Dutch Oven Cooking

Tonight Maureen and Max had us over for dessert. Maureen is getting ready for a week at Girl's Camp. She's been experimenting with her first Dutch Oven cooking. Dutch ovens are used all over the world. In the American west they have a prominent place in history. In fact on a statue to honor the Mormon Pioneers that crossed the plains to settle in Utah, in the hand cart the statues are pulling, there is displayed a dutch oven.

Dutch ovens are heavy cast iron with a tight fitting lid. Hot charcoals are placed on the lid and around the bottom to cook the contents. Tonight we had cobbler. Here's a recipe from the Dutch Oven Guy.

Yummy Peach Cobbler
 
2 quarts peaches (drained)
1/2 cube butter, chopped over peaches
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
 
Begin by putting peaches into a greased Dutch oven. Chop the butter in small pieces and dot over the peaches. Mix the flour, cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle half over the peaches.
 
For the crust mix:
 
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup oil
6 Tbsp milk
2 eggs
4 Tbsp sugar
 
Drop crust mixture on top of peaches. Sprinkle the remaining spiced sugar over the dough. This is one of our easy camping recipes that will work great at home, as well as a tasty addition to your camping food.
 
Bake with 1 ring of coals underneath and 2 rings of coals on the lid for 30-35 minutes.

Green Chile Cheese Burgers

When we were shopping for a house in Albuquerque almost 4 years ago, the real estate agent volunteered to take us to lunch. We had been looking at houses all morning long and needed a break, so we agreed to have lunch. She said she wanted to introduce us to some New Mexican cuisine. Fortunately, we like to try new things.

She took us to the Owl Cafe. The Owl is a famous diner in the Albuquerque area. We were impressed by this diner. Usually, a diner is more like a 'greasy spoon.' A greasy spoon is an old nickname for a restaurant that once served the working class. The foods were usually fried and greasy, thus the name. But the Owl Cafe was clean, bright and decorated with an interesting collection of different owls.

Our Real Estate Agent insisted we all order the signature dish at the Owl Cafe, a green chile cheeseburger. Now, I've had cheeseburgers before. But I've never had one with green chile on it. Green Chiles are a cash crop here in New Mexico. Hatch, New Mexico grows these famous chiles. Most of the population can't eat a meal without them!

We all enjoyed the spicy new flavor the chile added to an American favorite. Now, if I ever order a cheese burger in New Mexico, I say YES to the offer of green chile on it!

Four Generations

All my life I have looked at the family photos of my ancestors. These were kept in large, musty smelling albums, yellowed by time. I especially enjoyed the photos of several generations in the same photo. The four generation photo is rare, but the five generation photo is the rarest! On the occasion of my father's visit, we took one of these photos. Here is our four generation snap shot taken in May 2009. It features a great-grand father, a grandmother, a father and a son. Maybe it will be looked upon by future generations with the same fondness.

Kiva Ladders

Around southwestern, pueblo style homes in New Mexico, Kiva Ladders are often leaning on the house. In most cases, they are just a decoration. But at Mesa Verde in Colorado, you can see how they were used in real life. The Anasazi used them to enter their Kivas, round rooms used for meetings and religious purposes. Holly is going down into a Kiva like the ancients did. Today they use kiva ladders to permit tourists to explore Native American Indian the ruins at Mesa Verde. Holly is climbing on a ladder at the Balcony House.





Holly enters a kiva on a ladder as the ancient Anasazi people did.



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Ristras

A very common sight in New Mexico is red chiles hung outside, around the house. These are called 'ristras.' Ristras are drying chile pepper pods. The peppers are hung like this so they can be dried and used later in cooking spicy dishes. However, in New Mexico where chile peppers are produced, they are often used as decoration. I have a few myself.

Wooden Indians

Wooden Indians used to stand outside of shops that sold tobacco. Indians have been associated with tobacco growth since European explorers were first introduced to the crop by the native Americans they found in the new land. Because many settlers were illiterate, shop owners used symbols to advertise their wares. Thus the wooden indian found it's place on the sidewalks of stores selling tobacco products. Today these statues are only found in museums and antique stores.

Hank Williams Sr. recorded a song my mom can sing for you. Here are the words of Kaw-liga, the wooden indian who never got a kiss!

Hank Williams Senior sing the original Kaw-Liga song

You Tube version of Hank Williams Jr. singing his daddy's song. I prefer this one

Kaw-liga by Hank Williams Sr.
Kaw-liga, was a wooden indian standing by the door
He fell in love with an indian maid over in the antique store
Kaw-liga - a, just stood there and never let it show
So she could never answer yes or no.

He always wore his sunday feathers and held a tomahawk
The maiden wore her beads and braids and hoped someday he'd talk
Kaw-liga - a, too stubborn to ever show a sign
Because his heart was made of knotty pine.

Chorus
Poor ol kaw-liga, he never got a kiss
Poor ol kaw-liga, he dont know what he missed
Is it any wonder that his face is red.
Kaw-liga, that poor ole wooden head.

Kaw-liga, was a lonely indian never went nowhere
His heart was set on the indian maiden with the coal black hair
Kaw-liga - a, just stood there and never let it show
So she could never answer yes or no.

Then one day a wealthy customer bought the indian maid
And took her, oh, so far away, but ol kaw-liga stayed
Kaw-liga - a, just stands there as lonely as can be
And wishes he was still an old pine tree.