lamb chops with pasta

hi friends! what a wonderful evening. the end of the warm weather...molting into cooler fall weather. i look forward to chilly days, warm home, yummy food, watching movies, and snugglin'.

i arrived home around 5:20 and my girls had been home about 10 minutes. all happy i am pleased to report. (you never can be certain with numerous teenagers in the house)

justy and i had planned on cooking lamb chops we picked up at costco on sunday. they were very cute. like miniature beef t-bones.

we started off the evening with a glass of wine (for me...twisted zinfadel) and a gin and tonic for justy. we visited out on the deck...on the south side in the sun. the sun was warm but i had goose bumps. big V (mother in law) came over and drank a glass of wine and visited.

then we got dinner on.

i googled a recipe for lamb chops. i highly recommend it. here it is.

in a bowl mix:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 T finely chopped rosemary

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tsp course kosher

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

dip each little chop in the mixture and place on cookie sheet. take out to preheated grill. place on grill 4 minutes each side.

after the 8 minutes bring into the house and put in preheated oven 400 and bake 5 minutes for rare to medium rare.

OMG...this is so damn good!

for a side dish we did cheese stuffed tortillin with our homemade mushroom and white wine sauce.

so here is the pasta sauce...in case you missed it before:

in some olive oil and 1-2 tsp butter toss in 1 shalott diced, 2 cloves garlic minced, and 6-8 baby portabellos sliced. saute until starting to stick to the pan. pour in about 1 cup white wine. cook until reduced by half. add about 1 cup cream and cook another minute or two.

drain pasta and toss with sauce. sooooooo damn good!

~bon appetite

chinese egg plant

home from red lodge tonite. had a lovely weekend. on our way to billings we stopped at the rest area. the keys got locked in the car! we had to borrow a a cell phone from someone stopped at the rest area also. we called a wrecker company and they drove out and opened up the jeep. but it did not crush our excitement for the weekend plans. we kicked it off on friday nite with dinner at pug mahones. live craic was playing. it was super! justy and i enjoyed a guinness and we all had fish and chips, except izzy...she had irish cream tiramasu!
on our way home today we stopped in at brans to see her and little hugh. he is very precious.
it felt good to be home tonite. i was ready to make something simple. i took chinese eggplant and sliced it the long way. i drizzled olive oil on it and baked it on high heat until it began to brown and then i flipped it over and baked it longer until it was browned on the other side as well. while this was cooking i made a sauce. i took 5 cloves of garlic and sauteed them in the oil with one shallot. after a couple of minutes i added one can of stewed tomatoes and a couple inches of totatoe paste. i simmered this for about 15 minutes.
i placed the browned eggplant in my le cruset braiser, sprinkled parmesan on it, poured my sauce on, and added more parmesan. i put it in the oven for about 15 minutes.
very good and simple.
i just finished a beautiful Swedish foreign film; everlasting moments. a film about forgiving and adapting. it occurs in the early 1900's. i highly recommend it!
~bon appetite

Bair's Trucker Special

so, there was this little cafe in the hardin truck stop for years. very popular place open 24 hours a day. it was the Bairs Truck Stop. it had this fantastic little cafe inside. we would frequent it often...after church on sunday, on an afternoon after doing business in hardin before headin' home, or after a nite of drinking and dancing downtown. the house special was the trucker's special. it was a fried beef cube steak, hashbrowns, white gravy, and eggs over easy. soooo good. once in awhile i make this. but i have not made it for probably a couple of years.
when i arrived home last nite (after a LONG day at work) my husband had the cube steak frying up. he dredged the steak in flour then fried it, fried potatoes, made white gravy, and eggs over easy. it was super. we all gobbled it up. our nephew ty had dinner with us.
that delicious dinner was just the nourishment i needed. thanks honey!
~bon appetite~
by the way, the truck stop is still there but the cafe is now a subway sandwhich place.

garden vegetable soup

last week for dinner i had made this killer soup with everything i could find in my kitchen. my family loved it and it was so good...i made it again last nite. here are all the veggies i used:

red onion from my garden (fmg)

2 carrots rough chopped

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup rough chopped zuchinni (fmg)

1 c rought chopped yellow squash rough chopped (fmg)

1 cup kale rough chopped

5 tomoates (fmg) rough chopped, seeds, juice, and all

1 cup cauliflower rough chopped, from the hutterite colony

1 bell pepper de-seeded and rough chopped

5 cloves garlic, whole

i sauted all of these veggies together in a stock pot. i browned my 1#burger (our own beed, davis creek ranch beef). i drained the grease and added it to the veggies. i then added 8 cups water, 2 tsp each beef boullion and chicken bouillon. also, lots of salt and pepper and a few red pepper flakes. i always buy these neat little pasta shapes in tiny little bags. they are in the isle with mexican food. the pasta i added last nite was in the shape and size of a watermelon seed. i added half the bag...which is only about 1/3 cup.

i then set my soup to simmer for about 25 minutes. it was really really good.

i am lucky enough to have a little bit to take for lunch today!

