Cooking in the West

This week marks the third anniversary of the grand opening of our main street boutique that uniquely sells food. Honestly, it does not seem that long, perhaps because we have been too busy to count the days. Owning a restaurant that sells gifts has been fun and exhausting. To make it even more interesting, we also cater special events, so there is literally not a dull moment.

However, there is something I need to get off my chest. I decided to look back on this column that I ran the week we opened and finally come clean about my candle making or lack thereof. To be perfectly honest, the candle making materials are still in their boxes, and we are buying our candles from a vendor. Whew, it is good to get that secret off my chest. This is the column that started it all. . . .

"Have you lost your mind?" Millie Woolley asked.

"Yes, I thought you were smarter than that!" added Shelly Carroccia, as we stood outside the papered over store front windows of the boutique my daughter Brooke and I are starting on McLeod Street in Big Timber. Of course, these women whom I greatly respect and admire, know what they are talking about regarding running a business and working really hard past retirement age, so I decided to completely disregard their warnings.

Afterall, what could go wrong with our business plan for opening a retail store without having any retail experience, combining retail with a bit of food purveyance, starting up after a worldwide pandemic which has caused supply chain disruptions and excessive remodeling costs, and to top that, one of us reaches retirement age this year. Seems like a Disney movie plot to me!

The back story on how we decided to jump into the deep end of retail business in Big Timber, Montana started when Brooke was two years old. She displayed a talent for shopping at a very young age. We were shopping in K-Mart in Bozeman with Grandma Carol Metcalf when Brooke spied a pair of Minnie Mouse flip-flops that she insisted she wanted even though they were obviously made for school aged children and not toddlers. Showing true lack of judgment, we let her try them on and explained that they were just too big, but she would not accept that explanation. Eventually we wrestled them off of her and were trying to get her out of the store, but she threw such a loud, screaming fit that she could be heard in the parking lot where her father was wisely waiting. Grandma Carol gave in and bought her the flip-flops just to shut her up, and six years later she finally grew into the coveted flip-flops, and thus a shopper was launched.

Brooke chose business marketing as a college major and harbored a dream that someday she would own a clothing business of some sort. Like a fairy tale, the opportunity for that dream came true this year when her father sold some heirloom property in the crazy Bozeman, Montana real estate boom that allowed him to launch both of his children into new ventures. Bret could expand his ranching operation, and Brooke could reach for her boutique dream. It was the epitome of the American dream for a parent and his children.

Then the dream became reality when the papers were signed. Note to selves: it is a lot easier to run a business from the outside than the inside. Over the years, I have watched many people buy ranches who had no idea what they were getting themselves into, and now we have done the same thing on a little smaller scale. We needed signs, logos, licenses, insurance, remodeling, inventory, business accounts with vendors, POS systems, social media presence, inspections, and even toilet paper as we started from the ground up.

One of the biggest challenges is getting two strong minded women (sounds better than stubborn as mules) to agree on inventory when they do not share the same stylistic tastes nor hail from the same generation. The compromise is that the store will be a blend of "old lady crap" and "teeny bopper belly showing crap."

We are lucky to live on a road that has a disproportionate number of talented people living on it. We live within two miles of two amazing wood craftsmen, a seamstress, a boot maker, a metal artist, a blacksmith, a laser engraver, and an imager. We called upon a few friends who make soap, cards, pottery, jewelry, t-shirts, and photographs. We made road trips to pick up Canty boots and Country Girl Clay. We practiced making egg salad and chicken salad and quiche and charcuterie. The only thing we were missing was candles!

So, I decided to take on the role of candle maker. Let's just say that although I was advised that I was probably biting off more than I could chew, I responded that it is like eating an elephant-one bite at a time. Let's just also say that Youtube videos do not always portray the level of difficulty of certain tasks, and that I have less than 144 hours before the store opens to fully stock the candle display with handmade, small batch, wooden wick, soy wax candles. If sleep time is factored in, I have 96 hours, but I won't have time to eat. So, if you are dying to see if I actually got the candle display filled, you will have to stop by the Crazy Peak Boutique when you pass through Big Timber, Montana!

Father's Day is coming up this Sunday, so skip the ties and gadgets and do something memorable with the fathers in your life. The following recipes are favorite cookies of my father and father-in-law who live on in our memories.

Carol Metcalf's Heath Bar Cookies

1 C. butter

1/3 C. white sugar

1 beaten egg

3 C. flour

1 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

6 Heath bars, chopped

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in flour, soda, and salt. Fold in chopped Heath bars. Chill overnight or for a few hours. Shape into a roll and slice 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes.

Mom's Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 C. sugar

2/3 C. Crisco shortening

2 eggs, unbeaten

1 C. ripe mashed bananas (about 2)

1/3 C. milk

1 t. vanilla

2 2/3 C. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1 bag milk chocolate chips

Cream Crisco and sugar. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and bananas. Stir in flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and then stir in chips. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. The bottom and edges should be light brown. They will remain light colored and moist. Be careful not to overbake them!

Mother's Cherry Bars

1/2 C. butter

1 C. flour

2 T. powdered sugar

Mix and pat into 8-inch square greased pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs, well beaten

1 small bottle maraschino cherries (chopped) and their juice

1/2 t. baking powder

1 C. sugar

3/4 C. coconut

1/2 C. flour

dash salt

1/2 C. chopped walnuts (opt.)

Spread cherry mixture over crust. Return to the oven and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When partially cooled, cut into bars.