Brought out the Vegetables and basic ingredients, and we created healthy dishes on the spot! Fun guilt-free evening : )

Here’s what you’ll need:
• Bok choy
• Mustard greens
• 2-3 Carrots
• 2-3 broccoli florets

How to make:
• Cut up bok choy, mustard greens, carrots and broccoli florets and layer in your steamer.
• Steam for 10-12 minutes
• Add to serving bowl.
• Top with sauce of your choice or with olive oil, lemon and sea salt.

This was just ONE of our creations!

 Here was another : )...

Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette:

 

A generous portion of tender, flaky salmon tops this vitamin C-packed salad. To speed preparation, use a jar of fresh red grapefruit sections and bottled blood orange juice. Prepare the Blood Orange Vinaigrette while the salmon and onion are on the grill. Prep: 11 minutes; Cook: 10 minutes

1. Prepare grill. 2. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Coat fillets and onion slices with cooking spray. Place fish and onion on grill rack coated with cooking spray....

Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
• Blood Orange Vinaigrette
• 1 (24-ounce) jar red grapefruit sections (such as Del Monte), drained
• 8 cups mixed baby salad greens
• Cooking spray
• 1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Small trees for sale, Decorate Christmas holiday cookies, visit Children's Shop ...where everything is under $1.00 : )

Come out to the Green House, plus we will have many holiday plants 

right outside the barn!

Bought some neat gadgets, makes decorating a cinch!

 Many cookies baked up, to allow for ongoing daily decoration classes, stop by! 
Cute wraps to send them in, if Gifting : ).

                                                                                        

The Children's Shop is where 100% proceeds are donated to special local charities : ).

Ornament decorating classes are doing well! No limit size so come on in!

 

One hour classes offered daily!  Check the calendar and stop in!!

Black Rice Salad ~ Simple delicious side dish : )

Black Rice Salad

16 oz wild rice (I buy the bag of wild rice at Trader Joe's that is all black wild rice)
6 oz Feta cheese, crumbled
1 yellow pepper, finely diced (I do a teeny tiny dice of the peppers and onion)
1 red pepper, finely diced
½ green pepper, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
2/3 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1/2-3/4 cup Craisins or Dried Cherries

Dressing:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Cook rice and allow to cool completely. Oftentimes, I will cook the rice the day before, and allow it to cool in the refrigerator overnight. Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Watch them carefully, as they can burn quickly. As soon as you can smell them toasting, they are good to go. Mix feta cheese, red pepper, onion, Craisins and pine nuts in a large bowl. Mix together with rice and add dressing. Can be made a day in advance.

Each Christmas season we offer a different dinnerware pattern for sale, purchase by individual settings.

We found a company that creates these cowboy designs onto a sturdy corning ware.  (The picture is actual breakable dinnerware, shown for design purposes.)
Previous years designs are limited stock, just ask!  We ordered 2011 plates back in August, on hand up in barn, so no need to wait for an order!  We will even wrap it up in our artsy flannel or burlap designs!

Wow, look at these creative Cowpoke Cooks! Love those Gingerbread houses!

Aprons for Sale...Makes a great gift, at a GREAT price!

 

Gift Baskets are made up and ready for sale!  Includes an apron, cooking utensils, cowboy dinner set(child friendly : ) western book, choice of two ready mix-ingredients with directions, all in a jar.  Gift set is tied up together in a rustic woven basket with a cowboy ornament!  

Option:  Please feel free to come on in, pick and choose the items, and we will put it all together for you!

'Early Sprouts' Cooks~ Get ready for our big Saturday Barn Day!

The event is open to children 8 to 16 years old and is scheduled for 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 at CowpokeCookingCo.

For kids wanting to do more than just lick the spoon, there is a fun opportunity for young chefs to roll up their sleeves and get cooking with wholesome, locally grown food!

It’s a cooking class for kids. They are gonna have a blast. We’re pushing this hard because it’s something that parents just aren’t used to (allowing their kids to do).  Many types of foods will be prepared during three hour class, along with our traditional Line Dancing : )!

We love our Christmas class!

