Pancho Villa Omeltte

Legend has it that the famous outlaw insisted on having this omelet every morning for breakfast. He claimed it had a magic which kept him one step ahead of his foes. On the day of his capture, it is said that Cookie substituted cheddar cheese for the cream cheese.
2 Tbl butter
3 eggs
2 tsp cream
1/2 c cream cheese
2 oz chopped green chili
Melt butter in an omelet pan on medium heat. While butter is melting, combine eggs with cream and beat until frothy. Pour egg mixture in pan and cook until the top starts to solidify, then turn. Spread evenly with cream cheese and chili, cover and cook for one minute. Fold and serve.
Serves 1.

Brandied Beef

I was trying to impress a lovely lass when I developed this potential bonfire. As the meat was cooking and my lady friend was cooking a side dish, I received a call from my boss. In the middle of discussing the condition of the cattle, my eye caught black smoke billowing from the grill. Without missing a beat in the conversation, I started jumping up and down, pointing out the window, at which my lovely companion merely gave me a sexy smile and waved back with the knife she was using.

Upon completing my conversation I promptly ran out the door to salvage the meat. Skewering the meat with a large fork, I brought the remains into the house. “This is what I was jumping and pointing at”, I said to my friend, as her jaw dropped at the sight of the still flaming cremation. From the one bite of salvageable meat I could tell this was a good recipe (as long as you could keep from burning the place down!)
3 to 4 lb chuck roast
4 c Brandy
2 c brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground allspice
Place roast into a shallow pan and sprinkle with sugar and spices. Pour Brandy over the top, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Turn roast over and refrigerate an additional 4 hours. Cook over coals or low heat on grill to your preference.
Serves 4 to 6.
(CAUTION: THIS RECIPE IS FLAMMABLE, WATCH CLOSELY)

This recipe is an excerpt from My cookbook The Gourmet Cowboy available at Amazon!

Layered Italian Salad

As a boy I helped out on farms and ranches around my parents’ place in northern California. Most of the people owning these places were of Italian descent and would make their own salami, which was delicious by itself or in a salad. This salad was inspired by these neighbors,and by a beautiful lady who challenged me to make a low-fat salad dressing for it.
16 oz plain yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbl minced onion
2 Tbl mayonnaise
½ tsp sweet basil
½ tsp oregano
(Combine the above ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.)
1 head iceberg lettuce
12 oz dry salami
2 tomatoes
10 oz package frozen peas
6 oz grated romano cheese
Shred the lettuce and chop the salami into bite sized pieces. Slice the tomatoes thinly. In a bowl, place a layer of lettuce then salami, followed by a layer of peas. Cover this with a layer of tomatoes, then dressing and top with a layer of cheese. Repeat these layers, cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

This recipe is from the Gourmet Cowboy Available on Amazon

Yellowstone Clam Chowder

When the aspen leaves turn gold in the fall, it is the signal to move the cattle down out of the mountains before the first snow flies. The work is hard, but enjoyable, especially when you get down to the few animals who refuse to be found. A friend of mine once made the analogy that “its just like hunting elk, only you have to bring them in alive.” Since the crews used to gather often number ten or more you need enough to feed a lot of people, and this recipe fits the bill for
gathering crews or holiday parties.
7 - 16 oz cans white potatoes
5 lb diced ham
2 large onions
1 gallon milk
1/4 lb butter
5 - 12 oz cans evaporated milk
11/2 lb muenster cheese
1 bunch celery
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbl black pepper
4 bay leaves
Chop onion and sliver garlic into small pieces. Sauté onion and garlic in butter until clear. Chop celery while onion and garlic are sautéing.
When onion and garlic are clear, add remaining ingredients, reserving cheese. Cook over medium heat for 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes, making sure soup does not boil. While soup is cooking grate cheese. After soup has been cooking thirty minutes, stir in the cheese and continue cooking until cheese has melted.
Makes approximately two gallons.

This recipe is an excerpt from my cookbook The Gourmet Cowboy, available on Amazon

Hangtown Fry

Want a different way to cook your mountain oysters this branding season? Just substitute the ocean oysters in this recipe with mountain oysters (which is probably what was in the original recipe! This recipe originated in the town of Hangtown, California. In more civilized times, the name of Hangtown was changed to Placerville.
8 oz jar oysters
6 eggs
6 strips of bacon or links of sausage
3 Tbl evaporated milk
¼ tsp salt (optional)
Cook bacon or sausage until done, remove and drain. Brown oysters
in remaining grease over medium heat. While oysters are browning,
combine remaining ingredients and beat until mixture becomes
frothy. When oysters are browned, drain off excess grease, if any.
Add egg mixture and scramble to the consistency of your preference.
Serves 3.