~bon appetite~

i'm back!!!

OMGosh. my internet has been down for weeks. today...finally....the service man was able to come out to our place and work on it. took about 3 hours to fix it. YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!

i have made many a fantastic meal since my last log in. last nite with anticipation of my internet actually being repaired i took pics of my dinner...and tonite as well. justy said, 'better take a picture of that, tonite you can blog!'

so, here it is. tonite is the opening game of the NFL season. the saints and the vikings. after a LONG day at work...including picking up a load of tin (roofing) for our deck project at the lumber store in hardin...i headed home driving about 50 mph for fear the tin would fly out...yes, i had straps on. but still...i was leary. when i arrived home i had a glass of 'mad housewife' merlot. hilarious name. justy and i started on dinner. manicotti stuffed with cheese, thinly sliced steak fried with shallots and cremini mushrooms with a red wine reduction. for starters we made deep fat fried pickles, jalepenos, and pepperoncinis....wow....the pepperoncinis were FANTASTIC!

simply take flour and beer and mix. here is a little recipe:

1 cup flour

any kind of beer...whisk....

should be like thick pancake batter

add seasonings you like. we like Lawries, garlic salt, salt, and pepper

dry the pickles, peppers, etc...off on paper towel.

dip in flour

dip in the batter and fry in hot oil.

we also made a homemade marinara for our stuffed cheese manicotti. we took tomatoes from our garden and chopped them up. seeds and all. heated EVOO, garlic cloves, basil from our garden and added the tomatoes. we cooked that until it was saucy. we poured the homemade sauce over the manicotti and baked it until hot and bubbly. we then added some mozarella and baked it until the cheese was melted. it was sooooo good.

i miss blogging and sharing my what the hell am i going to make for dinner with other people who must feel the same way. I AM BACk! wahoo....

the other picture is from last nite. justy made us grilled tomatoes (from the garden) topped with olive oil and feta cheese and sirloins. he also made a dish with cherry tomatoes(from the garden). he grilled them in olive oil along with garlic cloves and rosemary(from the garden). it was spectacular. we ate outside on the deck...in the fall sun. so much like Ireland this time of year. the perfect temp...not hot, not cold. just sun and beauty.

i am pooped. watching the game. ready for bed.

~bon appetite~

Great food and family on a Friday nite

What a great nite. Our nephew Ty John came to dinner and brought his girl friend Annie. She brought 2 fantastic salads. One had broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini steamed...then chilled with a lemon vinagrette and parmesan cheese. The other was a salad with lettuce, avacado, peas from the garden, cucumber and more of the vinagrette. It went so well with the steak Justy grilled. I made crispy potato wedges with my sour cream and dill sauce. We also grilled elephant garlic and smeared it on our steaks. Vivian joined us for dinner. For dessert Isabelle really wanted a cherry pie....so....i made a double crust cherry pie and popped that into the oven.
What a great Friday nite. (i am still having trouble uploading pictures to this site :( rats!)
~bon appetite~

