Bored? In need of some outdoors time? Come to Indiana Dunes State Park. There is plenty to see there this winter!

Enjoy the beautiful and majestic shelf ice with friends and family! You can take your dog on a walk and explore the arctic looking shoreline. If you have all day or just an hour to spare, the extraordinary view is worth the trip!

I spent an hour there exploring and hiking around the beach. The shelf ice made you feel miles away from Northwest Indiana, and t was truly a wonderful experience . I definitely recommend it!

Tread with care!  It is not advised to walk on the ice.

For more pictures visit www.eyeem.com/brieback and click on the album: “Winter at the Dunes.”

Brie Back is an intern with Indiana Dunes Tourism. She will blog about things to do, places to eat, and more during her internship.

Indiana Dunes State Park events for March:

•         On Saturday, March 16 they welcome spring with a special “Aldo Leopold Bench Workshop.”  Learn about this great conservationist, and have a chance to build your own special bench to take home.  Registration is limited, with a program fee of $50.  Reservations can be made by calling the Nature Center at (219) 926-1390.  Program sponsored by Friends of Indiana Dunes.
•         The sweet smell of fire will fill the air on Saturday, March 23.  Join Indiana Dunes Naturalists for a look at prescribed fire, and then get a chance to witness (or even help) with a burn near the Nature Center. Program begins at 2 p.m.  (fire is weather dependant).
•         Join them on Sunday, March 24 at 10 a.m. for a search of spring’s phoebes. The hike will meet at the Nature Center and visit some of the local hang out spots for this unique, early flycatcher of the spring season.
•         Strap on your hiking shoes and join Jessica for the ascent up Mt. Tom. After enjoying the high views, drop down towards the lake and enjoy a peek at where the Governor’s Cottage used to be!  Great program for the history buffs.  Meet at the Nature Center, Saturday, March 30 at 10 a.m.
Want to stay even more updated on park happenings, park news, and more? Become a fan of the Indiana Dunes State Park Facebook page. Check out photos and videos from other Dunes visitors, take part in discussions, or just let others know about the dunes! Visit facebook.com/indunes to become a fan.
See the following link for a complete list of programs for March that you can print and keep at home, http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/sp-Dunes_March.pdf

Enjoy a sweet taste of our shared Indiana dunes heritage at the annual Maple Sugar Time. Join National Park Service rangers and volunteers at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s historic Chellberg Farm from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on March 10 & 11, 2012 for this fun and educational event marking the unofficial start of spring.

Over the past 400 years, pure maple sugar and syrup have played very different roles in the lives of dune’s residents. This difference is as much a result of our changing relationship to our natural resources as it is a change in technology. Take a short easy stroll down the farm trail and learn why American Indians first boiled maple sap into sugar and how latter European settlers used large iron kettles to make the sap into syrup. Then, stand in the warm steam of the sugar shack where sap is boiled using the same methods that the Chellberg family used during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Try your hand at drilling a tap hole or help the kids complete a junior ranger activity sheet so they can earn a Junior Ranger Heritage Patch. Enjoy a free taste of pure maple syrup and compare it to modern “pancake syrup,” then warm up in the farm house and collect recipes featuring maple syrup. Admission for all activities is free. Pure maple syrup and sugar, and related products, will be for sale.

Maple Sugar Time takes place at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s Chellberg Farm on Mineral Springs Road between U.S. 20 and Highway 12 in Porter, Indiana. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the park website or contact the park’s information desk at 219-395-1882.

Indiana Dunes State Park is hosting an Aldo Leopold bench workshop at 2 p.m . Saturday, March 16 in the nature center auditorium.

Participants will build their own Leopold bench to take home after a short program on the man who promoted conservation of the land and natural resources. Leopold is credited with developing the simple yet stable design that makes his namesake bench unique. The benches are a common feature in parks across the United States and can be built with minimal materials.

All materials are supplied, but participants should bring a screwdriver or power drill and an adjustable wrench. Each participant will receive a copy of Leopold’s book, “A Sand County Almanac.”

The cost of the workshop is $50, payable by cash or check the day of the program. Space is limited. Sponsorship comes from the Friends of Indiana Dunes group.

For more information, or to reserve a spot, call (219) 926-1390. Indiana Dunes State Park is at 1600 North 25 E. Chesterton, 46304.

By Kim Ranegar. From the Editors of Midwest Living

They say turkey makes you tired, but I’m never tired of turkey! It’s easy to extend your turkey daze well beyond Thanksgiving at Valparaiso’s Strongbow Inn. They’ve been serving turkey since the 1930s when Dr. Walter and Bess Thrun moved to Finney Farm and raised their first crop of 1,500 turkeys. Strongbow’s still feels as comfortable as holidays at Grandma’s, though the restaurant has garnered a national reputation for turkey and hospitality, under the guidance of the Thrun’s grandson, chef Russell Adams and his wife, Nancy.

“Growing up, I raised turkeys and washed dishes,” says Russ, who decided early on that he preferred being in the kitchen. After graduating from culinary school and working in restaurants in New York City and Chicago, he returned to the family business, eager to make his mark. One of his changes was introducing his legendary turkey schnitzel. “I started using turkey in applications where veal had been used traditionally. The turkey schnitzel just took off!” he says. These days, schnitzel is a leading seller, not far behind the traditional turkey dinner and the hot turkey sandwich. Though it’s hard to pick a turkey favorite, Russ’s current choice is Monday’s special of fried turkey livers. I love the schnitzel, though it’s hard to talk me out of the Strongbow turkey pie, which comes stuffed with turkey and veggies mixed in turkey gravy and with a side of cranberries.

Though I recommend enjoying the schnitzel at Strongbow, you can try your hand at duplicating Russ’s expertise with his recipe, below:

Strongbow Turkey Schnitzel

3-4 ounces turkey breast, per serving
Flour
Egg wash (equal parts egg and cold water whipped together)
Fine breadcrumbs
2 lemons
4 ounces of clarified butter
Lemon wedges

Place turkey between pieces of plastic wrap and carefully pound with meat tenderizer to ¼-inch thickness, trying to keep it in one piece. Dust pounded meat with flour. Dredge through egg wash. Dredge through breadcrumbs and set aside.

In a small saucepan, clarify butter by slowly melting then pouring off the oil part (leave whey in pan). Add the juice of one lemon to 2 ounces of the clarified butter. Add 2 ounces of this mixture to a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat. When butter is hot, brown both sides of the schnitzel. Remove schnitzel from pan, dredge through lemon butter mixture again and plate. Repeat for each piece. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4.

Originally posted on northernindianagetaways.com. Ranegar is a freelance writer from Valparaiso, who is always foraging for food stories.

Best College Reviews has selected Valparaiso University’s Chapel of the Resurrection among “The 30 most beautiful college cathedrals.”

In selecting Valparaiso University to the list, Best College Reviews wrote:

Author Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral.” Church cathedrals represent some of the most artistic and complex architecture created by man. College campuses across the world have worship chapels and historical cathedrals that entail a rich history along with brilliant architectural design. Though it proved to be a daunting task, we here at Best College Reviews have picked 30 cathedrals that we believe to be the most beautiful campus cathedrals in the world.