Cowgirl Cuisine

The next part of the journey and back to baking!

2011-09-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

This week marks two months since we have moved from Arizona. On some days it feels like a year and on others it feels like yesterday. We have been through the ringer on this move, but in the end, after two months of struggle, it is definitely worth the trouble.

Our move started on July 30th. We had rented a large moving truck for our household items and Matt was driving that while I drove our truck and horse trailer with both dogs and horses in tow. The trip itself was pretty tough. The rental truck broke down only 3 hours into the trip on the outskirts of Phoenix with the temps registering 107 degrees! Matt was stuck on the side of the road alone while I took the dogs and horses up the grade to the nearest rest stop to wait, water the animals and wait some more. We all sat in the heat for over 4 hours before Matt gave up on the mechanic and Budget rental company and pushed the truck onward to Flagstaff for the night. He kept overheating and having to stop and wait for it to cool down the whole 1600 miles, but we decided after that first horrible day that maybe God was telling us to enjoy the road trip and go slowly and see the beauty around us. After a gorgeous drive through Zion National Park with all our stuff in tow, we steadily made progress. A huge Thank You to my sister, Stephanie for being our 'travel agent' and finding me horse hotels and people hotels along the way. Since our trip got off schedule from our first long hour, short distance day, all my plans for horse hotels and places to spend the nights had to be rearranged. Again, thanks to my sister, we were able to find really nice places to stay and the remainder of the trip was quite pleasant and easy.

We had finally found a home to rent at the zero hour in Arizona and had signed a lease sight unseen based on photographs from the landlord and after Matt's new boss had gone out and seen the house for us and sent us new photos. It looked in bad shape, but we had discussed that with the landlord and come up with options for getting it back to clean and habitable. When we arrived in Oregon we dropped the horses at my friend, Ian's, place and went back to the hotel provided by Matt's new job. The very next morning we headed out to look at the house and see what work needed to be done for us to move in. Well, we were both in for a very shocking find when we got out there. The house was really, really, really in bad shape. Not only was it worn down and trashed by the previous tenant, they had allowed it to become infested with mice and rats and the smell alone was staggering. I think we both looked at each other and thought, "Crap! We signed a lease on this place???"

Very long story (all two months worth) short, the house has been repaired. All new flooring, new insulation in the basement where the mice and rats had torn it out, a completely new bathroom, mostly new plumbing, upgraded electrical, all new doors, and fully primed and painted. We bought all new appliances for the kitchen and added some new counters, tile back splash, sink and faucet and painted the existing cabinetry. It's been a very long and somewhat expensive haul, but we are now about 60% moved in and I am looking forward to being 100% unpacked and settled.

This morning was the first time I had baked since we left Arizona. I made some butter dipped biscuits from scratch for my breakfast and had one warm out of the oven, smeared with jam to accompany my ever present cup of green tea. It's been a long two months, but it's starting to feel like home. These biscuits are super simple, so give them a try and enjoy with jam, or under some homemade gravy!

Butter Dipped Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
all-purpose flour

In a bowl combine the self-rising flour, sugar and milk. Mix well. Turn onto a floured surface; sprinkle with all-purpose flour. Pat dough into 1/2" thickness. With a sharp knife or pastry cutter dipped in flour, cut the dough into 3"X2" pieces. Pour melted butter into a 13"X9" baking pan. Dip each piece of dough in the butter and carefully turn to coat the dough. Place all pieces in the pan next to each other snugly. Bake for 10-13 minutes at 450 degrees or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Hittin' the Oregon Trail - Goodbye Arizona!

2011-07-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

We are headed back to my old stompin' grounds! So excited to be moving back in a place with seasons, friends and the way of life we love and respect!

Matt interviewed for a great job with Pacificorp as a lineman and was unanimously offered the job the very same day! The job is based in the small town of Arlington, Oregon right on the Columbia River. A unique and interesting area, it's mostly wheat farming and wind farming, but there's much more going for it as far as we are concerned. Plus, the move comes just in time for me to attend the Weaver cow working and ranch roping clinic in Fossil, OR! Wooohoo!

The pros...
1. We have friends in the area and lots of riding opportunities!!
2. Seasons!! Need we say more?
3. Much more interesting and challenging position for Matt
4. He gets to work out of the house! Yippee! (no bosses on a daily basis either!!)
5. He gets a 4-wheeler....Poppy is already commandeering that and has dibs on "shotgun" until the end of time.
6. No more weeks of 110 degree weather!
7. No more tarantulas!
8. No MORE PRICKLY PLANTS!!

So I am quickly sorting through our belongings between Zumba classes and painting sessions and getting us ready for a big move. Need to find a house still, but I know that will fall into place somehow! I am feeling optimistic! If God gave us this amazing opportunity, then he will be there to help us figure out the transition as well.

Here are my two latest paintings. I did a sunset from a photo I took here in Arizona. This will help us remember all our friends here and remind us of the lovely parts of Arizona. The other one is a 2nd and much larger painting of Poppy! Enjoy and I will continue to update you on our journey!

Helen

Exercising and Art

2011-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, for the last few months my focus has been on getting healthy and fit again after my fractured ankle and foot (July 2010). As I come up to the anniversary of the riding accident that caused my broken ankle and subsequent surgery, I am amazed at how I have been able to not only recuperate 100%, but also to get fitter than I have been in a long time. What a difference a year makes! I just spent the morning teaching a Zumba class and came home to practice a couple new songs for my new playlist. It takes a lot of repetition, research and creativity to choreograph a new song. I usually just use the standard Zumba songs and choreo that is sent to me every other month from Zumba, but I like to throw in a song nobody else is using and so I tend to troll around iTunes and find awesome Latin songs that are fun, upbeat and make you want to shake it! My latest endeavor is a Merengue! Super fast and lots of fun moves. Can't wait to incorporate it into my play list.

I have also taken up oil painting as you know. This was to tap into my creative side, but to also give me a brain teaser that wasn't as physical as horseback riding and Zumba. It has proven to be an amazing outlet for my creative side, plus it offers an almost zen like experience every time I sit at the easel to paint. It feels like I am meditating while I work and sometimes I snap out of it 2 or 3 hours later without having felt any time pass at all. I am far from a great painter, but I am really enjoying the process and love each piece I do, even if I don't like it! I am finding that while I used to adore making my drawings look like a photograph, now I am all about COLOR and I could care less how realistic the painting comes out. The less perfect, the more I like it...I think you will see what I mean!

Here are my latest 3 paintings. The apple was an exercise I was assigned. I am not crazy about it, but I did get to explore using a brush a little more, even though I prefer using knives. The 2nd one is of my little mare, Mini. She is a little tubby from her time off and reared up the other day in play. I think I captured the feel...my whole goal! The last one is of my beloved Poppy! She's obviously not colored like that, but I think I was able to portray her spirit and love of life! You tell me? Should I quit or keep going?

Thanks for the visit! More to come!

Your own kitchen

2011-06-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

While on vacation in Florida it came to my attention the importance of a stocked pantry, the proper tools and familiarity with a kitchen when it comes to cooking and baking.

We stayed at my sister and brother-in-law's house on the bay - absolutely gorgeous with a brand new incredible kitchen. The kitchen had pretty much everything I pine for in a gourmet kitchen. A Wolf gas range and oven, HUGE fridge and freezer, incredible sink and faucet, soapstone countertops, etc... I couldn't wait to cook something in there!

So after only one night I was asked to cook some Beef Stroganoff, which is one of the things I make that my sister just loves. After a fun day out and about we stopped by the grocery store and bought all the ingredients that she didn't have in her house and went home to prepare the meal. Because she has just completed the kitchen and hasn't really "moved in" completely, I found myself really at a loss for the proper tools to prepare my meal. I am good at improvising, but I must admit I think my Stroganoff suffered because I didn't have my stuff and my kitchen!

The next day I decided we needed some fresh bread and had to shop for all those ingredients too. Luckily I know almost all my recipes by heart, so I just mentally go over the list of ingredients and realized my sister's pantry was as bare as her pots, pans and tools! I had to make my bread in "boule" form because she didn't even have bread pans. I realized how spoiled I was with my wonderfully outfitted kitchen. The bread turned out great and I was thankful for sea-level and how much easier it made baking.