grilled rib eye's

so much has happened since my last blog 9 days ago. this is also the longest stretch i have gone without blogging. summer is getting away from me!
i have made some really great food in the last week and a half...and so has my hunny. on my birthday my dear husband made ME a ribeye roast. he put it in the oven, in a cast iron skillet, frozen, at 275 degrees. (he took sophia to the orthodontist that day too.) he doctored it up with some spices. he is really good at spicing things up. :) my parents came out to the house for dinner too. my mom gave me a bag full of cheeses, breads, candles, and wine. does she know me or what! my dad gave me beautiful silver black hills gold earring in the shape of snowflakes! so pretty. and my dear husband gave me a le creuset braiser in turquoise!! yes!! i havent had this much attention since my 2nd birthday i am sure!! i also recieved flowers from my hunny, my mother in law viv, and my other mother ruthie. at work, the ladies i work with gave me a party with gifts and pie! honestly....i am one lucky girl. a few days later we headed to chico hot springs to meet up with travee and malissa. we soaked in the hot water friday nite and drank margeritas. the kids had so much fun. and my dear friend malissa gave me a super birthday present too! a pretty pendant from turkey, incence, earrings, and badger ointment! fabulous.
like i said...i am one lucky girl.
saturday we drove home. that nite i made grilled salmon with my pesto compound butter. it was sooo good. on sunday i pushed the easy button and made pork roast and potatoes. on tuesday i made burgers with balsamic vinegar fries. the fries were a hit with my kids. here's what i did:
1 shallot sauted in butter until tender and beginning to brown
balsamic vinegar to cover the bottom of the pan
cook until reduced by half
toss with oven baked homemade fries (the crispier the better)
course kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
and tonite...grilled rib eye roast, salad from the garden with a lemon vinagrette, a roasted elephant garlic (soft and gooey) and yellow and green squash sauteed. the garlic smeared on the steak was mouth watering. i have tried uploading pics but am still having trouble with that....so no pictures. anyway, i will blog again soon. until then cook something tasty!
~bon appetite~

great friends and good food

two of my favorite people came to our house saturday...travee and malissa. on the menu: beer basted sirloin, fresh picked winter and summer squash sauted with a garden onion and amish butter, barbequed short ribs, skewers made of cherry tomatoes, goat milk cheese, salami, and basil from the garden. and for dessert homemade banana cream pie. a mean game of foosball and a campfire with roasted marshmellows rounded out the evening. i love summer!

~bon appetite~

basil butter and baked chicken and potatoes

monday. home from camping and a TON of shit to put away. its exhausting. i need to go back to work to get some rest. since we have fresh beef butchered...its steak for dinner. justy grilled the steaks: 2 rib eyes and 3 filets. i am so hooked on the homemade basil pesto that i decide to make a pesto butter. i began by picking basil and putting it in my mortar and pestle and pounding away. this is a little labor intensive. but, very therapeutic and super tasty. once the leaves are pulverized add pine nuts and crush into the leaves. then drizzle olive oil and sprinkle parmesan into the mixture. from there i softened butter. i took the butter and the pesto and mixed it together using a fork. once combined i put the mixture onto saran wray. i rolled it up and placed it in the fridge to firm up. about an hour later i took the basil butter out of the saran wrap. i then put dallops of this succulent butter on the steaks when they were hot off the grill. this was soooo good!
tuesday. back to work. and a little tired of beef! just for one nite. i put 5 large chicken thigh/legs in my trusty cast iron with some potatoes. whole and scrubbed and unpeeled. i sprinkled course kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and sprigs of rosemary from my garden. i had the kids put this in the oven at 1pm at 350 for a few hours. it turned out great. baking chicken is one of the yummiest, easiest ways to cook chicken. its definitely the easy button. and it shows my girls how simple food can be and taste simply great. the less 'fast food' they learn to eat the healthier they will be.
i tried 4 times to post my pics tonite....something must be wrong the site...so i have no pictures. rats.
~bon appetite~

prime ribs sandwhiches in the snowies

we all went camping in the snowies! lots of family there. clanc from oregon, beth from tennessee, and lots in between. saturday nite justy and i cooked prime rib sandwhiches (my dad

had a bunch of his prime rib cut into 1/4 inch strips) for everyone. we sauted crimini mushrooms in butter, green bell peppers in butter, and onions in butter to go with the sandwhiches. i didnt get a picture of us cooking together...though i think my sister beth did....beth if you are reading this...could you send me the picture!

justy and i also made fresh pesto. we had sweet basil and cinnamon basil leaves from our garden. justy used a mortar and pestle and ground up the leaves. then we added pine nuts, olive oil, and then parmesan. it was DELICIOUS! i have a lot of basil left in my garden...this is definitely the next best thing for summer snacking.

