Cooking for Cowboys - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

Dinner For a Rancher

April 12, 2017 by Allison

The other night I made dinner and, as our life goes about now, The Rancher had to head out just as I was putting it on the table. I fed the kids and myself a tasty dinner of grilled steaks, fresh pineapple, salad, and green beans. Everything I love and my kids too! It went over with flying colors and any dinner that I don’t have to coax my kids to eat every bite is considered a win.

But with The Rancher it was a whole different situation.

He came home sat down ready to eat. I was pumped for the steak and the pineapple was a fun treat. But he looked at me and we had this conversation:

Him: “So where is the rest of the food?”

Me: “The rest of it? I think you got it all out.”

Him: “But, like… where is the filling stuff?”

Me: “The filling stuff? What does that even mean?”

Him: “Like potatoes or something. I’ll eat this, but I’m still gonna be hungry if I eat JUST this!”

I couldn’t help but just laugh and laugh! Heaven forbid he had some fruit and veggies in his diet. He thinks that he is going to shrivel up and die if he doesn’t have meat and potatoes for every meal. Actually, I did hear him say once (and I’m sure it will be the only time in his life!) that he was a little tired of potatoes… But that only lasted a few days.

But seriously, cooking for a rancher can be tough. With such a physically demanding job, he needs some serious calories to help him make it through the day. Over the years I have learned a few things about cooking for a rancher.

Things like how a salad will never cut it for him. It may be yummy and it may be nutritious, but it will only last about an hour before he is back in the house looking for a snack to help him make it to the end of the day. Only once has a salad been ok and that was on a hot summer night when the idea of a hot meal was just more than he could handle. Lesson here is, a salad can only be a side, not the entree!

It may be because we raise beef, but I’ve learned that EVERY meal needs to have meat in it. I didn’t even have to attempt a meatless meal to learn this lesson! I think it came with the wedding proposal, something like, “Honey, will you marry me and not EVER make dinner without some meat in it?” I can’t blame him though. Protein is essential part of a healthy diet and it is even more essential for a physically demanding job like his.

Making sure the menu meets his criteria isn’t the only thing I had to learn when I started cooking for The Rancher. His daily schedule is anything BUT predictable, which means that his dinner schedule is also anything but predictable. So what I do is ask him what time he thinks he will be home, add at least 45 minutes to that, but make sure that the table is set if he manages to make it in early so it looks like I believed him. Ok, not really… I think we have had a few reheated meals or overcooked and mushy noodles or the kids and I eat without The Rancher. Its what happens when dinner is on schedule and a calf needs pulled, a cow gets out or something breaks down. Its what happens when you are married to a rancher!

Dinner for a rancher isn’t typical or predictable. Usually I don’t even know what is for dinner until it was time to get fixing and all to often I have to ask The Rancher what he wants for dinner (and his usual reply is “I dunno…”). But dinner at our house is delicious, nutritious, never meatless, and full of love, because every dinner is a chance I have to take care of my rancher so he can do a little bit better at his job.

What is dinner look like at your house?

Delicious, Home-Cooked Steak Dinner

May 9, 2014 by Allison

Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I hope you have big plans for pampering the mother’s in your lives. Maybe you’ll do a little breakfast in bed, beautiful spring flowers, some chocolates maybe or how about a nice dinner to say thank you.

Growing up it was my mom that pulled together those nice holiday meals that added just the right touch to the day. Not to say that dad couldn’t, but it was mom’s forte. That usually meant that when it came to Mother’s Day we were already starting without our MVP. I don’t want you to fall short this Mother’s Day, so here is a SUPER easy, delicuious and easy meal to show the mom’s in your life just how much you care!

At our house you can never go wrong with a nice steak dinner. And when you cook them on the grill, its minimal mess which means minimal clean up (for you… because momma isn’t doing dishes on Mother’s Day, remember?).

The most important step in making this isn’t going to be at home- its at the grocery store. A good steak isn’t made with the rubs, seasonings, or marinades (although they do make for some awesome added flavor!). Its how that calf was grown (ok, so really its starts on the ranch, but you don’t have much control over that!). At the meat counter, take the time to choose a steak with good color and good marbling- the little flecks of fat that are in the meat. This is where you get your flavor and what makes a steak tender. Factor in the cut, or the type of steak, that you are getting. Choose one that is from the rib area. Steaks that come from places like the shoulder tend to be a less tender. Personally, my favorite is a T-bone… yep… I love T-bone steak.