On Saturday we had a big neighborhood graduation BBQ to attend that was in honor of my niece and a good friend's son, who was also graduating. They asked me to please, please, please bake something for them, so I decided to make a double batch of Whoopie Pies to bring to the BBQ. After yet another trip to the grocery store for ingredients, a trip to the commercial kitchen store for baking pans, and more improvisation in the kitchen, we had a huge batch of Whoopie Pies cooling on the marble table. They turned out fantastic and once again I was secretly coveting the sea-level experience while still missing my perfectly appointed kitchen at 3500'!
My sister's Jack Russell, Daisy aka, Diamond, aka Dyn-o-mite, stole a couple cookies off the table before I caught her attempting a third pilfering, but otherwise the process wasn't too painful and we had some yummies to take to the party. To say they were a hit would be a gross understatement, but I don't want to brag (okay, yes I do!). We had to hide the pies when we arrived because we were sure they wouldn't last until the BBQ was served! We would catch people hiding them under their shirts, covertly taking bites when they thought nobody was looking. At the end of the BBQ, my family was caught hauling out 7 Whoopie pies alone...tsk, tsk, tsk!

We had a fantastic trip. We saw manatees, alligators, turtles, alligator gar, and many birds at Wakulla Springs outside Tallahassee. We had several small dolphin families surround the boat out in the Gulf. We held hermit crab races on the white sand beaches of the barrier islands and we had a blast on the water. It was wonderful to spend time with family and get to prepare them some goodies. My lesson from this trip is that a gorgeous kitchen might look good, but it has to function as well. I was really happy to come home to my less glamorous kitchen and be able to prepare pretty much anything without a trip to the grocery store and having all the proper tools needed. At least I made a big contribution to filling my sister's pantry for future visits! Do you have any baking powder??

Helen

Painting and Life

2011-06-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Just got back from a 10 day excursion to sunny Florida to visit family and celebrate my niece's high school graduation. She graduated with honors and we are super proud of her! Can't wait to blog about her exciting new life at New College in Sarasota, FL.

Well, I wanted to update everyone on my newest endeavor, oil painting. I finally had my first "lesson" and it was SO MUCH FUN! The 5 hours just flew by and I really enjoyed the whole process so much. My first lesson was basically just about color mixing and the color wheel. I have to mix all my secondary and tertiary colors myself and this was a lesson in how to do that and then to recreate my own personal color wheel. This was my first time putting paint to the canvas and I was suprised to find the texture of the paint was simply gorgeous and reminded me of a super smooth frosting! I think I have had an artist bottled up inside me for a very long time because I felt very much at home in front of the easel!

I have attached a picture of my first oil painting and hope you like it as much as I do! It's now drying and will be framed and go up on the wall as soon as possible. I am off now to start my next project...an apple.

I will keep you updated and hope you like what you see!
Helen

branching out!

2011-04-08T02:15:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard at learning from recipes, cooking shows, online articles, etc., and I have finally decided to take some cooking lessons from an accomplished chef as well! I am very excited at the prospect of honing my knife skills, learning how to combine flavors, and new techniques for creating even more delicious foods! Once these begin, I will keep you posted on how things are going and post some fantastic recipes I am sure!

Well, apart from my cooking adventures, I have decided to add oil painting to my list of activities! I have decided to add this to my blog and keep my "fans" updated on my progress into the world of art. This isn't the first time I have dipped my toe into the cool rushing waters of art, but I haven't picked up a pencil, charcoal or pastel for about 15 years now and painting will be a whole new medium for me.

Today I met with a well-known local artist about oil painting lessons. Bernie Fierro is a wonderful artist (check out his website at bernardfierroart.com) that lately had a gallery showing at the local community college and I fell in love with several of his works. His artwork speaks to me in it's texture, colors and subject. He asked me to come by his studio to show him my previous artwork - what I had leftover at least and to assess if I had the qualities that might make me a successful (relatively speaking of course) oil painter. Long story short, he loved my old drawings and even went as far as to say I was naturally gifted with a leg up on most of his students. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least! I was slightly embarrassed to show him the few remaining pencil and charcoal sketches I had left from the late 90's because I felt they lacked life, motion, emotion and were only good renderings, not true art. So, it was a good boost to hear that they had excellent technical qualities and that I had a good feel for some of the basics like perspective, shadowing, etc.

We discussed why I was drawn to painting, even though I had been reluctant to venture into that medium before. Personally, I feel that painting is a much more challenging and courageous form of art. It's what separates the wheat from the chaff in my mind. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, be brave and not worry about things like it looking exactly like the image you are portraying. It's complexities allow for more life, emotion and feeling to be put on the canvas. Exactly what my art work had been lacking, but what I had been craving. I have always wanted to convey a mood, a personality, a moment in my art and felt I had always fell short. I didn't have the courage to try and work in this challenging medium before, but now I feel like I am ready to stretch myself and go for it!

It's not an inexpensive adventure. Start up supplies are going to run me more than I am really comfortable spending on a "hobby", but after discussing it with Matt, this is a time in my life where I have the opportunity to grow, the time to invest and the desire to stretch myself. He was all for me giving this a try and was even kind enough to offer me half of his shop for a "studio"! I have the most supportive and loving husband a girl could ask for! So, now I am making up my list of supplies that Bernie gave me and comparison shopping so I can get the best deals and the best materials. I can't convey how exciting this is. I am not much of a shopper, but the thought of having paints and brushes, knives and palette, easel and canvas is really intriguing and a little intimidating!

So...my adventure continues. The question, "can a cowgirl really be a cowgirl, cook, paint and be a great wife" comes to mind, but I am game for it all! There's nothing in life I don't feel I can't do if I set my mind to it, so I hope you enjoy accompanying me on this journey!

Helen

Beer Batter Bread

2010-09-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today was an unusual day for SE Arizona. It was overcast with heavy cloud cover all day long and had intermittent rain showers, downpours and light drizzle. The high reached 72 degrees when it was over 100 only a few days ago.

It put me immediately in a Fall mood when I woke this morning to no sunrise and cool temperatures. We don't get too many days like this, so I wanted to make something cozy and heart warming for dinner. I made a recipe I had made only a couple times before, Meatball and cheese soup. It's hearty, tastes like a cheeseburger, but has lots of great veggies in it and always turns out great. I was initially going to make a nice rustic, crusty round loaf to accompany it, but decided to peruse my recipe books to get some new ideas first. I was torn between corn sticks, the corn shaped bread that is made in a special cast iron pan, and beer batter bread. I didn't have beer in the house, but it sounded like it would really go well with soup, so I made a trip into town in the rain and got beer for the bread.

It's a really simple recipe that turns out fantastic and really, really delicious! The bread takes on the character of the beer you use, so I decided to try it this time with Fat Tire, a nice Amber Ale that has nice depth and taste. Next time I might try it with Guinness...one of my personal favorites. So, try it with your favorite beer or change it up to experiment with the taste each time you bake it.

Beer Batter Bread

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp brown sugar (well packed)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 bottle (12oz/375ml) beer, unopened at room temperature
4 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a loaf pan

In a medium mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Once mixed together, open the beer and add it to the dry mix all at once. It will foam up. Stir the mix together until it is just combined, about 20 strokes. The batter should be slightly lumpy still.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Put the batter into the greased loaf pan and once spread evenly, drizzle the melted butter over the batter and place in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until it is browned and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Allow the loaf to rest for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, cut into thick slices and apply plenty of butter!

Enjoy!

Thin Mint Cookies

2010-09-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I usually don't blog on a recipe that I haven't tried before and determined fit for consumption and enjoyment, but my younger sister sent me a recipe today that brought back so many rich memories, that I broke my own rule!

Thinking back, my earliest memory of eating Thin Mint cookies from the Girl Scouts, was as a high school graduate, living in Belgium still, were I could get the cookies through the Embassy were I worked. I can happily remember opening one of those long packets of cookies, quietly eating one, then another and then another, pretty soon looking up from my work and realizing I had eaten the whole packet in one sitting! I wonder if the Girl Scouts have partnered up with the drug cartels in providing an absolutely addicting, shameful, l habit forming cookie! Although they should be banned or at least regulated by Federal Law, (fortunately they are not!), they continue year after year to be brought to a neighborhood near you by your local sweet Girl Scout. She's so charming as she asks what you would like to order, like a predator circling her prey! She knows you aren't going refuse to order anything, it's like offering carrots to my horses - it's a sure thing. Not to mention it would be just plain unAmerican to refuse a Thin Mint cookie!

I never really enjoyed any of the other varieties as much as the Thin Mints. They seem to be the masterpiece creation for the Girl Scouts. Known and loved by many!

