Cooking in the West

As an English teacher, I love to read. The problem is that I never have time to finish a book. In fact, since the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebration back in 2004, I have been trying to read “Undaunted Courage”. My copy is dog-eared only from being drug around in my car for 18 summers. I spend the summer driving back and forth between our places near Bozeman, Big Timber, and Musselshell, Montana, and I vow every summer that I am going to actually finish the book, but I never do. I use it for weights in my suitcase, but I don't actually have time to read it--except during road construction stops.

Therefore, on every trip for 20 minutes or less, as mandated by state law, my book is dog-eared but never completed. It only took the corps 2 years, 4 months, and 10 days to complete their entire expedition, but it has taken me 18 years to decide I will never finish the book. I will just wait for the movie to come out!

One thing about it, at least Lewis and Clark and the gang did not have to put up with road construction on every single route they tried to travel during the summer! Although I am sure they would have given anything for a road grader and a pilot car, they did the next best thing - they hired a woman to guide them! Obviously, they were men who admitted that they did not know where they were going or how to get there, which is a tribute to them as members of the male species. Of course, it is a lot harder to walk or ride a horse or canoe around in circles for hours and miles rather than stopping to ask for directions than it is to speed around in a vehicle ignoring all the passenger's pleas to stop at that gas station that was passed for the tenth time and ask for directions.

Historians claim that Sacagawea's husband was actually hired as an interpreter and that Sacagawea at the ripe old age of 16 just happened to give birth before the trip, so they took her and the baby Pomp along in case she would prove useful when they reached Shoshone country. See, no one moved to North Dakota voluntarily back then either... even though technically North Dakota didn't exist on the big old Louisiana Purchase map yet. Sacagawea ended up with the Hidatsa tribe in North Dakota, because they stole her away from the Shoshones. (Kidnapping was a form of entertainment back then and not considered a felony.) To make a long story short, she proved invaluable, and lo and behold, her brother just happened to be a Shoshone chief who gave them horses. How lucky is that? That's the stuff romance novels, not documentaries, are made of!

Even without reading the book, I have surmised that Sacagawea was an incredible woman. With an infant child and by some accounts a no-account husband in tow, she started her own tour guide business. Without disposable diapers, microwaves, day care, Diet Pepsi, or any of the luxuries of modern-day motherhood, she juggled a successful career and a family. Ironically, the expedition was named after Lewis and Clark instead of her, which turned out to be a blessing since now 200 years later, no one agrees on how to spell or pronounce her name. In Hidatsa her name meant "Bird Woman." In Shoshone, it meant "Boat Pusher." That is not really a humorous coincidence, but I threw it out to prove that I read a little bit of the book while stopped for road construction for the full 20 minutes allowable on Highway 191 between Big Timber and Harlowton.

I remember one particular road construction stop a few summers back, because that particular stop turned into an impromptu get-together where I acquired one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes. The flag lady and I were chatting when Ruth Plaggemeyer pulled up behind me. She got out of her truck and came up to chat. Then Betsy Indreland pulled up behind her, and she joined us. We were having quite a catching-up session... despite the disapproving scowls of the gravel truck drivers (It might be a teensy faux pas to have a gab session in the middle of a construction zone?) when the stupid pilot truck showed up and put an end to our visit.

I didn't learn much about what I have decided to call the Sacagawea Expedition, but I did get a great recipe from Mrs. Plaggemeyer that I now call Road Construction Chicken. She told me to dip boneless chicken breasts in milk and then flour. Season them to taste, brown them, and then bake them until they are about half done. Then mix apricot preserves and orange juice concentrate to taste and spread on the chicken breasts. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top and bake until desired doneness. I stopped in Roundup, bought the ingredients, and made Road Construction Chicken for supper. It was wonderful! I surmise that Sacagawea probably had to cook, guide, interpret, and balance the checkbook, but I have to wonder if she could just whip up a gourmet entree at the drop of a recipe?

Here are some quick and tasty recipes including another great chicken recipe that the "Bird Woman" Sacagawea would have loved to have discovered along with an IGA or even a convenience store!

Easy Brownies:

4 eggs, beaten

2 C. sugar

2/3 C. vegetable oil

2 t. vanilla

2 dashes salt

1 1/2 C. flour

1/2 C. cocoa

Mix all ingredients together. Add nuts if desired. Bake at 350 degrees in a greased 9 X 13 pan for 20 minutes. (Kay Rosin mentioned above told me that my mother had made these brownies during the 98 fire, and when Kay came to evacuate her, she asked Kay to serve the fire fighters brownies while she searched for her favorite pants to take with her.)

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole:

Cube one rotisserie chicken in bite sized pieces

Combine with:

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pt. sour cream

Combine in another bowl:

1 stick butter, melted

2 t. poppy seeds

1 stack crushed Ritz crackers

Layer chicken then soup then cracker layers. Repeat, ending with crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Snicker Salad:

1 bag fun size Snickers, chopped in pieces

4 large Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped (skins on)

12 oz. Cool Whip, thawed

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 small jar marshmallow creme

Mix Cool Whip, marshmallow creme, and cream cheese. Combine with Snickers pieces and apples. Mix well and serve.