Cooking in the West

The poem I want to share this week was written by Chuck Rein, who ranches with his wife Pam on one of the most beautiful outfits on the planet in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains west of Melville, Montana. Chuck wrote this poem several years ago about riding colts with his son Charlie. He shared it at the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers/Sweet Grass County Wool Growers Banquet several years back.

This poem just says it all about those of us who are fortunate enough to call ourselves fourth or fifth or even sixth generations on the ranch. As an epilogue to this poem, Chuck's grandsons are now riding side by side with their dad, Charlie, and I know that is what makes all the difficulties of ranching worthwhile... passing on this lifestyle and legacy.

The Colts

—by Chuck Rein

We rode our colts, my son and I, in the spring of two thousand and three.

We calved the cows and paired them out, these colts and Charlie and me.

The colts under saddle every day, caught on to the job at hand.

They bonded with us and we with them as we rode this beautiful land.

We taught them how to follow a cow, heed, hack rein, bit, and spur.

But who taught whom the most that spring, I guess I'm not quite sure.

Those colts came to trust our hand, and worked out of respect, not fear.

They gave their hearts and souls for us, and will do so year after year.

You see the bond we built with them is steadfast, strong, and true.

Through any task, they will give their all, and do what we ask them to.

And then we came to realize, the colts were the teachers all along.

We learned respect and trust and love; the difference between right and wrong.

They taught us how to treat fellow man, family, friends, and wife.

The lessons we learned riding those colts, we'll carry for the rest of our life.

The memory of cows and calves and colts on my mind is forever burned.

I thank God for these lessons of life that together my son and I learned.

One day I will watch my grandson, riding side by side with his dad;

I'll think back to springtime years ago; the thought will make me glad.

Cows and calves and colts, a father and his son on the land.

Yes, it truly is a picture, painted by the Almighty's hand.

This week I have a few recipes that are our favorites for the upcoming holiday season! Thanks, Judy Sondeno, of Fairview, Montana for the best fruitcake recipe ever!

World's Easiest Best Fudge:

18 oz. milk chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 T. vanilla

1 C. chopped nuts

Melt chips and milk together in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour in a greased 8 X 8 pan. Let sit until firm. To make a 9 X 13 pan, use 3 bags of chips, 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, 4 T. vanilla, and 2 C. nuts.

Judy Sondeno's Fruitcake:

2 1/4 C. sugar

1 lb. soft margarine

Cream well and add 12 eggs, beating well after each one.

Add: 1 small bottle brandy flavoring

1 small bottle rum flavoring

In a separate bowl, combine 3 3/4 C. flour and 6 lbs. of fruit mix (mixed, cherries, and pineapple to your taste). Add 1 lbs.of white raisins if you like them. Add 1 pound chopped walnuts. Mix well until fruit and nuts are coated with flour. Add to the first mixture and mix well. Pile mixture loosely in greased loaf pans (makes 12 small one pound loaves) up to about 1/2 inch from the top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until cake tests are done with a toothpick.

Mother's Panocha:

1 C. brown sugar

1 C. white sugar

1 C. heavy whipping cream

Cook to a very soft ball stage, stirring constantly so it won't sugar around the pan. Using a candy thermometer is not recommended because of the danger of sugaring. Turn the burner off and let the pan cool without any disturbance. Do not even remove the spoon! When cool, beat with a spoon until it's light, loses its gloss, and holds its shape. This requires good muscles! Add 1 t. vanilla and 1 C. chopped walnuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper and let dry. You must work quickly, because it sets quickly. It is best to make this on a bright sunny day perhaps because of humidity and barometric influences. This is a tricky recipe, but the end product is worth it!