Summer Cooking ~ Julie Lence

 

It’s July 1^st.  Sunshine… warm temps… Can you believe we’re halfway through the year? And getting ready to celebrate our nation’s independence? For me, oftentimes New Year’s Day and January feel like ages ago. Other times, I feel as though I just put away Christmas. Either way, I’m all for pleasant weather, morning walks with the pup, and cooking outside; I’m not a fan of cooking in a hot kitchen and can’t imagine how pioneer women cooked over an open fire those scorching months of summer, especially wearing those long dresses and numerous un-mentionables. But they did, and if they were lucky, they sometimes escaped the kitchen’s heat for a picnic, or for social celebrations in town. What might one find in those picnic baskets or box lunches?  A variety of cold meats such as roast beef and ham, sandwiches made with thick slices of bread, and tinned sardines were popular. Pickles, stuffed eggs (our version of deviled eggs using the yolk, mustard, cayenne, vinegar, and butter), and baked beans were also found beneath the lid. And don’t forget jam tarts or puddings for dessert and lemonade to drink. An over-abundance of food, just like at many of today’s 4^th of July celebrations. Check out a few quick recipes below to combat the heat of the kitchen.

 

Turkey Apple Panini

Ingredients:

4 slices of hearty bread

2 tbsp butter softened

¼ cup apple butter

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese thinly sliced

1 apple thinly sliced

½ pound sliced deli turkey

 

Directions:

Pre-heat the panini maker.

Spread the butter evenly on one side of each slice of the bread.

Place one slice of the bread on the preheated panini maker, buttered side of bread down.

Working quickly, spread apple butter evenly on that piece of bread.

Add the cheese, then the apples.

Layer the turkey evenly

Top with more apples and then cheese.

Add apple butter to the other side of the remaining piece of buttered bread.

Place that piece of bread on top of the sandwich.

Close the panini lid and press the sandwiches together.

Cook for 3-5 minutes until the bread is crispy and browned. Serve warm.

 

 

Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

20 ounces Three Cheese Tortellini

10 ounces Mini Pepperonis

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

6 ounces Whole Medium Black Olives, pitted

1 cup Banana Pepper Rings

2 cups Italian Dressing (Bottled)

5 ounces Shredded Parmesan Cheese

 

Directions:

  Cook tortellini pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse. Set aside to cool.

  Mix the pepperoni, tomatoes, olives and banana peppers in a large bowl. Toss with cooled

  tortellini. Gently stir in the Italian dressing and cheese until all ingredients are evenly coated.

  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Serve cold.

 

 

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup canned pineapple juice

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Directions:

Place the chicken thighs in a bowl or large resealable plastic bag to get ready for marinating.

Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, garlic, and ginger until the sugar dissolves completely, creating a rich marinade.

Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal it up, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to let the flavors soak in deeply. This step is crucial for authentic Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Chicken taste.

Remove the chicken from the marinade but save the liquid for later use.

In a medium saucepan, simmer the marinade for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly, turning it into a glossy sauce.

Preheat your grill, place the chicken on it, and brush on the cooked marinade while grilling for added flavor; cook for about 5-6 minutes per side until the internal temperature hits 165°F.

Wrap the chicken in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to keep it juicy.

Serve chicken whole or sliced, with extra hot teriyaki sauce on top for a finishing touch.

 

Bagby and the Yosemite Valley Railroad by Zina Abbott

 

The town of Bagby by itself has an interesting history. However the bulk of this post deals with its importance to the Yosemite Valley Railroad. This rail line was completed in the spring of 1907 primarily to profit from transporting tourists who arrived in Merced, California, on the Southern Pacific Railroad whose destination was the Yosemite Valley. Actually, due to national park regulations, the railroad could not enter park land. However, it built a station the Y.V.R.R. company officers named El Portal just outside the park’s boundaries, which was twelve miles from Yosemite Valley. Until 1913, when combustion engine coaches were allowed to enter the park, that last twelve miles was traveled by stagecoach.

Prior to this time, until stagecoach roads were built in the mid-1870s, only the most adventurous tourists who were willing to travel by horse or mule could visit Yosemite. Then, starting in 1874, it was possible to reach the park from the Southern Pacific Railroad stations such as Stockton, Modesto, Merced, and Mariposa by stagecoach. After a spur as far as Raymond coming off the tracks between Merced and Madera was built, the stagecoach travel portion to Wawona in the south of the park was shortened to two days. In October of 1897, the Sierra Railway reached Chinese Camp, and it was possible to catch the Big Oak Flat stagecoach to Yosemite Valley.

