The Sunset

The sunset was incredible tonight.
It looked like it was peeking out from between two clouds...one in front and one behind.

I enjoyed the show. :)

Not the Best Place to Hide

One of my young heifers had her first calf. I've been keeping an eye on her in case things didn't go well.
She found a place far away from the herd and had no problem giving birth.

She also picked some tall weeds to hide her baby....


He's hiding by the fence post...


Unfortunately this isn't the best place to hide. Coyotes will be able to drag the baby under the fence, making it impossible for the momma to protect him.


With a little coaxing from me and the mom, the little fellow gave up his hiding place and searched for a new one farther into the pasture.

I'm happy to see that she's going to be a good momma. :)

Pasta Salad and Cowgirl Caviar

Thanks to Chez for the inspiration!!
After reading Chez's blog about pasta salad and cold fried chicken, I couldn't resist...it looked and sounded so good!

If you get the chance, check out Chez's blog. "Fat Johnny's Front Porch". He's one heck of a talented fellow!

http://chez-frontporch.blogspot.com/



I headed to the garden to see what I could use...








Added my fresh veggies to some cooked pasta. Drizzled the mix with a vinegar/oil dressing and popped it into the fridge to chill.

Then I decided to make some "Cowgirl Caviar".

To 3 cups of cooked black eyed peas, I add

minced onion

minced garlic

minced jalapeno

A dressing of

3/4 cups of oil

1/4 cup of rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Place everything in a quart jar and give it a shake...

I can tell this is going to be a good batch... see the little smiley face in the center? lol I have no idea why that pea is smiling at me but...

Into the fridge to chill at least overnight.

The Black eyed pea dish is sometimes called "Texas Caviar".
Having friends from both Texas and Oklahoma here at the same time, there is usually a discussion about the name of the dish.
I've called the dish " Cowboy Caviar" to avoid the "Texas" debate.... but that raises issues too.
Now I just call them "Cowgirl Caviar".

So far no one has challenged my decision. lol :)

Another Nice Day

The barrel cactus are in bloom....

Also the indian blankets.....

It looks like the wind has been keeping these yucca plants busy.....

Another nice day in Oklahoma. :)

Baby Tumbleweed

I should tie a ribbon onto this baby tumbleweed... see where it goes when it grows up and lets go of the ground.

lol .... I have too much time on my hands today. :)

New Gates

They might not be the fanciest gates...but they will work just fine for the two stalls in my loafing shed.
I cobbled them together using "used" lumber that I had on hand.



They are patiently waiting for hinges and latches.....

Drum Smoked Zucchini with a Ribeye

I had planned on fishing yesterday but friends stopped by... so I threw some food into the drum smoker and enjoyed the evening.

My zucchini is really starting to produce. One of my favorite ways to fix it is stuffed and smoked.

I cut them in half and used a spoon to remove the seeds... then seasoned them with kosher salt and cracked black pepper..




Mixed some spicy pork sausage (1/2 lb) with minced onion and 3/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs.


Filled the zucchini halves...

Put them into my drum smoker with the ribeyes and some hickory....

I let them smoke for 1 hour and then topped with fresh parmesan cheese...

After smoking for an hour, I seared the ribeyes over a hot flame....

The smoked ribeye, zucchini, fruit and salad....

They were both really tasty. I plan on making these again soon. :)

Three Things......

I mentioned to someone the other day that I can clean and process deer, pigs, poultry and other game....but when it comes to picking up a mouse, (dead or alive)... I can't do it.
If I catch one in a trap, I use pliers to pick it up and usually throw the whole thing away, trap and all.

The second thing I have a problem touching is a water dog.. or salamander. When using them for fish bait....again, I reach for my pliers.


I've apparently come across "icky" thing number three.

The tomato horn worm.........

I use my heavy duty work gloves to pick them from the plants, place them in a bucket and feed them to the chickens.

I'm pretty sure I heard this one growl.....

A side note... If you have a good source for work gloves, let me know please. I have a hard time finding good work gloves that are small enough for my hands. Thanks!

My Shrimp Herd

Sorry about the picture quality.

My shrimp herd was delivered one late night in May, I wanted to snap a couple of pictures before releasing them into the pond...

I tried to get a close up of the little fellows but they didn't come out clear...
Here are a few in a cup.

They didn't show up well in the cup, so I grabbed a paper plate....

Then I got to thinking, that was kind of cruel.... hope I didn't traumatize the little buggers!

My future olive smoked shrimp, bacon wrapped shrimp, shrimp scampi, DINGLE shrimp, gumbo shrimp, ... I could go on and on. :)

Fresh Veggies

My garden is starting to produce. The fresh veggies are nice, I can't wait til the ripe tomatoes kick in. :)

Venison Canadian Bacon with Dove Breasts and Wild Sage

I love using what I can from the land around me.
This is a bit of venison from the white tail doe I harvested last winter. I cleaned the fat and silver from two small roasts...





Butterflied the roasts and then pounded them with my meat tenderizer so they would lay flat...



I mixed my canadian bacon cure....
1 TBS of Tender Quick (per pound of meat)
1 tsp of sugar (per pound of meat)
1 dried cayenne pepper
1 TBS black pepper corns
1 TBS juniper berries
1 clove of garlic... minced.

I rubbed the dry cure into the venison and let it cure (wrapped) for three days in the fridge...

I can't resist the wild sage... It smells so wonderful.


After the venison cures for three days, I rinse it with cool water then let it sit in a bowl of cold water for 2 hours to get rid of the remaining cure....

I layed my butcher string out and topped with the venison....

I decided to stuff the venison canadian bacon with some of the dove I got last fall....

I deboned the dove breasts and pounded them flat with my meat tenderizer...

I placed the dove breasts on top of the cured venison meat.....

Added a few sprigs of wild sage and some minced jalapeno for a small kick...

Rolled the venison and tied with the string, then sprinkled with cracked black pepper....

Onto my horizontal wood burning smoker with a bit of mesquite....

I pulled the venison canadian bacon off of the smoker when it reached an internal temperature of 160. Then let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing...

I usually smoke venison canadian bacon to 150 but wanted to make sure my dove breasts were ready too.

With some fresh eggs from my girls and a slice of cactus jelly toast, it was a tasty meal. :)