to slow down at all. He bought every thing needed for our hand washing stations, dish cleaning stations, sanitizing buckets, all the charcoal, the charcoal drums and fire stick, the burners and pots for water... etc, etc. Thanks Randy!

And... thanks to Ted, Phil, and anyone else who helped keep all that hot water hot... all those coals lit... and everything else you did to help with the taste of Dutch. I know you guys were busy with the cook-off... and you still made the time to help us. I simply could not have done it all by myself. Thanks!

Okay.. .enough sucking up and being all mushy. Bottom line, I had a great time this weekend and it's because of so many great people that helped in so many ways. I truly hope it was a rewarding and memorable experience for all of you. And I hope most of you will join us at next year's Spring Convention.

Thanks,

Ranes

IDOS WCCO Semi Finals Friday

2008-03-15T06:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some images from the IDOS WCCO on Friday, 14 March 2008

IDOS Forums with teams
http://forums.idos.org/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=15609

My Picasa photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/stormmtn/IDOSWCCOSemiFinalFriday

Photos taken by Robert Love and posted on the IDOS site
http://www.idos.org/Portals/1/Photos/2008%20WCCO%20Day%202/index.html

Enjoy!

IDOS WCCO Semi Finals Thursday

2008-03-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some images from the IDOS WCCO Semi Finals on Thursday, 13 March 2008.

IDOS Forums with teams
http://forums.idos.org/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=15593

My Picasa Page with a couple more pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/stormmtn/IDOSWCCOSemiFinalThursday

IDOS page with pictures by Robert Love
http://www.idos.org/Portals/1/Photos/2008%20WCCO%20Day%201/index.html

Enjoy!

Feb 2008 DOG ~ After the event

2008-02-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to all those that showed up. We had around 25 to 30 people show up and it was pretty well divided between chapters. Bakin' Bill showed up from Lake Bonneville... so the directors from all three chapters in Region 3 were there. It was a good event. Three of us showed up early to cook on site. The rest were smart enough to cook in the warmth of their homes and bring their dishes. =0) But me, Ron, and Jack had a good time weathering the weather.

We had whole grain rolls, biscuits, cactus stew, caramel apple pie, brownies, roast chicken legs, elk chili, boiled peanuts, ranch beans, Mexican goulash, corned beef, chicken noodle casserole, oven chicken bake, BBQ chicken, rice, and a few other dishes. There was a lot of food!!

Pictures can be found on the chapter photo page... http://picasaweb.google.com/stormmtn/Feb2008DOG.

I am still trying to plan a DOG for next month, March. I would like to know if there is an interest in having a DOG in March and on what weekend you would prefer. I had thought of having a DOG event on Saturday, 8 Mar... the week before the World's Championship Cook-Off... to let the competing teams practice their dishes. Is there enough interest in this weekend? I know Dallin Cromer is getting married that weekend and Debbie Hair was suckered into helping cook for the reception. Should we have it on the 22nd or 29th? Does anyone want to host the event for March? If not, I am sure there is a church location or two that might be available.

Heck, maybe we can just have a DOG event at Dallin's reception? =0)

Annual Chapter Meeting Summary

2008-01-28T22:08:00.000-08:00

Howdy all,

I feel we had a very successful and productive meeting this past Saturday. Thanks to Jack for taking pictures during the event. I'll try to recap the meeting without getting too lengthy.

First, let me get the elections out of the way. By a majority vote of those in attendance, the following members were elected to office.

Ranes Carter ~ Director
Carol Hokanson ~ Assistant Director
Debbie Hair ~ Secretary / Treasurer

I would like to thank Scott Clawson and the past officers for doing such a great job of organizing and starting the Storm Mountain Chapter. I hope we will all offer our support to Scott Clawson in his new role of IDOS Vice President. And, I want to thank Carol and Debbie for 'volunteering' for the positions for this year.

Now that the politics are out of the way, I'll detail the rest of the meeting… in no particular order.

I would like to welcome the newest chapter members, Del and Brenda Atikinson. The Atikinsons have offered their yard for a DOG event in a couple of months. And, welcome to Mark Hansen. I'm sure we will be hearing more from Mark in the near future. His passion for cooking is impressive. I've been trying to get Mark to visit with us at a DOG for months!

At some point, I mentioned that I would like to have most of the DOG events and cook-offs planned for the year. This will allow chapter members to plan accordingly… but more importantly, we can offer this information to visitors to our cook-offs and DOG events. While a visitor is showing interest in Dutch Oven cooking, we can hand them a flyer that details upcoming DOGs, demos, and cook-offs… and links to websites. These can made available at DOG events, cook-offs, the WCCO, the Spring Convention, the Camp Chef DOG, etc, etc, etc. Let's all support each other by advertising all of our events.