However, once the Yosemite Valley Railroad was completed, it was a game-changer as far as getting tourists to Yosemite National Park in what was then record time with minimal stagecoach travel.

Later picture of Bagby after suspension bridge built 1910

Although Bagby, first known as Ridley’s Ferry, came into existence in the 1850s, it was small and primarily known as the location where John C. Frémont built his water-powered stamp mills, named Benton Mills in honor of his father-in-law. At that time, the ferry that crossed the Merced River allowed equine and wagon travel—including the stagecoach—to cross the Merced River. 

During the late 1800s, there were a multitude of stagecoach lines to service the foothills communities. However, I could not find maps showing the route from Chinese Camp, the closest rail stop of the Sierra Railway to the start of both the Big Oak Flat stagecoach route to Yosemite nor the route that followed the foothills down to Oakhurst, which in the 1800s was known as Fresno Flats. The closest I found was a map showing the locations of California’s gold rush towns.

Bagby became a crossroads for road and railroad travel and freight

Unable to find a map showing the stagecoach route following the foothill towns and how it intersected with the Yosemite Valley Railroad at Bagby, I put together one of my own using a map showing gold rush towns along that route, which today is Highway 49.

I also have a photograph I took of a memorial plaque on an old gold rush-era building in Chinese Camp that reads as follows:

To honor Eddie Webb born December 17, 1880, in Snelling, Calif. One of the last of the stage drivers, Eddie made the haul from Chinese to the Coulterville, Groveland areas between 1898-1902 and drove the first mail stage over the “new” Shawmut Road. Dedicated by Matuga Chapter, No. 1849, E Clampus Vitus, May 6, 1961.

Bagby 1910

However, Bagby really came into its own after the Yosemite Valley Railroad chose to follow the steep Merced River canyon as the route for its railroad. It became a prominent rail stop along the line. Once the line reached the Merced River canyon, almost all of the rail bed needed to be formed by blasting away solid rock. However, Bagby was one of the relatively few spots along the river between the San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite where the banks were not so steep that they prevented building construction. It was already established and was along a major transportation and supply route. It possessed enough relatively flat land to allow the construction of a depot, water towers, a freight warehouse and a turntable to become a major stop.

Yosemite Valley RR bridge west of Bagby

Using Bagby as a depot and supply center was of enough importance that in spite of the rail line having followed the south bank of the Merced River for miles, it built a steel bridge to route the tracks to the north bank of the river to reach Bagby. From there, the tracks continued to follow the north bank of the Merced River until it reached the end-of-line station in El Portal.

The Yosemite Valley Railroad reached Bagby in the fall of 1906, and soon began passenger and freight service. This allowed the construction of the section between Bagby and El Portal to continue through the winter months so the line could be completed in spring of 1907, at which time it became the primary transportation and freight route into Yosemite National Park.

Unfortunately for the Yosemite Valley Railroad, as automobile travel became more popular, and after automobiles were allowed in Yosemite National Park starting in 1913, tourist traffic on the Yosemite Valley Railroad gradually declined. Carrying freight for the Yosemite Lumber Company and limestone for the Yosemite Portland Cement Company kept the Yosemite Valley Railroad in business until the 1940s when those businesses closed. Once the railroad no longer ran through Bagby, it became a fishing and tourist resort.

Bagby Y.V.R.R. before it was moved to El Portal

Unlike many railroads, there is no railroad museum dedicated to preserving the equipment or presenting the history of the Yosemite Valley Railroad. The closest thing to it is some of the old equipment and the depot on display in El Portal—all of which came from Bagby. Once it was decided in the 1960s to expand the existing McClure reservoir, which ended up inundating Bagby, these items were moved.

Now, Bagby is under water most of the time.

Only during periods of drought, when the water level drops, may some of the foundations of the former railroad town be seen.

