When I learned that I would be going to North Dakota for a speaking opportunity at the Midwest Travel Bloggers Conference, I was skeptical about what activities my big family of boys might enjoy doing there. Sure, there was miles and miles of beautiful scenery, but I had never heard of Medora, and I didn't know anything about the area.

Part of the perks of my time there would include a visit to the Pitchfork Fondue. Here's what we discovered about this delicious dining experience, including tips for big families who want to go there.

What is the Pitchfork Fondue?

Quite simply put, Pitchfork Fondue is an outdoor dining experience overlooking the Badlands of North Dakota. Steaks are cooked to perfection on the end of long pitchforks; cowboy cooks load them up and dip them into big fondue vats of oil. The result is a delicious steak and all the trimmings, too!



The steaks are only cooked one way -- no special requests of "medium rare," for example. Fortunately, these are tender and juicy, even cooked past the point I like the best. My "medium well" husband and I found them to be amazingly seasoned and perfect with some steak sauce.

What do they serve?

While steak is the star of the occasion, there are other items to choose from for your main. Kids under 12 can get the hot dog meal, and on Mondays through Fridays, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, there is a Cowboy Cookout Option. This gets you Buffalo Roast, Herb Roasted Chicken and BBQ Ribs  -- a taste of everything great about the area!

Don't forget about the ample sides. This was my favorite part of the meal. Each paid guest can walk down the buffet lines and load their trays with salad, coleslaw, fresh fruit, baked beans, garlic toast, and baked potatoes. For dessert, they offer brownies or sweet little cinnamon-sugar donuts. Drinks such as lemonade, water, and coffee come free with your meal.

For an extra charge, get in line at the Tjaden Terrace Bar, where you can order a glass of wine, sodas, or a beer. This is a popular destination at the Fondue, so get there early!

Do they offer vegetarian meals?

Those who don't eat meat are in luck. Ask for "just the Fixin's" and get a loaded tray of tasty sides, enough to be considered a full meal in itself. (Note: these items aren't necessary vegan.)

How much does it cost?

Pricing varies by the meal you order and the time of week, but here are the prices for 2019:

Steak and Buffet - $29.95
Just the Fixin's - $15.95
12 and under Hot Dog Meal - $7.95
Cowboy Cookout and Buffet (Mon - Fri) - $29.95
12 and under Cowboy Cookout - $15.95

Taxes and fees -- plus any beverages from the bar -- are extra.

Extra considerations for families

As we are a big family, it can be difficult to dine out -- especially with a buffet atmosphere. Fortunately, the team at the Pitchfork Fondue have thought of everything. Here are a number of tips for managing your time with kids, especially if you have little ones with special needs:

• Get there early for the best experience. While people don't start lining up until right when it opens, those with small kids will want to avoid being in the back of a very, very long line. Use your time to walk around the area, see the beautiful views, and familiarize yourself with the seating and the bathrooms. Once you see the parking lot fill up with buses and cars, it's time to high-tail it over to the line!
• Those with little ones will find the large food trays overwhelming to carry, so ask for help, if it's not offered. The staff is standing by to help with trays, and we were assigned a lady to carry my 5-year-old's tray alongside me in line. She filled it up with all the things we wanted and took it to our table for us. It was very convenient for parents of littles!
• There was a live band playing the night we ate, and it can get very loud in parts of the dining area. We sat close to the bathrooms, a bit over from the speakers, and it gave us shade and easy access for potty breaks. If it's hot, you'll want to snag those spots under the roof and in the shade.
• I usually frown upon "hot dog meals," as many restaurants give kids cheap dogs and no extras. Pitchfork Fondue goes the extra mile to give high-quality dogs and buns, as well as all the sides. My kids couldn't get enough of the baked beans and garlic toast. The fruit was a fresh combination of melon and berries; the salad contained fresh broccoli and cherry tomatoes with the dressing of my kids' choice. It was a very high-quality "hot dog" experience!

(Thanks to the folks at Medora for providing my family and I with tickets to this delicious dining event!)

By Melissa Batai

Are you tired of trying to juggle everything—caring for and playing with your children, keeping up the house, doing dishes, cooking meals, doing your work? Do you collapse at the end of the day, exhausted, and find yourself thinking that another predictable, boring day has passed? Do you longingly think of the fun things you used to do before you had so many “adult” responsibilities?
If so, then you’ll likely benefit from Melissa Camara Wilkins’ book, Do Your Thing: How to Make Time for All of the Things You Were Made to Do .

About Wilkins

Melissa Camara Wilkins is a mom of six and a blogger, author, and speaker. She’s busy, like most of us are. However, she’s learned a trick—to focus on the things that bring her joy and make her feel alive, and she wants you to do the same.

About Do Your Thing

Do Your Thing is approximately 125 pages long and contains the following chapters:

1. Why This Book?
2. How Do You Do It All?
3. Do Your Thing
4. Follow Your Feelings
5. Know Who You Are
6. Know What You’re About
7. Do Less
8. Shake Things Up
9. Yes You Can
10. Remember This
11. How to Be You

There is a natural tendency when a woman has a career and has kids to lose herself in the busyness of life. I love to read, but for nearly 10 years when my kids were small, I didn’t read. I just didn’t have the time. I’m sure you have had an experience like this.

