Heavy mid-day traffic, Montana style

I got stuck in traffic today on the way into town. So since it was slow moving I took some pictures. Shocking I know.

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Everyone is happy to have them out to pasture. No more feeding hay, just nice green grass!

As a side note, doesn’t the Cowman look good horseback?! Never mind, don’t answer that. I already know the answer anyway!

Love from smitten me,

Bobbie

Playing catch-up with a photo post

Do you know what this time of year is? CRAZY that’s what! CU. RA. Z! And because of this fact about spring I have been neglectful on here. Oh I think about it, don’t get me wrong. I take tons of pictures while mentally writing all these fabulous posts that you all adore. In fact they are so good that people start contacting me, begging me to write for them! ( yes I am aware of my overly active imagination, no I don’t think it requires medication as it makes me happy.) So anyway, those fabulous posts continue to swirl around in my brain but chores and all this craziness of spring come first, and when it is time for me to put my genius to paper, well…… that time finds me passed out on the couch once again dreaming of writing. Ya, I’m just that good.

 

So this morning while I was feeling guilty about not writing and wondering how in the world I was ever going to find the time to write all the posts that I am behind on, I decided on taking the easy way out this time. I’m going to do a photo catch-up of the last couple of weeks and then start fresh tomorrow. Sometimes you just have to cut yourself some slack!

 

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Branding is complete for another year except for a couple of stragglers that they will catch up with later. A sigh of relief that another hard job can be checked off the never-ending list!

The skies have been amazing lately and add to that the green that is appearing and it’s no wonder all my time has been spent outside instead of in front of the computer. Getting the garden ready to plant in the next couple of weeks is next on our list. More on that soon!

Love from this soon to be sought after genius writer ( hehehe),

Bobbie

 

 

The Gift of Uniqueness

Heading home from shopping last night Cowman and I were talking about some of the things that had made us smile throughout the day. Gracie’s face as she picked out her purple topped cowgirl boots. Two gallons of apple cider vinegar for two dollars. BIG bags of potting soil. Finding more sparklie butterflies for the wall in Gracie’s room, ON SALE! Loading the van down so that it was sitting on the springs….maybe I shouldn’t have smiled about that but the fact that we were able to buy enough food for more than a month is a very comforting thought to me.

And then there was the sunset happening in front of us! I couldn’t take enough pictures of it. Absolutely the most gorgeous thing I had seen in a while. Just as the sky was beginning to fade from the light show of sparkling jewel tones into the pastels that are more common to our eyes, we came to a creek crossing where we were gifted with the site of something that most people will never see in their lifetime. We had to do a quick turn around and go back to try to take as many pictures as we could and soak in the fact that what we were seeing our eyes would probably never see again. The kids were just as thrilled as we were.

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We didn’t want to leave. We sat there and sat there, repeating the same things over and over again. Wow! Amazing! I never thought….. Can you believe….. Wow!!

She finally became tired of our admiration and started to leave with her baby. As she was walking away though, she paused to look back at us as if to confirm in our minds that letting us view her was a gift. That her uniqueness was not to be taken for granted. She was set apart and different, and that’s what made her special. That’s what made it a gift to be able to watch her. She wasn’t like the other deer and she knew it. She wasn’t ashamed of it, she wasn’t hiding it. She was proudly letting us observe her in all her unique glory. And we were left drinking it in, awed into silence, and slightly saddened by her departure.

In her parting glance she challenged me to view uniqueness in a different light. Not as something that needs to be hidden from view as we try to fit in. But something to be embraced and worn with confidence. Set apart, as we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. Not to blend, but to stand out in a crowd. What a gift to others to be able to set that example.

Love from here,

Bobbie

April Showers….

All I’m gonna say is that these April showers had better bring about some amazing May flowers!

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Love from here,

Bobbie

You know you have a good marriage when you can look at chicks together

I know without a doubt that The Cowman loves me. He tells me and shows me every single day in many ways. One of the biggest being when he leaves the peace and quiet of work to come home to our zoo that is never quiet. Seriously! Until you have heard the decibel level that our house reaches around 6 pm (which is of course when he gets home), then you can’t fully appreciate what it must be like for him when he walks in the door!

There are other ways that he shows his love, some of them quite unexpected. Take two weeks ago for instance. We are in town for our monthly trip to lay in supplies. We had to stop at the feed store for some calf milk replacer and since it was just a quick in and out sort of stop, he ran in by himself. When he comes out he calmly tells me that after we are done shopping we will be coming back to the feed store so I can pick out some chicks. Just as calm as you please he casually throws something out there that has me wanting to say, to heck with food for the month! I want the chicks now!! Now, how is this a sign of his love for me? I had no clue that they had chicks in there. He never had to say a word to me about it and I would have lived in ignorant bliss. However, he chose to tell me because he knew how badly I wanted to add some chickens to our ‘flock’ of 4.

