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
