Cheers for National Margarita Day!

It's A Margarita Kind of Day! 

Yes! It's National Margarita Day! Who says you have to wait for just one day to relax on your back porch with this south of the border cocktail?  

In Texas, it's tradition to drink a salt rimmed margarita alongside your favorite Mexican foods.  At our ranch, margaritas aren't just for southwestern fare, but with our Hereford steaks, seafood and as a night time tonic after a long day. Someone once said...when life gives you lemons, get some limes and salt and make margaritas!  Now just for fun and as an added kick for a few years on our ranch, we place a few home grown jalapenos in our margarita!

The Ranch Kitchen's Rancharita - Jalapeno Margarita was inspired from one of our favorite restaurants Ranch 616 in Austin, Texas and their famous Jalapeno Margarita.  My oldest daughter resides in this fun, eclectic city that has more trendy bars and restaurants than any city in Texas. Ranch 616 is a spot we always stop at when visiting Ilissa.  This restaurant definitely has that Austin vibe to it with it's tin roofed outdoor porch and southwestern inspired menu.  Special thanks to dear family friend Terry Barber for introducing us to this fun restaurant more than 15 years ago!

The Ranch Kitchen's Rancharita - Jalapeno Margarita!

A few years back friend Gerald Jones, owner of Los Pinos Winery helped Ilissa and I reinvent their trendy margarita for us to enjoy at home and post on the blog.  My husband Scott especially loves the addition of jalapeno peppers freshly cut and placed in to these Rancharitas. The longer the jalapenos sit in this drink, the bigger the kick! We usually don't have to worry about that though as they don't last long!

Make sure to also check out Los Pinos and their winery in the heart of Northeast Texas. Their Rodeo Red is our all time favorite wine and perfect with anything in my books. If you are an Amazon member, you can order their wines there.  Their winery has amazing food, live music on the weekends and a lovely porch area to sit, sip and enjoy the pines of East Texas and the beautiful views of their vineyard. 

If you have a sweet tooth like me, rim your Rancharita with sugar instead of salt.  Just dip the top rim of your glass in lime juice and gently swirl in the sugar for a tasty addition to your cocktail. The picture above shows the addition of chili powder to the rim of salt on my Rancharita.  

So tonight or any night, try The Ranch Kitchens' recipe for this Rancharita - Jalapeno Margarita.  It's a family favorite and becoming the trendy margarita in the southwestern parts of the US.  Promise, you may never go back to a traditional margarita again!

Enjoy!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen 

Sweet and Salty Toffee Crackers!

 

Sometimes genius hits!  This week after realizing I was almost out of brown sugar, one of the quickest and easiest desserts was created in under fifteen minutes. The results were delicious and as our staff at school said simply addicting.  These Sweet and Salty Toffee Crackers are one of my newest dessert creations that will be at every holiday meal from now on.

The secret ingredient to these little gems are the Heath Toffee Bits - Bit 'O Brickel Toffee Bits that top off the saltine crackers.  Just recently my husband and I have discovered Heath Bars and we love them and especially in the snack size bars.  Adding these little sugary bits made specifically for baking to the crackers truly took them over the top in flavor!

 



I used unsalted butter for the best results, but you could substitute with margarine instead.  The combination of brown and white sugars worked as well along with the vanilla to flavor them.  And for the saltine crackers the cheapest costing brand worked just fine.

These crackers will keep up to two weeks covered in an airtight container and would be perfect for the holidays ahead.

So the next time you are needing a delicious, quick and easy dessert to take to a party or just make for yourself or family, here is the perfect recipe.  I literally threw this together before taking my daughter to school in fifteen minutes. You can't get any easier than that. The extra cooking time in the oven with the heat turned off was a result of her needing to be at school and using the oven timer to stop the cooking as I drove away. 

Did I tell you how much I love my cooking timer on my oven? It's a must for busy cooks and times that take you away from your kitchen. 

Click here for the recipe for The Ranch Kitchen's

Sweet and Salty Toffee Crackers!

It's like I said...you never know when genius will hit.  Sometimes it's because you are a last minute, late to school mom who needs a dessert for a potluck at school and whammo you've created something wonderful! 

This was my genius for the week.  It doesn't happen often! 

Enjoy!

Alise

 

Artie's Sugared Green Beans

I love having friends contribute to The Ranch Kitchen!  This recipe today came from dear friend and coworker Carol Elder who teachers at my school.  She's a wonderful cook in her own right and says she learned everything from her sweet mother Artie Montgomery.