~bon appetite~

warm potato salad and burgers with mushroom sauce

such a pretty nite. this montana summer has been just right. not too hot in the day...in fact many days are rather cool. and the nites cool off so that you need to cover up with blankets. my kind of summer.
this afternoon i went to the courthouse to renew my drivers license. good for another 8 years. and my picture didnt turn too bad either.
for dinner tonite i made burgers....again. but to switch it up i sauted button mushrooms in butter with some purple onion. (i prefer portabello mushrooms but the store was out of them.) once they were cooked down to my liking i added white wine until it reduced then....CREAM! yum... i also made a potato salad. i like warm potate salad. pickles, some green onion, lots of mayo, some dijon mustard, some dill from the garden, and couple of hard boiled eggs. sooo good.
tomorrow justy is picking up our butchered beef. i am soo hungry for a steak!
~bon appetite~

gorgonzola burgers and cilantro rice

i am super tired tonite. i managed to cook dinner but it wasnt easy. i pushed the easy button and made burgers. grilled them and topped 'em with gorgonzola. it helps to bring the cheese to room temp. cheese is usually better at room temp. the flavors are more intense and true then. it melts easier, too. i also made cilantro rice. i dont think i have posted this recipe...maybe i have. but tonite i switched it up a bit. here it is:

1 cup cooked left over rice
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can diced stewed tomates
bunch of fresh cilantro chopped
course kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

in skillet add left over rice with about 1/2 cup water. heat up. add the rest of the ingredients. heat until bubbly. serve.

justy is out ropin'. isabelle is out throwin' a rope...future team ropin' partner for her dad? the other two are over at grandma vivians. i've had my bath, i am sipping on some tomato juice. the cool air is coming in through the open (new) living room window. ahhhhh....it just gets better and better.

~bon appetite~

pork kabobs & spinache and strawberry salad

mmm...dinner was so good tonite! after a day of: replacing a window in the living room, building 2 new flower beds, and watering ALL my vegetation i was due for a good meal. justy made the kabobs. i always over cook them. they need to be a little pink...even pork. other wise it is a tasteless glob. he pulled them off the grill at the right moment. i made some greek sauce about an hour earlier an into the fridge it went. i have posted the greek sauce recipe in an earlier blog. i have dill in my garden...fresh dill is the only way to go. i have tried dried dill...no taste. anyway, thumb through previous blogs to find the recipe. tonite i am posting the recipe for the dressing i put on my salad. i made a fresh spinache salad from my garden. i added strawberries, honey roated almond slivers, and my dressing. here it is:
angie's sweet dressing
1/2 cup panda express orange sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
whisk together. drizzle over spinache, straberries, and almonds. serve.

well, we are off to do some trim work on the new window...yippee!

`bon appetite~

hot dogs and lots of yard work

good ol' grilled hot dogs for dinner tonite. when i arrived home i hit it mowing the lawn. lots of lawn. dont feel sorry for me though...the ranch invested in a new john deere riding lawn mower. we ALL want to mow now! when i got done mowing i decided to put another coat of thompsons water seal on the south facing deck. once i got that done i was ready for wine. i sat down on the deck with justy...who had also been doing yard work (weed eating...yuck) i had a glass of wine and he had a belgian blonde...beer that is. guinness and bass. in a frosty glass. damn. i should have had a beer.



our oldest daughter is out being a teenager. off to lodge grass with a friend for the weekend. i text her way too much...'where r u?' 'luv u hunny' 'call me' thank God we didnt have texting when i was a teenager....my mom would have drove me nuts! i am sure when she told me her cell phone was dying and she needed to charge it REALLY was needing to be charged...right? anyway, happy friday. cook something yummy this weekend. (This picture is from our annual branding)



~bon appetite~

beer basted pork and couscous

great day. hot. but not too hot. sunny. soph had her first otho appointment for her braces. justy took the day off to take her. she is now wearing bands and her mouth is sore....sorry sweet pea....it will be worth it! tonite justy is ropin' at a friends arena. i decided to stay home...cook a pork roast on the grill and make some couscous. very delightful. the couscous is yummy. here is the recipe:

3/4 cup couscous

3/4 cup boiling water

add the boiling water to the couscous. cover with plastic wrap. let sit. meanwhile, in butter saute 4 small mushrooms, 1/4 of one red onion, one carrot chopped really small, and one rib of celery cut really small. when cooked down and onions really soft dump the couscous into this pan with the mixture. add 1/4 cup feta cheese. toss and serve. you can substitute anything you like in place of the above veggies. remember, if it looks good it probably tastes great.