Wilkins, in a friendly, joking tone, wants to sit us down and talk to us, encourage us to find our passion again, to find the thing that makes us feel alive. Life is short. Why waste it being too busy to do the things that spark your passion?

The book is filled with thought-provoking quotes like when she explains the fallacy of women who do it all. Wilkins says, “I’m pretty sure the secret of ‘doing it all’ is that you don’t. You just do more of what matters to you, and less of everything else.”

Thoughts on the Book

This book will likely make you question your obligations. How many should you shed because they aren’t the right fit for you? What should you add to your schedule that makes you feel alive?
Wilkins has a fun, playful writing style, and it’s easy to feel like she’s sitting across the table from you trying to motivate you to live your best life.

However, I think the real strength of the book is when she gives personal examples of how she is working to live her best life and do more of the things that she enjoys. I wish the entire book had more personal examples. They help the reader see Wilkins’ strategies in action.

If you’re tired of everyday drudgery and want to feel energized and more like your old self, I recommend this book. Wilkins is inspiring and makes you want to find room in your life for the things that bring you joy. You can buy it here. 

By Melissa Batai

One of the best ways to save money on groceries and to eat foods at the peak of ripeness is to preserve them. You can freeze them, but if you don’t have much freezer room, canning is the way to go.

I didn’t grow up in a family that regularly canned items, so when I started canning once I had a family, I was completely unsure of what I was doing. If you would like to start canning but you’re like me and have no idea where to start, the Canning Jump Start Guide by Jenny Gomes of the blog, The Domestic Wildflower, can help.

About Canning Jump Start Guide

This guide is 10 pages and gives a list of items you need to begin canning, a comparison between water canning and steam canning, recommendations for how to adjust the canning time based on your elevation, a canning season planner and checklist, and four canning recipes.
At $5, this information will get you started, but it is fairly basic.

The Most Valuable Part of the Book

The most valuable part of the book is that you can get free access to Gomes’ Canning Basics course. The course includes the following topics:

• Before You Get Started Canning
• Equipment Video
• Canning Process Explained
• Beginner Friendly Canning Recipes
• Steam Canning Mini Resource Guide
• Join the Grow Like a Wildflower Facebook Group
• Canning Basics Pinterest Group Board

The course expands on many of the concepts in the ebook and is a mix of audio and slides. Instead of just four canning recipes in the ebook, the course gives you eight recipes.

What I’d Like to See Added

Most people now are visually oriented, and I’m no different. It would have been very helpful if Gomes’ guide included pictures of the necessary equipment she lists as well as the recipes included in the guide.

Should You Buy This eBook?

If you’re brand new to canning, I would recommend this. The guide by itself can get you started, but the real value is the course, which the ebook gives you free access to. At $5, the ebook is a bit overpriced, in my opinion, but once you add in the free course as well as access to Gomes’ group Facebook and Pinterest accounts, you end up with a pretty good deal.

In addition, when you access the free course, you have the option to sign up for more paid canning courses that Gomes’ offers, but you’re offered a 50% off discount.

If you’re new to canning, you may appreciate the information found in this ebook and the free course. It’s like having your own friend explain how to can.

Looking for canning ideas and recipes? Check out our blog posts on:

• Canning tomatoes
• Canning stone fruits (peaches, plums)
• Making pickles
• Freezer applesauce
• Canning green beans

I love shrimp. It doesn't matter the kind or the size, as long as it is prepared just right! One of my favorite recipes, however, involves a very simple and tasty marinade that you may never have thought of. What is this special ingredient? Diet 7UP



That's right. The Citrus Garlic Butter Shrimp that's perfect for parties is a hit at my grown-up get-togethers. It really ups my social game, because it comes together in under an hour. (You can even make it in 30 minutes or less, if pressed for time.)

Here's how you make it. You'll need:

• 1 pound of thawed shrimp, peeled and deveined (any size), raw 
• 2 cups Diet 7UP 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic (finely minced) 


Start by marinating the shrimp in the Diet 7UP. I just get a big plastic mixing bowl and soak them real good for 15-30 minutes. 

Drain the shrimp. Meanwhile, heat the butter and garlic in a medium-high sauté pan. Add the drained shrimp and stir constantly, about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through but not tough. (When their little tails start to curl up, it's time!)











Serve on a bed of lettuce and let guests serve themselves with a party fork. This is such a delicious way to cook shrimp. I can't explain how unique and delicate the citrus flavor is. The Diet 7UP also brings out the natural sweet and salty notes of the shrimp!





Run out? No problem. If you keep Diet 7UP on hand, along with some shrimp in the freezer, you can whip this up anytime guests stop by. It's the perfect party recipe that makes social nights with friends feel special, but takes no fuss or mess at all!