"A Local, Organic, Christmas Dinner" class had been in practice mode,  we are definitely ready this month, December!

Taught by Cowpoke Top Ranch-Hand Cindi and two staff, Our “Sustainable Cooking” series introduces holiday cooking with locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients. Menu for the course includes spiced cranberry pear cider, hot Dungeness crab and shrimp dip, warm spinach salad with bacon and gorgonzola, simple winter roasted vegetables and chard, gremolata-crusted grass fed prime rib, thyme and roasted shallot mashed potatoes and stuffed baked apples with walnuts and cranberries.

We strive to make our cooking experiences educational as well as enjoyable with the goal to inspire and educate kitchen cooks toward sustainable food purchases. The series continues with "Sustainable Food & Wine Pairing 101" in January.

Fee is $50 per class; registration is open on a space available basis.  You will be pleasantly surprised!!

Finally! OUR BIG LATE FALL EVENT!

As  you have been hearing about, reading about, and watching changes/preparations around the Farm!  Family Night is just about here!

Both Friday and a Saturday Night Event will take place, to cater to all our students and their families!  Most of our students/families have signed up for one of the nights, or to volunteer for both nights.
IN-ground pig roast, cooking demonstration, baking by students...this is an 'Everyone Helps' event! 
Music, Line Dance Demos by our students!  Award night.  Prize Drawings.
Vendors have donated to our event in form of ingredients, family friendly drinks, prize items.
Huge night!  Anticipating a great memory
More information coming your way, get this on your calendar, all families invited!

Our FIRST EVER adults-only evening class!

We have organized our first ever Wine-Tasting and Pairing Class!

Invited are some of Salem's best Wine Experts to help us through!  We will have our outdoor Fire Pits going as well! 

One of the main barns on the farm, modern kitchen facilities.

Nice overlook loft in barn, for parents that want to hang around, watch their future 
chefs : ). Tea, snacks, Cooking channel up there!  Nice summer days barn door slides open, wonderful views and smells :).  Barn has full-size catering kitchen behind 'saloon' doors for future rental of barn, as well as two 'teaching kitchens' with more area being remodeled, classes are growing! 

These little farm cooks say the darnest things! : )

Class for 5-7 year olds using simply Thanksgiving dishes led to our discussion of how they cook turkey at home...Here are some excerpts from the drawings they did, and what they wanted for a description!  Very cute... : )

Kids ages 5 to 8 come in for the eight-week Wednesday classes to learn how to bake and cook from scratch. Butterscotch pears, marinara sauce with homemade pasta, apple and pumpkin pies—these are some of the foods they prepare, among many other dishes over the length of the course!

Flower Stand coming next May! We are excited and wanted to share now!

After seeing how well our flower garden is coming along over past summer, this raised-garden area will be expanded quite a bit...so our Farm can offer a flower stand with many wonderful choices offered for purchase!

Last class of 'tween's :), made lasagna, bruschetta, and a rasberry tart...we ate well on that Saturday!

Look what is coming up ~ YeeHaw Dads and Sons!

Parent/Child: Parent & Son-Mexican Fiesta

Time to get the “guys” in the kitchen! We love spending time with the boys, cooking and making memories. Our young lads (and the older lads!) all seem to love Mexican food - but, then, who doesn’t? We’ll tackle:

• Blue Corn Nachos
• Pork Carnitas with Mole Verde
• Homemade Flour Tortillas
• Mexican Chocolate Cake

Note: This workshop is for kids 8-11 years old. The price is per duo: dad and son.

Fall means 'Chunky Chili' Time! Check out our recipe!

Chunky Chili

•                cook time: 30 mins

•                servings: 4

Curl up on a cool fall day with a hot bowl of this colorful chili. Beef, tomatoes, onion, and chili peppers are just a few of the ingredients that give this soup its traditional spicy flavor. Use reduced-fat cheese and lean meat to make it both tasty and good for you at the same time.

ingredients 
12 ounces beef top round steak, trimmed of separable fat.             
  2 corn tortillas 
Nonstick spray coating

•                1/2 cup chopped onion

•                1 clove garlic, minced

•                1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

•                1 14-1/2-ounce can low-sodium tomatoes, undrained

•                1 cup water

•                1 4-1/2-ounce can diced green chili peppers

•                1-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

•                1 teaspoon chili powder

•                1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules

•                1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

•                1/4 teaspoon black pepper

•                1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (1 ounce)

directions

1.             Partially freeze meat about 30 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain into bite-size strips.