" A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver 5 minutes longer"

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

~bon appetite~

Happy 4th of July!

i just spent 4 great days in red lodge hanging out with family, visiting, and eating great food. my cousin travee, his wife malissa, and their daughter megan stayed with us at our cabin. my aunt kathleen spent much of the time with us (travees mom). we even ran into miles(another cousin) downtown one afternoon while we were shopping. he came to the cabin and had dinner with us too. that nite justy grilled tri tip with original coors. we had a salad with greens from my garden. strawberries and walnuts. a raspberry hazelnut dressing topped it off. i also made some sweet potato fries. kathleen brought fruit and made a fresh fruit salad. the tri tip was spectacular. justy got rave reviews. the platter the meat is on was a gift from travee and malissa. very thoughtful family i have!

we lit off plenty of fireworks....travee is a black cat nut. he had a bunch of them, lit them INSIDE the cabin, then threw them out the door onto the patio to scare the shit out of me and malissa (yes, justin was his accomplice). he nearly lost a finger! and he DID scare the shit out of us. i still cant hear all that well.

sunday nite we headed for bear creek saloon where they have great steaks and pig racing! we a had another great dinner with people we love. bet on a few pigs. didnt win. it was really a great time.

i am exhausted and happy as i blog tonite. greatful that i live in America. greatful for my wonderful family. and wishing you all time to grill and time to spend with your family and friends. there's still have plenty of summer left so get cookin'!!

~bon appetite~

spanish rice

i am having a difficult time making time to blog! i have spent so much time in my yard. it looks fab too! tonite i brushed on thompsons water seal to the entire deck. i am pooped. i managed to make spanish rice. we ate it with tortillas warmed and lightly browned over propane flame.

i took one pound of burger and browned it. i added half yellow onion course chop. 3 cloves of garlic chopped. i drained the grease. i then added salt and pepper, couple cups of cooked rice (i cooked in my trusty rice cooker), one can diced stewed tomatoes, and some tomatilla salsa. quick and easy and tasty.

justy worked on the bailer AND the swather. the alfalfa is getting ahead of us! the girls are upstairs giggling and playing a game. they have a friend staying the nite.

last nite justy, ty, mike, and sterling roped. it is so much fun watching them rope. i had a ball. and i made pork ribs. yum. i cooked them for several hours in my roaster. after they were tender i drained off the grease and added barbeque sauce. also, baked potate with sour cream and chives from the garden.

i love summer.

~bon appetite~

rigatoni a la garden greens

i'm having camera troubles. tonite i found the camera but the sd card was missing.... so i had no picture. after a little work i figured out how to get the picture off the camera.

when i arrived home from work i threw on shorts and went out to weed my gardens. when i got to the garden with all types of lettuce i picked A LOT. i washed it and gave a huge bag of it to my mother in law. i decided because i have so much greens i needed to come up with a creative way to use them in my dinner tonite.

i started with browning the hamburger i had thawed. i then put some water on to boil. i was hungry for pasta. once the meat was browned i drained it, salted it, added one can of diced stewed tomatoes, and then...i thought greens...what to do with these greens? so i took a bunch of fresh picked washed greens and placed them in a huge pile on top of my meat mixture. i tossed them with the cooking meat and tomatoes. it wilted down rather quickly. so i added another bunch of greens to the mixture. it also wilted down. it looked beautiful. red and green. these colors compliment each other. look pretty together. and taste great together. i boiled some rigatone and drained it. i added the pasta to the meat and tomato mixture, i drizzled olive oil all over it and threw in some grated mozarella. viola! dinners on....and they all thought it was quite tasty.

~bon appetite~

chicken and potatoes

purple was my favorite color since i was a little girl. but over the years i have really been drawn to reds. now i find myself completely in adoration of not only reds but oranges and yellows.
and i have found that when food of different colors look pretty together they will taste great together.
tonite we had roast chicked with yams and potatoes. i cooked it in my cast iron skillet with whole potatoes around it. i put a spring of rosemary from my garden and kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. i had my girls put it in the oven at 2pm on 350. when i got home at 5:15 it was done and delicious.
my plate looked beautiful. i had chicken, bright green lettuce mix from my garden, a huge slice of a red tomato, and a bright orange yam with a nub of yellow butter. i couldnt find the camera...my girls had it outside. so i have no picture tonite. i am super tired. good nite friends!
~bon appetite~

Scrumptious Grilled Pork

its been an interesting last two days around here. last nite leaving billings there was a tornado! we drove out of it....just in time too. billings experienced a hell of a tornado in the 'heights' and right at the metra. we were on our way to red lodge. we were just minutes out of billings when we heard it live on the radio...the tornado had tore the metra apart! very scary. there was also hail and flash flooding in certain parts of the city. miraculously no one was badly hurt.

in red lodge it was beautiful. we went to 'foster and logans' and had dinner for fathers day. justy and i enjoyed a guinness on tap too. after a quick trip throught the candy store we went to rock creek and hiked around. took a lot of pictures of us all goofing around. it was a lovely evening.