So, when my sister sent me this recipe earlier today, I was instantly intrigued since I haven't had a Thin Mint cookie for many years and it brought back floods of delicious memories!

So, I apologize if it isn't an exact replica of the original, but I wanted to make them and get some feedback on what needs to change to have them taste as good as the archetypal Girl Scout creation.

So...try this yourself and give me your thoughts!

Thin Mint Cookies

COOKIES
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup semi-sweet cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp mint extract

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and sift together.

In a medium mixing bowl, with electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat for another minute. Add the milk, vanilla and mint extract and beat for an additional minute. Scrape down bowl as needed between additions.

Slowly add dry mix to mixing bowl while beating until the batter resembles small pebbles. Scrape together and form a ball, then roll out into a log and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours to chill the dough. Remove log from fridge, slice small rounds and place on parchment paper lined cookies sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

TOPPING
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp mint extract

Melt chocolate chips in a bowl over boiling water. When melted, add mint and stir until smooth. Once the cookies are cool, either dip or frost with topping.

Enjoy!!

A quiet Sunday of Whoopie...pies that is!

2010-09-12T13:13:00.001-07:00

While I am still healing my ankle, Matt and I enjoy quiet, stay home Sundays where we can catch up on house chores, maybe groom the horses and just relax all day long. It's the perfect day for me to make grocery lists, look through cookbooks and decide what I should blog next. Matt decided he wanted me to make and blog about a cake. I asked him if he wanted me to bake something I had done before or if he wanted something new and different. He wanted different, so I started looking through all my cookbooks and trying to find something that would be fun to make and that neither of us had ever made. So, while perusing the America's Test Kitchen Cakes section, I came upon Whoopie Pies.

It looked like a fun project for our slow Sunday afternoon, so I sent him off to buy me some Marshmallow Fluff (not something I usually stock in my pantry) and started researching why Whoopie Pies are called such. I have only had a Whoopie pie once before in my life, it is a very regional treat that has roots in both Pennsylvania and Maine. Whoopie pies are actually 2 small cakes put together with a creamy filling and not a pie at all! People that grew up with Whoopie Pies are big fans and claim it's the best treat you can have! Whoopie pies can be made with chocolate cake with vanilla cream filling, like Oreos cookies, or with anything like pumpkin cake with cream cheese filling. There are many options, but I liked the traditional chocolate with marshmallow cream filling and decided to go with that.

So, enjoy this recipe and I hope Whoopie pies will become a staple in my baking repertoire and in yours!

Whoopie Pies

Cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Filling

2 cups Marshmallow Fluff

¾ cup confectioner’s

sugar

10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, coca powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 3-6 minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Mix in vanilla.

Reduce Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat in ½ of the buttermilk. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour mixture. Give the batter a final stir using a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined.

Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into mounds and drop them, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets (about 6 per sheet). Bake until the cakes bounce back when pressed, about 12-18 minutes, switching and rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let the cakes cool completely on the baking sheets, about 1 hour.

For the filling: Whip the fluff, confectioner’s sugar, butter, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4-8 minutes.

To assemble, sandwich about 3 tablespoons of the filling between the flattened sides of cooled cakes.

Enjoy!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoopie_pie

Images of my life!

2010-09-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

Pound Cake Ends the Hiatus!

2010-09-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

I am back! After taking some time to reflect on such things as what I want to do with my life, I am feeling more grounded and feel like getting back into the swing of things.

I had a couple month vacation from riding since July 6th, when my filly, Lil Red, took a spill with me and I ended up with a fractured foot and ankle. Long story short, over 2 months later and I am just now getting healed up and ready to ride again. As much as I love to ride, I missed just being around my horses and being able to cook and bake even more! Life on crutches is quite limiting and sitting all day long can be a very, very difficult thing for an active, outdoor cowgirl!

At first it felt like the whole world was passing me by and didn't care if I had fallen off the grid (well except for my friend Tammy!). That was the first sign of a little post accident depression. The world was passing me by, but I was still on it. I was just moving along with it a heck of a lot slower than I had been before! I found out that you aren't much fun when you are laid up and so you end up with a lot of alone time to contemplate the life lesson that you are supposed to learn from the situation. I am still contemplating.

The next stage of depression started in on me after about 2 weeks post surgery. My doctor insisted I had another 4 weeks on crutches and I nearly broke down crying right then and there! My activities were severely limited to reading, doing crossword puzzles, playing around on the computer and watching TV - all while sitting with an elevated leg. With all that sitting, that's when I noticed my house was quietly getting messier and dirtier and the kitchen started looking like it belonged to someone else! AHH!! That was the lowest moment for me. I was unable to even do the basics that keep my world tidy and running smooth. Having to rely on others for everything is tough enough, but to have to watch the everyday entropy of an untended household was almost too much to bear!

So after 2 excrutiating weeks of watching the slow decline of my home, I finally broke. It all started because I wanted to make some pound cake to give to a friend that had helped me with a computer issue. When I hobbled into the kitchen to start, I realized I didn't have the 8 eggs it takes to make the pound cake! I texted my husband and asked if it was possible that he stop by and bring me some eggs at lunch time or something, but he was tied up on a job and wasn't able to do it. I weighed the options...I could drive with my left foot into town and get the eggs, but I still wouldn't be able to push a cart or carry eggs with my crutches. I had it in my mind I was making pound cake and I didn't want this little obstacle to stop me. This was really irritating! Since I had been off my leg for 4 weeks straight and it felt fine, I made an executive decision for the sake of pound cake. Crutches be damned. I had had enough. I drove into town, taking my crutches with me (not sure why since I had no intention of using them), limped my way on the cast into the grocery store and did my first grocery shopping by myself in 2 months. It felt liberating and empowering. I am sure most people would think that the first time I swung a leg over a horse again would be my happiest moment after my accident and I am sure it will be a great feeling. BUT, being able to do for myself and grocery shop at my leisure was really a joyful event for me. It lifted my spirits and put the last 2 months into perspective.

I haven't used the crutches since that day a week ago and my ankle is doing great! My house and kitchen are restored back to clean order and there is peace in my world. I do see the doctor next week and hopefully I will get official permission to walk on my leg and move forward with physical therapy! My goal, which I probably won't share with my doctor, is to be horseback by month's end. But until then, I am really glad to be back in the kitchen, back on my feet and feeling in high spirits for the days to come!

So, I want to share with you the pivotal pound cake recipe that not only got me back on track mentally and physically, but is a really delicious treat!

I apologize for not having pictures to go along with this, but I will post pics from here forward.

Please enjoy!

POUND CAKE

4 cups of cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp mace (this really makes the recipe, so I suggest you don't skip this!)
1 lb butter, softened
3 cups of sugar
8 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Remove butter from the refrigerator in advance, so it is slightly softened, but not greasy.

Grease and lightly flour (or line with parchment paper) 2 loaf pans. I like to grease, line with parchment paper and flour the areas the parchment paper doesn't cover.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the cake flour, salt, baking powder and mace. set aside. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix the milk with the vanilla, set aside.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter, gradually adding in sugar until light and fluffy and no granules of sugar remain.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, just enough to not see any color difference from adding the egg.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture. Start with the dry mix, approx. 1/3 of the flour and follow with wet mixture, approx. 1/2 the milk. End with the dry mixture and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. It is important to mix the batter for as little time as possible to avoid toughening the cake.

Put batter into prepared loaf pans and bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center nearly clean. I suggest you check the loaves at 50-55 minutes to avoid overbaking. All the loaves to cool slowly if possible to avoid them caving in in the middle. The cake should be golden brown on top, you should reduce the heat or cover with foil if the cake is browning too quickly.

Once the loaves are fairly cool in the pan, tip them out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting or wrapping.

This is a rich, moist cake that can be enjoyed with fresh whipped cream and berries or all by itself.

ENJOY!

Chicken Paprika - A hungarian cowgirl's favorite dish

2010-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Chicken Paprika is a traditional Hungarian dish I learned from my mother, who learned it to feed my Hungarian father! All my family makes this dish and we all add something or do something a little different, but the fact is, it is delicious no matter what and is a real comfort food in my home. So, without further ado, here is Chicken Paprikash! ENJOY!!

Chicken Paprika

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 large onion chopped
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped
2-4 tbsps of authentic Hungarian Paprika
2-4 cups of chicken stock or water
2 tbsps of corn starch dissolved in a little water
1 pint sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy pot, add olive oil and brown the onion.

