Biscuits

Homemade biscuits and wild grape jelly

Are mighty hard to beat;

Especially when you first get up

And crave something to eat.

Add a side of bacon

And maybe scrambled eggs;

It'll put a little spring into

Your fresh-woke, wobbly legs.

Some people like to skip

The first meal of the day

But, I need something filling

To send me on my way.

I can't live on coffee,

Although I need its boost,

Without it I might as well

Just stay upon my roost.

I'm glad the one I married

Is such a talented cook

And rustles up the things I like

That aren't always in a book.

She's not much on breakfast

Eaten early in the day

Though she might grab a little snack

Somewhere along the way.

One thing she will do for me

That I appreciate

Is to make a little extra

Biscuits for the plate.

They were fresh last night for supper

And I ate more than a few.

I'll eat some more this morning

Yep, that's what I'll do!

A Chuckwagon and a Stew Contest

There are few things that draw attention faster than a chuckwagon.  This authentically restored wagon belongs to some good friends of ours who know how to make you feel you have stepped back in time to the cattle drives.  This weekend it is parked at the Hopkins County, Texas, world famous stew cook off.  This is the 50th anniversary of the event and our friends usually take home the Grand Prize.

The rig utilizes a large canvas "fly" that covers the food preparation area and provides room for some seating.  It is a cool and rainy year, so additional "drops" which create a wall along the north side were hung to keep the rain out.  Even the stakes for the fly are hand cut Bois d'arc reinforced with rawhide for extra strength.  The woven bottom chairs and wagon-slat tables are also authentic.

Ignore the plastic trash can and bag of charcoal and focus on the chuck box which has a foldout work table as well as storage boxes and trays.  On the table in the foreground, the box is full of handmade from Mesquite, wooden utensils, including ladles, spatulas, stirring paddles, serving spoons and scoops for flour and sugar.  The keg at bottom right contains the sourdough starter which is used for the bread which includes loaves as well as Dutch Oven biscuits.

Everything is cooked in cast iron.  The firebox is used to build a large bed of coals which are then placed on and under the Dutch Ovens and as a source of heat for the coffee pots and the cauldron of beans you see cooking.

The Dutch Ovens sit over a bed of hot coals and have additional coals on top to create even heating.  These contain potatoes and onions while others contain Beef Brisket and still others are used for Cobblers.

The contents of each oven are periodically checked to ascertain readiness.  Everything is timed to come out to perfection at just the right moment.

Although you can barely see it for the steam, this is one of the Briskets.

Here the brisket is being sliced for serving.  The potatoes and onions are in the foreground and in the top right corner is the cauldron of beans and pork sausage.

It's hard to beat the taste of properly prepared Brisket.  Notice the "bark" along one edge.

Here is a view of the steaming cauldron of beans and sausage.  There was quite a line ready to be served by the time the meal was ready.

Of course, the meal wouldn't be complete without Dewberry Cobbler made in the Dutch Ovens from locally picked wild Dewberries.

The only thing that might have made the meal any better would be some Blue Bell Ice Cream to go on top of the cobbler.  Although it is thoroughly Texan, it just wasn't around when the wagons followed the herds to market.

Chuckwagons weren't typically seen in this part of Texas back in the late 1800's, but this one adds a real sense of that period to the annual Stew event.  It's a lot of work, but it is a labor filled with joy and a love of the authentic cowboy lifestyle of long ago which is still practiced on many ranches in the western states.

The Golden Spur and Rising W

Last night, we traveled with some friends to the booming metropolis of Happy, Texas, to eat. A couple that I grew up with opened a steakhouse there called The Golden Spur Steakhouse. We all wanted to go down and try it out. The food was excellent.

They had a large crowd last night and it took a little longer than normal to get our food, but the wait was worth it. The steaks they serve are all Certified Angus Beef. CAB is typically much higher quality for tenderness and marbling than the cuts you generally find in the grocery store. They also make a tasty bread pudding or a dutch oven peach cobbler with homemade ice cream to top it off.

The Golden Spur is owned and operated by Jim and Debbie Walters. They have many years experience cooking and Jim especially enjoys chuckwagon cooking. He has a second business called Rising W Chuckwagon which is a catering business. They do a lot of cooking for company outings or special events. They can bring the wagon (pictured below) or not. They recently returned from San Antonio where they cooked for a large group of our wounded soldiers home from Iraq. They took the wagon to that event. I have included a link to their Chuckwagon Catering business in my sidebar. Check it out.

Fresh Cookies

The sound of a mixer running in the kitchen definitely perks up my ears. I know that soon something delicious will come out of the bowl. Beginning to get restless, I decide to go see what's cooking. I go to the refrigerator, get out the pitcher and pour a glass of ice cold tea and casually look over to see what recipe is laying on the cabinet. Ah, chocolate chip cookies, one of my favorites. The dough isn't quite ready, so I hang around a bit, finding excuses to be there. Then, "would you like a bite of dough?" I reply with a grin and take the proffered bite, and go back for another, and another. I've got to quit, or I won't want any cookies. So, I head for the computer to see what's in the e-mail. It doesn't take long until that heavenly smell begins to drift through the house. I can't wait. Nothing beats fresh, homemade cookies -- except maybe the dough.