this morning i woke up to a mama moose and baby moose in our back yard! it was an awesome site! i woke the girls up and had them come to my bedroom window to see it. the mama was chocolate brown...the baby was reddish...and small. the size of an average dog! a really really neat site.

tonite when we arrived back home to the ranch it attempted to kick up another tornado. we were on the news for the 'kirby area' to take cover for pending tornado! holy shit. the wind blew. it turned black. it rained some. then it finally passed over. no tornado. not at kirby anyway. i really am ready for this nasty crap....to just go away.

justy grilled a small pork roast. he has this knack for pulling meat off the grill just at the right moment...before it is gray and overdone...but right after the 'rawness' is cooked off. this piece of meat was superb. i admit...i can not grill like this guy. i am just thankful i dont start my pieces of meat on fire when i grill. he really has it figured out. i picked some salad greens from the garden. we also had some rosemary and garlic bread from costco.

at present i hear frogs croaking, crickets chirping, and the sounds of a pleasant nite out here at kirby. i love these noises almost at much as i love justy's gillin'!

~bon appetite~

brisket done with beer

what a beautiful saturday this turned out to be. it was cold and rainy (again) this morning. but by noon the day dried out, the wind quit, and the sun shone.

for breakfast i made whole wheat buttermilk blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs. it was delicious and provided some fuel for all the yard work i had planned on doing.

justy and i did yard work all day. this morning he put a dry rub on a brisket and put it int the fridge. this evening he grilled it with bud light. the strong, skunky taste of bud light really taste good on meat slow cooked over a fire. use whatever beer you have on hand. i would rather drink coors light than bud light (yuck). we drank the coors light.

i picked lettuce from my garden. i have several pretty kinds planted. i also used a green onion and some cilantro from my garden. i made a very old fashioned salad dressing. Grandma Tudy gave this recipe to me. its a recipe from her mother, Ma Gress. Grandma Tudy said Ma Gress never bought a premade salad dressing in her life....she always made this. She also would slice cucumbers and put them in this dressing.

Ma Gress' homemade salad dressing:

about 1/2 cup half and half

about 3 Tbsp sugar

about 1 Tbsp vinegar

mix all together. it becomes somewhat thick like heavy whipping cream. pour over salad and toss. really really good and tangy.

i posted a pic of isabelle playing cars in the dirt and mud. at one point i looked over and saw her standing in the puddle with muddy hands. she very much looked like she was enjoying herself.

~bon appetite~

reunited over burgers and fresh salad

my wonderful little girls are home!! and they really are wonderful.

tonite we missed another bad storm prediction. so, after a little rain we picked lettuce from our garden; italian mix, mesclun, and spinache.

justy made burgers with gouda cheese on top. we sat outside and visited while we ate.

me and isabelle are snugglin' now.

go hug your kids and tell 'em you love 'em.

~bon appetite~

wilted lettuce

fruits and vegetables always taste best when you eat them in season. and its the most economical way to feed your family. a tomato in winter is definitely not as tasty as it is in the summer. right off the vine and still warm from the sun. yum. i currently have a lot of lettuce and spinache in my garden. there is this really old fashioned recipe for wilted lettuce. tonite i wanted to try it. you can also do this with spinache, which is what i used.

i did not cook up bacon but i did have some bacon grease set aside (i always do...) so i put about 2 tbsp bacon grease in a skillet with one of my freshly picked winter onions from the garden. i chopped up the onion. then i sauted the onion a few minutes and added a huge amount of spinache leaves. toss the leaves with the sauteing onions and grease. after a few minutes the lettuce (or spinache) will completely wilt down. its beautiful. it becomes a more vibrant green. just makes your mouth water! i sprinkled mine with vinegar right before serving. i thought later toasted almonds would have been super with this cooked green.

we also made some simple soft shell tacos.

~bon appetite~

a little pasta

saturday nite. the house is so quiet without my girls here. i sure miss 'em. this morning justy made a great breakfast. cube steak dredged in flour and seasonings then fried. an egg over easy and a tortilla to sop it all up. later we went to sheridan to pick up our new windows for our living room. then out to eat. we both had fish and chips and...your guessed it, guinness. i asked for some malt vinegar for my fish....the place didnt have any!!! so i used red wine vinegar. even with out the malt vinegar...it was really, really good.

its been raining again today. and cold too. thursday nite it rained sooo hard. the sky looked quite ominous right before the rain. i took a picture. when the rain came it was kinda scary. after about an hour it let up to just a soft rain. i wont need to water my grass till august!