On the calendar page of the Storm Mountain website, I have a list of upcoming events. Here is a quick list of DOG events that are in the works:

* Feb 16 ~ with Oquirrh Mountain
* Mar ~ I wouldn't mind having a DOG a week before World's (8 Mar) to give teams a chance to practice. I would really like to hear from everyone if they like this idea. Otherwise we could have a DOG on 22 or 29 Mar.
* Apr ~ The Atkinsons joined our chapter on Saturday. They have offered their home for the April DOG. The 26th might be the better date with hopes of warm weather.
* May ~ Pretty much wide open right now. I welcome any suggestions. Might be a good time for a breakfast DOG or a camping trip?
* June ~ 21 June in Lehi, a week before the Lehi cook-off
* July ~ Sort of wide open, but there will be cook-offs and holidays to plan around.
* Aug ~ August is packed with cook-offs. We might skip this month.
* Sep ~ Annual FEKA DOG… combined event with geocachers.
* Oct ~ Currently wide open
* Nov ~ Last Chance Chapter cook-off and DOG to nominate a team for the 2009 WCCO.
* Dec ~ Only if enough people will voice an interest

As you can see, the year is pretty much booked with DOG events. I would really appreciate someone planning an event for March, May, July, and October. Maybe the Atikinsons might be willing to switch April another month if needed? I wouldn't mind a month or two with two events if needed (like community events, etc). I would really like a camping DOG at some point. If we use a campground that is near, we could have a night event and those that can't stay could go home. And we could have a breakfast event the next morning? Just ideas...

While discussing DOG events, I mentioned the fact that Storm Mountain doesn't charge a fee to be a member, but you should be active with IDOS. Because we don't charge a fee, we have to rely on other ways of making money. I suggested a 'kitty jar' to be available at DOG events for those that would like to donate during the events. In the past, we have sold cook-books, spices, and dutch oven related items during events. And, we had raffles during our DOGs. We made $80 for the chapter this Saturday. Thanks to Scott and Jack for donating a keg roaster, a 14 inch DO, and 5 DO lids. Congrats to the winners. Donations for raffles are always welcome.

I also suggested that we should have a cooking fund raiser or two. One suggestion in the past was to have a offer a Thanksgiving Dinner. An additional option is to have demos during the day that details the preparation of a Thanksgiving meal… to be concluded by having the meal. One idea is to have a set price per person to sit through any of the demos they would like, then have dinner. As an example, someone could demo making a scratch bread. While that rises, someone could demo a turkey in an UTR. This could be followed by a dessert demo, or finishing the scratch bread, etc. Once all the demo'd foods are done, we serve the food to the 'students'. Of course, there are other options. If anyone is motivated to take on this task, I would really appreciate it. I have yet to do a demo and would prefer one of you pros to take this one.

At some point, we discussed upcoming cook-offs. I mentioned that hosting a cook-off can be a little stressful. I suggested that chapter members that aren't into competing could offer their support by helping with the cook-offs. I can think of eight to ten cook-offs that are held by members of Storm Mountain. And, I am sure there are other cook-offs that might not mind a helping hand. I think it would be great to have chapter members doing demos during a cook-off… or having members help set up and break down… or having members operate an information and/or merchandise booth. This will promote our chapter, which will promote IDOS, and help raise funds for the chapter. And, it will help our chapter members get to know each other better. I know everyone can't help all the time, but if most could help with just one event, it would really help those in charge of the events.

For those hosting cook-offs (Debbie, Todd, Bill, Scott, Thayns), I would really appreciate updated information as soon as you have it. I really want to keep my information current and correct. And for any of you that do demos, let me know so I can get it posted and advertised on the calendar.

Another subject was supporting IDOS and Region 4. I think it would be awesome to have chapter members at the World Championship Cook-Off in March in different positions. In the past, they have needed people to help with starting charcoal and with being cook's aids for the competing teams. I am planning on being there all four days as a cook's aid. I think we could help sell the cook-books or help with staffing the break room or help in an information booth or any other things that need to be done.

The same thing goes for the Spring Convention. It would be great if we could help with demos, or The Taste of Dutch, or the Youth Cook-Off, or crowd control, or an information booth, or anything that needs to be done. For those that have items for sale, you could be a vendor for the event.

Another possibility is supporting the Camp Chef DOG this June! They might be in need of volunteers.

It would be nice to be able to tell IDOS we have members that are willing to do what needs to be done to help support these events.

This lead into another topic of support. Debbie Hair cooked for the Ronald McDonald house a few weeks ago. I thought this was awesome and I applaud her for making this effort! I suggested we get involved with more community projects. It would be nice to offer food to a street cleaning crew (like at a Cache In Trash Out geocaching event), or maybe for community building projects, or for a family center, or any other areas that would appreciate our efforts. I know there were Dutch Oven cooks that fed the rescue crews in Price last year, as an example.