Daughters and sons I think keep their parents memories alive by recipes and her mom's Artie's Sugared Green Beans is a real keeper.  We all enjoyed this during our Thanksgiving Potluck at school the other day and thankfully I had my camera in hand!  My girls and I will most certainly be making this for Thanksgiving and for many years to come.

Click here for the recipe for Artie's Sugared Green Beans!

It's a simple dish to make and is pretty in a crystal bowl like the one Carol served this dish in.

Thanks so much for Carol for sharing this recipe today and for teaching my Audrey! She's one of the best teachers out there!  To teach is to touch a life forever!

Enjoy your week long break and Thanksgiving!  You deserve it as all our teachers and students do!


Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

The Ranch Kitchen's Granny's Pecan Pie

My Granny's Pecan Pie is one of those recipes that I would probably grab first after my family if my house burned!  We love it and think it's the perfect consistency for a pecan pie. As pecan pies go, there are several variations.  You have your thick ones, more fluid ones, and then you have more of a tart variety.

I made this pie for my staff at school the other day and got a honest compliment from a friend telling me, "I love this pecan pie because it's not too runny!"  People like different things in their desserts, and I can safely say not a crumb was left of this pecan pie that I made two of for that day at school, AND it wasn't runny!

This recipe comes from my Granny Louise Wilson Young's collection of recipes from probably back in the early 1950's.  On my green smudged recipe note I keep on my refrigerator (because this recipe stays out at all times), it says that this was from an old Ford Magazine circular and was called a New England Pecan Pie.  If you've never looked through an antique stores recipes books or old recipe circulars you are missing out.  It gives a you a taste of Americana that you can't get anywhere else! On of my plans is to organize these one day as I have a small fortune of them.

I do have to say that wherever this pecan pie recipe came from it's our family favorite.  There's something about an old recipe and where it came from.  We want to make sure to always give credit to the creator, but after almost sixty years  in your family it becomes your own and is now solidly what I call my Granny's recipe!

Today, on my first day off for spring break I actually got up to fix this pie at 7 a.m.  What is it about a day off and you can't sleep?  However, with a visit to see my mother-in-law, haircut, bull sale and husband sweetly asking with a smile for this pecan pie for our big luncheon at the sale today, I had a lot to do! 

It's glorious being off as an educator for a full week!  My little Audrey and I plan on taking full advantage of it; see the sisters and cousins hopefully, spend time with Nanny, work cattle and then show and do a speaking contest a little at the Houston Livestock Show!  Whew!  We will be ready for school to start back for a break!

This recipe is pretty much a two bowl wonder.  You'll notice I didn't make my own pie crust!  As someone said, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Give it a try and I hope you'll love it like we do.


Granny's Pecan Pie

1 cup pecan pieces, halved four times or kept whole
2 tbsp. corn starch
1/2 cup sugar (white)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup soft unsalted butter (leave it out to get to room temperature or microwave until just softened, but not hot or boiling - I've done that...don't do that & if you do cool it before adding it!)
dash of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1 cup light corn syrup (Karo Syrup)
1 tsp. vanilla (I use the good Mexican variety)

Mix cornstarch and sugar together.  Beat eggs in a separate bowl.  In a large mixing bowl place eggs, adding butter, salt, corn syrup and blending on a medium speed.  Add cornstarch and sugar gradually to the wet mixture and continue to mix on a medium speed. Add vanilla at the end and mix until blended well. 

Place 1 cup pecans face up (pretty side up) in your pie crust shell.  Pour filling over pecans gently scraping the sides of you bowl to get it all of the wet mixture out and into your crust. 

Now this is the kicker!  Make sure you do this! ***Bake your pie on a baking sheet for 10 minutes on 375 degrees.  I use my timer to do this. Beepers work great for my absent mind.  Then immediately turn your oven down to 350 degrees and continue cooking for 50 minutes and no more using your timer!  Take you piesout of the oven and allow to cool.  Once your pie is completely cool or warm enough handle it is ready to eat and enjoy.  Make sure you keep leftover pie in the refrigerator. 

***I made doubled this recipe. 

I especially love my Granny's Pecan Pie with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!  It really brings back memories every time I cook and eat it. 