Once they are lightly brown, add the garlic chicken pieces and brown the chicken well on all sides.

Once the chicken is browned, add the paprika and cover the meat well with it, turning it over until all surfaces are covered. Add the chicken stock/water - just enough to cover the chicken pieces

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer until the chicken is well tender.

Remove chicken from broth into a bowl

Bone the chicken pieces and set aside in warm place

Add cornstarch to the broth and stir over medium heat until thickened. Add the sour cream once thickened and bring sauce back to a low simmer. Add back the chicken and gently stir to combine.

Serve over rice or pasta! ENJOY!

Dutch Oven Pork Loin

2010-02-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

The weather has been wonderful, but it started changing yesterday and a cold wind blew in. I had been out riding in the cold sunshine and when I got home I decided to make something cozy and easy so I could spend the rest of the afternoon with my own horses (for once) instead of slaving away in the kitchen. I just threw this together, but it turned out fantastic, so I thought I would share it with you for all your cold, rainy days that are left this winter.

Dutch Oven Pork Loin

2 lb pork loin
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 cups chopped green cabbage
2 cups chopped carrots
1 large sweet potato - cubed
1 1/2 cup saurkraut
1 tbsp dill weed
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups water

In a medium to large (5 qt or larger) dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium/high heat. Place chopped onion and garlic in the oil. Cook until lightly browned. Salt and pepper the pork loin and add to dutch oven and brown on all sides, ending with fat side up.

Once pork loin is browned, place cabbage, carrots, sweet potato, saurkraut in the dutch oven, surrounding the pork loin. Add water until it halfway covers the loin and vegetables. Sprinkle dill weed over top and cover.

Simmer over medium/low heat for about 2 hours or until the loin is tender and falling apart. Do not stir too much during the cooking process or you will break down the vegetables too much.

Serve with apple sauce and a warm roll and ENJOY!

Music, Cookies and good friends!

2010-01-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

I have been very remiss in blogging since the New Year. Hard to think I am so busy when I am not working, but it is surprising how much you can find to fill your days when you want to!

I am super excited for tonight's festivities! We are attending a Dave Stamey concert (not my first, but Matt's first). Dave is an amazing Western singer (different than country/western) and is not only talented, but super humorous! The stories he tells between songs keep the tears of laughter in your eyes and the goodwill permeating the whole room. He's a kind, down to earth, honest kind of man and it shows in everything he does!

I volunteered to be the "Official Baker" for this event and make refreshments for sold out crowd of 120 people attending the concert in the intimate Elgin Club. I didn't know what to make at first...wanted to impress and create something that would bring some attention to my baking efforts, but when baking for 120 people I had to be realistic. My friend and music connoisseur, Patty Wands, who puts these lovely concerts on for us, requested something easy to serve and able to eat with a napkin...translation...keep it simple!

So, I decided that cookies were an easy way to feed the masses and keep it simple. I researched many recipes and decided to make 3 different kinds of cookies and about 30 dozen for the event! It took some critical math skills to decide on the portions, but with Matt's mathematical brain it was pretty simple to decipher! Boy, I love having a brainy husband! I can save my remaining brain cells for more important things than math...like blogging! My choices in cookies came from the type of people attending this concert. People who enjoy the western lifestyle and like to keep things simple rather then fancy. Cowgirls and cowboys, ranchers and locals. I was going to bake to my demographic!

Luckily for me I also had a secret weapon in my arsenal! My best friend, Della. She is also exploring her baking skills and interested in learning more like me, so when I mentioned what I was planning for this concert she jumped on board and offered to make one of the recipes for me. I gave her a choice and she chose the recipe with the most ingredients and the toughest to put together, but I knew if anyone was up for the challenge it was her! She loves to make baked goods that are intricate and have lots of ingredients. I am good at making the simple recipes taste like heaven, but she likes the challenge of making the tougher recipes seem easy to make and simply delicious! Together, we make a formidable team in the kitchen!

So without further ado...here are the three recipes.

Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies

Makes 36 HUGE cookies or 6 dozen "non-Texas" sized cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tblsp baking powder

1 tblsp baking soda
1 tblsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tblsp vanilla extract
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts as Della used)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. In an 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add in sugars, beat to combine, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add in chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets (this is the Texas size one...), spacing 3 inches apart. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, until edges are lightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies. FOR 6 dozen smaller cookies, use 2 tablespoons dough for each. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

ENJOY!

LOW COUNTRY COOKIES
Paul Deen
These are actually bars...SUPER rich and sweet.

1 16-oz box of Graham crackers
12 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cup shredded coconut

Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tblsp butter
3 tblsp milk

For the filling:
Line a 13"X9" glass pan with whole graham crackers. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add sugar. Beat the egg and milk together, add to butter mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the nuts, coconut and 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs.

Pour this mixture over the graham crackers in the pan. Cover with another layer of whole graham crackers.

For the topping:
Beat all the ingredients together and spread this topping over the top layer of graham crackers. Chill. (preferably for several hours). Cut into squares.

Helen's note: FYI - These are SUPER rich, so I cut into very small squares...that should be more than enough!

ENJOY!

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
Paula Deen

Makes about 2 dozen

1 brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 box moist chocolate cake mix
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in powdered sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

ENJOY!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T13:01:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish all my friends and family a very Happy and Healthy New Year 2010.

I am looking forward to creating more fun recipes and relating all the crazy stories that make up my cowgirl life!

Keep checking in for good things to come here at cowgirlcuisine.blogspot.com.

I am looking to make some great cookies for a musical evening with in January. I will be posting my weekly meals (if they are worthy) and blogging about the spring works soon.

Thank you for the support and Happy, happy, happy New Year!
Helen

Good Old Chocolate Chip Cookie!

2009-12-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent a ridiculous amount of hours baking Christmas cookies. I made my doughs the night before and transported everything over to a friend's house where we baked and baked and baked batch after batch, then iced a million sugar cookies with toxically sweet frosting (but needless to say delicious), and then put together mixed cookie plates to give to our friends/family as gifts.

Together, we made hundreds of cookies, 7 different varieties, plus fillings and icing! I decided that I would make a double batch of my now 'famous' chocolate chip cookies because my friend's husband, Jack loves them and since he was going to have to tolerate our whole day of baking in his house and I figured he deserved a treat for that.

Throughout the day as we baked one recipe after the other, I watched the most interesting phenomenon. The cookies that were "sampled" the most during the day by Jack and my husband, Matt were the plain old every day chocolate chip cookies! We made snickerdoodles, Linzer cookies filled with jelly, Russian tea cakes, Red Velvet (which turned out purple, but that's another story) sandwiches filled with fresh cream cheese frosting, gingerbread, chocolate chip and frosted sugar cookies. We had to force the guys to try the fancier cookies, some attempts failing. Every time Matt would take a batch of chocolate chips out of the oven for me, he had to perform quality control and eat one warm out of the oven. Needless to say I was glad I made a double batch, and Matt ended up with a stomach ache for his valiant efforts to make sure the cookies were good enough to send out. I am not even sure how many Jack squirreled away from the cooling racks, but I am sure it rivaled Matt's count.

So...for all the fancy cookie recipes out there...beware....taste tests prove that men still prefer the "Maryann" over the dressed up "Ginger" of cookies!

Here is my own chocolate chip cookie recipe that I hope you will share with your men!

Helen's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

1 package of butter flavored crisco

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Milk and Semi-Sweet chocolate chips to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium bowl, cream together the crisco with the sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and mix well.

In another bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda.

Mix dry ingredients into sugar mix, a little at a time, mixing well in between.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Make 2 inch balls of dough and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes - depending on your oven or altitude. The cookies should be light golden on the edges (not brown!!) and still soft looking in the center when you remove from the oven. Let the centers set before removing from the cookie sheet and moving to the cooling rack.

ENJOY!!

Marriage, bliss and donuts....

2009-12-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, since my last blog I got married. We drove up to Las Vegas, met some friends there, had a limo driven "drive-up" wedding and then drove home. Short, sweet and VERY fun. Unlike most weddings, we didn't have stress, we didn't get ourselves into debt and the best part, we had a blast! There were only tears of laughter shed and we will remember sharing the funky, fun experience with our friends for the rest of our happily ever after life!

I must admit, I am totally head over heels crazy about this guy and feel completely blessed to be able to share the rest of my life with him.

