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!~