Finally, I talked about a new idea for the chapter. Right now, we have a chapter website, a chapter photo page, and a blog site (that is nothing more than my bulk emails). This last week, in the Yahoo group, there was a discussion on Cee Dub's newest episode of cooking a prime rib in Rock Salt. There have been a few people detail this process in both forums… especially Dave from California… but it was nice to see a video of how simple the process is. So… long story short… I created a Storm Mountain account on YouTube. I did a quick search of Dutch Oven videos and added those as favorites for now. I even found an interview with Wil Ward and Jan Smith from the 2008 WCCO. You can see Jack Wallace walking around in the background.

My goal is to video chapter members doing random tasks and posting those to YouTube. These videos will be edited to be five to eight minutes long. Some ideas for videos are how to season a Dutch Oven (it's talked about, but a video would be nice), how to save a rusted Dutch Oven (Jack?), how to store your Dutch Ovens, how to make a Prime Rib in rock salt, how to make bread or braid bread, how to make a turkey in an UTR (Bill?), how to make other things in an UTR, how to start and maintain coals, the use of a windscreen and dutch oven tables… and on, and on, and on. It would be really nice to have chapter members that are good at a particular dish to demo that dish for these videos. And it would be very nice to have many different members offer these demos. There are many people out there that are scared to try a Dutch Oven because they don't understand just how easy it can be. Maybe one person could do the cooking while another talks for the camera? Offering a recipe is one thing… offering a video that details the process is so much better. Another idea is to take digital images during the process to post with recipes. A step by step guide with pictures. Ideas for videos are welcome, volunteers to demo for the video are much appreciated.

There were other conversations during the meeting, but that is a pretty good summary of the chapter related events. For those that didn't make it, I sure would appreciate any input about any of the topics that you would like to share.

On that note, I would like to mention the IDOS forums. For those that haven't visited in a while, there are a couple of new forums… the Recipe Forum and the Regions Forum. The Recipe Forums have different topics to make posting and finding recipes easier. The Regions Forum has the Regions broken down. Under the Regions Forum is a Region 4 topic. Feel free to use this area to openly discuss chapter related events.

I really hope that many of you can make it to the combined event in February. I think it will be really great to get to know our neighboring chapter better. I hope to do more combined events in the future.

To the IDOS officials reading this, please consider this the minutes from our annual meeting.

To all those that read this far... thanks! I have to be honest and let you know that I spent longer on this email than the meeting itself!

Many thanks,

Ranes
=0)

Storm Mountain Chapter updates ~ 23 Jan 2008

2008-01-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Howdy All,

It's been slow these last couple of months... but I think it's going to be a busy year. I think it will be a great one!

Items covered in this email:

* Calendars and Planning
* January DOG ~ 26 June
* February Events
~ Storm Mountain / Oquirrh Mountain Chapter DOG
~ Snake Black Pot Chapter DOG
* March Events
~ DOS WCCO
~ March DOG
* April Events
~ April DOG
~ IDOS Spring Convention
~ Geocaching / Dutch Oven / Camping event in Idaho
* The rest of the year

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

* Calendars and Planning

In an effort to plan events, I am continuing my quest to maintain a calendar of Dutch Oven events in our area. Actually, I am maintaining multiple calendars. I have an IDOS Cook-Off and DOG events calendar posted on the IDOS forums under the Region section... and I have a local calendar posted on the Storm Mountain Chapter website on the Calendar page, and I have the same calendar posted on the forums under Region 4 of the Regions section.

And... I have a table located on the bottom of the DOG page on the Storm Mountain chapter site. This table shows events that are planned, being organized, or dates that are open for suggestions. Please, take a moment to look at that table to see if you are willing to host a DOG event on any of the open months.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

* January DOG

Our January DOG is this Saturday, 26 January. We are having the DOG event at the Golden Corral in West Jordan (8860 South Redwood Road) from 1pm to 3pm.

During this event, we will have our annual meeting to elect this years officers, discuss the chapter website, discuss upcoming DOG events and cook-offs, and discuss the direction and growth of the chapter.

Scott has done a wonderful job as chapter director over the last couple of years. This year, he will be Vice President of IDOS. I would like to run for Chapter Director. We need as Assistant Director and a Treasurer / Secretary. There are other options for those interested, but we need at least a Director, Assistant Director, and Treasurer / Secretary. Of course, we could always use volunteers to help with events, etc. We will discuss this at the meeting this weekend.

Scott is donating a Keg Roaster to be raffled, and Terry has said he will make a rolling pin for the raffle!! Many thanks to Scott and Terry for donating these items. Any other donated items would be greatly appreciated.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

* February Events

~ Storm Mountain / Oquirrh Mountain Chapter DOG

For our February DOG, we will be joining the Oquirrh Mountain Chapter at their location in Salt Lake City. The Oquirrh Mountain Chapter meets the third Thursday of every month, except December and January. During warmer months, the cook and eat in the pavilion of a church parking lot. During colder months, they meet inside the church. The church is located at 5025 West 4865 South in Salt Lake City.