i made pasta tonite with a simple marinara. i sauted garlic in a little butter and olive oil. then i added one can of stewed tomatoes and some cinnamon and sweet basil from my garden. i just tore up the leaves. about a 1/4 cup parmesan and viola! i tossed the spaghetti with my sauce and added olive oil and tossed again. the olive oil mellows out the tomato sauce. and make sure you add plenty of salt to the water you boil your pasta in. its a whole new experience eating pasta that has been cooked in well salted water.

i am watching the world cup on a spanish channel. i catch a word i know now and again. usa and england are tied 1 to 1 belly full and my hunny snuggled next to me. its a great saturday nite. go usa!

~bon appetite~

Dinner for Two

just me and justy home tonite. while i watered my flowers, justy oiled his saddle. it was a stunning evening. we had grilled sirloin and asparagus. sooooo good.

i am now watching julia child on 'cooking channel' and writing my blog. life is good.

~bon appetite~

grilled asparagus and gorgonzola burgers

after a productful day at work i came home eager to be outside and grill. when i arrived home justy was out at our arena ropin' with Ty (nephew) and Jerry (uncle). so i pattied out 5 hamburgers. then i washed the beautiful asparagus my sister Brandyn gave to me. she has a plethra of asparagus growing in her yard. so during the months of may and june we are well supplied with this fabulous vegetable. after washing i drizzled olive oil on it and sprinkled course kosher salt (my favorite salt ever) and fresh ground pepper. then off to the arena i went...glass of wine in hand. it was so fun watching them! we definitely need some bleachers out there so a girl can get comfortable!

after an hour or so i walked back to the house. i was thinking to myself how beautiful it is here at kirby creek and how lucky i am to have such a great life.

i turned on the grill and watered some of my flowers while i was waiting for the burgers and asparagus to grill up. near the end of the grilling i added the gorgonzola to the burgers. it was mighty tasty.

its hard to beat a great montana day in june.

~bon appetite~

Boeuf Bourguignon Busby Style

i love french cooking. i discovered it through Julia Child. she was such an interesting person. justy bought me her cook book, "mastering the art of french cooking", at a book store in livingston. it was then that i started cooking 'french'. what i have discovered is french cooking IS simple. it takes basic ingredients like: meat, butter, shallots, cream, fresh vegetables, and wine to create the most savory dishes in the world! saute any meat in butter or bacon fat, add wine, reduce it, add cream...and viola!

today i made boeuf bourguignon. it was a cold rainy day here. i thought this would be perfect. there are many recipes you could use. Julia Childs is lengthy. many steps. but not hard steps. there is an easier version. Laura Calder from Cooking Channel "french food at home" has a simple recipe. i have made both versions. both are delicious.

i was out of carrots...honestly i thought i had some. i think the carrot fairy came in during the nite and stole them. so i used baby portabella mushrooms instead. i always think 'improvise' when you can on a recipe. that is how great dishes are developed. dont be afraid to try something different. even with a classic dish like this.

i cut round steak into 1" pieces. i then sauted them in bacon fat. i browned them in small batches. i then placed all the browned meat on a plate and in that same oval casserole into the drippings i added half of one onion sliced and one cup sliced mushrooms. salt and pepper. i cooked them several minutes then added about 3 Tbsp flour. i cooked this a few minutes longer. then i added half a bottle of a 2004 merlot. i added equal parts beef broth. one bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. i then added my meat back into this. i brought it to a simmer. placed a lid on it and put it in the oven (pre heat 450---turned down to 325) i left it for 2 hours.

in the mean time i made some pan bread and boiled potatoes. to the potatoes i added butter and fresh chopped rosemary and some peas and salt and pepper. sooo good.

i have added a picture of one of my flower beds. honestly, i have fallen in love all over again with my yard! i work in my gardens daily. it all looks so pretty.

well, i hope you are inspired to try 'something french'!

~bon appetite~

beer basted sirloin roast

after a great day of yard work my sister Brandyn and her family came out to have dinner with us and visit. justy had put a sirloin roast he cut up into 4 mini roasts in a secret dry rub early in the morning. about 2 hours before grilling we removed the meat from the fridge and let it come to room temp.

we grilled it with coors light. grill, pour, grill, pour, grill, pour....

i made deviled eggs and homemade fries. i cut the potatoes (skin on) into thin wedges. coated with olive oil and montreal steak seasoning. baked on bottom shelf at 450 until well done...some get real crispy. soooo good.

for dessert i made a lemon cheese cake. very easy recipe:

2 packages cream cheese softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 sugar

juice from one lemon and the rind too!

mix all together until smooth. add one egg and mix. another egg and mix. pour into grahm cracker crust. bake at 375 for 40 minutes. chill for 2 hours. serve.

its a cool rainy day here today. good day for changing the linen on all the beds, watching tv, and getting some well deserved rest. i think i will do french for dinner tonite...mmm?.....

