_two Reluctant Cooks Recipes

_LAS PIEDRAS

Steps:

• For those of you who didn't take high school Spanish this translates to 'The Rocks'. Las Piedras Ranch owned by Dwain and Sandy Riney of Montgomery, Texas, is aptly named. Located in Real County, WNW of San Antonio, Las Piedras Ranch exemplifies the Texas 'Hill Country'! Their ranch, though not large by Texas standards, supports a healthy population of native wildlife and is also host to numerous exotic species. These wild, free ranging exotics escaped from neighboring ranches years ago. Dwain and Sandy recently invited me down to cook for some of their hunters. This particular hunt is a 'special hunt' for both the Riney family and the hunters. Once a year Dwain and Sandy donate a hunt for exotic species at Las Piedras to the Montgomery County Cattle Barons' Ball and benefit auction. The money raised from this annual event benefits the Montgomery County Unit of the American Cancer Society. In the course of my visit Dwain pulled out the 'ranch recipe box' and selected several favorites of his and Sandy's that he thought I'd like. In addition Sandy has since called me with a couple of other old family favorites. We hate to think of family heirlooms disappearing, but it happens when you prepare these recipes. My thanks to Dwain and Sandy for sharing them and inviting me down to share their corner of heaven in the Texas Hill Country!Spiced with More Tall Tales - Appetizers

_TWO RELUCTANT COOKS

Steps:

• Someone once said that there are two kinds of people leaders and followers! To paraphrase that from a camping perspective there are cooks and eaters! Every camp cook I've known started out as an eater, but somewhere along the way made the switch to camp cook! Rather than explore what motivates folks to become camp cooks, I'll take you on a journey with two friends who made the switch.Along in the late '70's and early '80's, a group of us began running rivers in the West. The core of the group traced their roots to college days. With sheepskins in hand we had scattered all over the West and took jobs with resource management agencies. The nature of our work dictated we spend a fair amount of our time camping and being bachelors, (sometimes intermittently) there wasn't anyone around to do the cooking but ourselves. When we started running rivers, the cooking chores did not present any problems. As time went by the group grew larger. The new additions seemed in awe of the creations set before them each day by the cooks. It didn't take too long before this became a real drag for the one or two people cooking! A division of labor seemed in order.Anyone who has cooked for a large group realizes the immensity of the challenge for a neophyte. To help these folks ease into the camp cooking world, we started by assigning them to do lunches. It's tough to mess up a lunch of cold cuts, gorp, and lemonade. Even then the responsibility of providing a meal that doesn't require any cooking for a large group will cause some consternation! Making the jump to a dinner meal tends to raise the anxiety level. Jim Van Ark and Pat Weber joined the group as passengers/eaters, and by June, 1991 had graduated to running their own boat when we launched for a Grand Canyon trip on the Colorado River. In the jargon of river runners, 'pucker factor,' does not refer to something immediately preceding a kiss. A river running buddy of mine once defined it as...the greater the pucker factor, the more swings it takes with a four pound hammer to drive a straight pin into a spot you normally wouldn't try to place a pin! Of our group, only Tom Beck had ever floated this stretch of the Colorado. Fear of the unknown infected the rest of us. Each rapid produced episodes of anticipation and apprehension that contributed to the collective pucker power of the group. Though we didn't test the 'pucker factor' of individuals, my guess is that Jim and Pat would've showed up on such a list as either, "Win, Place, or Show." Downloading of adrenaline commenced each afternoon when we pulled into our campsite! Though on the evenings Pat and Jim cooked, their download didn't start until after dinner. Somewhere below Granite Rapids their confidence caught up with their skills, both on the river and in the kitchen. My trip diary makes special mention of the clam linguini and upside down cake they served for dinner on Day #13.Spiced with More Tall Tales - Fish and Fowl