Dinner is served at 6:00pm. For those that want to cook on site, a few of us should be there around 3:00pm.

I am hoping the Lake Bonneville Chapter will be able to join us.

I hope to do more combined events with all three chapters in Region 4 on a regular basis.

~ Snake Black Pot Chapter DOG

The Snake Black Pot Chapter will be having a DOG event on 23 February in Burley, Idaho. Dian and Omar are having this DOG event to allow some WCCO teams the chance to practice their dishes before the big competition in March. I don't have an exact location or times just yet, but I'm betting I'll get them soon.

If any of you are interested, we should try to car pool. We can discuss this at the meeting this weekend.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

* March Events

~IDOS WCCO

The IDOS World Championship Cook-Off will be held at the International Sportsmans Expo in Salt Lake City from 13 March to 15 March... with an Iron Chef Challenge for professional chefs to be held on Sunday, 16 March.

There are many Storm Mountain Chapter members cooking at the WCCO, and I would really like have other members help during the event. I have volunteered to be a cooks aid for all four days. Being a cooks aid is a great way to meet others and learn some tips and tricks.

~ March DOG

Following the example of the Snake Black Pot Chapter, I think it would be a great idea to have a DOG event the weekend before the WCCO for those that are competing will have a chance to practice some (or all) of their dishes. I would like to have a DOG event on 8 March.. but I don't have a location, yet. Any suggestions?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

* April Events

~ April DOG

I would like to have the April DOG on 5 April. Does anyone want to host the event for this month? Is this a good month for Tabby Mountain?

~ IDOS Spring Convention

This year, the IDOS Spring Convention will be on 19 April. These events are being held in Region 4 and I really think it would be great if some chapter members would be willing to help support the event by volunteering. There is a youth cook-off, a Taste of Dutch, demos, etc. Even if you don't want to cook, I bet there are other areas where volunteers would be appreciated. For any attending, it might be nice to wear a chapter shirt to show support for the chapter.

~ Geocaching / Dutch Oven / Camping event in Idaho

Wow... April is a busy month... and the upcoming months after April will be even busier! Team Dutch Oven Delights from Idaho and the Snake Black Pots Chapter will be having a Dutch Oven Gathering / Geocaching / Camping event in Boise Idaho. There were a few geocachers from Idaho that attended one of our combined events last fall, and they thought it was a good enough idea to hold their own.

I'll get more information about the event and maybe some of us could carpool to Boise for the event.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

* The rest of the year

Here is some information I have about upcoming events in our area for the rest of the year. These events can be found on the Calendar page on the Storm Mountain Chapter website, and under the Regions 4 topic of the Regions section on the IDOS forums. Feel free to look at these calendars when planning any of your events. If you have any updates or see anything missing, please let me know so I can get them posted.

So far, I have heard of the following upcoming events for our area.

May ~ Wide open for DOGs... anyone interested in hosting this month? I have no information about local cook-offs yet.

7 June ~ Camp Chef DOG !!! This is an awesome event and there are some great deals to be had.
14 June ~ City Weekly Cook-Off
21 June ~ Probably a DOG event in Lehi, UT
28 June ~ Lehi Rodeo Cook-off... any volunteers are appreciated

4 July ~ 4th of July Cook-Off, Debbie Hair
July ~ Need a date and place for a DOG... anyone interested?

Aug ~ No DOG events planned, will be LOTS of cook-offs

Sept ~ Annual FEKA DOG, date and time not known

Oct ~ No DOG events planned, yet. Anyone interested in hosting this month?

Nov ~ Last Chance Chapter Cook-Off / DOG, date and time not known.

That's about it. July and August will fill up very quickly with county fairs and local cook-offs. It will be another busy year, I'm sure! I'll add the information to the calendars as I get them.

If you have any updates on these events, please let me know.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks for taking the time to read all this,

Ranes

January DOG and annual meeting

2008-01-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

Howdy one and all,

Our January DOG event has been planned... meaning we finally figured out which Golden Corral to have the event. We're still working on the itinerary. Thanks to Scott for making the phone calls.

Date:
Saturday, 26 January 2008

Time:
1pm to 3pm

Location:
Golden Corral
8860 South Redwood Road
West Jordan, UT 84088

Prices:
Adults $9.49
Children ages 9 thru 12 ~ $4.99
Children ages 4 thru 8 ~ $3.69
Children 3 and under free

We chose a buffet for this "DOG" event for a couple of different reasons. One, it's cold out there. Two, some of us would really like the chance to socialize without worrying about burning dinner. And third, we needed an indoor location for our annual meeting.

We would like everyone to show up by 1:00 so we can all pig out for a while. Then, after most folks are about ready to pop, we will have our annual chapter meeting. Getting thirds and fourths on dessert is fine.