I would do it all over again! Except maybe not eat at a Buffet every meal like we did! UGH! So, what exactly is the BUFFET PHENOMENON? We ate ourselves to the gills at every meal! We ate sushi, crab legs, elk, salad, steak, prime rib, salmon, shrimp, and whatever other delicacy they offered up...ALL IN ONE MEAL! We would never consider doing this at home! As a matter of fact, we could hardly clean our plates of one measly serving for the whole week following our gluttony in Vegas. I don't understand how the mind overrides the body's "I am full" sensor when a huge buffet of food faces you, but it did. For breakfast and dinner every day we were there. Most days we skipped lunch because we had snacked on goodies at all the trade shows (like mini donuts...OMG!! Those were fantastic! http://www.minidonuts.com/).

So...for those who didn't have the chance to taste the mini donuts at the Sands Casino Trade Show...this recipe is for you!

Mini Donuts...not for the faint of heart...

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, plus more for deep frying
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch ground mace
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Directions
For coating: 3/4 cup granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or sifted confectioners' sugar
For filling: raspberry jam

Melt the 2 tablespoons shortening in a small sauce pan. Set aside to cool slightly but remain liquid.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and melted shortening together on medium speed. Add the egg and beat well. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla, continue beating until the mixture is light, about 2 minutes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, mace, and salt into a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture on low speed until just combined. The texture of the dough will be soft and loose. Turn dough out of the bowl onto a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap it well. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll the chilled dough out on a very lightly dusted workspace until its about 1/2-inch thick. Dip the edges of a 2-inch round cutter in flour and cut the dough into discs. Place cut dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Heat about 2-inches of shortening in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375 degrees F. Line a large plate with paper towels.

Working in batches, fry the doughnuts, turning once, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon or skimmer to the prepared pan. Cool. Repeat with remaining dough, taking care the oil comes back to the correct temperature between each batch.

For jelly filled doughnuts: Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with raspberry jam. Let the donut cool slightly. Make a small opening with the pastry tip and gently fill each donut with some of the jam. Dust with sugar as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For sugared doughnuts, roll the doughnuts in sugar or cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. For confectioners' sugared covered doughnuts allow the doughnuts to cool completely before rolling in the confectioners' sugar.

ENJOY!

Dutch Babies and kitchen distractions

2009-11-28T11:41:00.001-08:00

Have you ever eaten a Dutch Baby? Well, it sounds a little absurd, but a dutch baby is a type of pancake. I copied the official definition/history of the Dutch baby down for you at the bottom in case you are interested, but all you really need to know is that they are DELICIOUS! I love them. Super simple to make and really yummy!

I decided to make one for Matt and me on Thanksgiving morning since I wanted the whole day to be special. They are easy, but seem like a treat!

Well, I started putting the ingredients together, and got my mixing bowl out, but Matt kept distracting me...holding me, kissing me, tickling me, etc. All lovely, but quite distracting when you are trying to make breakfast. Well, I mixed up the batter for the dutch baby and started the bacon cooking while I preheated the oven. I put the batter in the pan, put the pan in the oven and we waited for the pancake to cook. I was all excited to take a picture of it for this blog and so when I went to take it out of the oven I had Matt ready with oven mitts so that I could snap the photo before it "fell". Dutch babies rise like a souffle and fall quickly once removed from the oven, so I wanted to make sure to get the full glory of it in the photo. Matt opened the oven and I was ready, but....it was FLAT! Browner than it should be and FLAT!

Ugh! It was the first time I had tried the Dutch Baby since we moved and I wondered if I had done something wrong with the oven heat or if I had overcooked it and it had fallen in the oven. I was perplexed. I even took the recipe sheet and crumpled it up! I was sure it wasn't a good recipe.

We ate it anyway, but I dislike it when my food doesn't turn out, so I was very disappointed. Not a good way to start Thanksgiving at all.

When I started cleaning up the kitchen I realized that I only saw 2 egg shells in the trash...not the 4 called for in the recipe. I asked Matt if he had thrown out extra shells. "No", he said. Then I started to put it all together. While I had been mixing the batter, Matt had been hugging on me and playing around. I guess I had started with the eggs, got distracted by Matt and then forgot to put the remaining eggs in. It all made sense! I put the full blame of the flat Dutch Baby on Matt and he laughed and protested. He did admit to maybe being a little troublesome while I was in the kitchen, but wasn't taking full responsibility, so I fished out the crumpled up recipe from the trash and decided to try them again the next morning and see how they turned out. This time...NO distractions!

Well, long story short, the Dutch Baby turned out delicious and perfect. As it should be. So, I have written out below the recipe for you and I hope you enjoy! Moral of this story...don't let your man be a kitchen distraction!

DUTCH BABY PANCAKE

4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half and half

for the topping: melted butter, lemon juice and powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees

Melt the butter in a large cast iron or heavy oven safe skillet
Whisk together eggs, flour and half and half
Pour batter into the skillet over the melted butter and slide skillet into the oven.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly brown

Removed puffed up pancake from oven, drizzle with melted butter, lemon juice and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Serve immediately! Feeds 2!

Puffed up and yummy!

All's well that ends well. Matt was happy with the second version of the Dutch Baby, but he will eat most anything!

A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, is a sweet breakfast dish similar to Yorkshire pudding and derived from the German Apfelpfannkuchen. It is made with eggs, flour and milk, and usually seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon, although occasionally sugar is also added. It is baked in a metal pan and falls soon after being removed from the oven. It is generally served with fresh squeezed lemon, butter, and powdered sugar or fruit toppings or syrup.
It is thought by some that the "Dutch" moniker refers to the group of German-American immigrants known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, where "Dutch" is a corruption of the German autonym "deutsch".
The Dutch baby is a specialty of some diners and chains that specialize in breakfast dishes, such as the Oregon-founded The Original Pancake House or the New England-based chain Bickford's, which makes both a plain Dutch baby and a similar pancake known as the Baby Apple, which contains apple slices embedded in the pancake.

Lil' Red and Sweet Potato Pie

2009-11-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

I have this lovely coming 3 year old filly that I adore. Her barn name is Lil' Red. She is gorgeous red roan color and put together just right and will mature out to be a wonderful horse, if I don't kill her first! Unfortunately, she is a total "red-head". She is the horse equivalent of a Southern Lady. Lovely to look at, but all brass tacks underneath! She doesn't take any flack and she has shown herself to be quite a sugar coated pill to work with. She has a hard time taking direction from anyone. She rules the roost out in the pasture and will kick first and ask questions later. I don't mind a determined female in a horse at all! My other mare, Mini, is also quite determined, but has a much more amiable temperament to go with her huge courageous heart. Lil' red, well, not so much. She thinks she can just do what she wants. She is very gentle, sweet and compliant, when it suits her. Otherwise, watch out. She knows her assets and uses them without spare! So, I decided to use an old cowboy training method that if done right can make quite an impression on the mind of a horse. I laid her down. Getting a horse to lie down is quite a difficult task. Being a prey animal of flight, they know they are severly compromised in surviving once they lie down. Horses view humans as predators, which unfortunately, many are to horses. So, I use this "tool" very carefully and only after much thought; making sure I have exhausted all other effective training tools first.

I drove out to the ranch with the plan to work with her and if she hadn't made some changes in her responses to my questions, I would lay her down. Well, she was a little better to catch this morning, but still seemed tense. She doesn't like me touching certain areas of her body, so I tried those out...tail swishing still and if I pushed it, she would attempt a kick. Okay, enough is enough, so I led her into the soft, deep roundpen, put my lariat rope on her left front pastern (ankle) and brought it up under her belly, over her back and through the rope going upward from her foot to create a loop that I could pull on her with. I asked her to raise her foot and shortened the rope so that it kept her foot in the air and was tight around her cinch area. It took no more then two steady pulls to get her to lie down. With her foot hiked up she naturally just started to "bow" down. Once she is in that position I softly asked her to go all the way down on her own. There are horses that really resist this. They have a very strong survival instinct and this goes against that instinct completely. She resisted a little, but not really what I had expected.

