We salute these inventive home cooks by once again sharing a selection of their recipes, taken in this case from 'What's Cookin'?' by Maids of All Trades, published on behalf of the Maids of All Trades in Jordan, Montana, in the year of our lord 1979.
One summer’s day after church, when I was in first or second grade, one of the big-hatted, blue-haired ladies of the St. Leo’s congregation asked me, within earshot of my father, what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered, without a moment’s doubt, “I want to be a hobo!”
These have been selected from the 1983 Federated Church Cook Book (Harlowtown, Montana) on the basis of their culinary daring, and in the earnest hopes that their rediscovery will prompt no less than a full-scale revival of midcentury cuisine right here in our fair state.
It feels titanic, monolithic, eternal — every blessed ounce of it. Two buns. A succulent pork patty breaded and fried to a juicy golden brown, with onions, pickles, and mustard generously arranged in mouth-watering harmony.
Now whenever I go to a restaurant with a price point north of McDonald's, my eyes scan the menu for steaks. Whether it's the $10 steak and eggs at a greasy spoon or the $47 ribeye at a real fancy place, or the even more dreaded "market price" cut only available to those in the know, I can't help myself.
We continue to scour Montana’s vintage cookbooks for forgotten dishes of yesteryear. These were gathered, as were so many of the state’s most interesting and daring culinary compositions, in a church cookbook—in this case, Episcopal Cuisine, compiled in 1983 by the Junior Cathedral Guild of St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral in Helena, Montana.
But those first Cornish miners brought with them a delicacy that many Montanans still treasure, a simple hand-pie that continues to nourish and fuel hard-working folks today.
This winter, we present for your culinary curiosity and epicurean edification one recipe plucked from among the many venerable old cookbooks once published, in decades passed, in our fair state—in this case The Best Cooking in Havre, published in the mid-to-late 1970s by the St. Jude's Altar Society & Friends in Havre, Montana.
The National Carousel Association publishes an online Index of North American Carousels. That index lists seven carousels in Montana, including merry-go-rounds in Boulder, Butte, Columbia Falls, Helena, Missoula, Shelby and Somers.
The keynotes of Yellowstone Hot Springs are unequivocal: peace and renewal. In a world that seldom takes a pause, this oasis offers a rare sanctuary for visitors; a chance to reconnect with the land, the water, and oneself.
But hitting those pools together in the late evening, after superlative food and drinks, with trees lit up with twinkling lights visible through the steam, miles and miles away from the nearest inconvenience or trifling irritation, and slipping into the water slowly until totally submerged, well, that was magic.
Since 1991, the Western Montana Mycological Association has offered workshops and forays focused on mushrooms— not all of them as exciting as this one—every spring and fall season. These forays are always campouts, and attract dozens of dedicated mushroom hunters from all over the state.
Though none of us are golfers we still had a lot of fun in the simulator bays, loaded up with golf clubs, baseball bats, footballs, soccer balls, and, of course, golf balls. Naturally, we bought some goodies from the pro shop's bar - a wine for my better half, a beer for me, a couple of soda pops for the kiddos, and some beef jerky and chips.
I love introducing people to new foods. With the kitchen as my sanctuary where so much deliciousness can be created, I find enjoyment and comfort there. I want others to feel the same way.
The word was folded into English at least by 1420, when an early cookbook instructed readers how to “make stekys of venysoun or Beef.” Throughout the centuries, the word was spelled styke, steke, and steyke, arriving at its modern spelling steak by the mid 1600s.
Do you enjoy scavenger hunts? Working with space-age technology? Getting out and exploring this wonderful place called Montana? If you answered yes to all three, you may be ready to start geocaching.
As we know, there was a time when people of the Great Plains centered their lives around the buffalo, using the animal for food, clothing, tools, and musical instruments. The following recipes are adapted for modern materials and methods.
Animal welfare is another key factor in their operation, and at Tangen Draw, animals are moved slowly and calmly, without sudden movements or loud noises. There’s also a strict policy against the use of artificial additives, chemicals, or antibiotics—a commitment that shines through in the very flavor, taste, and nutrient profile of their meats.
Today, Peeler's sources the finest seafood, just minutes out of the fisherman's net, freezes it and flies it south to Montana. Then it winds its way through Montana's highways and dirt roads until, as if by miracle, folks who live thousands and thousands of miles away from the ocean buy it and enjoy it for themselves.