Our main purpose for this annual meeting is to vote for the 2008 Chapter Officers. At a minimum, a chapter has to have a Director, an Assistant Director, and a Treasurer/Secretary. We could have a membership clerk, or a merchandise clerk, or a chapter photographer. If anyone is interested in any of these positions, please let me know before the event. If you would like to nominate someone, please contact me. We will vote by show of hands at the event.

During our meeting, I would like to discuss our current membership and members. According to my records, there are 6 members that are past due with their IDOS fees, and there are 12 members that will expire in March 2008. The Storm Mountain Chapter no longer charges a fee to be a chapter member, but you should be an IDOS member in good standing. Feel free to contact me if you need help renewing your membership.

I am hoping that this will be an active year for our chapter. During our January meeting, I would like to discuss upcoming Dutch Oven Gatherings and Cook-Offs. I would like to get the year outlined (if at all possible) to avoid conflicts with other Cook-Offs and DOG events. And, I would like to discuss some chapter fund raisers, charity events, and demos for the upcoming year. I would really like to see chapter members support each other with our Cook-Offs and DOG events. We could help each other setup, break down, offer support to the teams, finding sponsors and prizes, etc, etc. I have already started planning the Lehi Rodeo Cook-Off for 28 June!!

While we are at it, I would like to discuss the chapter website, the chapter photo pages, and the chapter BLOG site (which is really just a collection of the bulk emails that are sent to the chapter). If you have any concerns, questions, comments, etc... let's talk about it during the meeting.

And, during the meeting, we will raffle off a few items. I'm not sure if this will be a fund raiser for the chapter or not. If anyone has any items they would like to donate towards the raffle, please contact me. Scott Clawson has already offered an item.

The 2008 IDOS WCCO is coming up in March and the IDOS Spring Convention is coming up in April. I would really like to see our chapter support these two events and show our support to IDOS. We could all wear our chapter shirts! =0)

I'm sure there will be some other items to discuss during the meeting... as well as a lot of tall tales and just getting to know each other better. I hope everyone can make it.

See you then,

Ranes

2007-11-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Howdy one and all,

In this email, I will discuss:

Ronald McDonald House
Chapter Elections
Upcoming Chapter Events
The Chapter Online
IDOS Memberships and Chapter Dues

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ronald McDonald House

Debbie Hair is volunteering her time this New Year's Eve (Monday, 31 Dec) to serve dinner to about 40 people at the Ronald McDonald House in Salt Lake City. I'm hoping some of the chapter will be able to help. Dinner is to be served at 6:00... allowing plenty of time for those that want to celebrate later.

Debbie Hair and Cindy Ayres are making the main dish... Mondo Meat Balls. They need people to help cook and / or donate food for the rest of the meal. They need desserts, dinner rolls, green salads, drinks, etc. Debbie hopes that at least the main dish and desserts will be made on site.

If anyone is interested in helping or donating, contact Debbie at debDhair@yahoo.com. Or you can call her at 484-6966 (home) or 585-3296 (work with voice mail).

Debbie has signed up for this event under the name of Storm Mountain... making this a chapter event.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Elections

My first DOG event was at Falcon Park with Storm Mountain in the fall of 2006. My second DOG event was Feb 2007 where Scott asked if I would be the chapter assistant director. I think we may have had somewhere between 10 and 20 families with the chapter at the time. My current chapter list has 52 names!! I'd say it was a great year for the chapter!

It's time for the chapter to elect their officers for 2008. I'm not really sure how to go about the whole process, but I would like to have an event in January or February where the chapter can voice their opinions, concerns, complaints, etc... make any suggestions to help improve the chapter... and vote on next year's officers. I have thought about having this event at a restaurant so we can all socialize instead of stressing over cooking and cleaning. Otherwise, the event will probably be at a church where we can cook outside and eat inside. I'm open to suggestions.

If anyone has any interest in running for office, or wants to help the chapter in any way, please contact me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Upcoming Chapter events

So far, I don't have many firm dates for events next year, but there are already a lot of events being discussed and planned. On the bottom of the Chapter DOG events main page, I have a table that lists the months and the chapter activities that are being discussed and planned. I am listing these events so we can plan around cook-offs and other Dutch Oven events. If you would like to host, or help plan a DOG event, Demos, or cook-offs, feel free to contact me. We are in need of some locations for the upcoming months.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Chapter online

As most of you are aware (like I give anyone the chance to forget), I think communication is very important. Because of this, I try to keep the Storm Mountain Chapter website up to date. On this website, I keep a list of the past DOG events and past Cook-Offs. I try to maintain a calendar of ANY Dutch Oven Event for Utah (and a few from Idaho). And, I have a web photo album that contains pictures from our events. One or two of you know about the Chapter Blog site that I created a month or so ago. Okay... only one person has really hit the blog site (thanks Ted). The blog site will be where I post these chapter emails... so those that aren't on the chapter list can get the same information and so new members can see what we have been doing. It's not a site that needs to be visited on regular occasions, but it can be a site that you can offer your friends that are interested in what we are doing... or instead of fowarding these emails, you can just offer a link to the blog site.

