Cooking in the West

With our economy reeling from shutdowns, it is suddenly fashionable and necessary to be frugal. I grew up frugal, because my parents were 40 years old when they got around to having me, so they were children during the Great Depression. We rinsed out Saran Wrap, recycled wrapping paper, and repurposed everything.

When I went off to college, I felt I was pretty well versed in frugality. However, my roommate was the undisputed Queen of Frugality. I can honestly say I could not have drawn a better roommate than Maureen Johnson Schmitt, who now lives in Chinook, Montana. Among a lot of other things, she taught me how to live on a budget which allowed us to lower our 20-meal plan to the 10-meal plan and still gain our freshman 15 pounds. She discovered John's Hamburgers. We could buy 5 hamburgers and half a pound of fries for $1.50. (Granted, the year was 1977.) We had to save money on food, because even though gas was less than 50¢ per gallon, her pickup needed a lot of gas and a lot of repairs.

She was also the bravest woman I had ever met. She was rodeoing at the time, and no one else would have taken off across the state in that pickup. Describing her pickup would take a whole column, but suffice it to say, her horses were very brave also!

Another thing Maureen was really good at was sneaking food out of the cafeteria. I would invariably get caught smuggling an apple out, but Maureen could get a whole burger or a piece of cheesecake out without as much as a sideways glance from the food Nazis who guarded the door. When my kids went off to college, students with a meal plan were given a large plastic mug to fill with whatever they wanted to take out. Where is the fun in that?

Back when students were expected to work their way through college rather than take out student loans that would take until retirement to pay off, my parents sent me to college in a 1971 Dodge Dart Demon. It was two-tone green, but one tone was primer. It cost $1,000, and it was almost as trustworthy as Maureen's truck. I had to master sitting at stop lights with one foot firmly planted on the brake and one foot tapping the accelerator, so the car wouldn't die. If it did die, it would not usually start until the next day, which is a life-altering experience for a country girl in a busy intersection in Bozeman, Montana.

One time, it started on fire in the dorm parking lot, because one of my friends in Mechanical Engineering tried to fix that dying problem. I think he later dropped out of engineering, but I don't think that particular incident was the reason.

Upon another occasion, I stepped on a nail and had to drive myself to the Student Health Center, because my roommate could not master the brake/accelerator combo technique. Perhaps it was the desire to make our children’s lives better than ours or it was the memory of that car that compelled me to send my firstborn off to college in a new car that cost more in fuel, insurance, and licenses than I made my first year of teaching.

Brooke's roommate was a banker's daughter and not nearly as bargain conscious as Maureen was. By that time, students borrowed large amounts of money so they could buy cars, take tropical spring breaks, and not have to work three jobs to finance college. Help wanted signs cropped up everywhere in college towns, and liberal politicians promised these young people loan forgiveness or free college in exchange for votes for Socialism.

For some inexplicable reason, our son has the first dime he ever made with the exception of a penchant for buying guns. They were raised the same, but since I have to blame someone for Brooke's lack of frugality, I have decided to blame my late father-in-law. One day, Grandpa Roy was out walking with Brooke's cousin, C.J. He placed a banana in a tree and then helped C.J. spot it. C.J. firmly believed that Grandpa Roy had a banana tree, and I think that deception reversely affected Brooke. We told her repeatedly that there was no money tree in the backyard, but I think she thought that was just another reversed cruel deception like Santa and the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy and all of those other myths we shamelessly perpetrated.

My featured cook this week is Clara Miller from Billings, Montana. Thanks, Clara!

Clara’s Tex Mex Chicken and Rice:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves or about l lb. of chicken tenderloins, bite size

salt and pepper

15 oz. can pinto beans, drained

14.5 oz. can chicken broth

1 C. bottled chunky salsa

2 C. Minute Rice, uncooked

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cut into small chunks

Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until done. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Put broth, beans, and salsa into the skillet. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice and cheese until the cheese is melted. Add chicken back and turn to low to cook until rice is done. Stir occasionally, making sure cheese is all mixed in.

Spaghetti Salad:

1 lb. spaghetti broken into 4 pieces

16 oz. Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

1 large cucumber, diced

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

2 to 3 C. broccoli broken into small florets

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

2 t. McCormick's Salad Supreme Seasoning

Cook spaghetti until done. Drain and rinse in cold water. Put in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Toss to coat again before serving.

Sausage-stuffed Jalapenos:

1 lb. bulk pork sausage

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

22 large Jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (Caution: Use rubber or plastic gloves and do NOT touch your eyes or face.)

Ranch dressing, optional

Brown sausage over medium heat. Drain. Combine cream cheese and Parmesan. Then fold in the sausage. Spoon about 1 T. into each Jalapeno half. Place into 2 ungreased 9 x 13 baking dishes and bake uncovered at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve with ranch dressing if desired.