It was inevitable that Kris Winkelman would end up writing a newspaper column on wild-game cookery.

"When you're married to Babe Winkelman," she says, "you learn how to tame wild game in a hurry."

Kris admits she was anything but an authority on the preparation of game and fish before she married Babe, the popular host of two nationally syndicated outdoor television shows. "Like most people, I had a handful of standard recipes for fish and venison. But when your husband spends half his year on the road hunting and fishing, it doesn't take long to become bored with the basic recipes. Just about all the meals we eat are game and fish."

Kris' search for new and intriguing ways to prepare fish and game produced so many interesting recipes that she and Babe decided to start a cooking feature called "Kris’ Kitchen" for his award-winning "Good Fishing" and "Outdoor Secrets" television shows. The feature was an immediate hit with viewers, many of whom wrote or emailed asking for a cookbook. When treated to meals of walleye, venison or pheasant, guests at the Winkelman household agreed, encouraging Kris to share her secrets with sportsmen by writing a cookbook.

"It's been fun," she says. "Not only have we put together a collection of the recipes we've developed over the last few years, but we've also worked up lots of new ones."

For the Winkelman family, preparing the wild harvest is a way of extending the hunting and fishing seasons. "Eating the game can be as much fun as the actual hunting and fishing," she says, "and preparing tasty meals can be as challenging as catching a mess of walleyes or shooting a deer."

Kris' goal has been to develop tasty, easy-to-prepare meals using readily available ingredients. "This isn't about gourmet cooking," she says, "it's about gourmet meals that anyone can make. Wild game is different from domestic meats and it requires a different approach."

In addition to recipes, the column will deal with everything from the handling and storage of game to collecting wild mushrooms to selecting wines that compliment outdoor cuisine.

" My hope is that sportsmen and sportswomen across the country will enjoy these recipes as much as Babe and I have," she says. "It's all about celebrating the outdoor experience."