This past week, I was granted access to update our Chapter page on the IDOS site . I spent a little time today playing around with the page... maybe a little too much time... but I think it looks pretty good. Earlier this year, Clyde was nice enough to point the links on the IDOS page to our chapter website. I think it's better to maintain consistency within the IDOS site and changed those links to point back to the IDOS chapter page. Of course, I've loaded that page with links to our website! =0)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
IDOS Memberships and Chapter Dues

Of the 52 names I have on the chapter list, there are six or seven families that have lapsed with IDOS, or never signed up. I only bring this up in case a few of you may have forgotten. If you think your membership maybe have lapsed, feel free to contact me and I'll help you renew. You have to be an active IDOS member to be eligible to vote for chapter officers.

As most of you know, the Storm Mountain Chapter doesn't charge a fee or have dues anymore... though you are supposed to be current with IDOS. Because we no longer charge fees, we have been relying on selling items at our chapter events to support the chapter. Next year, I would like to keep a few standard Dutch Oven items to offer to the chapter and to the public that visits our events (Dutch Ovens, Cook-Books, Trivets, etc). And, I am thinking of offering a 'kitty jar' at our DOG events for donations... unless there are any objections.

A few people have mentioned having a fund raising event for the chapter... like possibly a Thanksgiving event were the chapter members will demo the menu items for a Thanksgiving meal... then offer the food as a complete meal. I think this would be a great opportunity for some of us novices to do our first Demo with some pros behind us to help us out. And, it would be a great social event for the chapter. If anyone is interested in helping... or planning... such an event, please contact me.

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Many thanks,

Ranes

Chapter Cook-Off and DOG event ~ 17 November

2007-11-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

Wow... where do I begin? Do I start with how beautiful today was? Do I detail how great the cook-off was today? Do I talk about the wonderful DOG event after the cook-off?

To start with... many thanks to Debbie Hair for finding the location for today's event. The Pioneer Craft house is central to most chapter members. Including Omar and Dian from Idaho... and Terry Lewis from Tabiona, UT... AND, there was a truck driver that read about our event online and drove over a thousand miles just to hang out with us today. That's dedication.

The sun was shining for most of the day. The temperature was great for a November day. There was little to no wind. There were one or two teams concerned about their dough rising, but I thought every one's bread was great. It was a great day for a cook-off.

We had six teams show up for today's Chapter cook-off. Five of the six teams competed at the Lehi Rodeo Cook-Off back in June. Each of the teams did a great job on their dishes and I am sure the judges had a hard time judging. I had three judges for the desserts, three for the breads, and three for the main dishes. Jack Wallace was our field judge, and there were three different 'cutters' to assist the judges. I have to admit that I feel this was a well organized cook-off and I think all the teams enjoyed it. At least I hope they all enjoyed it.

The prizes for the event were a 14" Hard Anodized Aluminum Dutch Oven from GSI (Thanks GSI), a Camp Chef grill box (Thanks Terry), two dinners for two from Rodizio (Thanks Eduardo!), and two $50 gift certificates from Sportsmans Warehouse (Thanks Jon). I really do appreciate the generosity of all our sponsors. (And I'll be hitting all of them up in the next couple of months for more prizes for the Lehi Rodeo Cook-Off next June!)

Right after the judges were done, I invited all the teams and chapter members to taste all of the presented dishes. I think it really helps a team to taste the dishes presented by other competing teams... and I like having the chapter members get this same chance by tasting the dishes after the judges and teams were done.

After the judges were done with the main dishes, I asked all the chapter members that cooked for the DOG event to place their dishes on the same table as the presented main dishes. All the teams and all the chapter members... as well as a few guests from the Pioneer House... got the chance to taste the six amazing main dishes and some very good dishes made by the other chapter members. I have to admit that I sort of expected the teams to be tired and want to take off after cooking. I was very pleased to see all the teams and all the chapter members sitting around, chatting, and enjoying the food. This has to be the best attended DOG event this year. I really think that everyone enjoyed the afternoon.

Congrats to Debbie and Mindy Hair for winning first place and qualifying for the 2008 WCCO.

Congrats to Damon Faust and Cyd Horne for winning second place... and being nominated to represent the Storm Mountain Chapter for the 2008 WCCO.

Tim and Amanda Watt came in third place.

Ted and Dallin Cromer came in fourth place.

Erik and Kris Hansen came in fifth.

Mary Allen and Julie Dwire came in sixth.

Of course I am going to include some links!!!

