Category Archives: TaMara
Jack
Jack – photo from Sun Pony Ranch
Today was my second lesson on Jack and he’s really stolen my heart. He’s a gentle, strong, strong-headed mount and he suits me to a t. Here’s the description from Sun Pony Ranch:
Jack is level-headed and easy-going as long as he is with other horses. However, he is insecure when away from the herd and needs a rider with confidence to help instill it in him when riding alone. He does need someone who can give clear and strong commands with their aids because he is easily confused and unwilling to do what might be the wrong thing. When he is out of his comfort zone, he can be headstrong and difficult to ride. Jack is not a natural jumper and is still learning to do low jumps. On the ground he is very sweet and easy to work with except sometimes he will test his handler with picking his hooves.
He’s a great teaching horse. Near the end of the lesson, we were to trot through the obstacle course. Jack knew I was tired and my head was not in the game. He was fine through the obstacle course…at a walk. I could not get him to trot, no matter what I tried. Which was fine for both of us. Next week I’ll be more focused and we’ll take it at a full trot.
In other W4DS news, LFern ran an idea by me that has me excited and as we go along, if we decide to pursue it, I’ll keep you informed, it could be fun.
Also starting this week, I think I’m going to take my posts back to some basics because I’m feeling, with the questions I’ve been fielding, we could all be stronger in them. More on that tomorrow. Until then…
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mother’s out there – toughest job in the world.
And to all those out there who are missing your mom or grandma today, I’m sending you big hugs.
Friday Dinner Music: Make You Feel My Love
Have loved this song forever. Now Adele is covering it. Found out something I NEVER knew. Bob Dylan wrote it.
Thursday Recipe Exchange: Steak with Coffee Rub
JeffreyW’s Loaded Baked Potato would be great with Coffee Rubbed Steak
It’s another one of those Colorado weeks where it’s impossible not to want to be outside all day. Beautiful, warm spring weather, the flowering locusts are in full splendor making my evening bike rides fragrant and still cool enough at night to need a blanket…or a cat…or several. I’m halfway through my horseback riding lessons, I’m finally comfortable with my posting trot, but feel like my major accomplishment is being able to adjust my stirrups from the saddle. I also managed to get my deck flower pots planted, though I always want more than I have space for, I’m satisfied with what I’ve done for this season. It is definitely outdoor season here. What’s on your weekend agenda? Planning on grilling for Mother’s Day? What is your favorite food item to grill?
In honor of the great weather, I thought tonight should be about grilling. Steak to be specific. This rub is a favorite of a couple of readers, so I thought it was a good time to repeat it. This can be used with any cut of steak, though I originally had it on rib eye. It’s too heavy to use on poultry or white fish, but I would be tempted to try on swordfish or maybe salmon. Easy to do and adds a real dramatic flavor.
Steak with Coffee Rub
- 3 tbsp chili powder (talking the good stuff here, pure ancho or a blend)
- 3 tbsp finely ground coffee (espresso works best)
- 1 ½ tbsp paprika (again, you want a good one)
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 to 1-1/2 lb of steak (rib-eye, sirloin, NY strip, etc) in 4 thick pieces
Mix together all spices. Lightly rub each steak with oil and then coat liberally on both sides with coffee rub. Now you can cook in a pre-heated skillet on medium-high heat, 5 to 7 minutes each side for medium rare. You can broil in the oven, using the second slot down from broiler, for 5 minutes each side, again for rare to medium rare, longer for medium. You can grill them outside. Cooking times will vary depending on which steak cut you choose, so watch carefully and you’ll probably have to use a meat thermometer to really judge, because the rub makes it a little harder to eyeball it. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Flowering Locusts
This is my favorite time of spring. I used to wait impatiently for the lilacs to bloom and while I still love them, there is something about flowering locusts that make rides special for a short week in the spring. Their fragrance it so delicate and sweet. That week has arrived:
A few more pics from my ride. The other side of the bridge above:
And some wildflowers maintained by a local family in honor of a loved one:
Click on any photo to see it full size.
Thursday Recipe Exchange: Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies
Time for cookies. Chocolate chip cookies to be specific. JeffreyW cleaned out his pantry one day and came up with the ingredients for his Awesome Cookies w/Coconut.