 

A goodly portion of my romance novel, ArdithYosemite Bride, features the development and construction of the Yosemite Valley Railroad and its quest to reach Yosemite National Park. This book is now available for sale as an ebook as well as at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.yosemitevalleyrr.com/prototype/remaining/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley_Railroad

https://www.yosemitevalleyrr.com/prototype/thennow/

“Bagby” from Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center group on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/MariposaCounty?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZbtTcFRlzXzeTNG2dSVw6_k6_TdbA4CeYI1MRJ9KgVfdOK097iUdROGk8HTU4rOaBvUsp6QsETFDlIPUx9q_1xrKp51LmPe9yZPf604qLMpA9do6-U9vKEOnxneH_ZgHRrONXMobNmKMMfEwjU6152zMkHWH58WhJ76lGQySyj4nojhtGfznXxRLfAjxHtyxaY&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R

Those cute Easter Bunnies.

 A few months ago, we were all enamored of those darling Easter Bunnies. History, however, indicates these sweet furry critters may have a more eye opening beginning. And perhaps the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog in Monty Python's "In Search of the Holy Grail" wasn't so outrageous after all.

 Killer Rabbit Of Caerbannog Tapestry

From TeePublic

  Along the edges of Medieval books, manuscripts’ marginalia, we  find odd images with all sorts of monsters, half man-beasts, monkeys, and more. Even in religious books the margins sometimes have drawings making fun of monks, nuns and bishops. 

    Were these fascinating inserts the dark humor of the monks who spent millions of hours copying manuscript after manuscript? More likely, the illustrations were used to add humor, showcase imagination, and occasionally provide social commentary by mocking contemporary life. 

   These images, opposites of real life, became known as drollery. According to Webster droll means having a humorous, whimsical, or odd quality. Drollery, is the world turned upside down. 

    In these examples, the unassuming gentle bunny, frequently hunted and eaten by the local people, is shown turning the tables and attacking the hunter. 

  

 Here, an axe-wielding rabbit dares attack a king. The Gorleston Psalter, East Anglia, England, 1310-24

   But rabbits-gone-wild wasn't a flash in the pan idea. The practice of drollery in illuminate manuscripts spanned several hundred years with many fantastic beast/human combinations. 

       It's kind of  reassuring to think this covert sense of humor survived during a time when so many had so little. And wouldn't this be a good plot devise, secret information in the margins of an old manuscript...or a new manuscript depending the time period and genre in which you write. 

  

  I really liked Peter Austin's idea that these drolleries are like modern day memes, and we have been sending one another comical animal cartoons for centuries. 

 visit Peter Austin here

Here is a look at Rabbits in Art from 

    https://www.facebook.com/archaeologyart/reels/

 

My Stories: 

Western Romance: Break Heart Canyon * Undercover Outlaw * Cowboys, Cattle and Cutthroats * A Cowboy’s Fate*Special Delivery. 

Contemporary Romantic Thriller: Fatal Recall

Medieval Romance: The Dragon and The Rose * Iron Heart        *Promise Me Christmas. 

Victorian Romance: Lady Gallant * Victorian Dream 

Romantasy: The Fae Warriors Trilogy: Solace * Bliss * Portence 

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A Cowboy's Best Friend--His Horse

 

Out on the open range, a cowboy's horse was more than just a means of travel--it was his closest companion. Through long days in the saddle and lonely nights beneath the stars, horse and rider depended on one another. A good horse carried a man across miles of prairie, through sudden storms, swollen creeks, and cattle drives that seemed to stretch clear to the horizon. In a land where neighbors might be a day's ride away, a trustworthy mount was worth more than gold.

 Every cowboy knew the value of a sure-footed horse. Whether cutting cattle from a herd, chasing strays through rough country, or outrunning a summer thunderstorm, a horse's courage and intelligence could make all the difference. Many a cowboy spoke to his horse as he would a friend, sharing the silence of the trail and trusting the animal's instincts when danger lay ahead. The bond was earned through hard work, patience, and countless miles traveled together.

 When the day's work was done and the campfire burned low, a cowboy often gave his horse the first attention. He checked its hooves, brushed the sweat from its coat, and made certain it had water and feed before thinking of his own comfort. In the rugged West of the 1870s and 1880s, a man's horse was not merely livestock--it was his partner, his livelihood, and often his best friend. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Sandra

                                                  Available at Amazon  
  

 

 

 

Frontier Courting by Rhonda Lee Carver

 

When I imagine romance in the Old West I envision a handsome cowboy seeing a beautiful woman across the pasture and sweeping in to claim her. If only...