~bon appetite~

grilled burgers

so, i grilled burgers last nite...and didnt char the shit out of them! justy had to haul bulls out to pasture. i was tempted to wait for him to return...but we were all starvin'

i made a potatoe salad. 5 small potatoes and 3 eggs in one pot. mayo, mustard, chopped pickles, salt and pepper. mmm...

i topped my burgers with munster cheese and served them on whole wheat buns. we usually dont use buns. sometimes we do.

my poppies grandma tudy gave me are starting to bloom so i have added a picture of them too. they dont last long but make a huge statement the short time they are around. and they remind me of grandma tudy.

justy is grillin' a sirloin roast tonite with coorls light...will be superb i am sure.

~bon appetite~

spaghetti

what a great afternoon. when i got off work i drove out to get some heirloom tomatoes someone was giving me! how lucky! when i arrived home around 5:30 it was still nice. but i felt like pasta...not grilling. so i made spaghetti. but before i ate i had a glass of wine with my hunny. we also nibbled on some cheese i bought in red lodge at a new little food specialty store. the cheese is from spain and it is called 'mahon rivera' very good with red wine. then we walked out to our ropin arena where some ropin' was going on. justy ran the shoots. he currently doesnt have a rope horse. he is going to get his horse going...but it takes time. i watched the ropin' and visited with others. i met one of justy's cousins. handsome young man. served 3 tours in iraq and 1 in afghanistan. he is now out of the military. very nice. very glad to have met him.

my messiest daughter actually cleaned her room today! i didnt even ask her! how the hell did that happen! oh the joys. life is good.

i think summer and warm weather has finally arrived in montana. yippee!

~bon appetite~

Salsa burgers with queso fresco

So tonite when i arrived home it was 5:15. plenty of sunshine left to weed and water my gardens.

after about an hour i needed to make dinner.

i decided to grill...so i made burgers. again. i know. but when you have A LOT of burger...you tend to be creative with the burgers. i topped the burgers with some queso fresco cheese. i made a batch of my cilantro salsa. picked some spinache from my garden. and dinner was on! it tasted great.

for desert justy and soph made ranch cobbler. a few minutes ago i pulled it out of the oven. hot cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

~bon appetite everyone!~

saturday nite and 4 Aces chicken

so anyone who's ever had 4 Aces knows its the best chicken in the world! my parents and jeremiah came out to our house and they brought my grandma Margaret and my aunt Patsy. we visited, ate chicken, a greek salad (grandma and patsy brought), coleslaw, and strawberry/blueberry shortcake with homemade whip cream. it was wonderful. and before we knew it...it was 9:30. so we hugged and kissed them and sent them on their way back to hardin.

its been a cool memorial day weekend. misty and rainy at times. very green out. reminds me of Ireland. ready for warm weather....i think it must be right around the corner.

~bon appetite~

justy cooks dinner

so, the last couple of days have been cold here...and rainy. on tuesday it felt like a roast day. so i pushed the easy button and put a roast in. frozen. whole red potatoes. one whole yam. covered with foil. baked 6 hours at 250. my sister brandyn gave me fresh asparagus she has in her yard and we steamed it. this meal was DELICIOUS! and easy.

this morning at 4am my phone rang. i had to go into work early. (i left home at 5) i worked till 6pm and when i arrived home my wonderful husband had a perfectly cooked sirloin and homemade macaroni and cheese. it tasted wonderful. a glass of milk and a hard roll to round it out. i ate outside. then i wandered around my yard admiring how pretty it looks. i pulled some weeds. it was nice.

then my youngest told me she needed cupcakes for her drum group party at school tomorrow!@#$ so into the house we went at 8pm to make cupcakes. i used a box mix. but the frosting i made from butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa. i think i posted this recipe a few weeks ago.

so, now i am relaxing...its 9pm. i am writing my blog and watching the food network. my friend nancy said her wonderful husband cooked her a delicous pasta dinner. she is bringing leftovers for us to eat at lunch tomorrow....i look forward to it!

~bon appetite~