Once she was down I loosened the rope on her belly and foot and sat down on her butt. I waited to see how she would react to this. Many horses will sigh, chew they mouths, groan, and make all kinds of noises. This is a sign of the tension releasing and leaving their bodies. When a horse is down, they are yielding themselves completely. They don't know we aren't here to hurt them. To lie down is to give up essentially, for a horse. It is powerful and that is why I use it with great respect. She didn't make much noise, so I started touching her all over. Touching the parts she doesn't like, especially in her flank and belly button area. I patted and petted her all over. I moved her tail around. I bent and unbent and jiggled her legs. I petted her face, opened her mouth, rubbed her lips, massaged her ears. I touched her ALL over all while sitting on her prone body. There was some mouth-chewing and some small sighs. Nothing earth-shattering or reflective of a big release, but she was accepting of most of my actions. Once I had touched her all over and she was accepting on her right side, I asked her to get up and started all over on the other side. Horses have two different "brains". One for each side of their body. What is okay on one side doesn't always translate to the other side, so I am thorough and make sure she is accepting of all touch on both sides. She once again lay down pretty easily. I repeated the process and when she seemed accepting of all I allowed her to get up again. She was very, very docile and quiet. I didn't do much more with her after that. I thought it might be a good place to leave her to soak on what had happened and process it through on her own.

I look forward to seeing how she acts tomorrow. If no big improvement, then I will probably lay her down again until I can see a change in her.

On my way home I was comtemplating what I should prepare for the Thanksgiving dinner party we are invited to at our friend's house. I am in charge of PIE. I already have the ingredients for a cherry pie, but wanted to make another. So, with my sweet Lil' Red on my mind, I decided to do a truly Southern recipe for Sweet Potato Pie. I was inspired by my filly for her Southern Lady attitude and I also hope she turns out as sweet and wonderful as this pie tastes! I will keep you posted on her progress, but in the meantime, I will post the recipe I chose to use for Thursday! Wish me luck!

Sweet "Lil Red" Potato Pie

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1.5 lbs sweet potatoes

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to 9-inch pie plate and ease the pastry into the bottom and around sides. Place the shell into the oven and bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with the egg whites.

Rub the sweet potatoes with the vegetable oil and roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes, until very tender. Remove and set aside to cool. Peel the potatoes and pass them through a fine mesh sieve using a rubber spatula. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of smooth sweet potato puree.

In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato puree with the sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the heavy cream with the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the cream/egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir to blend. Pour this batter into the prepared pie shell and place the pie on a sheet pan. Bake until the center is set and the tart is golden brown. 35-45 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

1 Recipe for Sweet Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups, plus 2 tbsps bleached all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled

2 tbsp vegetable shortening

3 tbsp ice water, or as needed

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Rub the fats between your fingertips and thumbs until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 1 tbsp at a time, work in the enough ice water just until the dough comes together, being careful not to overmix.

Shape into a smooth ball of dough, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 days.

ENJOY!!

Everyone Loves Pizza!!

2009-11-19T15:39:00.001-08:00

Okay, so when Matt requested pizza for dinner tonight I decided to do it from scratch so that I can learn to make a crust and see how it turns out. I asked friends for suggestions on recipes and found one online as well. I will let you know how it turned out, but here is the recipe to start...

Pizza Dough

1 package of active dry yeast (.25 oz)
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp white sugar

In a small bowl dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand until creamy (about 6-10 minutes

In a large bowl combine flour, olive oil, salt, sugar and yeast mixture. Stir well and beat into a stiff dough.

I like my crust thin, so I made formed 2 balls of dough and made 2 pizzas out of this recipe

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out into a pizza crust shape. Your thickness is your preference. Place on a pizza pan or stone.

Place your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in the preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes or until melted and golden brown.

ENJOY!

Homemade Bread...once a week

2009-11-18T09:00:00.001-08:00

Okay, I have been holding onto this subject for a while...haven't dove into it because it is such a tough subject for me!

I make all our bread we eat weekly. Sunday is usually my baking day and my recipe (which I will write down for you below) makes 2 good sized loaves that last us all week. I love oats and oat bread, so I searched and searched for an oat bread recipe that was easy, delicious and simple in ingredients. I tried several before I found the one I really liked. Now it is almost routine, although I still work on different aspects of it to see if I can improve the taste, size, and crust.

Our little tradition is now to tear off the corner of the bread as soon as it is out of the pan and taste it, to make sure I did it right! I had a few disappointments....hard as a rock bread, flat "I didn't rise hardly at all" bread, crumbly beyond normal bread, etc..

I have never been around much baking from scratch and certainly not bread baking, so all my lessons have been from the School of Hard Knocks! I try to follow a recipe as it describes and if it doesn't turn out right, then I try to analyze why not and try again.

My lovely sister saved me a lot of heartache by sending me a link to the following site that has "lessons" in bread making that has helped me immensely in understanding the science and mystery of making bread. (http://www.thefreshloaf.com/)

HELEN'S OAT BREAD

1 cup rolled oats

2 cups boiling water

1 cake yeast (2 1/4 tsp dry yeast)

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tsp salt (I use kosher)

1 tbsp shortening, melted

4 1/2 cups sifted bread flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats and boiling water. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add to cooled oats along with honey, salt and the melted shortening. Add the flour in parts, mixing thoroughly in between. When all incorporated, knead dough for another 5-10 minutes, until soft and silky.

Return to the greased bowl, cover and allow to rise to double it's size.

When it is double it's size, remove from bowl, punch down and knead again for another 5-6 minutes.

Shape in a rectangle, cut in two and place in 2 separate greased bread pans. Cover and allow to rise again. It should rise to over the sides of the pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once risen to desired size, place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Should sound hollow when tapped if done.

ENJOY!!

Brisket like none other!

2009-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe for brisket so long ago I don't know where I got it. I would like to give credit to the person who put it out there, but unfortunately I can't! Whoever you are...THANK YOU! It is amazing!

I have made this several times and it turns out perfect every time!

RED WINE & BALSAMIC VINEGAR BRISKET

5 lb brisket
salt, pepper and fresh garlic to taste
1/4 cup Merlot Wine
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup beef stock
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 stalks celery, chopped with leaves
3 large carrots, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, diced
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried rosemary

Rub the brisket with salt, pepper and garlic and place in a shallow baking dish, marinating tray or large resealable bag. Combine the Merlot and Balsamic vinegar and pour over the brisket. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. I suggest overnight.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Arrange onion rings in the bottom of the roasting tray. Sprinkle the garlic, thyme and rosemary over the brisket and rub in. Pour the remaining marinade in the bottom of the pan along with beef stock and stewed tomatoes and lay the roast on top of the onion rings so they form a roasting rack. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.

Roast for 3 hours in the oven, then uncover and add carrots and celery to the pan. Cover again and roast for another 1 to 2 hours until the brisket can be pulled apart with a fork.

I suggest serving with mashed potatoes and a lovely red wine! ENJOY!!

Cinnamon Rolls...yet another disaster!

2009-11-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have tried to make cinnamon rolls twice now with disasterous results. I didn't post the last time, because I thought I had learned from my previous mistakes and had it all figured out! The first time they came unrolled, leaked filling all over creation and my oven, but tasted like heaven! I had even improvised a bit with the icing and it turned out fantastic. So, I learned they had to be baked squished tight together so they don't come unrolled or fall over. I learned that I shouldn't baste butter across the whole inside or they won't "glue" together once they are rolled up and I learned to let both the butter and cream cheese get soft before I mixed the frosting, instead of melting the butter. Okay, so I "fixed" all those issues. Today I rolled out my dough perfectly, put butter all over the inside-except for about an inch by the top, filled it with cinnamon/brown sugar mixture, rolled them up TIGHT, pinched the ends together so they didn't unroll and then placed the individual rolls in a greased muffin tin (as was suggested by a friend). Everything went completely as planned and they looked marvelous! While they baked, I mixed together the icing and it was of a spreadable consistency. Yippee! I thought I had fixed all the issues and should have some delicious cinnamon rolls to send to work with my sweetheart.
Alas, it was not to be. Although I baked them for the same amount of time as last time, the filling burned to the bottom of the muffin tin and they are stuck in the tin....I PRIED one out and frosted it. Tasted burned. Certainly NOT like heaven. They look perfect! They look like they should...so why is it that I cannot master the art of excellent taste and perfect presentation? I am going to get another batch of dough going and I am going to attempt them again! I am going down with a fight!! No easy cinnamon roll is going to beat me! Stay tuned for the next round of Cinnamon Roll vs. Cowgirl Helen. The odds aren't good since the score is already Cinnamon Rolls - 2 Helen - O, but I am going to give it another shot before I completely give up on making cinnamon rolls because they smell fantastic and taste even better! I am going to post the recipe below, but if you have a better one...please let me know!

