rooms and cabins, getting new snowmobiles, new four-wheelers, you name it, we are updating it,” She said. “It is a lot of work, but it is so worth it.” Stephanie added that the bonus is they get to have their boys with them while building Recreational Springs into their vision of a destination resort for the Black Hills. “It means everything for us to get to be with them every day,” she said. “It means we get to raise them instead of putting them in day care. It means they get to play outside and be raised in nature, in the beautiful setting of the Black Hills, instead of in a fenced in small backyard. They are the reason we are doing what we are.” “Our first year was a lot of hours, we converted two of the hotel’s 18 hotel rooms into a living space for the family, and we were going non-stop from the time we took possession in late November until the end of the snowmobile season in March,” Brett said. “Steph wasn’t able to come out because she was finishing up a contract at her job in the cities, so for the first month, I was here getting everything ready for both us and the customers. Stephanie and the boys were able to move out at Christmas time, so since then we have been working hard.” Stephanie said the couple purchased 17 new snowmobiles last year and an additional 15 this winter. They also purchased four ATV/ side-by-sides for rental in the non-snowmobile season. “We are just really getting into the ATV rentals,” she said. “We found out we are the perfect place to rent an ATV from as we are in the middle of the Northern Hills ATV system. We are in the perfect spot to take a half-day, day or even week-long vacation from as we are so centralized.” Another addition the Marlette’s have added to the Rec. Springs summer is they are now offering weddings at their facility. “We are just set up perfectly for it,” Stephanie said. “We have the rooms, the six cabins, and we have spots for 60 campers. We have the full service kitchen, the lodge, and then we have the great outdoor pavilion which is just a perfect summer reception location because it is all covered but still open to the outdoors.” Brett said that last year they only held a few weddings, but this year they have booked five weddings, two reunions and that is with most of the month of August filled with reservations for the 75th anniversary of the Sturgis Rally and Cool Deadwood Nights. “We have had phenomenal word of mouth, the people who are coming in love the fact that we are family business and cater to Introducing... Chef Scott, Hy-Vee Cheese Specialist Tasting a new cheese is the best way to learn about it. Chef Scott is available to answer questions, give you samples and recommend food and beverage pairings. He will also be offering classes on cooking and serving cheeses and produce. Chef Scott received a degree in Culinary Arts from Mitchell Technical Institute. He has served as a chef in upscale restaurants in South Dakota and Arizona. 2100 Broadway, Yankton families,” Stephanie said. “We have depended greatly on our customers telling their friends about how great the experience is here at Rec. Springs, so it is only in our best interest to make sure that every person that comes in leaves happy and has the best vacation possible.” Brett however said that the snowmobile rentals have been and remain the mainstay of the business. “There are more than 23 acres on property that people can snowmobile on in addition to being right on trail no. 5 of the 350 miles of groomed Black Hills Snowmobile trails,” he said. “People can literally park their sleds right in front of their room or cabin, walk down to the lodge, have breakfast at our all you can eat breakfast buffet, jump on their sleds and hit the trails. It is a blast and they can make every trip unique. “We offer a full service kitchen throughout the day, where we have a soup of the day and made to order items. Then every Friday night we will do a special meal like a prime rib. We also have the bar in the lodge for when they are done on the trails and just want to hang out with friends and family. We just are really striving to offer anything a guest could want.” Stephanie said it all comes down to location. “If we could have found something like this near Yankton, we would have been there in a heartbeat,” she said. “But this gives us the best of both worlds. Look what is in our backyard. There is no better place to raise our family and build our business and we are still a short drive from our family, either for them to come here or us to go there. We absolutely love what we are doing here.” vBy Shauna Marlette Bacon Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese 2 cups shredded Muenster cheese 16 ounces of your favorite pasta 6 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons butter 1 small minced onion ¾ cup panko 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (Japanese bread crumbs) 2 ½ cups heavy cream ½ cup freshly grated 2 ½ cups whole milk parmesan cheese 2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese ½ pound thick cut bacon Cook pasta according to package instructions. Pasta is done when it is slightly chewy to the bite. Drain and rinse, then set aside, but do not let the pasta dry out. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter or spray two 9 inch by 13 inch baking pans. Or use individual baking dishes. Topping. In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons of melted butter, panko and parmesan, set aside. In heavy sauce pan, heat bacon over medium heat until browned, remove bacon and set aside. Drain bacon grease. In same sauce pan over medium low heat melt 6 tablespoons butter, add onion and garlic, saute for 1 to 3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Whisk in the flour and cook for three minutes while whisking. Add heavy cream, milk and shredded cheese whisking until it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir often, until sauce thickens. About 5 minutes. Fold in the cooked macaroni pasta and the cooked bacon pieces. Sauce should be soupy as it will absorb a large amount of sauce as it bakes. At this point you have up to three days to bake. So if you made it ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. When ready to bake, divide the mixture into your two 9 x 13 or your individual baking dishes. Top each with the panko and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and top begins to brown. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving. HERVOICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015v21