So we get done shopping for groceries and headed to the feed store. He indulged me while I awwwwed over all of them, and even when I had the girl box up 22 of them. Ya, that was a couple more than he thought we were getting.

So this morning while I was babying the chicks, yes I do that and you really shouldn’t be surprised, I got to thinking that maybe I owe my loving Cowman something to say thank you for not just putting up with my quirks, but for indulging them. I could offer to let him help me name the chicks, or to give him one of his very own! Or maybe I should stick with the theory of making his stomach happy…. I see chocolate in our near future!

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Love from the zoo,

Bobbie

Sausage Gravy

I am going to admit that I never had biscuits and gravy before I met Jason. And I will also admit to being a complete and total failure at making it for a couple of years! I kid you not, years. I cringe when I remember some of those attempts. All I will say is that Jason must really love me since he was willing to gag those meals down so as not to hurt my feelings. Thankfully I stumbled upon a gravy recipe in a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook that changed our life. Well, maybe not our whole lives, but the part connected to not just edible but desirable sausage gravy has been changed for good. Thank the Lord!

Desirable Sausage Gravy                    70 carbs total

1 pound ground sausage                                  1/2 tsp. salt

1/4  Cup flour                                                       1 tsp. pepper (at least)

4 Cups milk

• Heat the sausage in a large skillet until browned.

• Do not drain! I know some of you are dying to drain off the grease but look at it like this, it’s gravy, it’s not all that healthy by todays standards anyway so go ahead and enjoy it the way it is meant to be!  Add the flour and stir to combine.

• Now this next step is up to you but I am going to encourage you to use powdered milk for this. It doesn’t change the taste or consistency at all and 4 cups of milk is not a little amount when you look at the price. If you have some powdered go ahead and try it! Another perk is that you can mix it up with hot water and cut down on the cooking time since it will start to simmer faster.

• Pour in your milk and stir. Now, if you are using cold milk out of the fridge, add it one cup at a time. Let the first cup start simmering and then add the next. Let that cup start simmering….you get the idea. If you add it all at once it will obviously simmer eventually but it takes a lot longer!

• Add your salt and pepper and let this sit on medium/high heat until it starts to simmer. Let it cook while stirring occasionally until it is as thick as you want. It usually takes mine about 20 minutes.

• Last step is to taste it to make sure it has enough salt and pepper to suit you. I love taste testing!
• Finally add your biscuits and your breakfast, or supper, is ready for you. Wasn’t that easy?!

Love from an overly full me,

Bobbie

Baking Powder Biscuits

There are some things so basic that even I don’t mess them up. These biscuits are one of them. They were the only biscuits my mom made when we were growing up and the second thing she taught me how to make on my own. Dad always said that whomever I married would be glad I knew how to make good biscuits. And yet again, time has proven my dad right!

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 Cups flour                                                       2 Tbs. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder                                     1/2 Cup shortening or lard

1/2  tsp. cream of tartar                                1 egg

1/2  tsp. salt                                                       2/3 Cup milk

• Preheat your oven to 350*.
• In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, sugar, and lard.
• Next stir in the egg and milk.

• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and very gently knead the dough as little as humanly possible! The more you knead the harder your biscuits are going to get and you don’t want that! Think soft hands for soft biscuits.
• It will come together nicely with little handling.

• Now press the dough out with your hands until it is as thin or as thick as you desire. I like to make it about half an inch thick. They get bigger in the oven.

• Back in the day before I bought a biscuit cutter from Pampered Chef and it became my best friend, I used a cup rim for the job of cutting out the biscuits. Cut them out with whatever you have and place on a cookie sheet or a beautiful stone like mine….

Ok so I’m kinda in love with this stone the same way I’m in love with my cast iron! If I could tell you to buy a certain cookie sheet or pizza stone, I would tell you to buy this one! I got it the same time I got my biscuit cutters from Pampered Chef. So, so, worth it!!

• Anyway, back to the biscuits, they are ready for the oven now.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. I don’t know why, but the golden didn’t show up in my picture.

Your now ready to use these guys with whatever food you so desire. Split them in half and place a fried egg and cheese inside for a much healthier version of an Egg McMuffin . Coat them with butter and jelly like my kids like to do. Use them with a good sausage gravy for a breakfast or dinner that is guaranteed to fill you up! Such a necessary recipe to keep on hand. If you use these in a way I didn’t list please let me know, I would love some new ideas!