I have added pictures to the Teams on the chapter website...
http://stormmtn.phpnet.us/cook_offs/Chapter_07/index.htm#teams

I have the recipes from the cook-off online as a PDF file...
http://stormmtn.phpnet.us/cook_offs/Chapter_07/files/Recipe_Book.pdf

I have pictures on the chapter website... and I will probably be adding pictures over the next few days...
http://picasaweb.google.com/stormmtn/2007StormMountainChapterCookOffDOGEvent

Many thanks to all the teams, all the judges, and all the people that brought food for the DOG. Thanks to all the chapter members and friends that showed up to help us enjoy such a wonder November day!

At the event, we signed up THREE new members to IDOS, and a chapter member renewed his membership with IDOS. I have the Storm Mountain / IDOS sign up and renewal from on the last page of the cook-off cookbook... so we might have a few more people joining up soon. I'd say it was a great day for IDOS as well!

Chapter Updates ~ 5 November 2007

2007-11-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Howdy one and all,

First... I'd like to welcome all the new members to Storm Mountain. There are a few names I've added to the list that were in the IDOS database as Storm Mountain Chapter members that I just now found out about. And, we have had a few more people sign up recently. All of the chapter members are listed on the Contacts page of the Storm Mountain Chapter website: http://stormmtn.phpnet.us/contacts.htm

On the bottom of the Contacts Page, I have added a Google map that has icons of chapter members and their locations. None of these icons point to the actual home address of any members but they are near the city location for that member. The exception is for Trikke SLC. The pin does point to their location because it is a business. Chapter members icons are green, chapter cook-off icons are yellow.

And, there are a few members with IDOS membership renewals coming up... and a few (7) that have exipred IDOS memberships. You can pay me at the next event, send me a check payable to IDOS, or I have a paypal account set up for the chapter. Or, if you send your payments directly to IDOS, let me know so I can update our records.

I guess with all that said, I should include that if you don't want to be a member of Storm Mountain, let me know and I'll remove your name from the mailing list. But who wouldn't want to belong to such an awesome chapter??

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Next... The Storm Mountain Chapter Cook-Off / DOG event is only 12 days away. This is a chapter only cook-off to qualify a team and nominate a team for next year's WCCO. Because of this, all teams need to be members of the chapter and currently active with IDOS. IDOS rules will apply. Contact me with any questions before the event.

I don't really need recipes until the week of the event... let's say Wednesday, 14 November. Feel free to send them any time you'd like, but they aren't required until that Wednesday. I will print these to hand out to others. For those cooking for the DOG event, I can include your recipes if you want.

The entry fee for this cook-off is $10, payable the morning of the event. What isn't used to cover costs of the cook-off will be given to the chapter.

I have a few prizes, but I'm not contacting too many people for gift items for this event. I want to save my begging for the Lehi cook-off next year. If anyone wants to donate items for prizes, I'll gladly accept them. Thanks to Terry for donating an item already. Instead of saying "this item is for first place, this item is for second"... I'm going to let the first place team pick and item, then the second place team pick an item, etc until we run out. This might blow up in my face, but I'll try it for this event.

Here is the webpage that details this event... http://stormmtn.phpnet.us/cook_offs/Chapter_07/index.htm

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As of right now, the chapter cook-off / DOG event is the last planned event until next year. I didn't think anyone would be that interested in doing a DOG event in December, but if anyone wants to plan one, I'll promote it.

A few of you have contacted me with ideas for DOG events for next year. I wouldn't mind getting these events planned and scheduled. I would really like to be able to announce an upcoming DOG event at all of our cook-offs and DOG events. And, I think it would be cool to have a couple of themed DOG events... Mexican, Asian, chili, etc.

Kent Mayberry has mentioned doing a breakfast DOG. I think this is an awesome idea. Maybe a camping DOG the night before? Those that don't want to camp can show up for breakfast? Possibly in the early spring? Awesome idea.

Terry Lewis has mentioned we can have a DOG event on his family's property in Tabiona, UT. It would be nice to step away from the cities and head east for an event.

I am going to contact someone from Oquirrh Mountain and see if we can join them for one of their monthly DOG events. I like combining these DOG events and getting to know our neighbors.

There is the Camp Chef DOG event... usually in June I think. And, I will have a DOG in Lehi a week or two before the Lehi Rodeo Round Up Cook-Off. The Cook-Off will be on 28 June.

Shawn Conlin will put on his annual FEKA DOG event later in the fall.

Kent has mentioned doing a Thanksgiving DOG event next year. The idea is to have chapter members do a demo for the different dishes for Thanksgiving... and offer a dinner to help raise money for the chapter. A few can demo desserts, a few can demo potatoes, side dishes, breads, etc, and a few can demo cooking a Dutch Oven Turkey. If we are good with our scheduling, all these dishes will be done by a specific time and the general public will be able to purchase these Thanksgiving meals. What a great way to promote Dutch Oven cooking, teaching the public our tips and tricks, and raising money for the chapter at the same time. Great idea! I know Colleen Sloan does a Turkey Demo every year on National Turkey Day at the General Army Navy Store in SLC... maybe we can join up with them?