Once you get your steak home the stage is set for some incredible eating with only a little bit of work. Get the grill hot and ready to go and when its hot, its time to get cooking.

After putting the steaks on the grill, add a little salt. Partially for flavor, but also because that helps to keep the juicy flavor in the steak. A LONG time ago you learned about how water follows salt in some science class, right? This is when you are finally gonna use what you learned!

Let it cook for a good 1-2 minutes and then turn in 45 degrees to give it that criss-cross look. Besides looking so professional (which is what we’re going for, right?!), those lines are seared, which sort of caramelizes the surface and locks in more of that delicious flavor!

Once you rotate your steak, let it grill for another 2-3 minutes and then flip and repeat. A little more salt for flavor AND to keep your steak moist. This time we like to add a little more seasonings- just some pepper and good ol’ seasoning salt (at this house, sometimes less is more!). After its cooked for a minute or two, rotate. Give it another good couple of minutes and then you’re done!

Unless you’re going for a well-done cooked steak. Then you’re not done. Keep cooking…

Timing is important to cooking steaks. You don’t want to under cook your meat, pull it off and then have to start over. Ideally, you only want to flip your steak once. But the opposite is possible- over cooking. I’m not a fan of burnt steak… or a dry steak. I don’t know about you, but pink in the middle is perfect.

But however your momma likes it, is what we’re going for. And no matter how that is, she is gonna love your delicious, home-cooked steak dinner. Add some steamed veggies and some fresh watermelon and you will rule the day!

Because really, don’t all the mom’s in your life deserve nothing but your best?

Happy Mother’s Day! (early…)

Steak Kabobs on the Grill

April 20, 2014 by Allison

Its grilling season! OK, I don’t know that there is an official grilling season… but if there were I would declare it open! We actually don’t wait for grilling season to get cooking outside. I’m a big fan of cooking on the grill, partly because that means less dishes to do…

One of my favorites to cook on the grill are Steak Kabobs. The delicious, bite size pieces of meat and veggies are the perfect dinner to change things up! I will tell you that everyone loves these. My baby couldn’t shovel them in fast enough. So fast that I was fishing the too-big-bites out of her mouth to cut them down to non choking size. And my boy was thrilled with the idea of eating off of a stick (no surprises there- he is ALL boy). In fact I might cook more on a stick because then he actually eats!

So let’s get down to cooking these kabobs! (PS, isn’t kabobs just a fun word?!)

Since they are steak kabobs, let’s start with the steak. If cost wasn’t an issue, I would tell you to go get a Filet Mignon. But a nice sirloin or skirt steak will do great. Whatever you get, cut it up into 1” pieces. Try to make them as uniform as possible so that they will all cook the same.

With the steak cut up, cut up some veggies. Peppers and onion are a favorite at our house. And zucchini- The Ranch Princess LOVES zucchini. Some days I do potatoes too. If you do potatoes, I recommend that you cook them up before. They won’t cook on the grill long enough to make them tender. I have even use baked potatoes to slice up! If I was a fan of mushrooms I would put them on… but I’m not. Really you can try anything!

This time we had a treat- pineapple! If you haven’t tasted grilled pineapple, you have to give it a try! Some people think it is weird to have warm pineapple… I promise it is so delicious you won’t even think about it!

Once everything is chopped up, it’s time for some marinating. Grab some oil, honey, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Add in a few shakes of chili powder and garlic powder.

Mix, mix, mix and then pour over the meat and veggies. I threw the veggies in a big Ziploc bag with the marinade- it made easier to shake and keep them coated with the sauce. But you can do whatever you want!

When you’re ready for the cooking (like after 2-3 hours… but the longer the better!) pull out your skewers and get to poking. I put them on the stick and then straight to the grill, but I wish I hadn’t. They cook so fast that some were ready before others were even on. By the time we got to eating them they were cooled. So skewer them all at once, grill them all at once, and then eat them all at once!

Turn your grill to high and stay close once you put them on. Remember that since they are cut small they will cook fast. And you want crunchy veggies, not mushy. Cook them about 7-8 minutes, turn and cook another 5-7 minutes.

You know the next step- EAT and ENJOY!

