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~

cilantro rice with shredded pork

mmm...left overs again tonite. the pork from branding! i make this tasty side dish called cilantro rice. so i decided to have that as my base and add the pork, change the salsa to salsa verde, and wrap it up in tortillas. mmm...it was tasty. here's the recipe:

2 cups pork, cooked, shredded + 1/2 cup water added to it during the reheating process

1 cup cooked rice

2 tbps chopped cilantro

3/4 cup salsa verde

1/2 can black beans rinsed well and drained

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

tortillas, warmed

queso fresco (crumbly melting mexican cheese)

add the meat to a skillet. add the water and heat up. add the rest of the ingredients. meanwhile, warm up tortillas. once the mixure is heated through serve wrapped in a tortilla with some of the mexican cheese. its good!

~bon appetite~

chimichanga's

i love when great food makes me sing...and that what tonites dinner did. anyone who knows me knows when i really like my food i make noises....yes i say, mmmmm....mmmmmm...this is soooo good. tonite i made chimichanga's. this is one of the yummiest foods and easy to make. i topped them with my homemade cilantro salsa.

at the branding we cooked a whole hog...head to tail...whole hog. it was quite lovely. i wish i had taken a picture. but, i arrived at the branding site and within a few minutes was very busy vaccinating calves...so i did not get a picture of it. it was a delicious meal post branding. we ended up with a lot of left over meat. so i grabbed some of it tonite and made the chimi's. i chopped up about 4 cups worth of meat. i put it in a skillet with about 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp of cumin seeds i crushed in my mortar and pestle, and 1 tsp chilli powder. i cooked this until heated through. then i heat some oil. i filled 5 tortillas with the mixture and then deep fat fried them a couple of minutes on each side. i served them with my salsa and sour cream. there were no left overs.

here is my salsa recipe:

4 roma tomatoes, diced

2 ribs celery with the leaves on them, diced small

2 spring onions, chopped

handful of cilantro, chopped

one lime

course kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

combine the tomatoes, onions, celery, and cilantro. add the juice of one lime. sprinkle with salt and pepper. chill 30 minutes and serve.

we had a wonderful weekend here at the Davis Creek Ranch. calves are branded and back with there mothers for the summer. out in the pasture to graze and grow. tummies full (cows and people alike), and the big ole bruise on my leg from a kick from one of those baby calves...beginning to heal and fade. life is awesome! now go make some salsa!!

~bon appetite~

Stroganoff

yeah, its friday! i got off work at 4:30. i couldnt wait for my weekend to begin. we are branding this weekend. today justy and dad rode with the rest of the crew...to gather cows in preparation for tomorrow. i went to iga and bought some groceries. then i went to a little home town business that sells flowers each year. i bought a few more flowers for my deck to plant (will do that sunday). when i arrived home it was around 6 pm. isabelle had been home and was at grandma v's. soph and bug were at school playing in the band for graduation....which was tonite.

so tonite i made some develed eggs and beef stoganoff for dinner. my dad (who is staying with us during branding) thought it was delicious. i will post the recipe...but not tonite. tonite i am going to post a pumpkin bar recipe. i am making them tonite for tomorrow. i think this is a fantastic recipe. here it is:

4 eggs

1/2 tsp cloves

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup oil

1 large can of pumpkin (30 oz)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

mix all the ingredients together. pour into greased and floured jelly roll pan. you can also just line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. pour mixture into pan and spread out with rubber spatula. bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

frosting:

1 1/2 packages of cream cheese softened to room temp

1 stick of butter softened to room temp

1-2 cups powdered sugar

mix the ingredients with hand blender and whip until creamy. spread over cooled pumpkin bars.

heres to a wonderful weekend.

~bon appetite~

t-bones and potatoes

preparing for branding this weekend. the guys rode today, fixed fence, and prepared the corrals. my dad came out too...to spend the nite with us and ride tomorrow gathering cows. tonite we bbq'd steak, made fried potatoes, and scalloped corn. its almost 9:30, i am pooped, again. good nite!

~bon appetite~

Rain and burgers

its been rainy for a couple of days....and it is so beautiful and green out. yesterday we had spare ribs with potato salad (left over from the other day). the ribs were divine. i placed them in my trusty cast iron, covered with foil, and baked 4hours at 250 degrees. then justy drained off the grease and added bbq sauce. mmmm.................i was so exhausted last nite. i had a long day at work that started in the O.R. as circulating nurse for surgery...and ended my day working late in swing bed. so i ate, bathed, and fell asleep at 8....no blog and no picture of the ribs.

tonite i arrived home around 5. i had some snow on the mountain my friend Nancy gave me. we actually dug it up from her flower bed. so when i got home i went to work digging up an area of my flower bed that was overgrown with grass. because it has been raining...it wasnt that hard to dig up. justy came out to help me. once we dug the area up....i planted the snow on the mountain with some lilly's scattered about. it did rain on us a little but the plants really liked it. when we were nearly done...justy left to go make burgers and grill them. we eat a lot of burgers with different sides and toppings all summer. we had green beans and yellow bell pepper steamed. it was so good.

so bon appetite everyone...and happy planting your flower and vegetable gardens. Thanks for the plants Nancy!!!