Cinnamon Rolls

White bread dough (I use the frozen white bread dough)

Filling -
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter (softened)

Frosting -
1 (3 oz) packed of cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Once dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes. In a small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough out to about a 16X20 rectangle. Spread softened butter all over the dough, leaving a 1 inch area without butter along the top of the rectangle. Sprinkle the filling mixture onto butter. Roll up the dough tightly and once you reach the top, pinch dough together so the roll stays rolled up. Cut into 12 individual rolls and place tightly in a lightly greased 9X13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake rolls until golden brown (not burned like me), this takes between 11-15 minutes. While rolls are baking combine ingredients for frosting in a bowl and mix well. Spread frosting over warm rolls before serving.

Enjoy!

Cowgirl Helen

Dutch Apple Pie!

2009-11-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

You will certainly want to write this recipe down! It's easy, it's delicious and goes well with ice cream. No need to say more...

I decided to surprise my sweetheart, Matt, with an apple pie made from scratch today. He isn't used to such treatment and so I like to give him a treat every now and then to make sure to keep him happy!

I didn't actually mess this one up either, so I will give the recipe and post the end picture...I got tied up with work (yes, that ugly word) and so wasn't able to take pics of the process. Maybe next time. I got a little help from my sister on the bottom crust, since I am a rookie at such things, but she was able to text me the simple recipe and I was able to make a success of it, so I will include that as well!

DUTCH APPLE PIE!

5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter

In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar, cinnamon and 2 tbsp flour. Add apples to pie pan and then sprinkle with this mixture. Then drizzle lemon juice over the top of this.

In another bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of flour. Cut in the butter until it forms a rough crumble. Top the pie with this mixture.

Pie crust
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3-4 tbsp ice water

Mix together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it is in small crumbles. Add ice water until it forms a soft dough ball. Roll out the ball and place in pie pan.

I recommend baking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and then covering with foil and baking for another 20 minutes. This will ensure the crust doesn't over brown (like mine!).

You can top with homemade whipped cream or ice cream! Your choice.

Well, have fun baking and Bon Appetit!!

To school or not to school....that is the question

2009-11-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

I toured a private culinary school today.

Needless to say, I held my breath the whole time! We went over curriculum, schedules, tuition, and then toured the "campus". When we reached the 2 huge kitchen classrooms, I was all aflutter inside! Huge gas ranges, GIGANTIC mixers (my gosh...I was ready to take one home with me!), and all the tools required of proper cooking!

It was like being Charlie in the Chocolate Factory for me! I was thrilled from the moment I went in to the end of the "interview". This private school only accepts so many students and so they were interviewing me as much as I was interviewing them. I was beaming when he said I was exactly the type of student that would fit in there. I didn't want to think that was what they said to all prospective students!

The curriculum alone was thrilling to me! Courses called Advanced Patisseries and Chocolate Confections, whole quarters spent discovering the cuisines of a region/country. It appealed to me on so many levels! I am a perpetual student. I will always have the learning bug and seek to know more about the world around me. I was excited at the prospect of buying books again, and when they showed me the "kit" for the Baking and Pastry Arts program (a bunch of lovely tools of the trade!), I was sold.

Of course, they saved the cost of tuition for last. The large number that represented cost per year deflated my bubble a bit, but I was still elated enough to think I could possibly swing it somehow. All that mattered was that I was smitten. I was sold. I was already envisioning myself in the chef coat and sitting in the classroom.

Well, once I left the school, reality set in and by the time I got home and peeked once again at the curriculum sheets, the catalog, the TUITION sheet, I realized it probably wasn't to be.

The dream hasn't gone away completely, but I need to hunker down and get creative about how I could possibly pay for a private school when I am unemployed and barely keeping my head above water. Nothing is impossible, right?

I know there are many roads to Rome, but the feel and the formal college feel of this program appealed to me on many levels. I want to be a professional. I want to know all I can about baking and pastries. I want to get this. I really do. At least my tour solidified that for me. It made me realize that I am very passionate about this and that it is worth some sacrifice and definitely more exploration!

So...time to research!

Western music under the starry skies...and dessert of course!

2009-11-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Last night was just magical! I was lucky enough to attend a Juni Fisher concert (she's an award-winning Western music star) in Sonoita, Arizona. It took place in the courtyard of the lovely local B&B, La Hacienda de Sonoita (http://www.haciendasonoita.com/). The setting was gorgeous and with lights strung around the columns of the flagstone courtyard and a big mesquite fire roaring in the outdoor kiva fireplace it was truly inspirational and a one of a kind venue! The cool night was lovely and clear, so you could look up from your seat and name the constellations as you listened to the clear, beautiful voice of Juni singing her original songs about cowboy life, women rodeo stars, and life on the range. I personally love cowboy/western music. It is a far cry from the whiny ballads and countrified rock of modern country music. It harks back to folk music and Irish music and soothes the soul and takes you back to a time of simplicity and beginnings of the West. So the evening was really wonderful and I wish more people had taken the opportunity to experience Juni's music in such an intimate and awe-inspiring setting.

Of course, one cannot forget the important things...libations and dessert! The cool night air was tempered by hot decaf coffee, offered with several "tonics" to add some kick and warmth to the body! It was a nice, gourmet cowgirl's touch, but the real pièce de résistance was the delicious, warm, freshly prepared, pineapple upside down cake made in a dutch oven! It was fantastic! My mother used to make this dessert when I was a child, but I don't remember it being this fluffy, this light and this delicious! And of course, there is nothing like a real dutch oven, over the fire dessert to complete an evening that celebrated Western life and the cowboy legacy!

So, I thought I would post the dutch oven pineapple upside down cake recipe I like the best and throw some Juni Fisher info your way as well. Maybe you can purchase a CD, build a fire, brew some coffee (spiked with Bailey's was yummy), bake a pineapple upside down cake over your fire and look up at the stars and maybe feel some of the blessings that we did last night! ENJOY!!

Juni Fisher
2008 Western Heritage Wrangler Award Winner
2008 WMA Songwriter of the Year
2007 WMA Song of the Year Songwriter
2006 WMA Female Vocalist of the Year
2005 AWA Western Female Performer of the Year
2005 WMA Crescendo Award
Red Geetar Records
www.junifisher.net
615-289-1292

Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can sliced pineapple rings (10 slices), with juice
10 maraschino cherries

Preheat a 12-inch Dutch oven with about 8 coals underneath and 18 on top.
In a mixing bowl or gallon-size storage bag, combine dry cake mix, eggs, oil and pineapple juice. Stir until lumps are gone. If more liquid is needed, use a bit of the cherry juice. Set aside.
Melt butter and brown sugar in the preheated Dutch oven, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Place the pineapple rings evenly in the oven. Place a cherry inside each ring. Pour cake batter evenly over the rings. Return heated lid to the oven and bake about 35 minutes or until the cake is done in the center. The cake will shrink away from the sides a bit when done.

Remove the lid and invert the cake onto a serving dish.

The Best Pork Ribs EVER!!

2009-11-03T11:46:00.001-08:00

Tonight we are having pork ribs! One of my favorite foods on the planet and I have been known to partake in rib-eating contests even!

I wanted to share this with you guys, because it is definitely one of the best recipes I have come across and I now count it as one of my staples in the recipe box.

There are 4 steps, it takes an overnight marinade, but it is definitely worth every minute of preparation once you taste the incredibly tender, flavorful ribs. The 1st step is pre-baking the ribs, the 2nd step is the dry rub and overnight marinade, and the 3rd step is the homemade barbeque sauce and the final step is the grilling.

Step 1: Rub the ribs all over with fresh garlic. I use anywhere from 4-6 cloves crushed up. I rub both sides of the ribs and then place in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. Let cool once completed baking.

Step 2: Once the ribs have cooled off from the oven. Mix together the following ingredients for a dry rub.

1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper (ground)
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin

Rub the ribs all over with spice mixture and cover and refrigerate overnight.

Step 3: In a small saucepan, mix together the following ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered for 1 hour. Reserve a small amount for basting the ribs on the grill. The remainder is used for a dipping sauce.

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 clove crushed garlic

Step 4: Prepare grill for medium heat. Grill, covered for about 12 minutes, basting with the sauce until nicely browned and glazed.

ENJOY!!

Cupcakes and Cattle

2009-11-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Who can mess up a cupcake? Hmmmmm....Well...apparently I can!