Love from here,

Bobbie

Sweet Cornbread

Growing up on a guest ranch I have had my share of cornbread. Every Sunday dinner served up ribs, beans, and cornbread. And  since I don’t like ribs I would eat extra cornbread. Always. It was good, but as we all know, cornbread tends to be dry on most occasions. Mom eventually found a recipe for a sweeter cornbread and that in turn is the only recipe that I use. Hubby loves it as do the kids, and some things never change….I find that when I make a meal that has cornbread served with it, all I want to eat is the bread. Smother it in butter and honey and MMM-HHMMMM! Good thing it’s super easy! How easy you may be asking? Just watch and see.

Sweet Cornbread:          15 pieces at 33 carbs each

2 C. cornmeal                                                  1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. flour                                                            2 C. buttermilk

1 C. sugar                                                           1 Tbs. shortening or lard

1 tsp. salt

• Start by combining your cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and shortening in a bowl.

• Now it’s the buttermilk’s turn. If you don’t have buttermilk, like me, never fear. You can make your own substitute.
• Start by adding a little bit of vinegar to the bottom of your measuring cup. For the two cups milk needed I started with this much vinegar…

• The vinegar helps the milk to thicken up and sour just slightly which is what you are wanting. Now add the milk and let it sit for about a minute to let the vinegar work its magic.

• Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.

• Pour into a greased 9×13 pan, cover with tinfoil and place in the oven at 350* for about 20 minutes.
• After the 20 minutes you will remove the tinfoil. The cornbread will be set on the outside but still wet and jiggly in the middle.

(sorry the picture is cropped weird, but trust me when I say that you didn’t need to see the inside of my oven!)

• Leave the bread in the oven for 20-30 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

• Let cool for a minute then slice, serve, and enjoy!
• Didn’t I promise easy?

Or maybe…

Mmmmm, breakfast anyone?! Thank you Mom for such a great recipe!

Love from my sticky kitchen,

Bobbie

Tortilla shells, easier than you would think!

I have posted my tortilla shell recipe before, but that was before my fabulous new camera. Translation being, it was in desperate need of some updating! The recipe is the same, after all, they still turn out perfectly every time I make them so why change it? I love not having to buy shells anymore, I can’t remember the last time I even glanced at them in the store much less had to pick some up. It’s a nice feeling, why not give it a try and see what I’m saying? You know you want to!

Tortilla Shells                  15 tortilla shells at 24 carbs each

4 C. flour                                                        2 Tbs. lard ( yes, the good stuff )

1 tsp. salt                                                        1  1/2 C.  water

2 tsp. baking powder

 

• Start by mixing the flour, salt, and baking powder together.

• Mix the lard in with your fingers until the flour gets somewhat crumbly, like so…

• Add water and mix until the dough starts to come together, then dump out onto the counter and knead well.

• Once it’s well kneaded, divide into 15 pieces about this size…

(and no I have no clue why my hands are so red so lets just keep moving forward shall we?)

• At this point turn your cast iron skillet on medium heat so it’s ready for you.

Oh my love, my beautiful cast iron love!

• Take your trusty rolling-pin and try your hardest to roll those dough balls into circles. Personally, I like that mine never turn out to be perfect circles, it shows they are homemade!

• Your pan should be hot by the time your first shell is rolled out. Place it in the pan but don’t walk too far away. These only take a couple of seconds on each side once your pan is hot enough.

Amazing fresh. Pretty darn good after being frozen too. I like to double the recipe and freeze the extra. Breakfast burritos, lunch tacos, dinner enchiladas…. Oh the possibilities!

Love from here,

Bobbie

Family Favorite Stroganoff

Another super easy meal that the family adores. Each and every one of them! Yay for stroganoff! Yay for easy! And a double Yay for cheap! Oh and fast, did I mention fast? Ya, I’m still working on the whole idea of having everything run smoothly, that’s why this recipe is on our months list of menu options. For all of the above stated reasons. Enough said, yes? Lets just go ahead and get to the recipe!

Family Favorite Stroganoff:      47 carbs per 1 cup serving

Hamburger, 1 or 2 pounds depending on how hungry your family is, we use 2.

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/2  tsp. pepper

2 cans cream of mushroom soup+ 1 can water if you are using 2 pounds of burger. If using just 1 pound cut the soup and water in half.

1 cup( + some extra for good measure) sour cream

1 package noodles of your choice cooked and drained

• Start by browning the burger with the onion, salt, and pepper.

• Now add the soup and water. Stir it in, then let it simmer on medium/low for 20 minutes.
• Add the sour cream at this point.

• Stir it in but don’t let it boil.

• Add the cooked noodles and stir to make sure they are well coated in the sauce.

There, you are done! Dinner is served in under an hour. It’s filling, family pleasing, and an added perk…..only one pan to wash! Your welcome.

Add some cheese to the top for a little bit of extra yumminess and it just doesn’t get much better. Comfort food at it’s finest.

Love from here,

Bobbie