Big V's Birthday Bash

So my mother in law's birthday is today...so we all gathered at her favorite place....kirby saloon, kirby montana. the food was superb....menudo made by viv's brother max was great....and my husband had 3 bowls! yummy bbq beef and a variety of salads. it was a lot of fun and big V was really surprised. so here i am now, stuffed, full of wine, and greatful for my mother in law....she is tiny but mighty...hence the name big V. she raised the wonderful guy i am married to....and that says a lot. happy birthday big V. love ya.

~bon appetite~

Bucking Horse Sale Hash

perfect weather in miles city for the world famous miles city bucking horse sale! thats where we spent our saturday along with family. after the sale we went to the '600' for dinner. we ended up with leftover steak and potatoes....so this morning i made a hash with the rib eye and potatoes. it was super. i sauted 4-5 green onions in butter then added the steak and potatoes cut up into tiny pieces. we ate it with eggs over easy and tortillas.

then justy and i headed out doors for a lot of yard work. we did so much today: weed eated EVERYTHING, mowed all the lawn (its big), planted the whole garden (with our plants we started from seed), planted our deck planters, and sprayed for weeds. by 3 i was pooped. i took a bath and then had a much deserved glass of wine.

for dinner we barbequed burgers and i made a german potato salad. potatoes and eggs are warm when i add the mayo and pickels. it was a really tasty dish.

justy is now out at the arena ropin' i dont know how he has the energy.

a few minutes ago i pulled the chocolate chip cookies out of the oven...mmmmm a perfect way to end a perfect day.

~bon appetite~

roast chicken and potatoes

so it started out cold here this morning. so i thought i would bake a chicken. i used my big cast iron skillet. i put a roasting chicken in the center with small golden potatoes and chunks of carrots around it. seasoned it all with course kosher salt and covered with foil. justy came home from work around noon and put it in the oven at 300 for 4 hours.

it was so good. i made gravy with the pan drippings.

it ended up being in the 50's and sunny today. planted my strawberry plants and some carriganna bushes when i got home from work. later after eating justy, isabelle, and i took the fourwheeler out to the horses and fed them a couple small square bales. it was such a pretty evening. looking forward to a sunny weekend, yard work, and being with my wonderful little family! bon appetite!

Alfredo Monitos and Shrimp

another long day at work...and its been pouring rain for days. bright side...everything is going to be soooo green!

tonite catherine is at a school dance. the house is sooooo quiet when she is not home.

i made pasta with shrimp with a light alfredo sauce. yes, my sauce is basically a white wine sauce...but near the end after you add the cream add parmesan. for the side some spinache and after you drain it add a splash of vinegar. ohh..sooo..good.

one of my favorite things in life is garlic cloves cooked until they are tender and sweet. mmm... i added whole cloves to my sauce tonite. when i dish up i make sure i have some on my plate.

for now i am off to have a hot bath, listen to the rain on my tin roof, and crawl into my comfy pj's.

~bon appetite~

lost blog

so tonite i spent about 25 minutes writing my blog....and then i lost it!!!! so quite frankly i am too tired to do it all again. i will say it was great...justy made guacamole and we had guacamole burgers. i made a great side dish....i will post the recipe another time.

on mothers day justy made me crepes, raspberry sauce, handmade whipped cream, and sausage and oatmeal....yum.

i am pooped.

~bon appetite~

Remnants of a Spring Storm and Rib eyes on the grill

Justy made a great dinner last nite. Grilled steak, baked potatoes fries, and corn. He prepared the meat and potatoes with seasoning salt. I simply came home from work, had a glass of vino, and visited with him while he cooked. it is supposed to be in the 50's and 60's over the weekend....so the snow will all be gone soon and the warm weather will come and stick around awhile.

Meanwhile back in Tennessee my paw-paw & granny and my uncle barry & aunt susan have been without water and electricity for 8 days due to the floods. my sister beth has been pumping water out of her basement. My thoughts and prayers for all of those affected by the flooding.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend... and cook something tasty.

