I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God. Eccl 3:12
Move Over Martha…
The Ranch Ladies Can Cook. If You’re Needing A Quick Easy Recipe, Or Maybe One Not So Easy (those won’t be coming from me) You Have Come To The Right Spot.
As Time Allows (Remember I Said There Are No Schedules On This Place!) I Will Publish These Mouth Watering Dishes
| Main Dishes | Breads | Vegetables/Sides |
| Breakfast | Soups | Desserts |
| Special Days | Beverages | Preserves |
| Miscellaneous |
Times Have Changed And I’m Glad They Have. I Can’t Imagine Having To Daily Prepare Meals From This Cook Shack. I Can Barely Get A Meal On The Table With Electricity and Running Water.
Cook shacks such as this one were taken to fields and pastures to feed crews of men harvesting crops and rounding up cattle. We just don’t know how easy we have it today. My Great Aunt Mary Hikock, my Great Grandmother’s sister, made her living with her cook shack.
A Well Stocked Ranch Pantry
When you’ve grown up in the country and your nearest sizable grocery store is 60 miles away you learn to stock a pretty good pantry. You buy in bulk, you freeze leftovers, you turn leftover bread into croutons and chicken bones into chicken stock. Most days if someone drops by I can whip out a meal pretty fast. I’ve had to learn to do this over the years. It started when we would be feeding hands and I would think I’d be feeding 10 or 15 men, then suddenly the crew grew to 18 or 20 as my dad would insist the feed salesman stay for lunch and his kids etc. Then as my kids became teenagers it was pretty common to feed 8 to 10 hungry mouths at a time, mine and any strays including some pretty hefty football players. About being Freida Frugal I would say I got that tendency from Grandad Lenard. In his later years you could always stop by his house and be offered a bowl of soup du jour, a mix of anything leftover from his frig. Some days I’d imbibe, some days not, especially on the hot dog- macaroni chowder day.
In The Pantry
- canned chicken or beef stockscanned diced tomatoes
- tomato paste-my favorite all purpose tomato product (it makes great sauces, great soup, a little can be added to gravies and brown sauces for an extra kick)
- white, black, kidney and red beans
- white and brown rice
- egg noodles, lasagna, spaghetti
- macaroni and small pasta shells
- olive oil
- canola oil
- yeast
- granulated beef and chicken bouillons
- canned tuna
- canned chicken
- herbs- your favorites
- soda, baking powder, corn starch
- powdered cheese mix, restaurant size
- powdered cream gravy, restaurant size
- brown gravy mix, restaurant size
- our favorite condiments
- cocoa
- peanut butter
- oats
- raisins
- coconut
- cheerios, rice krispies
- marshmallows
- yellow onions
- potatoes
- flour, sugar, corn meal, powdered sugar, brown sugar
- dried and canned mushrooms
- canned veggies of all sorts
- canned pineapple and mandarin oranges
- apple juice
- small koolaid pkgs for drinks and pop-cycles
- Ovaltine
- powdered milk
- evaporated milk
- instant potatoes
- graham crackers
- saltines
- dried beans, lentils, and split peas
- coffee beans ( to grind- I love my coffee…WITH CREAM) and instant coffee (instant to add to gravies and frostings)
In The Frig:
- cream…always!
- butter…lots of it ( I freeze it)
- fresh large brown eggs-my grandsons raise chickens
- carrots
- celery
- green peppers
- cucumber
- radishes
- tomatoes
- lettuce, spinach or cabbage mixes (today I always try to keep these on hand, it’s easy to just throw extra veggies in with it, some cheeses, a few nuts or pine nuts, some sort of dried fruit or small pieces of chopped apple a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil and you’ve got a salad
- cottage cheese
- sour cream
- apples and oranges
- lemon and lime juice
- all types of cheeses, feta, ricotta, blue, mozzarella etc. (I also keep extra in the freezer)
In The Freezer
- extra bread and rolls (wrapped with several layers of paper, bags, any covering to give extra protection- bread will come out exactly as you put it in- if fresh when frozen, it will retain that freshness
- chicken pieces for soups, and casseroles ( I rarely buy a whole chicken since I’m not a chicken fryer, I like the loose pieces so I can easily pull out what I need and defrost for most dishes I prepare
- soup bones (any leftover chicken, beef, or ham bones)
- bacon pieces (great for last minute frying to add to green beans, baked beans etc)
- hot dogs, sausages, Kielbasa
- tortillas, corn and flour
- beef (we generally always have our own beef butchered)
- frozen vegetables
usually I put up my own fruits and vegetables- if our apricot and cherry trees produce I always try to take advantage of what God has blessed us with - I also will make a blend of fresh vegetable puree from my garden vegetables, this makes a great addition to soups and gravies
For the past 30 years I’ve tried to keep these ingredients on hand. I’ve never been a big “mix” fan, but usually made meals from scratch. With these ingredients on hand I’m pretty much prepared to throw a meal on the table in about …
Oh, say 30 minutes give or take, not counting a dessert.
