Cowgirl Cuisine Rustic Recipes and Cowgirl Adventures from a Texas Ranch Paula Disbrowe Photography by Shelly Strazis Ranch Breakfasts iii For David, with love Ranch Breakfasts v Contents acknowledgments vii Introduction: a door opens ix Ranch Breakfasts xiii Big-Hearted Salads 44 Nourishing Soups 72 Awesome Appetizers 100 Charming little Sandwiches and a Belt-Busting Burger 132 Ring the Dinner Bell 146 Hearty Sides with a Ranch-Style Kick 206 Simple, Seductive Desserts 230 Lethal Libations 268 Epilogue: Ranches and rivers 282 index 285 about the author credits cover copyright about the publisher Ranch Breakfasts vii Ac know ledg ments I couldn’t have written this book without the help and support of plenty of great people. I am lucky, and grateful, to have them in my corner. Enormous thanks to my literary agent, Janis Donnaud, who believed in this outside-o f-t he- box book from the beginning, and who fought with her characteristic tenacity to make it a real- ity. Thanks for demanding my best work. Thanks to the entire team at HarperCollins. I am extremely fortunate to have worked with Harriet Bell, a notoriously deft editor, on my fi rst book. Thanks for helping it become the book I always wanted to write. Thanks also to Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, for a knockout jacket; and to Leah C arlson- Stanisic for an insanely fun and sexy book design. The stars also aligned when I crossed paths with Shelly Strazis, my talented photographer, soon after I moved to the ranch. I had a gut feeling she’d be the perfect person to shoot this book—and she was. We both love things a little quirky, a little sexy, and think there are few things fi ner than a great animal portrait. I am grateful for her talent, whimsy, generosity (schlepping cross-c ountry props!), hard work, and the spectacular photographs that have made this book so fun to look at. Photo shoots are always stressful endeavors, with countless details to juggle. The pro cess is even more challenging in rural isolation, with no catered cappuccinos, and the nearest grocery store thirty miles away. We couldn’t have pulled it off without Shelly’s tireless assistants, Brad Rochlitzer and Andrea Gomez, and my friend Melissa Garnett who went above and beyond, as an offi cial recipe tester, making last- minute shopping trips, ironing cowgirl shirts, and keeping us fed and laughing. David also took care of us with his great cooking, fi re building, smart cre- ative input, and basically keeping me calm. Thank you, Shelley Thomas, for zipping down from Seattle for the fi rst shoot when I needed you—and hoisting straps, lending your abundant style, and keeping me laughing in front of the camera as I knew you would. Thanks to Brian Smale and Calvin and Charlotte Rose for letting her come. Thanks to Angela Romero for keeping the kitchen running smoothly and coffeepots full, and for your essential sweetness. Thanks to Dorothy Winston, the own er of Julien’s home store in Uvalde, for lending us many of the gorgeous plates, utensils, and linens in this book—you made this book more beautiful. Thanks to Kit and Carl Detering for having the chutzpah to hire us, and to their children, Cassie and Carlos, for welcoming us into their spectacular corner of the world. Thank you for generously supporting our interest in raising animals and having a garden, and for enthusiasti- cally sharing your Texas. Special thanks to Kit for the adventures that stretched from Mexican bingo parlors in Nuevo Laredo to the Plaza Athénée in New York, and for always being the fi rst person to say “thank you” after a meal. For lending their keen editorial skills as proofreaders, thanks to Peter Romeo, Clay Smith, Cate C onniff- Dobrich, Melissa Clark, and especially Amanda Hesser, who has been an encourag- ing and supportive friend. I am indebted to my friend Adam Sachs, who lent his sharp eye to the vii ranch vignettes. His suggestions tightened this book—and saved me from my most sentimental self. Two friends provided a clean, well-l ighted space to work when I needed a break from my be- loved distractions. Thank you, Terry McDevitt (and Kathy Garza and Diego the cat), for sharing the beautiful refuge that is Casa Luna in Helotes, Texas. And thanks to Monica O ’Toole for offer- ing an urban escape in Chicago (and stocking the fridge with yogurt and sparkling water). Love and gratitude to Craig and Melissa Garnett for friendship, fl autas, and showing me that life can be a Fellini fi lm anywhere you live. Our time in Texas has been infi nitely richer because of you, and the other wonderful people you introduced us to, including Danny and Celina Les- kovar, Buzz and Nancy Barton, Gina and Giovanni Piccinni, and David and Gabrielle Forbes. Thanks to our friends in Rio Frio, especially George and Beverly Streib, Willis Springfi eld, and Sharon Purnell, for friendship, laughter, and beautiful h orse back rides. Thanks to Rebecca Rather for being such a generous friend and wonderful partner for many Texas adventures. Thanks to our veterinarians for plucking out hundreds of porcupine quills, clipping Max’s hooves, and patiently fi elding my countless queries about cats, dogs, h orses, sheep, and goats, including Dr. Teresa Coble, Dr. Tracy Colvin, Dr. “Salty” Arnim, Dr. John Barnes, and especially Dr. Pete Vaden for laughs, tall tales, and cold beer. Thank you to the women in Eur ope who invited me into their kitchens, including Patricia Wells, Kathie Alex, and especially Janet Hansen and Maria Martinez Sierra. Thanks to my many other friends and family, who helped David and me navigate Texas, tested recipes, or simply loved and encouraged me through this wild ride and tolerated that certain tone in my voice when I was trying to meet deadlines: April Sachs, Brenda Nelson and Tom Van den Bout, Danielle and Neil Teplica, Chip Wass, Babs Chernetz, Beth Traynor, Gabrielle Hamilton, Suzanne Goin, Dr. Mary Ann Flatley, Susie Morris and her extended family, Noel McKay, Hollin and JoCarol McKay, Angela King, Susan Spicer, Kristin Batson, Stefani Twyford, Ron and Peggy Weiss, Patricia Sharpe, Robb Walsh, Pam Blanton, Gretchen and Lance Lahourcade, and Jane and Milton Howe (especially for our fi rst Terry Allen CD!). Thanks to Fran Norman, Jana Norman, and Paul Turley for your warmth and enthusiastic support of this project. Thanks to my sweet Grandma Millie for love, great cooking, and fi lling my life with a steady stream of cookies, brownies, and various other Scandinavian confections. Much love and gratitude to my parents, Mike and Julie Disbrowe, for your love, support, and endless efforts to make our lives smoother. Our adventure has been richer (and houses and gardens neater!) because you shared it with us. Thanks, Mom, for being one of my offi cial rec- ipe testers, and Dad, for being an offi cial taster. Thanks to my brothers, Tim and Tyler Disbrowe, for always being proud of their big sister. Last, but far from least, I thank my husband, David Norman. You have been there for me at every step, from bringing me sandwiches while I was holed up writing my proposal to picking up kitchen shifts and literally shoveling more shit so I could fi nish this book. No one’s feedback, or palate, has mattered more. Thanks for having the guts to move to Texas. This story would not be a story without you. acknowledgments viii Introduction A Door Opens Switching it over to AM Searching for a truer sound Can’t recall the call letters Steel guitar and settle down Catching an a ll-n ight station somewhere in Louisiana It sounds like 1963, but for now it sounds like heaven. —Son Volt, “Windfall”