For men and women back then, finding a partner was less about love and more about surviving the harsh and uncertain world around them. There were many obstacles they had to navigate to even consider "couring" someone...

1. Distance. 

Neighbors didn't live close. They were often separated by days of travel. He couldn't simply text her and ask her on a date. Visiting required planning, which makes sense why, upon their first visit, they married.

2. Community Gatherings.

Socials, barn dances, fairs, and gatherings were the "dating sites" of the Old West. These events were as much for finding a potential partner as they were a social hour for folks. Of course, under the watchful eye of a family member.

3. Reputation.

The frontier was rough, but a woman's reputation still meant everything. Men were expected to be hard-working and a good provider. A woman's reputation was monitored. If it was tarnished, her chances of marrying a good man diminished greatly. 

4. Calling.

Once a man expressed interest, courtship began. No dinner. No live concert. No walks on the beach. The young couple would sit on the porch, take supervised walks in the pasture, or attend church together. 

5. Letters.

You know...pen and paper. Letters were as important as texting is today. What did they write about? Hopes. Dreams. Life. Etc.

Love existed, I'm sure, but they were a lot more practical. Life was difficult. Life required partnership. Although we might look back and be shocked at that way of life, and think how terrible that must have been. Yet, imagine...

A cowboy riding for hours, or days, to visit his potential partner. 

Love letters written under dim lighting or firelight. 

A dance in a dusty barn to the picks on a banjo.

A promise that held more than just that of love, but of endurance, longevity, and partnership.

Buy here!

“What the fuck does she see in that wuss,” Aaron “Sin” Sails said over the rim of his bottled IPA. He shook his head in disgust. “I’ll never know what beautiful women find attractive in men like Fletcher. A worm has more personality.”

“Money maybe. Some women like bad boys. Others like men with guns.” Arrow Stonebriar flexed his muscles.

“What would you know about guns?” Echo showed off his toned arms.

“Hey, these are regulation.” Arrow joked.

Echo snorted. “Regulation? Those look like they come standard with desk duty.”

“Desk duty? I bet I can outrun, outsmart, and outdo you any day, buddy,” Arrow shot back confidently.

“Last time you ran it was to grab dinner,” Sin chimed in. “And you pulled a hamstring. True hero.”

The group of men laughed.

“Did anyone ask your opinion?” Arrow smirked.

Sin shrugged. “Just spreading the wealth of my knowledge.”

There wasn’t much the men loved more than agitating one another.

Bear remained quiet. He kept his attention glued to the couple sitting at the bar. Aasia and Fletcher were leaning in close, and both seemed agitated. Were they arguing? Was Fletcher breaking up with her as his mother had demanded? Bear had to ease up on the grip that he had on his bottle, or he might shatter the glass. A big part of him wanted to storm over and punch the dirty bastard in his perfectly squared jaw.

Aasia shifted slightly on the barstool and her chin came up. She noticed Bear staring, and he didn’t shy away. She offered him a semi-smile. He responded with a dip of his Stetson. His unwavering gaze stayed on her across the dusty planked floor of Oscar’s long after she went back to her conversation with Fletcher. The neon light above her painted the curves of her face with a blue glow. She was beautiful enough to make Sin's heart skip a few beats.

A lone tendril of hair had escaped from the mass of mahogany waves that draped her shoulders. The lone strand looked stark against her cheek. The close-fitting top showed off her firm breasts and the sparkling navel ring above the low waist of the cutoff jean shorts. Although she was dressed pretty much like every other woman in the place, there was something different about her. Maybe in the way she carried herself with subtle dignity.

Bear admired very few things in life. A well-trained horse, a sunset and Aasia. She could only be described as captivating. She had no idea how much he wanted her. Or did she?

Seeing her with Fletcher sickened Bear.

Her tongue came out to roll across her top lip and his breathing stopped for a second. Her big eyes were sponges to the neon light around her, making them two blue beams. Bear hated that Fletcher was on the receiving end of that look. He didn’t deserve to be in her presence.

Bear sat there in a room full of music and chatter, absolutely intoxicated, not on alcohol but on the woman sitting fifty feet away.

“Are you listening?”

Echo’s question dragged Bear back to the team. “What did I miss?”

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