Cooking in the West

Winter has been fairly kind to us up until this past weekend when we suddenly plunged into the deep freeze. We do not start calving until mid-March, but my heart goes out to the people who are calving and lambing in this cold snowy weather. It reminded me of this great poem that I believe Wes Sargent wrote back in his senior year in high school in 2007.

Wes is now all grown up, and he and his wife Lydia are ranching out in the big country northeast of Big Timber, Montana raising cows and their two children. Besides raising cattle and kids, they are outfitters. This poem is a timeless vignette about what it is like calving in the cold. Wes was my son's high school classmate and college roommate, and both boys chose the time honored occupational tradition of generations of their forefathers even though they knew firsthand how difficult ranching can be.

The Coffee Pot

--by Wes Sargent

Ridin' out of the barn, and it's 10 below,

Wishin' my head was still on my pillow.

30-day colt has a hump in his back;

Hope that the dirt's not my 10:00 snack!

Cows are havin' the calves in the snow.

There's no other place that they can go.

Taggin' and notchin', tryin' to keep up--

Sure do wish I had my coffee cup.

Find a cow, the calf's heels towards the sky;

Sure do hope that he doesn't die.

Pushin' the cow towards the calvin' lot,

Dreamin' about that hot coffee pot.

Put her in the maternity pen . . .

Cussin' my dog, "Get back Jen!"

Grab the pullers and the chain.

Boy this calvin' sure is a pain.

Pulled the calf, and he's all good.

Go back outside and pull on my hood.

My slick fork saddle's cold and wet.

The bunkhouse is where I'd rather "set"!

Why be a rancher on days like today?

Gotta be a job that's warmer and gets better pay!

Still, ranching is the only life for me--

Though tonight I'd rather drown in the sea!

I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day! In case you want to cook a special dinner that is easy but far from mundane, I am featuring recipes this week from Eleanor Pratt of Billings, Montana. Thanks, Eleanor!

Chinese Beef Casserole:

8 oz. fine noodles, cooked and drained

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 small onion, chopped, sauteed in butter

Mix together:

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 oz. jar mushrooms, drained

1 C. milk

1/4 C. soy sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. pepper

Place cooked noodles in a 9 X 13 buttered pan. Add beef and onions to the soup mixture and pour on top of noodles. Top with 8 oz. shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Add 4 oz. Chow Mein noodles and 4 oz. mixed nuts (optional) and return to the oven for five minutes.

Spicy Chicken Spaghetti:

12 oz. spaghetti, uncooked

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips

16 oz. Velveeta, cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

4 1/2 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/3 C. milk

Cook pasta as directed. Drain. Return to the pan. Meanwhile, stir fry chicken in a PAM sprayed skillet for about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to chicken in the skillet and stir on low heat until cheese melts and ingredients are heated through. Add chicken mixture to drained pasta and spoon into a 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Baked Taco Salad:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning

1 t. garlic powder

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 1/2 C. sour cream

1 1/2 C. cottage cheese

3 C. crushed tortilla chips

3 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Add onion, garlic powder, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce. Set aside. Combine sour cream and cottage cheese and set aside. Place half the crushed chips in a greased 9 X 13 pan. Add enough meat to cover chips. Cover meat with half the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through. (Serve with shredded lettuce, black olives, sliced tomatoes, and maybe a dollop of sour cream and guacamole!)