I have to tell you a funny about these… The Rancher had a Search and Rescue meeting, so he got to take his on the run (a meal on a stick is the ultimate fast food!). Not long after he left I got a text from him- #Kabobs #Dabomb. The fact that The Rancher thinks hashtags are ridiculous just makes it all so much funnier!

Steak Kabobs

2 lbs Steak, sirloin or flank
Bell peppers
Small Onion
Zucchini
Fresh Pineapple

Marinade

1/4 Vegetable Oil

1/3 Cup honey

1/3 Cup Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1-2 Shakes Chili Powder

Cut the meat and vegetables into 1 inch pieces. (I only listed the veggies that we used, but it isn’t inclusive- try whatever you want!) Mix together the marinade ingredients and pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover and put into the refrigerator for 2-3 hours (the longer they sit, the more flavorful and tender they will be!).

Drain off the marinade and put the meat and vegetable chunks onto the skewers.

Preheat the grill to high heat and lightly oil. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook for 7-8 minutes and then turn. Cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

March 31, 2014 by Allison

Every once in a while I get caught in a cooking rut, cooking the same thing over and over. At this point I find one our tried-and-true favorites that I know will satisfy my rancher. I hit this point this weekend and pulled out an old favorite- Sweet and Sour Meatballs!

Funny thing about meatballs at our house… When we were first married, The Rancher just told me not to bother making them- “I don’t like them,” he said. Then we visited my parents in Montana and had some meatballs and he loved them! Guess what honey, that’s how I make them… Now I have all green lights with the meatballs!

What I love about a meatball is that you can make it so many ways, add whatever you like, take out whatever you don’t and every time it’s delicious! They are fast to make and really don’t require a big clean up… I make dinners depending on what I am willing to clean up some days…

But the meatballs…

I thought I would try something a little new and threw in some bacon and cheese to give it new flavor. It’s like a bacon cheeseburger rolled into a meatball! I have to admit, they turned out AWESOME! Definitely worth sharing!

So grab all the meatball ingredients: ground beef, onion, bacon, cheese, egg, toast bits, Worcestershire, salt, salt, pepper, milk, and red pepper flakes. We only mix up once, so you just as well have it all pulled out!

Start with the bacon, toast, and onion. I go for a chunkier meatball, so I don’t worry about getting it all so finely chopped up. But you do what you want! I just toast a few slices of bread and chop them up rather than buying breadcrumbs. It’s my way of making good use of the ends that nobody wants to eat!

Once these are diced, you’re ready to throw it all in together. Yep all of it!

And stir, stir, stir! If you’re brave you can even mix with your hands. Unless you’re not into the meat squishing through your fingers…

I added my cheese a little at a time so it didn’t end up in one big pile that didn’t get mixed around. We are going for a little cheese in each meatball!

When everything has been evenly mixed, its time to roll them into meatballs. I go for a golf ball size, but they all vary. I have big cowboys and little cowboys, so it all works out! Place them in a 9×13 baking dish, spacing about 1” apart.

Now with the meatballs ready, it’s time to make a little sauce! Grab all your ingredients again, pour tem in and mix! I added a little pineapple juice to liven up the “sweet” part of the sweet and sour. Yummy!

After it’s all mixed up, pour over those meatballs!

I sprinkled a little parsley on top for just a bit of extra flavor.

Cover it up and throw those babies in the oven!

Let ‘em cook for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. You know their ready when the house is smelled with a tantalizing aroma that you can’t hardly stand!

Oh… and when they aren’t pink in the middle (that’s probably a better rule to follow!)

Next step- EAT! And share… We had friends over to dinner and was perfect to fill those boys up!

If you’re ready for a new dinner to spice up your menu, you’ll want to try these Sweet and Sour Meatballs! I promise, they won’t disappoint!

Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb bacon

1/4 cup cheese, shredded

1/2 cup toast, chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tap salt

1 egg

1 dash red pepper flakes

Sweet and Sour Sauce

¾ cup water

½ cup vinegar

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup pineapple juice

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

Prepare bacon, cheese, toast, and onion.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine ground beef, bacon, cheese, toast crumbs, Worcestershire, onion, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and egg using hands (or a wooden spoon) until well mixed.

Shape into 20 meatballs and place 1” apart in a 9×13 baking dish.

