Chef Tom, Cowboy Eats, A Short Story, Kempters and Sleepy Man

 

Saddle up, Pilgrim ….

Cowboy Lasagna

Cowboy Lasagna

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons cowboy spice (equal parts powdered cumin, chili powder, dried oregano)

2 cans chili

1 pound hot sausage, bulk

1 small can fire roasted tomatoes

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can black beans

1/2 large bag fritos

1 cup smoked cheddar, grated

Directions:
Cook off the sausage with the cowboy spices, until browned.  Add the black beans. Let cook for 15 min on low to blend the flavors.

Add the tomatoes and the chili. Cook another 15 minutes on low heat to blend flavors.

Layer the chili mix and the sharp cheddar cheese with the noodles.

Crunch up the fritos and mix with the grated smoked cheddar. Top lasagna with the cheese-frito mix and bake at 350.

Serve with plenty crusty garlic-butter bread and a glass of tough red wine.

Cowboy Breakfast Bowl

Cowboy Breakfast Bowls

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 slices bacon

1 package frozen hashed browns

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 eggs

1/2 tablespoon hot sauce (tabasco, sriracha)

2 avocados, cubed

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 sliced green onions

Directions:

Cook off the bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Save some fat in the pan.

Cook off hashed browns in the bacon fat until crisp on both sides. Turn off heat, add cheddar to potatoes and cover to melt.

Preheat broiler. Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. Broil tomatoes until just beginning to collapse. Remove.

Soft scramble the eggs with hot sauce and salt and pepper.

Build your bowls: Top cheesy potatoes with scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, cooked bacon, roasted tomatoes, sliced green onions, and pass the hot sauce.

Cowboy

Troubled Route

The thwack of the arrow was sudden and sharp, startling Chica who reared up fast and snorted. Graham stuck to his saddle but pulled the reins up short. “Whoa, girl.” Chica held, breathing hard, still alarmed by the sudden sound.

Graham looked up at the long arrow sticking out of the fat arm of a Saguaro, not five feet from his head. “Them’s Comanche feathers.” he thought, as he slowly turned his head up in the direction from where the arrow flew.  He pondered, “Woulda split my head in two. That there’s a warnin’. Don’t go no further. Old Jake told me this canyon would be trouble. Shoulda listened. But it’s this way, or another three days goin’ ‘round.”

He peered along the top of the canyon walls. “Nuthin’ to see. NO surprise there. Maybe a scout, or a huntin’ party. Coulda kilt me sure enough. I best git afore they turn me into a porkapine.”

Graham raised a hand in the air, as a sign of respect, to say “Message received.” Pressing the reins against Chica’s neck, she turned and headed back the way they came.

“Ain’t gonna get t’ Wilbur Springs till end o’ the week. They gonna have to start without me. Billy says they found gold up in the creek. Hope there’s some left when I get there.”

A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the narrow ravine. Graham looked up at the darkening sky. His heart did a jump as he realized that he was riding along a narrow arroyo. “If that sky opens up and we’re not outta here, there’ll be a flash flood. Porkapine or floppin’ fish, take yer pick.”

He gave Chica a couple of quick jabs in her side. “Git up, girl, let’s go!” Chica took off, winding quickly through the narrow walls. She ran straight out though the dust and sharp turns for about a mile before Graham could see the opening into the wide open valley.

ON THAT NOTE

The Kempters

14 Year Old Fiddler – The Orange Blossom Special – The Kempters

Sleepy Man

Bluegrass virtuosity from … New Jersey? | Sleepy Man Banjo Boys

=CTH=

Chef Tom is currently transitioning from Personal Chef to Private Chef. He also teaches cooking classes, caters small parties and leads overseas culinary tours. His specialty for the last twelve years has been cooking for people with food allergies and sensitivities. His motto is “Food should give you pleasure, not pressure.”

Check him out at www.hippkitchen.com