What do you cook? I get asked that question alot whether it’s for the ranch clinic I do where I feed some 30 folks breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as ride with them and of course have a ball in my bar during the evenings!! Or they ask me what I eat when Peter is away conducting clinics…. both answers are I don’t know…. You see I have a garden, canned goods, a milk cow, chickens and beef and pork in the freezer. I am 15 miles from town so to run to town for extras is not always a good answer!
Now of course during the ranch clinic, I have 3 fridges and stock them with fresh goods… but as for a game plan? Not happening…. breakfast and lunch are simple meals and after 15 years, it’s pretty much like breathing… Dinner is exactly what I feel like cooking, so about lunch time, I see how the day is going, what the group of people are feeling and adjust accordingly! I don’t measure well, I go by complimenting flavors and always have a good stock of butter, whipping cream and fresh spices.
When I am alone, I still don’t plan but I will Pinterest and think of ideas and then test them out! For example last night, I did some slow roasted ribs in my oven all day… Let me back up — after chores it was cold, windy and I figured a good day for book work! So, heat the house, smells good all day and voila dinner…. all day slow roasted pork ribs! First I throw them in a pot cover with water and boil them, it was probably a couple hours… Then I look through the house no BBQ sauce and it’s only me so experiment! I layer on the bottom of my dish, brown sugar, honey, little dry mustard, garlic and some ketchup, lay my boiled ribs on that add another layer of goodies on top, wrap and forget! It was about 6:30 pm and it just smelled right! Yep smelled right!! So, I went to the barn got some potatoes I had dug up from the garden… put them in the microwave for a few minutes, squished them with the back of my knife and went to fry them in some great bacon grease. As they are frying, I look at some left over pesto and goat cheese as well as prosciutto… so I pull them out build a loaded potato with pesto and cheese, wrap the entire deal in prosciutto and fry again! I see in the fridge some broccoli and slice a few pieces of broccoli and throw it in the pan with my potatoes and fry it as well, nice and brown… Of which when you cook like me you are on high! so that broccoli in the bacon grease got a quick fast brown sear and I pulled it out and lightly salted it… Put my plate together and woohoo! Dinner for one! It turned out I had enough for two dinners!
Cooking to me is fun, experimental and full of imagination… If you make something and it tastes horrid just remember those things don’t belong! But dont be afraid to try!!! Be sure you salt your food enough… Salt not only is a “flavor” but it draws out the flavor of what you are cooking and also melds together additions of spices or cream or cheese!
I dare you to ask your Inner Cowgirl what she feels like tonight! And cook for her!