Cooking in the West

A couple weeks ago at the Sweet Grass County Chamber of Commerce Banquet, rancher, Chuck Rein was named Ag Person of the Year. Chuck ranches and runs an outfitting business with his wife Pam and his son Charlie and his family 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, and he shared it at the banquet. This poem sums up why ranchers ranch especially during times like this past week when it snowed for 3 whole days and dumped several feet of snow on a lot of baby calves.

Chuck, thanks for sharing this poem, and thanks for being a lifetime ambassador for the ranching industry!

“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 wives.

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

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.”

I don’t have any Rein Anchor Ranch recipes to share this week, but I would like to share some of my favorite spring/Easter recipes!

Greek Orzo Side Dish:

(Serves six)

1 box Orzo pasta

1 stick butter

1 t. Greek Seasoning

2/3 C. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 C. Half and Half (warmed in microwave for 30 seconds)

Cook pasta according to box directions. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and serve immediately.

Easter Salad:

Mix together 1 C. of each of the following:

drained pineapple chunks

drained mandarin oranges

commercial sour cream

coconut

miniature colored marshmallows

Cover and refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

Crockpot Italian Chicken:

Place 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts in bottom of a crock pot (thawed or frozen will both work)

Mix together:

2 cans undiluted cream of chicken soup

8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing seasoning

1 C. milk

Pour over chicken and cook on high for 3 hours. Serve over hot rice or cooked noodles.