~Bon Appetite~

Stew and pan bread

It is supposed to snow 7 inches tonite....this does not improve my mood....in november it makes me happy. i get all snuggled into my little log home, cook food, and nest. but its MAY for pete's sake. so today i made stew. i made it in the crock pot this morning. i dont have any measurements. i put water in then added 4 carrots (peeled and chopped course), 3 ribs celery chopped course, 6 small golden potatoes halved, one pound of stew meat...strait out of the freezer, some beef boullion, and half an onion cut up. i put it on low at 7 am and later in the day (around 4:00) justy added one cup barley and some kale washed and chopped. he let it cook another hour then turned it off. it was still very hot when i arrived home.

i then made some pan bread. i use a basic baking powder biscuit recipe. it happens to be the one my cousin Debbie B. gave me when i got married. she also included a great skillet with the recipe...i have that cast iron skillet still....it makes some mean pancakes.

once you mix these ingredients it should be very sticky. if you have an old well seasoned cast iron skillet just dump the mixure into the skillet, flour your hand, and press the mixture into the skillet. dont over work it. i throw it in a hot oven...450 degrees for about 12-14 minutes. i cut it into wedges to serve. it is so fluffy and good. goes great with a hearty stew.

4 tbsp lard

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 cup milk (give or take a little to get a sticky dough)

work the dough with a fork to break up the lard and flour mixture. then add milk. proceed as indicated above.

i am off to bed....i will be dreaming of sun, gardening, and bbq's

~bon appetite~

Brats~n~Onions and creamed asparagus

The damn wind is blowing 65+ miles per hour! it sucks to be quite honest. feels like the house is going to blow over. wind makes me grouchy.

tonite i cooked brats. the raw ones. i put them in a skillet with a little water and covered them. i simmered them until the water was gone and thought they were nearly done. then i added a nub of butter and big chunks of onion. i finished them off by cooking until browned and the onions were all broke down and carmelized. soooo tasty. i had some asparagus, boiled it till tender then drained off the water. i heated up another nub of butter in a sauce pan, sprinkled some flour into that and whisked together....after about 1 minute i added some cream and salt and pepper. then i added the asparagus to the creamed mixture. i had also thawed some frozen rolls and baked them. it was all yummy. then because the wind makes me grouchy i made a black forest cake. i used a box chocolate cake mix, added one can of cherries on top of the batter and baked it. then i made frosting.....once again another nub of butter(i am positive butter improves the mood)...i would say about 4 tbsp. i melted that and added a lot of powdered sugar and about 2 tbsp of cocoa(another mood enhancer). i used a hand blender and mixed it smooth. i then frosted my lovely cake with this fabulous concoction. i highly recommend food therapy for grouchy days.

~bon appetite~

Kabobs and Greek Sauce

a few years ago at Miles City Bucking Horse Sale, Justy and i were downtown walking around deciding which food stand we were going to eat at. we came across this Greek fellow serving kabobs. you could choose from lamb or pork. i chose pork. the guy then asked me what kind of sauce i wanted: barbeque or greek? i said 'greek'. the kabobs were scrumptious and the greek sauce so good i scoured the internet trying to find a recipe. i came across many and tried them all. i found one i thought was pretty close to that great greek sauce i tried back at bucking horse sale that particular day in may.

so that leads me to tonites dinner. i bought a pork loin at costco. i just cut a section of it up into 1" chunks. thread it on a skewers and lite the grill. then i grill them...it doesnt take long. if you over cook the kabobs they dont taste as good....its ok to have them just a touch pink and juicy.

before i went to work this morning i made my greek sauce and put it in the fridge to meld the flavors all day. here it is:

equal parts plain yogurt, mayo, sour cream.

fresh dill (i have some growing in the south window in my living room)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lemon, juiced

whisk all the ingredients together and chill. serve with any grilled meat.

i also made sweet potato fries baked in the oven.

it was a great dinner...3 feet of snow on friday...grilling in the sunshine today.

~bon appetite~

weekend fare

mmm...margherita pizza with a whole wheat handmade crust.

that's what i made on saturday afternoon. for dinner that evening i made pork roast and sweet potatoes. it was delicious. i cooked it all together in a cast iron dish on 275 for about 5 hours.

on sunday me and the girls didn't let rain, wind, snow, or cold keep us from exploring davis creek. we hiked all over, crossed the creek on a downed tree, and made it back home right when it started to rain...again! for dinner i made burgers stuffed with pepper jack cheese, israeli couscous, and waldorf salad. i put dried apricots in the waldorf instead of raisins...and i put the apricots in the couscous. it rounded out each dish and tasted wonderful.

here are the recipes for the waldorf salad and israeli couscous.

Waldorf Salad

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tbsp vinegar

1 rib celery, diced

2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 walnuts

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

salt and pepper to taste

whisk together the mayo and vinegar. in another bowl add the rest of the ingredients. toss with the mayo mixture. chill. serve.

Israeli couscous

1/2 onion diced

1 cup israeli couscous

1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered

5 ounces frozen spinache (half of a ten ounce package)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups water

Saute the onion in a skillet about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the couscous, apricots, salt and pepper, water. cover and cook until couscous tender. remove from heat and add spinache. cover and let sit about 5 minutes. then stir to work in the spinache. Serve.

~bon appetite~