There is not usually a day that goes by that I don't miss my Granny.  She was every one's cheerleader, wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother, daughter, sister, friend, aunt, fabulous cook, and as my husband says the perfect Granny.  She loved her community that she grew up in and her family like no other. 

Love you and miss you Granny and I know you are smiling down on all of us proudly. 



With love,

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen

Pecan Pie Bites

When my girls were growing up our first house had a fantastic grove of pecan trees all over our yard.  We were the only young couple in a neighborhood of retired couples and they always said our girls brought it back to life.  For years when the leaves fell off our pecan trees it took an army to rake them up.  Every other year we had a huge crop of pecans to shell and share with our families and friends.  The one thing I always enjoyed was watching our older neighbors walk the street and pick the pecans that fell there.  An industrious few would hike a leg on the side of our yard and pick those pecans that fell close to the road!  I'd always just laugh and be proud they could still do it.  The neighbors sure walked a lot more during pecan season!

My middle daughter loved our pecans most of all and we constantly had to crack and shell them for her as she would beg for them saying, "Cons momma and daddy, more cons!"  I can still hear her saying that now. 

That first house was truly a blessing for our young family and we remodeled it all with our own hands and always enjoyed living there.  Each time I eat a pecan or make something with them, I'm reminded of those times and the first years of our marriage and our two oldest girls.  It doesn't seem that long ago now, but it's been over 16 years since we lived in that little gray house in Mitchell Addition.

I love, love making this easy dessert at the holidays!  It's honestly one of my families favorites that's they pick up as they walk by as we snack all day long! I really hope you'll try it.

Pecan Pie Bites

2 cups pecan, minced fine in a food processor



1 cup sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine (I actually used a light version margarine with a butter flavor and it turned out great with fewer calories)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 sleeves of graham crackers broken in to fourths and placed on a wax paper lined cookie sheet

Melt butter or margarine in a Teflon sauce pan.  Hint:  you'll want to use a Teflon pan to prevent a sugar pan mess...trust me...been there..done that...and if you don't have wax paper then use nonstick foil or foil sprayed lightly with oil. :o) 

Add to pecan mixture on the stove the sugar, vanilla and salt.  Bring to a low rolling boil (this is where your sugar, pecan mixture boils and gently pops in the middle of the pan as it cooks).  Cook on this low boil for eight minutes until mixture reaches candy stage and coats a spoon without dripping off quickly.  Stir this on and off as it cooks, scraping sides of the pan.  If you fire is too high you can easily burn this mixture. So adjust it and watch your mixture closely.

While pecan mixture is boiling, break graham crackers in fourths and place on a wax lined cookie sheet.

Once candied pecans are done, spoon immediately over the graham crackers trying to cover as much as possible. 

Cook in the oven on 375 for 30 minutes and allow to cool before serving.  Break into bite sized pieces,that about 2 inches by 2 inches and enjoy!! I like to place these in air proof cookie tins.  Layer each row between  wax paper and these will keep for up to one week nicely. 

Pecan Pie Bites are great as gifts for coworker and teachers, or just to take as a dessert that no one ever turns down!

Enjoy! 

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen



Marinated Cucumbers and Onions

                                    

I think I could sometimes just drink this recipe!  As far back as I can remember my mom made this side dish.  It was always just what we all wanted. She probably didn't use as much sugar as I do and you can most certainly adjust any ingredient or spice below to your liking.

My recipe below is my rendition of her cucumber recipe.  It's fun just to experiment and make it your own. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  On a hot summer's day there is nothing more refreshing than this recipe to me. 

So, try this out this week. It's an easy enough dish that even the most inexperienced cook can prepare and wow their families and friends with!  

                                       

                                                    Marinated Cucumbers and Onions

3 - 4 cucumbers (seedless variety are best, but we usually don't use it)

2 onions sliced, white or red

1/2 cup sugar or non calorie sweetener like Splenda

3 cups cold water

2 cups white or apple cider vinegar (I usually use white vinegar)

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning spice

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Pepper to taste

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (a little - 1 tsp. goes a long way)

Optional additions:

bell peppers, sliced in 1/2 inch strips

sweet banana peppers, chopped in bite sized portions (one inch in size)

tomatoes, cherry or Roma tomato varieties

dill weed, fresh or dried 

Preparation:

Clean and slice cumcumbers and onions in to 1/4 inch wide rounds.  Place in a large container with a lid or a large bowl. Add other vegetables, water, sugar, vinegar, and seasonings. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours or longer. I prefer overnight.  