2.             Cut or tear tortillas into bite-size strips. Spread on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until crisp and dry. Set aside.

3.             Spray an unheated large skillet with nonstick coating. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add meat, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in the kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, water, chili peppers, basil, chili powder, bouillon granules, cumin, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.

Ladle into individual serving bowls. Sprinkle each serving with some of the tortilla strips and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Makes 4 servings.  Yum!

Just added 'Small Chef ' Cooking Utensils and a few cookbooks as well : ). 'B a r n ' Kitchen has a new wall display as items are requested!

Our little Chefs are loving our class utensils...decided it was time to make these available to our little cooks!

Community enhancement...right here on the Farm!

Neighborhood outreach. Passion is to give struggling families an opportunity to learn backyard gardening. Portion of this farm is not-for-profit, and it is one of my favorite places to be! Have you ever heard of 'Urban Cowboys'? We have them right here! Adults sign on to learn organic feed-your-family gardening.

Emphasis is teaching families they can take ownership in feeding their families for pennies when they 'grow home'. Upon 'graduating', these parents will be the newest neighborhood ambassadors for healthy family food, and can help teach more families!  Can you imagine the pride in learning this skill when given this opportunity? Wow!

Mission for this outreach:  To operate, promote, and demonstrate the use of organic agriculture as a vehicle for possible job training/employment, healthy ongoing family meals and community development.  I'm so excited!

Western Flicks up and running...now showing!

Finally installed media in the barn!  Three smaller screens in the cooking area(we had been using one laptop to view recipes, photos, youtube, now we can spread out as we all prepare a meal!
Also large screen is finally up and running!  It has ongoing Old Westerns in the 'couch corner' of barn, but can be seen from quite the distance, yay!  Screen up in loft as well, with Westerns playing during classes, for parents!  Sometimes we will have cooking channels up as well!

I LOVE Technology!!  High school cooking classes eventually will make good use of iPads.

Hung Lanterns out this week for dinner outdoors!

Weather this week has been gorgeous in the afternoons and early eves!  Decided to slide Barn door open, exposing the gardens,  landscape of color out there!  Hung lanterns on the trees right outside the barn, brick patio and outdoor oven area. Tall heating lamps are now out there for after dark!

LOOK WHAT I PICKED UP AT WEDNESDAY FARMER'S MARKET THIS MORNING!

Today is the last Wed. Market, the weather was around 43 degrees while I bought fresh-picked veggies...and my favorite booths, Flowers!  I say, you can never have too many flowers!(Oh yeah...or veggies :)

Mom's and Cowgirl Semi-Sweets Class!

Here is a sample of our last indoor-baking-but- outdoor-decorating Class!

Raw sugars, lowfat ingredients, almond and flavored rice milks, good flour, all make for a lower calorie/fat yet tasty!

Fall is here! Ordered plastic mucking boots(yes those cutie pair are plastic!)...perfect for kickin' up leaves and walking damp mornings through the orchard : ).

Get outside when it is not raining...in fact get outside when it IS raining : )...you will feel better!

I love old red bikes...but the post has to do with cooking!

After-school Cooking Classes have a limit of 12, with more station areas opening up to accommodate larger groups!

Saturday morning is a also a Two-Hour class.

Once a month we open for Family-Style Meal, with 'catering' by our own Cowpoke Cooks! They will show you what they have been practicing all month!

Modern Cooking Facility located in Beautiful Barn!

Great for Catered events, and Rental!

Local Farmer's Market is THE place to get cooking ingredients!

What isn't grown on our land, we will pick up from local Farmer's Markets and other wonderful private farms in our area. We are talking FRESH!