Thursday, June 25, 2015

Pickles and Petunias: Camp Cook

Pickles and Petunias: Camp Cook: My culinary skills are nil... my mother still tries to get me to sit down and look at cookbooks with her but I would rather ...

Camp Cook



My culinary skills are nil...

my mother still tries to get me to
sit down and look at cookbooks with her
but I would rather be drug from 
a horse!

Now, that said, 
I do find it interesting
when I come across someone
that can just throw together
a bunch of ingredients and
make something that knocks
my socks off!!
(Because I DO Love to EAT!)

and that's just what I ran into
at the GannValley Celebration...

Jim Patrick and his World Famous
CHUCKWAGON

I have no idea how he did it 
or why he did it 
or how long it took him to do it
but this guy
built himself 
an exact replica 
of on 1800's Chuck Wagon...

and it was about the purdiest thing
this cowgirl's seen in a coon's age!
(I know, I just start thinking that way
when I see it all over again)


As far as I could tell...
(I clearly did not ask enough questions,
I was too busy sampling the food!)

Jim and his wife Susan
go around to Chuck Wagon cook-offs
and competitions
where they enter everything 
from their chili to their actual campsite!
What a way of life right?



They knew just about everything
about cooking on a campfire
and could purdy darn accurately
read the temperature inside their
Dutch Oven
just by holding a hand over it!



Everything at their campsite
was 1800 Period perfect...
from their clothes
to the utensils... 




You actually felt like 
you were back in time
waiting for John Wayne 
to ride into camp.

I'm sure the first thing 
he would've grabbed
was a cup of hot coffee,
the smell of that alone 
was enough to get your attention...





The campers next door had young kids with them,
they got to partake in the games with the rest of the community...
and in between the boy would sit down 
and play his mandolin...


The other fella gave some really interesting
demonstrations on roping and how 
to use a bull whip



I even tore myself away from the food
long enough to try that bull whip!



 Donut holes,

Twice Baked Potatoes,

Chili,

Corn Bread.....



and Biscuits to-die-for!!!

Biscuits at Every Meal...
a Pioneer Tradition...



The whole scene made me smile...

nobody was talking on a cell phone,
the smell of the campfire,
and the mandolin playing softly in the background...
I could've moved right in!




But, I didn't....

  I went home 
and remembered a Cookbook that
somebody gave me...

Fifty From the Trail
The Best Cowboy Cooking From A Timeless Land




it's loaded with Awesome Photos
of the American West 
and hearty Cowboy recipes
like: Tamale Corn Cakes
and Line Dancer Chili

I took a second look 
when I came across an OLD favorite 
cake recipe of my own!
But this one has a little cowboy twist to it...



The next time I make it, I'm going to try
using cold coffee instead of the water...

I just wish I had the old enamel 
cake pan that they use in their photo...


My husband has always loved this cake...
I bet the next time I fix it for'im 
he'll sweep me off my feet 
just like John Wayne would do!!

Y'all Have a Kindly Day Now!
Pickles

P.S. Here's a link I found on the web
when I googled Jim Patrick 
if you would like to read more
about their Pioneer Life Style
and competions
click HERE

Thursday, June 18, 2015

In the kitchen with Herb

I don't remember my mother or grandmother's growing or cooking with herbs.
They may have...my mother talks about her mother preserving food by drying between two screens and storing the dried food in cardboard oatmeal containers on the stairs leading up to their attic.
I love stories of my mother's childhood...
she never shares many.
 
 
I planted a container of herbs to enjoy all summer long
and to dry for this winter.
Oh my! My little herb garden has really taken off.
 
 
There is seven different herbs crammed in that little space,
which means a lot of clipping and cooking.
I put basil in yesterdays Italian pasta salad.
Today I will put a few chives in my potato salad for our supper tonight.
I'm also going to make salsa this afternoon using cilantro.
 
 
Tonight I will put a sprig of that lavender under my pillowcase
for some sweet dreams.
 
~petunia