JeffreyW’s Awesome Cookies w/Coconut
There are a few recipes I get requests for often. My dark chocolate chip cookie recipe is hands-down the recipe that I get requests for the most. And instead of wanting a copy of the recipe, most people want me to make them, convinced they couldn’t get them to turn out as good. I disagree. There are a couple of simple tricks that make these foolproof. One is to melt the butter before mixing with the sugars. This gives you a crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside cookie. Another is to let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more, this brings out the toffee flavors in the dough. And finally, pull them from the oven just before they’re done and let them finish on the baking sheet for the last minute or so, this gives you a perfectly browned cookie and lets them set up just enough to transfer to a…PLATE. I’ve tried a baking rack and they are too gooey and get stuck on the rack. You can put parchment paper on it first, which I’ve done, but a plate works just fine.
Now, what’s your favorite type of cookie? Chocolate, fruit, sugar, peanut butter? I’m always on the look out for the perfect peanut butter cookie. I’m still looking…
Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 sticks butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp dash of salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 12 oz 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips
- 1-1/2 cups walnut halves, roughly chopped
mixing bowl and cookie sheet
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Sift together salt, soda, and 2 1/4 cups flour, then add to butter mixture, blending well. Add more flour as needed. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer. Keep remainder refrigerated while baking each batch. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove just before done and let finish cooking on the baking sheet. Cool on plate or baking rack covered with parchment.
Melting the butter gives you a chewier, crispier cookie. Letting it rest in the refrigerator enhances the toffee flavor from the brown sugar. Big cookie bakeries let theirs rest overnight before baking. I don’t have that kind of patience, I want cookie! Though I’ve been known to double or quadruple this recipe and refrigerate in an airtight container for a week and make a fresh dozen each day.
You can also freeze the dough balls on parchment paper placed on a baking sheet and then store the balls in an airtight container for quick baking later.
Cross-posted at Balloon-Juice.
Crispy (and spicy) Chicken Breast Sandwiches
The other day on another blog, someone mentioned making chicken patties. There were some questions about the recipe, so I went and took a look. It sounded great and I thought, I should make that. But when I went to make it, remembered it called for ground, cooked chicken and thought, eh, too much work. I prefer a chicken breast cutlet with a crisp, spicy crust, anyway. So I decided to play with ingredients to come up with something that made me feel guilty eating it. All spicy and crispy. This what I came up with:
Crispy Chicken Breast Sandwiches
- 4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg (if you’re going to bake, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to egg)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup panko
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- Olive oil
Spice Mix
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tsp dry basil
- 2 tsp of celery seeds
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp of paprika
Sandwich Fixin’s
- 8 crusty sesame sandwich rolls
- Mayonnaise
- Tomato slices
- Lettuce
- Dill pickle (or for extra spice, jalapenos – my choice)
skillet
Fillet breasts to make two thin fillets from each breast and then soak in pickle juice for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to buttermilk and let marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together panko, bread crumbs and spice mix. Beat egg.
Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, dip in egg and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well. Fry in skillet with 1-2 tbsp of oil, turning until golden brown on both sides. Or alternately, bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. (I covered it for the first 10-15 minutes to keep it moist, then uncovered to get it crispy).
Serve with sandwich fixin’s.
Cooked fillets can be frozen and reheated in the oven at 450 degrees until heated through.
Tonight’s Moment of Zen
Couldn’t decide between these two, so I present both:
April 29 Ride
Love sunset rides.
Click on the photos to enlarge.
Another Lesson Down
Photo by Sun Pony Ranch
My second lesson was today, with first lesson jitters behind me, I settled into my horse (yea Katy!) and managed to make some serious progress. Next week I’ll have a different mount, but feeling confident enough that I’m looking forward to the challenge.
It was a beautiful morning for a ride today. Cool, Colorado blue sky, snow on the mountain peaks and to top it all off, a bald eagle spent quite a bit of time lazily cruising over the pasture. Being more comfortable as the lesson began today, I was really able to spend more time getting to know all the horses, their names, their abilities, their little quirks. Got totally loved on by the aptly named Romeo, who snuggled me like he was a 10lb puppy, not a two thousand pound gelding.
I think Katy will have a special place in my heart as I move onto Jack. It was clear during my first lesson that she has no patience for bulls***, which is something I adore about her. After I left last week, knowing I’d ride her again this week, I knew I was going to have to calm my demeanor, be the confident rider I knew I was, and trust her. I got fewer dirty looks from her this week for sure and let me tell you, she knows how to throw them. Every once in a while, she’d turn her head back toward me while we were awaiting our turn and glare. Made me laugh every time.
The columbine is just about done for the spring.
The rest of the weekend was busy with garden shopping - I had to at least get some flowers – a bit of cooking (tomato-spinach soup for lunch this week), and cycling. The local farmer’s market is already open with some lettuces, cool weather crops and some greenhouse varieties. I may stop by this week and see how things look.
Until then…
TaMara
jeffreyww
LFern7
indylib
