Cooking in the West

Heaven gained an angel last week when my friend, Linda Story, lost her battle with cancer. Her obituary is so beautiful, I want to share it, but I also had to write a little tribute to her, because she was such an amazing woman.

Ride On Ahead

Thirty years ago, Steve and Linda hired on to run the Hobble Diamond across the Yellowstone.

They left their home in Colorado to run the place flawlessly and tirelessly as if it were their own.

Linda worked with Steve as a team, and they were gifted at everything.

Gave us 30 years of memories of shipping, gathering, and branding in the spring.

She could do absolutely anything ranchy, yet she was always humble and kind.

Salt of the Earth she was, and a better friend you could search for and never find.

She could ride, farm, rope, cook, clean, sew, and make anything with leather.

She had a perpetual Linda grin, and a can do attitude no matter the weather.

She was a rare person about whom no one ever uttered an unkind word.

She was a good listener, and only positive advice from her lips was heard.

She would take on any task like remaking my old saddle as good as new.

She would do almost anything out of friendship that you asked her to do.

Linda left us much too soon with so much left unsaid.

The trail has forked, and she must ride on ahead.

We will meet again, my friend, over the divide.

We will ride once more together side by side!

Linda Cheryl Story of Big Timber, MT passed October 11, 2024 after a brief battle with and complications from lung cancer. The third child of Jack D. Smith and Ruby H. (Empfield) Smith's four children, Linda was born in Basin, Wyoming on April 2, 1948. Linda attended several schools throughout Wyoming and Colorado growing up, graduating from Loveland High School in Colorado. After getting caught trying to elope, she and her husband of 58 years, Steve, married on December 11, 1965 in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Together, she and Steve raised their two children, Marla Lehn and Barton Lloyd, near the Colorado mountain town of Walden where they fully embraced and treasured the ranching way of life. Linda fell in love with Montana some 30 years ago when she and Steve relocated to continue ranching together on the Hobble Diamond Ranch. They then retired and continued to live near Big Timber until her passing.

When free time allowed, Linda enjoyed sewing and became quite well known for her skills with anything from fabric to leather. She made many clothes for the family early on, mended countless pairs of work jeans and later sewed leather garments for celebrities. She and Steve enjoyed repairing tack and saddles and she was known to tool a beautiful deep pattern making many treasured pieces for family and friends. Together, they also spent many hours in "Santa's Workshop" woodworking and making gifts and pieces they often donated for benefit auctions.

Linda lived large. She could rope, vaccinate, or brand the spring calves. She could drive a team of horses or tractor to feed the cows on a cold winter morning. She could run hay equipment like a pro and prepare a meal for a crew that would make your mouth water just from the thought of it. The smell of a good rain, fresh cut hay, and flowers of all kinds were some of her favorite simple pleasures that complimented a good day's work she never shied away from.

Known to be an avid elk hunter, she once shot a hole in the floorboard of the pickup in her rush to get a good shot. She would always act surprised and delighted when year after year her kids gifted her a fishing and small game hunting license for Mother's Day. She could clear out a batch of pesky ground squirrels and enjoyed reeling in a rainbow trout from a cool mountain stream. While admiring the iridescent colors she would often say, "Isn't he a beauty?" with a tickled grin on her face. Linda loved the great outdoors and particularly enjoyed the high mountain timber and meadow valleys on a colorful fall day.

Linda was a grand advocate for agriculture chairing many committees and developing programs to help promote beef and industry awareness. One of her favorites was serving as the National Beef Cook-Off Registration Chairman. Always invested in her community, she was the assistant to the Jackson County Planner and Commissioners in North Park, Colorado for many years. She actively supported 4-H and FFA in both Colorado and Montana and donated many hours to their programs. Continuing the tradition and support of High School Rodeo, you would often find her in the grandstands on the weekends. Thankfully HS rodeo season didn't overlap the professional football season, as she was a Denver Broncos fan and enjoyed watching them play. Loyalty aside, being highly competitive, she has been known to bet against them in her football pool to increase her standing. She enjoyed pitching horseshoes and a good card game, when the opportunity came along.

Linda has four grandchildren and three great-grands she delighted in spending time with. Watching them grow up yielded many spring break adventures, hours on bleachers, miles traveled, and wonderful memories for her. Each of them carry her love for agriculture with them, making her proud and grateful for that way of life she dearly loved.

Linda is survived by her husband Steve, daughter Marla Story (CO) and son Bart (Lyndell) Story (MT). Grandchildren Cortney (Dan) Harrison (IL), Rayna (Nick) Vollmer (CO), Chance and Walker Story (MT) and great grandchildren, Wrenley, Binzley and Dax Belton Harrison; sister Karen Brown, sisters-in-law, Carol Story, Willadell (Toots) Ihrke, Amy Brewster, and many, many nephews and nieces spanning several generations.

Linda is preceded in death by her parents, brother Maynard D. Smith, sister Sandra S. Fisher, brothers and sisters-in-law, William P. Brown, Jon Fisher, Ralph and Marlene (Story) Sides, Larry and Georgia Lee (Dodie Story) Fay, O Rex Story, Don Ihrke and Stan Brewster.

A social gathering to reminisce and enjoy family and friends will be held at the 4-H Building in Big Timber, MT, from 11am-2pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024. She has asked that any donations be made to Platte Valley FFA of Kersey, Colorado, Montana HS Rodeo Assoc. or North Park Museum of Walden, Colorado. Please send them to Stenberg Funeral Home, 215 Anderson Street, Big Timber, MT, 59011 where they will be forwarded to the designated charity.

Of course, I have beef recipes in remembrance of Linda!

Easy Taco Shepherd's Pie

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C. water

1 envelope taco seasoning

2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

3 C. leftover mashed potatoes, warmed

Preheat broiler. In a large ovenproof skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain. Stir in water and taco seasoning; heat through. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Remove from heat. In a bowl, mix mashed potatoes and remaining cheese; spread over beef mixture. Broil 4-6 in. from heat 5-6 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Beef Bombs

1 lbs. ground beef

1/2 C. coarsely chopped onion

1/2 C. coarsely chopped green pepper

1 T. Montreal steak grill seasoning

1 1/2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 can refrigerated Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Buttermilk Biscuits

Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.

In a10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, bell pepper, and seasoning over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese until cheese is melted.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits; let stand 5 minutes. Gently pull each biscuit apart, leaving bottom and lower sides intact, forming a deep pocket. Holding opened biscuit in hand, place about 1/4 cup beef mixture inside, pressing inside to fit. Gently stretch dough over filling, pressing and firmly sealing around edges of biscuit. Reshape into round, and place on cookie sheet. (Biscuits will be full.) Repeat for remaining biscuits.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until biscuit tops are golden brown. Remove from oven; sprinkle tops with remaining cheese. Return to oven 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

16 oz. package egg noodles

2 T. butter

1 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 T. all-purpose flour

4.5 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 T. garlic salt

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 C. sour cream

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 5 minutes; drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef to skillet in small chunks; cook and stir to break the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the beef mixture, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Stir mushrooms and garlic salt into the beef mixture. Pour mushroom soup and chicken soup over beef, stir, and cook until hot, about 5 minutes; add sour cream, stir until smooth, and cook until again hot, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour beef mixture over the cooked egg noodles.