Sometimes I wonder if I have what it takes in the brain department to actually make a great cook! I made a wonderful Hungarian Goulash for dinner the other night and thought I would top it off with some strawberry frosted cupcakes for dessert! I just happened to have an old cake mix in the pantry along with the appropriate matching frosting flavor, so I dug it out and starting following instructions! I am good at that usually. Well, I got the cake batter mixed, found the cupcake tin (yes, I inherited one of those from my sweetheart, Matt) and even had the paper liners to put in the tin! I felt jubilant! WOW! I actually had all the ingredients in my pantry, which is a goal of mine to develop a well stocked pantry that sports all the necessary ingredients for whatever strange recipe happens to be on the menu, so I was really happy with my little success there. Then I even had the tools necessary for the job. That is an even great accomplishment. My kitchen, as you have probably read in my previous post, lacks a certain number of basics and definitely lacks in the more specialized equipment area, so having the tin and liners was a big COUP!

Okay...back on track here. I fill each liner with batter and use the whole bowl up on the 12 cupcakes as it should be. I thought I was really hitting a home run here. I did wonder at some point if they might perhaps be a little full, but it didn't really worry me enough to seek advice. Heck, how do you mess up something as simple as cupcakes from a box anyway? Right?

I stuck my tin in the preheated oven and baked for the time designated by Betty Crocker. The timer went off and I couldn't wait to see them and start frosting those babies! I open the oven and lo and behold, CUPCAKE TOPS ATTACK! My Lord! I guess I must have overfilled them because they all shared one common top and no matter how careful I was in surgically separating the Siamese cupcakes, the tops promptly tore off and left only the body behind! Ugh! Everyone knows the tops are the most delicious parts! Even Seinfeld had an episode about that!

I was just devastated! It is always very difficult for me to handle failures in the kitchen, but this one was particulary hard to swallow because it all came from a box...no expertise necessary, right? Even a monkey can make cupcakes from a box. So, what to do? How can I fix this?

Cowgirl ingenuity came into play and we had "stuffed cupcakes". I frosted the tops of the bodies and glued the tops back on with the frosting! They looked like plain cupcakes, but they had a surprise filling! At least they tasted fine. Same ridiculously sweet, artificially flavored taste I was hoping for...just a slight change in presentation!

Well, I thought the disaster was averted. We had our dessert, it tasted just fine and we even had a few leftover for Matt to take to work.

The next morning I was contemplating how to store the remaining cupcakes when I was called to duty to help gather momma and baby cows on a 15 section (a section is 1 mile by 1 mile square) pasture. I decided to share in my bounty and offered the ranch owner and the two cowboys helping us cupcakes for the ride out to the ranch. Well, the ill-fated cupcakes once again had a devastating effect. While distractedly eating his cupcake in the truck, the ranch owner didn't pay enough attention to the trailer with our 4 horses in it and struck a curb with the trailer tire, promptly popping said tire and bending the rim beyond repair! UGH again! A quick morning ride turned into a whole morning spent at repair shop and tire dealership instead of out in God's Country in the brisk fall air gathering cattle.

Exactly how can a simple cupcake offer up so much frustration, disappointment and torment? It just did. Simple as that. I guess the moral of the story is that nothing is simple in cooking and baking. Nothing should be taken for granted and finally, DON'T overfill those cupcake tins!

Life as a Cowgirl

2009-10-28T09:01:00.001-07:00

Howdy again!

Yesterday was a typical cowgirl day. Ran out to the ranch to ride my horse and I was shanghaied into helping gather, sort and rope 50+ hiefers. Since I was riding my trusty mare, Mini, I decided I could donate an hour or two of my time and lend a roping hand.

Well...I should have known by the surprise invitation that this was kind of a last minute preparation on the cattle owner's part and nothing was organized! The weather was calling for high winds (not so good for roping conditions) and they started gusting about 10 minutes after we had gathered all the beasts from the grassy pasture into the dry, dusty lot. Dirt was certainly going to be on the menu and also a spa version of dirt exfoliation was due. Why did I say "yes"? Remember, I live in Southeastern Arizona. No big trees, very dry (especially this year after a sad little monsoon season) and not much to stop the wind once it starts blowing! Dust devils can completely shroud you and your horse for up to a minute! So, again...why did I say "yes"? Hmmm...

One or two hours work turned into 7 hours of hot, dry, dirty, difficult roping. We had to wait for other cowboys to show up (also invited right then) and the ear tags to be purchased in town and delivered. Then the wind really picked up and made the roping part very slow going. Did I mention these were mostly 450lb replacement heifers that had to be headed and heeled in order to not kill the ground crew? At times the cattle were completely obscured in the huge dust clouds and it was hard to see who had a rope on and who didn't! Not exactly as safe an environment as I like to rope in, but conditions are what they are and some things have to be endured.

Surprise, surprise! No cooler full of frosty drinks, no snacks or lunch available. It was pretty minimal. When the two Mexican cowboys helping out starting talking about Cervesas while we were out there roping I wanted to abandon ship and head to the first bar! A frigid Corona with lime sounded mighty fine! Instead we just called a time out and all lined up at the hose to try and quench our thirst and wet our faces down enough to remove the layers of dirt in our eyes.

My horse and I survived. All the heifers got their proper ear tags put in and they were turned back out in the green, moist pastures once again.

As soon as my horse was put up and fed I headed out! I had dinner to consider and only an hour to make it happen! Darn! I was counting on a whole afternoon at home to research options and start something special since the forecast had been so crappy. So much for planning!

Well...cowgirl ingenuity prevailed. How about some leftovers? That made my life much easier and I felt much improved once I was able to shower and remove the sandblast from my face and other body parts!

That is the life of a cowgirl....

The Test Kitchen....

2009-10-28T08:39:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I guess first things first. My kitchen is pretty rudimentary as far as specialized equipment and "tools of the trade" is concerned. I imagine it is like most other typical American kitchens of the working class. It has one set of nice pots/pans, some okay pieces of bakingware (usually procured at Marshall's, Ross or TJ Maxx in their home department) and unfortunately, an electric stove/oven. I do have another set of really nice pots/pans, several dish sets, lots of gadgets, etc, but they are all languishing in my storage unit in Florida. Destined to stay there until I raise the money to free them and move my stuff to Arizona. So in the meantime, I do with the absolute minimum and try my best!

Needless to say, I find myself having to use my imagination more than I did in childhood to replicate some of the more difficult recipes that call for specialized equipment. I find myself dreaming of a big Kitchenaid mixer and all the attachments! I find myself wishing for a pot hanger in the kitchen to hang the pots and have them at easy access. I find myself reaching for a classy set of mixing bowls that just aren't in my cabinets. I guess it gives me something to look forward to and a good list of things I can put on my wedding register!

While the adjustment to electric cooking after many years of gas has been hard. I am happy to announce that my kitchen, while getting a stiff reduction in size, will boast a gas stove/oven in the next few weeks when we move. That earns a big cowgirl "Yahoooo!!" as far as I am concerned. The adjustment back to gas should be easy! No more burned food! WAHOO!

So...any suggestions on where to find inexpensive kitchen supplies? What pieces are important to have? Is there a basic list of kitchen supplies that you should have on hand?

I am constantly seeking to improve my kitchen and it's contents so that I have the proper tools to work my craft and I don't have any excuses not to try the more difficult dishes. I think if my dishes don't turn out I would prefer to know it came from my human error and not because I had to improvise with the wrong equipment and that might have contributed to the failure. Since I am learning on my own and using the trial and error technique to see what works and what doesn't, I would like to be able to distill where the error occurred and not have too many variables in the experiment that cloud the results!

So...I look forward to your feedback!
Let's see what creation I come up with for dinner tonight!
Hmmmm....

Introduction to Cowgirl Cuisine

2009-10-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Howdy all!
I decided to blog about my persistent attempts to master the art of baking and cooking! Although I have had no true cooking training, I have always loved good food and truly enjoy cooking, from the preparation to watching people enjoy the end result. I don't think I want to attend culinary school, so I decided to teach myself and try and learn from the resultant creations what I did right and what I did wrong!

My patient fiance, Matt, is always game to try my newest creation and hasn't turned down a plate to date, but he has once said..."that recipe isn't really a keeper", and I took the hint!

I am always looking for advice, favorite recipes from friends and family, and new ideas to keep my pushing myself to try new dishes and new ingredients.

I hope if you follow this blog you will be brave enough to add your advice and or recipes for me to try!

Let the games begin!