Mix sauce ingredients together and stir until combined. Pour over the meatballs.

Cover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink.

Enjoy!

Beef Fajitas with The Rancher’s Wife

March 9, 2014 by Allison

As folks that raise beef, we eat beef. We love beef- every tender, juicy bite of it!

Lately I have been craving fajitas. Beef with a little Mexican twist is always a favorite for our family. The Rancher especially loves Mexican food, but it has to be good. I mean he lived in Mexico for two years (you should ask him about it)so he knows the real stuff! So when he says I did good, that means I really did good!

I wish I could share our DELISCIOUS fajitas with you, but alas… I can’t. So how about instead I share the recipe and all the fun I had making them (because it was so fun!).

This might take some room, so click on to read the whole fajita story and recipe!

Lets start with the spices. I don’t want to say its all in the spices, but it just isn’t quite fajitas with out them! Get a little bit of onion flakes and paprika. Add that with some cumin and garlic powder. Then bring on the hotness with the cayenne pepper, chill powder and the red pepper flakes. Give it a little salt and sugar and you have a tantalizing concoction that will bring you fajita heavenliness!

With the spices ready to rock and roll, mix in the olive oil.

Pour a little bit more than half of you marinade on the beef. Slather it around and let it sit (in the refrigerator of course!). You could just cook it up now but the longer you let it sit, the better the flava!

But this is a good time to get your veggies ready.

Pull out the peppers and onions and get to choppin’. I go with a variety of colors because it is oh, so pretty! And the combination of their sweet and spiciness is awesome.

Some days I go with just a straight white onion but today I was feeling the red onion too.

Check out all of that color! Even the pictures look good enough to eat!

Next step- mix way! Get that marinade on all those peppers and onions. Go, go, go! Some days I even use my hands (shhh, don’t tell!)I even rinse the bowl out a little to get every last bit of it! Put it in the refrigerator to marinate while we keep going.

When your ready, lets get the steaks cooking. I wish I had one of those fancy-shmancy grill pans… but I don’t. So I just pulled out my favorite cast iron skillet. And if you didn’t want to do that, you could put ’em on the grill outside. Whatever you do, cook the beef!

But not too long- you want it nice and pink in the middle. Remember that as hot as it is, it will keep cooking a tiny bit after you pull them off.

Bring out the peppers and onions for some cookin’! Since I cooked my steaks in the skillet, I poured my veggies in the same skillet to keep that savory juice left from the meat.

Don’t over cook them, because then you have smushy mess. We are going for crunchiness!

While their cooking, head back over to the steaks and cut them into thin slices. Yep… cut, cut, cut! Can you smell it yet? Oh, hold on! You’re almost there!

Once the veggies are awesomely cooked, throw the meat back in the skillet to keep it all nice and hot. Its a great way to serve it up too! And not to mention, there is one less dish to do (I’ll admit that I will avoid one more dish to wash at ALL costs!).

Now we’re ready for the best part- eating them! Grab your tortillas (extra yummy if they are fried in a little oil) and your favorite fixings! We go for pico de gallo, mexican cheese (The Rancher LOVES oaxaca cheese!) and a little freshly squeezed lime juice. How ever you do it, pile ’em high and enjoy!

Beef Fajitas

Beef Steak (flank and skirt steak are the most popular, today I used sirloin because that’s what I had!)

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp onion flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 onion (or 1/2 white onion, 1/2 red onion)

Tortillas

Cheese

Pico de Gallo

Limes

Sour cream

… and whatever other favorite fixings you want!

Mix together the chill powder, salt, paprika, sugar, onion flakes, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin. Add olive oil and stir. Pour 2/3 of mixture on the beef in a prepared dish. Coat both sides of steak, then cover and return to the refrigerator to marinate. Slice the peppers and onion and pour the remaining marinade over the veggies, coating well. Cover and return to the refrigerator to marinate.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add some oil and cook steaks 4-5 minutes, turning after 2 minutes (for medium rare). Remove the steak to the cutting board. Let the beef cool a few minutes and then cut into thin slices.

Heat the same skillet to medium high heat and add the veggies, cooking only a few minutes. They should be hot but still crispy. Turn off heat and add sliced beef to the skillet.

Serve it hot on tortillas with your favorite fixin’s!

I think that we made enough, lets invite a few cowboys over!