If anyone knows of any indoor locations for the upcoming winter months, I'd be interested in hearing about them!

I'm not sure if the annual Klondike is in the works for next January, but it might be nice to support it.

So... We already have many DOG events in the works. If anyone wants to host a DOG event, or has any suggestions for locations, feel free to contact me so we can start planning these things!

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If you have or know of ANY cook-offs, Demos, DO Classes, or DOG events scheduled for next year, PLEASE let me know so we can start getting them posted, published, advertised, promoted, etc. I would very much like to see the chapter support more Demos next year. I know that Kristen is working on getting a list of all the upcoming cook-offs for 2008. I would like to help her in any way I can.

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If you've read this far down... thanks!

Chapter Cook-Off / Dutch Oven Gathering

2007-10-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Now that Cedar City and the Sunset Farm cook-offs are done, I want to start pushing the chapter cook-off / DOG event. I would love for everyone in the chapter to show up and support the teams and cook for the DOG event.

The date is:
Saturday, 17 November 2007

The location is:
Pioneer Craft House
3271 South 500 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
( Google Map)

For the cook-off:
Setup from 8:00 to 9:30Cook's Meeting at 9:30 Start cooking at 10:00Dessert due at 1:00Bread due at 2:00Main Dish due at 3:00Winners announced at 4:00ish
IDOS rules apply.. no pre-anything, cook over coals in Dutch Ovens, etc, etc. Contact me with any questions.

You WILL need to bring your own tables and chairs. If you don't have a table, contact me and I'll find some. There is a paved porch like area for cooking but I'm not sure it will hold seven teams or more. If you have a shade tent, please bring it just in case.

Recipes can be sent anytime... up to a few days before the event. Let's say 14 November?

Is everyone okay with a $10 entry fee to cover some costs? The excess money will go to the chapter.

So far, I have about seven teams that are interested:

Debbie and Mindy Hair
Ted and Dallin Cromer
Mary Allen Dwire and Julie Dwire
Damon Faust (and Gus?)
Tim and Amanda Watt
Mike "Red" and Becky Jensen
Ron Smith (and wife?)

So far, I have had a few people that have said they would judge and/or help with the cook-off:
Dian Mayfield
Jared Cahoon
Shawn Conlin
I'm sure Scott and David will help and/or judge
I think Terry Lewis said he would help and/or judge?
Maybe Kent Mayberry?Maybe Roger B?
Maybe Jack can be the field judge... or maybe he should compete!!
Todd ~ are you interested in competing and/or judging?Now that the Blogett's have taken second at Cedar City, are you interested in judging?
Any other past champs or past/current qualifiers interested?

All chapter members are welcome to sample the dishes after the judges are done.

For the DOG:
Items should be ready by 4:00... the dinner bell will ring right after the winner's are announced. Feel free to come early and sample the foods of the cook-off after the judges are done.

You will need to bring your own tables and chairs. Most of the area near the porch has pavers on the ground and there is a lot of tree cover, but a shade tent might not hurt. I'll try to have a few tables for serving the foods.

Of course, any and all help is always appreciated. I wouldn't mind one or two more people taking photos during the event.

Sunset Farm Festival Cook-Off

2007-10-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, 27 October 2007, a few of us got together for a cook-off in Kaysville, UT. The teams that showed up were Ted and Connie Cromer, Dallin Cromer and Jamie Butterfield, and Ranes Carter (me) and Shawn Conlin.

All of us have competed against each other in past cook-offs and all of us are members of the Storm Mountain Chapter. In every competition I have been in with Ted, we have been very close. It is reassuring to me that we our dishes have been so close. I have always been impressed with Ted's cooking... and if his food is that good, and we are always close in scoring... then my food must be pretty good, too! I have to be honest and say I think Ted is the better Dutch Oven cook. I think he is more comfortable cooking with Dutch Ovens than I am.

This weekend, Shawn and I took first place... Ted and Connie took second. But, technically we tied. I'm not really sure how the judges were able to determine who's on first and who's on second, but I know I'm glad I was not a judge. All three main dishes were excellent! Dallin (Ted's son) teamed up with his fiance and did an excellent job.

I have pictures of the event on the chapter web photo album, and I have the recipe book posted on the chapter website. A link to the cook-book can be found on this page.

All in all, I would say this was a good cook-off. I was very impressed with all of the dishes that were presented... and I am honored that we took first place. We all had to be very close in scores!

First Blog

2007-10-11T21:05:00.001-07:00

Storm Mountain has its own website, its own email address, its own photogallery... might as well have a blog site as well.

I was doing a little research on hosting a blog on the StormMtn.phpnet.us website... but after reading the marksblackpot.blogspot.com website, I figured I might as well use blogspot, too.

So far, it's all pretty user friendly. Let's hope the site gets some use.