We enjoy taking these cucumbers out at each night as a side with dinner.  They will keep for one week.

***Throughout the week we add more cucumbers and onions as they are eaten.  

To us this is one of our favorite things to eat out of our garden.  It's light, quick and easy to make!  

Enjoy!

Alise

The Ranch Kitchen's Coleslaw Dressing

One of my favorite couples to visit and camp with are our dear friends Larry and Alicia Bishop.  We've known each other for nearly thirty years and along with our children's friendships, our own has grown with each year.

As you grow older, your friendships are not necessarily with those who are you age.  Larry and Alicia, and their sweet and beautiful children are a few years (7 years older than us), but are likes and dislikes mirror each other!  Larry is an avid outdoor man  and his love of Crappy fishing always benefits fish fry gatherings!  My girls nicknamed him "Larry Queen" as he owns the local Dairy Queen in town.  He delights the girls after each camp out dinner by bringing out Dairy Queen ice cream snacks. It wouldn't be a camping without them! Alicia is one of my girls favorite people, as is Larry and never tires of playing with my girls.  Lindsey, the oldest daughter is happily married and a nurse in Houston who is what I would call a 'gourmet cook' and married to the sweetest, most 'handy' young man who can do just about anything in or out of the house! Logan, is my oldest daughter Ilissa's partner in crime, high school buddy and dear friend.  He to can cook some 'mean' Crappy that Ilissa one night mistook out of his fridge as chicken...it's a family joke now...  Logan is the hunter deluxe and spends his day running his outdoor store in Jacksonville, and then hunts deer, ducks, hogs, and anything that moves.  He is living the life as most men would love to live!

This past weekend we ran up to the lake to eat dinner with our friends the Bishops and enjoy one of my favorite fish, Crappy.  Crappy is a fish we find in most lakes in Texas and very delicate and without many bones if it is prepared 'cut' correctly.  To add to the meal I brought coleslaw, which is cabbage mixed with onion with a sweetened mayonnaise sauce.  It's a quick, easy preparation and in the deep south of the United States coleslaw is most always a side vegetable dish at fish fries. Most grocery stores in our area sell bottled coleslaw dressing.  However, making it yourself is very simple and I think my new recipes beats any I have ever tried.

You start making coleslaw by either cutting long thing strips out of your cabbage, once the hard core is removed, or you can cut the cabbage in to small pieces and pulse to the desired consistency in your food processor.  I really prefer thicker, chunkier strips of coleslaw that you can easily fork and not scoop with your utensils to eat.

I prepared my dressing in a separate bowl.  You can either wait until about ten minutes before you serve your coleslaw and mix the dressing with the cabbage or do like I did and mix them together two hours before.  Either way is fine depending on how soft or crispy you want your cabbage, as I like mine a little softer.

Most ingredients for my coleslaw dressing are readily in your pantry or cabinets.  The Salad Supreme is a seasoning that is hard to find to be honest.  But when you do, buy several and it's great on garlic bread or sprinkled over a green salad.

Next time you are invited to a fish fry I hope you'll try my dressing with coleslaw.  You can add any multitude of vegetables to it like thin sliced carrots, red or sweet white onions, red cabbage or even broccoli cuts.  Make it your own variation and your family will love it, I promise.  We had only seven people for dinner and one entire head of cabbage almost wasn't enough! With that said, a large head of cabbage may look like a lot for coleslaw, when honestly for a large gathering I'd double the recipe below so that you have plenty.

The Ranch Kitchen's Cole Slaw Dressing

Cabbage:
1 head of cabbage, sliced in 1/2 by 4 inch cuts
1 red onion, sliced in 1 inch chunks

Coleslaw Dressing:
2 cups Real Mayonnaise
4 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 - 2 tablespoons of Salad Supreme, optional

Mix Real Mayonnaise, Apple Cider Vinegar and sugar together in a bowl.  Add garlic salt and pepper and taste to see if you need more pepper.  Add 1 tablespoons of Salad Supreme seasoning and taste.  Add one more teaspoon of Salad Supreme to your taste (like or dislike).  The Salad Supreme adds a special seasoning to the dressing and nice pop of color.

Two hours or ten minutes before pour dressing over the coleslaw that is in a large bowl.  Mix well and serve in a chilled bowl placed on top of bowl full of ice if you are serving it outside in the heat.

Enjoy!  And let me know how you like it!

Alise